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RION [she/her] @hexbear.net

What's one thing I can get/do to make my first "adult" apartment a bit nicer?

Move in is the next few weeks. I've lived on my "own" (roommate I never interacted with) for a couple months my last semester of college, but that was a temporary setup whereas I'm hopefully moving out for good this time.

Bear in mind that the place has window/wall A/C and electric heating.

Things I'm already considering:

  • Drain guard
  • Bidet
  • Cold brew coffee maker
  • Rice cooker
  • Space heater? I'd like to keep the temp largely down during the winter to save money while warming up the part of the place I'm in
  • Key for washer/dryer

Things I already have:

  • Most furniture
  • Air fryer
  • Seltzer water thingy
  • Meal prep containers

General advice is also welcome!

94 comments

  • Instant pot > rice cooker. It cooks rice and does a ton of other things, totally worth splashing a little extra cash for.

    Houseplants are great, pothos are easy care and can be hung in wall mounted pots. Also consider a window bird feeder if that's an option where you live so you can see the wildlife.

    Baskets for fruit and fridge trays for veggies can help keep things organized and help you remember stuff before it goes bad.

    Coasters are always nice.

    On the maintenance front, try to have stuff that you can use to avoid a maintenance call, snakes for drains, a channel lock for loose plumbing fittings, sink and toilet plungers if not already present are inexpensive options. Check your heaters and window seals for dust and mold respectively when you move in because they're commonly missed cleaning steps (also under the fridge and stove, ew).

    Edit: sneaking in a couple more things - glass pint jars are great for food storage and as water glasses and for small-batch pickled veggies if that's your thing. I like throwing in some chopped bok choy and cherry peppers to top stir fries and salads.

    Shelf liners are great and can make cleaning up when moving out easier.

  • Clean everywhere you can think, you’d have no idea how much grime is hiding on walls and inside cabinets from past people. Some reusable rags, hot water and a little dish soap in a spray bottle works in 95% of cases.

    Get some plants and paintings, and use warm lighting from windows and lamps over ceiling lights.

    If you don’t have pots and pans already, get stainless steel. They’re more versatile than nonstick and you don’t have to worry about carcinogens. Tremontina is a good brand. Also get some knives and a good knife sharpener, and multiple cutting boards to separate meats and veg.

    Try to thrift pretty much everything. The only thing I’m iffy on is the aforementioned cookware.

    Watch that feng shui guy on YouTube. He’s got good analysis on furniture placement and home decor.

    • get stainless steel

      Personal preference but I strongly disagree. Stainless steel is basically my least favorite thing to cook with. I love my cast iron which I use for basically everything I can, and I like enamel for the things that sucks for.

      Ime stuff sticks to stainless steel so bad. Though I suppose it depends on what you cook often.

      • Stainless steel has to be seasoned much like cast iron, so as long as I’ve oiled it well and cooked with it often, I haven’t had many stickiness issues. Cast iron has its place in my kitchen, but it’s so heavy I can’t flip the pans, and takes so long to heat up it’s relegated to slow cooking.

    • Try to thrift pretty much everything. The only thing I’m iffy on is the aforementioned cookware.

      Why's that? I've always heard it's one of the best things to thrift because it's so durable that previous use doesn't matter as much. Or is that only with cast iron?

      • I’ve simply not had good luck with it. All the pans I find at the thrift store are decroded nonstick and really rusty, which I question the sanitation of even after I’ve cleaned them. If I happened upon a 100 year old cast iron or AllClad I would snatch it up.

  • I love me some household gadgets, but the one thing that (to me anyway) makes a place feel more lived in is "stuff". What I mean by this is things that fill in empty space. A coffee table book, art on the wall, a guitar case in the corner, a hanging plant, etc. Just stuff. It doesn't have to be nice stuff, or fancy stuff, it just has to be stuff you like looking at. Little tokens of things. Don't go out and buy a bunch of stuff all at once but honestly go find like a flea market or a local art shop or just pick up something kitchy from a coffee shop or whatever, I don't know what you've got around you. Just grab something, anything that has literally no value whatsoever except "I like to look at this thing." And then put that thing somewhere. And then once in a while go do that again. Eventually you've got stuff everywhere and it's all stuff you like looking at and other people like seeing. I'm not saying to cover your house in kitch or clutter or anything but you can always tell a lot about someone by the "stuff" they have. You see people's homes that have nice furniture and things but plain white walls and nothing on any of the furniture and it just looks weird and empty and sterile. Not for me.

