If you’re renting for the first time, chances are you are living on your own for the first time. Learning the fundamentals of how to clean, organize and maintain a functional apartment can be difficult to get used to with no prior experience. Are you stuck in a functionality rut? Learn how to easily maintain a functional space that’s always ready, from guests to study, in this article.
Routine Maintenance
When you first move into your apartment, find out how your landlord deals with regular maintenance. See if there are routine checks or if service specialist only check out the apartment when there is a problem.
Be sure to check your apartment central systems like plumbing, electric and hair ventilation when you do your initial walk-through, check all appliances and signs of pest damage to see if a visit from exterminators is needed before you move in.
Central systems that should be checked at least once a year:
- Plumbing
- Electric
- Heat and air ventilation
- Signs of pests
Do Your Chores
The days of chores do not end after you’re a teen, they continue into your adult life. While cleaning may have felt like a personal vendetta against you as a child, a clean home is better for your mind and your health. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, that dust and dirt attracts potential health damaging pests like dust mites while a dirty kitchen attracts bugs like cockroaches and food handled in unclean environments is at risk of attracting disease-causing bacteria.
It may sound silly, but the best way to keep a tidy home is as simple as consistently cleaning up after yourself as you make messes in your home. As you cook, put ingredients away; when you undress, put clothing in the laundry hamper etc. Keep a list of daily, weekly and monthly chores on a notepad on the fridge or dry-erase board in the kitchen.
Daily tasks can include things like making your bed, washing dishes, taking the trash out, sweeping, picking up clothes and taking 10 minutes to “tidy-up” each morning. Vacuum, do laundry, dust and wipe down the kitchen weekly and give your apartment a thorough cleaning once per month.
Organizing and Simplifying
Renters can struggle with trying to find room to store belongings while keeping the apartment from being cluttered. One of the best ways to keep an apartment organized and functional is to use multipurpose furniture. Items like chests for coffee tables and floating shelves create decor and depth in a space while creating a place for storage.
According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, “80% of what we keep we never use.” When you move into an apartment it’s important to accept that you may have to let go of some “stuff.” All in all, it’s only “stuff.” When you’re in the moving process really assess what you need vs. what you don’t. Look to old clothes you never wear and excessive trinkets that serve no real purpose. Limit rooms to three purely decorative objects like vases and statues, and use functional extras like a magazine rack, remote control basket as an opportunity to add more decor to your space.
