ReadyHarbor

First apartment

First apartment, and it is completely empty

What you actually need for first apartment — 16 things to cover, each with a pick.

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Bedding you can sleep in tonight

This is night one, and night one is non-negotiable. A comforter set that arrives as one item means the bed is done in a single decision instead of five.

What to check
  • Check the set includes the sheets, because many list a comforter and shams only
  • Match the size to the mattress you actually bought, not the room

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A shower curtain, a liner and the rings

Almost every first-apartment list forgets that these are three separate things. Without the liner, water goes on the floor; without the rings, nothing hangs at all.

What to check
  • Buy them as a set so nothing is missing
  • Check the liner is weighted at the hem, which is what keeps it from wrapping around you, and that the length matches a standard rail height

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Towels for the bathroom

You need two sets minimum: one in use, one clean, because you will not do laundry on the day you need a towel. This is the second thing people find missing on night one.

What to check
  • Cotton dries the body better than a microfibre blend
  • Check the set actually includes hand towels and washcloths, which are the ones people forget entirely

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A basic tool kit

The first week of a new place is entirely small jobs: a curtain rail, a wobbly toilet seat, a flat-pack shelf, a picture. Borrowing a screwdriver from a neighbour you have not met yet is not the plan.

What to check
  • Look for a kit with a claw hammer, both screwdriver types, pliers, an adjustable wrench and a tape measure
  • A case that closes matters more than the piece count on the box

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A cordless drill

Every curtain rail, shelf, mirror and TV mount needs one, and a screwdriver by hand into a wall plug is a genuinely bad hour. This is the item people borrow most and end up buying anyway.

What to check
  • A 12V or 18V drill-driver is plenty for a flat
  • Check it comes with a battery, a charger and a bit set, because a bare tool needs all three bought separately

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A first cookware set

Two pans and a saucepan cover almost everything you will cook in year one. Buying a fourteen-piece set is how people end up with three items in use and eleven in a cupboard.

What to check
  • Check whether your hob is induction, because a lot of basic sets will not work on one at all
  • Look for oven-safe handles, which doubles what each pan can do

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A knife and a board

One good chef's knife does more than a block of eight bad ones. A blunt knife is also the one most likely to cut you, because it slips instead of cutting.

What to check
  • An 8-inch chef's knife covers nearly everything
  • Check whether a sharpener is included, because a knife is only good while it is sharp
  • Get a board that fits in your sink to wash it

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Plates, bowls and flatware for four

Four is the right number, not two: two means washing up before anyone can visit, and eight is storage you do not have. This is also the first thing you will want when someone comes over.

What to check
  • Look for stoneware or porcelain over melamine if it is going in a microwave
  • Check the set is dishwasher safe and stackable, because cupboard space in a first flat is the real constraint

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

Cleaning basics in one go

A new place needs cleaning before you unpack into it, and the shops are the last place you want to be on move day. Buying it as a bundle means you are not making six decisions about spray bottles.

What to check
  • Check it covers bathroom, kitchen and floors, which are three different products
  • Microfibre cloths beat paper towels for cost and for glass

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A vacuum that fits in a closet

A full upright will not fit anywhere in a small flat, so it stays in a corner and becomes furniture. A cordless stick lives on a wall bracket and gets used because it is easy to reach.

What to check
  • Check the run time against the size of the flat, and check whether it comes with a wall mount and a crevice tool
  • A washable filter saves buying replacements

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A surge protector with USB in it

Older flats have one socket per wall and it is behind the sofa. A strip with USB built in gets a lamp, a TV, a laptop and two phones running off the one outlet you can actually reach.

What to check
  • Check the cord length in feet - this is the whole point
  • Look for a real joule rating, and confirm it says surge protector rather than power strip

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A laundry hamper you can carry full

In a flat, laundry means carrying it to a basement, a laundrette or a car. A rigid basket you cannot get through a door with is why the pile stays on the floor.

What to check
  • Straps or a backpack style beat a rigid basket if there are stairs
  • Check it holds a whole load rather than half of one, and that it stands up on its own when empty

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A bin and the bags that fit it

The bin is the single most-forgotten first-apartment item, and the bags are forgotten twice, because people buy a bin and then discover the bag size is not the one in the drawer.

What to check
  • Check the litre or gallon rating and buy bags to match it, not to match a memory of the last place
  • A lid matters more in a small flat where the kitchen is the living room

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A smoke alarm and a small fire extinguisher

A landlord's alarm may be years old and a rented kitchen may have no extinguisher at all. A pan fire is the most likely emergency in a first place and the one most easily handled in the first ten seconds.

What to check
  • Check the alarm's printed replacement date, because sensors expire whether or not they have been used
  • For the kitchen, look for an extinguisher rated for both grease and electrical fires

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A plunger and a drain snake

A blocked toilet in a flat is an emergency with a deadline, and it always happens outside office hours. These two live in a cupboard for a year and then save an entire evening.

What to check
  • Look for a flange plunger, which seals a toilet properly - the flat cup type is for sinks and will not work
  • A plastic hair snake handles a shower drain without any chemicals

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

A folding step stool

A first flat has a light fitting you cannot reach, a top cupboard you cannot see into, and a smoke alarm that will beep at 3am. Standing on a chair is how the first-week injury happens.

What to check
  • Check the folded thickness so it fits beside a fridge or in a closet
  • A two-step with a handrail is more stable than a taller one with nothing to hold

3 options — pick the one that fits, then tap through for the current price on Amazon.

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