    In terms of like, more practical things? Definitely a laundry key, I love mine. A cold brew coffee maker is just a jar with a spigot on the bottom and a filter...I also love mine but don't get anything too fancy there. I also love my rice cooker if you eat a lot of rice highly recommend, again it doesn't need to be fancy. I'd buy the space heater once you know you need it, maybe your place is well insulated and you don't need it or maybe not.

    My one major piece of advice for everyone moving in anywhere is ALWAYS BUY A PLUNGER BEFORE YOU NEED A PLUNGER. It's much nicer to have one on hand when the toilet starts to overflow instead of needing to go out and get one after it has already made a giant fucking mess everywhere. I think this advice applies to lots of things though. It's nice to have spares of stuff that is like critical. Have an extra towel, an extra set of sheets, things like that, just in case something goes wrong in the laundry or something like that.

    Are you renting or did you buy something?

    Anyway I have lots of opinions on this apparently so hopefully this was helpful.

  • Get some art. Doesn't have to be expensive, just buy some prints off etsy or some shit.

    Idk your sexual orientation, but if you wanna have a special someone over it def impresses them if you actually have some nice stuff on the walls. Bare walls/college dorm posters of the Godfather are a bit of a turn off I've learned.

    • Fumbling a baddie thanks to my five identical posters of Ex Machina (2014) starring Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac

  • rice cooker was one of the best purchases i've ever made, it's the easiest way to make food when im very depressive since i can just turn it on and leave it for an hour or so. and rice is hella yummy and cheap and i eat it all the time

  • Bidet is god-tier. Get one -- even a cheapo cold only one is good, but if you have a few hundred saved, Costco often has sales on a pretty solid Toto model that's pretty no-fuss. I had a Tushy once, and getting the hot water from the bathroom sink was a pain.

    Also, learn how to use drywall anchors for hanging shelves and shit -- you can buy a 4 dollar tube of spackle when you move out and patch any holes yourself.

  • Seconding the electric tea kettle, basic toolkit, and vacuum. Also you'll want a good mop, the tornado ones are really efficient. Sweep first, then mop. If you keep shoes on a shoe rack then you won't have to worry about cleaning as much/often

    If you don't live in an arid or semi-arid climate, a dehumidifier is a must; 60% humidity and above will mold things faster in your kitchen, promote mildew, and just feel hotter in general.

    Having plenty of chairs and table space is important. 5-gallon buckets are cheap storage and double-purpose as bottom-tier stools, but stackable chairs are better, and can be condensed to the space of just 1 or 2 chairs. If you find yourself keeping everything on the table, you probably need shelves. (In a pinch, you can use cinder blocks and 1x6 dimensional lumber for shelving, and still pull off a DIY aesthetic.)

    Make sure your bed rises far enough off the ground that you can put storage totes or shoeboxes underneath it. Bed risers can help with this but a higher frame is best.

    A space heater is a good idea to "heat people, not rooms". For yourself and for guests during the winter, put extra blankets on a couch and chairs.

    • I've already got the bed frame but it's pretty low to the ground. Might have to spring for some of them risers

  • decent knives, small toolbag with some basics like a multi-bit screwdriver, alan wrenches, pliers, possibly a hammer, possibly an adjustable wrench. if you have the money/space it might be worth it to get a cordless drill or impact driver. Makes putting together (and taking apart) furniture easier.

  • Cold brew coffee maker

    I just use a French press to make cold brew and it works super well, with the benefit of being able to make hot coffee too.

    A high quality chefs knife is a game changer in the kitchen. You don’t need a whole block of knives or anything, just a good 7-9 inch knife. Also a knife sharpener, I just use a little pull-through one from Amazon and it works well enough. A good sharp knife is so much easier to use and safer than a dull one.

    Bathroom trashcans with lids.

    Bookshelves, books and other things on those shelves

  • Art is huge, but cannot recommend throw rug enough.

    Stuff that looks ugly in a thrift store comes alive when put against apartment carpet or vinyl flooring. Absorbs sounds too.

  • Bidet definitely. I refuse to poop anywhere else now.

    Peg boards are really handy for hanging pots and pans and save you a lot of cabinet space

    Similarly installing small shelves in the kitchen area for spices frees up counter space.

