After you’ve overcome the stress of moving, you’re going to have these grand ideas about how you’re going to furnish your first apartment. You think about hanging expensive art on the walls, buying a funky couch, and splurging on towels so fluffy they feel like dressing robes. But before you get ahead of yourself, it’s best to make a “moving out list” of all the essentials you’ll need so you can actually cook a meal or put together your bed in the new apartment.
Aside from your mattress, sheets and lounge, you will need some things like kitchen utensil kits, clothes drying racks, a laundry hamper, a tool kit and, of course, a bottle opener.
Ahead, we’ve pulled together a checklist of moving out essentials and other things you’ll definitely need before you move into your first apartment.
It might seem obvious, but the first on our moving out list is an at-home tool kit. They’re perfect for those little DIY jobs that’ll pop up around your new home or the notorious Ikea flat pack. Try to buy a kit that has all the essential pieces like a hammer, screwdriver, pliers, Allen keys, measuring tape, a box cutter, and so on.
This one from Cartman is super affordable and has all the bits and bobs you need.
Where to buy: Amazon ($32.99) | eBay ($49.99)
The more you start cooking meals for yourself, the more you start to realise that you need a wide variety of kitchen utensils to see you through.
Get yourself a kitchen utensil set like this 15-piece one from Mibote. It includes a slotted turner, solid turner, deep soup ladle, flexible spatula, pasta server, spreader spatula, slotted spatula, bating brush, egg whisk, slotted spoon, solid spoon, kitchen tongs and holder.
Where to buy: Amazon ($42.99) | Catch ($34.95) | eBay ($58.61)
The same goes for a set of pots and pans. The more you cook, the more you realise you need a good set. The only tricky part is that a good set can be somewhat expensive, so you have to do some shopping around to find a good bargain.
Luckily for you, we’ve gone ahead and done the hard work for you. This 16-piece ceramic non-stick cookware set from GreenLife is pretty good value for money. It comes with a 10cm mini frypan, 18cm and 24cm open fry pans, 15cm and 18cm saucepans with lids, 22cm stockpot with lid, 24cm saute pan with lid, 18cm stainless steel steamer, and four kitchen utensils.
Where to buy: Amazon ($159.99) | Catch ($159) | eBay ($149.99)
Every kitchen needs a decent knife set that comes with multiple knives of all different sizes and edges.
This eight-piece set premium German knife set includes an 8-inch sharpening rod, 8-inch chef knife, 8-inch slicing knife, 8-inch bread knife, 5-inch utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, a pair of kitchen scissors and a block to hold them all in.
Where to buy: Amazon ($56.09) | eBay ($92.89)
Moving out of the kitchen and into the laundry room, you’re going to want to get yourself an inside clothes drying rack like this one from L.T. Williams.
It’s sturdy, comes with 14 meters of drying space and folds up, so you can store it easily.
Where to buy: Amazon ($37.97) | eBay ($73.74)
Depending on where you move, you may or may not have a laundry inside your apartment. In which case, you’re going to want a laundry hamper that will help you effortlessly separate your whites from your darks and colours.
There are a few types you can go for — you can get ones with drawstring closures, some with sturdy twin handles and some even have wheels. Whichever type suits you best, there are many affordable options available online.
Where to buy: Amazon ($39.90) | Catch ($39.95) | eBay ($25.99)
Yes, you need this! Nobody thinks about it until they walk past it at Kmart, but they do. And be sure to scrub the toilet bowl before you baptise the porcelain throne.
Plus, toilet brushes don’t have to look as gross as they seem. You can get fancy looking ones like this one by MR. SIGA that have durable and dense fibres for an effective clean plus, a lid that opens and closes automatically.
Where to buy: Amazon ($26.99) | eBay ($40.36)
If you’re moving into a carpeted apartment, a homely broom and dust pan simply won’t do. That’s why we recommend adding a Dyson vacuum cleaner to your first apartment checklist so you can suck up any dirt and dust that found its way in during the moving process.
Where to buy: Amazon ($729) | eBay ($739)
Apartments can be pretty small and their kitchens tiny. To save yourself some more bench space, and lessen the amount of times you need to wipe down the spot under your dish rack, grab one of these ones that hang over the sink instead. Truly a game-changer.
Where to buy: Amazon ($89.99) | eBay ($49.99) | Kogan ($65.99)
This puppy is a godsend if you’ve just moved into your new apartment and discovered there’s only one powerpoint per room. Ya, that’s a thing. While you can definitely grab a power bank, why not save some space by grabbing this USB charging station. Because who needs adapters these days?
Where to buy: Amazon ($48.99) | eBay ($61.80)
One way to stop yourself from getting your full bond back is by slicing and dicing away on the kitchen bench sans chopping board. A sure way to end up damaging the countertop and risk losing a finger, don’t forgo a chopping board.
Where to buy: Amazon ($69.95) | Catch ($79.95)
Sounds silly, but having a full-length mirror in your apartment is an absolute lifesaver — especially if you can mount it on the back of a door or to a wall.
And you can pick them up from places like Amazon for under $100. What a win. Add it to your moving out list, stat.
We can’t tell you the frustration we feel after buying a nice bottle of wine only to get home and realise it’s a corked bottle and you don’t own a corkscrew.
The same goes for when you’re cooking something delicious for dinner, and you find yourself without a can opener. We highly recommend investing in both a can and bottle opener for when you move into your first apartment.
Where to buy: Amazon ($16.99) | eBay ($28.99)
If you have no idea where to start in terms of appliances, might we suggest a microwave (AKA the holy grail kitchen essential, if you ask me)?
Not only will it tide you over for dinners in the first few weeks of unpacking chaos, but it’s an absolute staple that’ll last through many years of frozen meals, reheated leftovers and trialling random TikTok mug cake recipes.
Where to buy: Amazon ( $329) | Bing Lee ($329) | eBay ($329)
If you’re moving out of your childhood home, you might be bringing a lot of random stuff with you to your new apartment as part of your moving out list.
However, if space doesn’t permit, these easily-tucked-away storage containers can help you stack and store your off-season clothes or the bits n’ bobs you don’t want to be seen in plain sight – like your childhood action figurine collection that you just can’t part with.
Where to buy: Amazon ($29.45) | eBay ( $24.79)
Bree (aka @_breegrant) has been playing with beauty products since she was tall enough to reach her mothers makeup bag. She lives for testing out products before they hit shelves and has been known to put her body on the line for a sex toy review or two. (Someones gotta do it?!) When she’s not busy being the E-Commerce Editor at PEDESTRIAN.TV, and the Australian versions of VICE, Refinery29, Business Insider, Gizmodo, Lifehacker and Kotaku, she’s usually at the beach attempting to live out her Blue Crush dreams, shell necklace included.
You absolutely DO NOT need a knife set. In fact, pretty much every chef recommends against it. You’ll get much better value for money just buying the specific knives you need. For most people you’ll do pretty much everything with just three knives – that’s a chef’s knife (8″ is a good start), a paring knife (3-4″), and a serrated bread knife.
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