This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s spring editorial intern Kelly Xiong. Find her on Instagram at @k.3lly. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Moving into an off-campus apartment is very exciting. It signifies another step towards full adulthood. No more RA’s, parents or security watching and telling you what to do. You are on your own now with so much more freedom. Whether you are moving into the off-campus apartment with roommates or by yourself, you’re probably thinking about what to pack and bring into your new place. From my personal experience living off campus for the past three years, here are a few things you should add to your college apartment packing list that you probably haven’t even thought of.
This is not the most glamorous list, but here are some things to bring that may help make your life easier in your new apartment.
Draino/drain catcher
I’ve found these to be extremely helpful if you’re living in a place with multiple women. My roommates and I all have fairly long hair and shed a lot so getting a drain catcher to catch the hair is really useful. Yes, it will be gross to clean up afterward but this will save you the trouble of trying to unclog the shower drainer — which will be so much more gross and tedious.
In the case that you do get a clog in the shower drain, Draino will be your lifesaver. I always get the biggest bottle of the maximum strength to try to clear out as much hair and gunk from the shower drain as I can. This shouldn’t be your first option, and you definitely shouldn’t do it often, but sometimes life just happens.
Grocery cart
If you go school in a city where there’s public transportation and you don’t have a car, a grocery cart is super helpful. You can find many cheap ones on Amazon. The one that I have is on the pricier side but it is very much worth the splurge in my opinion. It is stair-friendly, collapsible and holds a lot of stuff. I like that it also has an umbrella pocket. As someone who lives in the second rainiest city in the US, I like to bring my umbrella everywhere with me, and the little umbrella pocket is very useful.
Toilet cleaner and brush
This may not be at the very top of your packing list but a toilet cleaner and brush is so important when you’re living on your own. You never realize how dirty a toilet can get — and how quickly that happens — until you have to clean your own. You should aim for around every two weeks to do a quick cleaning. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t but you will definitely start noticing the gunk if you go a while without doing so.
Space heater/fan/ac unit
If your off-campus apartment does not have a central air system, these things will be such life savers. In the summer, a fan or an AC unit will help you out dramatically. In the winter, a space heater can be really helpful — even if you do have central air. Some apartments can have bad air flow or cracks that heat can slip through so having a space heater in your room can help keep your room and you warm when you’re feeling cold.
Light bulbs
In the rare case that a bulb goes out, having extra light bulbs on hand can save you the trouble of going to the store and searching for them. In my three years living in my off-campus apartment, I have only had to replace two light bulbs — one for the lamp in the living room and one for the overhead kitchen light. It’s not a super common occurrence and depending on what your lease says you might even be able to have your landlord or maintenance person do it for you. But, just in case, it’s never a bad idea to keep some spares around.
These are definitely more niche items but can be super helpful. Let us know if you think we left anything else out on this ‘things you may not have thought of ‘college apartment packing list.
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