    Ricer cooker with a steam tray on top, just remember you'll need more water when cooking rice and steaming something at the same time. I love cooking tamales and steam baos from in mine

  • If you don't have pets then indoor plants are good fun. A fair bit if upkeep but look really nice, really liked mine made the place feel more alive.

    Couldn't hurt to have a first aid kit

    Anyway time for our indoor plants vs outdoor plants struggle sesh

  • I echo all the art-on-the-walls suggestions. even blank canvases can be something if you think you might later paint on them. but there's plenty of secondhand shit for the walls all over. you can also hang fabric on walls to create warmth and patterns. I like hanging fabric on doorways and in hallways too, to pass through, because I am a weirdo and like to articulate the visual field to define spaces. people usually furrow their brow at it unless they are also weird like me and then they sort of laugh when they pass through.

    also, depending on the floor situation, rugs are cool. usually one at the entry door(s), one in the bathroom, one for the kitchen, and something for the living area.

  • I always suggest a decent sized rug/runner. Not only do they help tie together a room/hallway/entrance/etc in general, but they also help dampen noise. For example, when I moved into my current apartment - even with all my furniture and a bunch of stuff on the walls, walking around barefoot would echo really badly and god forbid I turned the AC on because the fan noise would echo. A rug and matching runner I got from the thrift store for $50 solved that and as a bonus, I can walk around barefoot without my feet getting cold from the hardwood

  • Get some blankets and cushions - makes sitting on the sofa so much more cozy if the room is cold. Also a hot water bottle is amazing for this and for cold beds too! If you’re a shoes off in the home kinda person (which you should be - the streets are dirty!) then get some good warm slippers. A lifesaver if you’re running the place a bit colder.

    Dehumidifier’s are really good but they’re expensive to run, and don’t forget to ventilate - open the windows daily.

    Something every residence should have is Carbon Monoxide and smoke alarms - they are not expensive and may save your life. Also a small fire extinguisher and fire blanket.

    It’s nerd shit, but running some type of mini pc or raspberry pi with pihole for adblocking and some type of jellyfin and arr stack if you’re inclined is very good for media.

    Get an aeropress. I’m also a big fan of a Moka pot.

    Tools: the most important ones are a decent measuring tape, a claw hammer, some pozidrive and flathead screwdrivers (or whatever your local fixings tend to be: torx, Allen, square etc), for hanging pictures and the like get a torpedo spirit level, they don’t take much space. Buy cheap tools - if they wear out or are insufficient only then buy good quality ones. The fact is if you don’t do much work the $2 claw hammer you bought at Walmart may be all you ever need, and that’s better than spending $100+ on a pro framing hammer that you’ll never see the benefit of. Then beyond those basic hand tools, a Combi drill with hammer functionality is very useful. After that only get the tools you need, for the tasks you intend to do. No point owning a circular saw if you’re never planning on cutting a load of timber or a pipe cutter if you never do any plumbing!

    Also buy a torch incase of power cuts and store it somewhere you can find it in the dark!

    This is left of field, but I’ve got an ancient 80s era Braun analog alarm clock (other alarm clocks will also be perfect) that I keep by my bed so I can still wake up but also not have my phone in the bedroom. I strongly recommend it. Phones in the bedroom are a route to late night scrolling and ignoring your partner. Not good. It’s a thief of romance and time.

  • Oh and if you have a place to compost, use a coffee canister for food scraps. Food in the compost, rinse off anything with food residue. If you have this, plus a nearby place to recycle stuff, your trash won't stink, and you won't go through as many trash bags.

  • I'd agree with all of your suggestions, except maybe the cold brew maker. I've found using a french press works pretty much just as well and you can make hot coffee in it too!
    The real curveball, that honestly might be unnecessary, is a new shower head. My last place had an awful one, it would push out a ton of water really haphazardly. The QoL upgrade when I finally (after 1.5 years of suffering) bought and installed my own was kind of upsetting. I got better pressure, better coverage, and the hot water lasted longer since it was using less. For $20 and a few minutes of install my life got so much better. And if you have the ceiling space, I think an extender isn't a bad idea either: you can sort of get the "waterfall" effect without splurging on a high end showerhead.

  • For coffee you might look at an Aeropress, if you're only making one cup at a time. Cheap, reasonably durable, and make some of the best coffee I've ever had.

94 comments