When you move into a flatshare, there’s a few essentials you know you’ll definitely need: spare toilet roll, a stash of sponges, maybe even some new pots and pans… But what about those things you end up needing that you never thought you would? The life-saving purchases that make the mundane tasks like sharing chores a little easier? Well, we’ve got some genius flatsharing essentials to add to your “to buy” list – read on.
1. Noise-cancelling headphones
Ever wanted to get your head down and get stuck into a task, but the minute you do someone seems to pop up out of nowhere and ask you something? Or perhaps there are times when you’ll tell literally everyone in your vicinity that you’ve got a super important phone call and would not like to be disturbed (pls and thnx)... but there always ends up being one oblivious person making a racket in the background, stopping you from getting things done?
Distractions are the number one red flag that stops you from getting tasks done, so eliminating them is the sensible thing to do when it’s time to get productive. Shortcut your way to a harmonious environment with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, guaranteed to remove distractions. Time to shut the world out and be hella productive.
2. A magnetic board for chores and reminders
Housemate not pulling their weight? Avoid direct conflict with the human in question and save yourself an awkward conversation by scribbling passive aggressive notes… sorry, we mean helpful reminders, in communal areas. A magnetic white board is the perfect purchase for this.
Scenarios where this will come in handy: Your flatmate hasn’t washed the dishes yet again? Whack a reminder on the board. Do you need more kitchen roll but you’re the one replacing it every time? Scribble “get kitchen roll please!” on the board. Maybe you just fancy leaving a cute doodle for your housemates?? On the board it goes. This board can also be used as a chore board or a way to display your cleaning rota for all to see..
3. Dishwasher magnet for clean or dirty dishes
No one likes being reminded to do the dishes, and no one wants to remind others to do dishes. But for the dirty plates in question, a dishwasher can solve lots of problems as it allows for more than one dish to be washed at a time (yay for household appliances!).
If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher in your flatshare, you’re probably familiar with the new dilemma of never knowing if its contents are clean or dirty, which inevitably leads to a new mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. But there is a solution to this, thankfully! Look out for a dishwasher magnet with slots that indicate whether the load inside is dirty or not – and say goodbye to future dishes piling up everywhere they shouldn’t be….
Just make sure you’re not the flatmate who forgets to change the magnet after every fill…
4. A lock for your ice cream
We’ve all been there. You’ve opened up a fresh tub of ice cream at the end of a hard day, but you can’t finish it after the halfway point, so you want to store it until you fancy it again. You pop it into the freezer – only to find a mysterious scoop missing the next time you open it… A lock for your precious ice cream is exactly what you need if this situation happens to you – and it’s guaranteed to keep greedy flatmates and sneaky thieves at bay… More ice cream for you!
5. A label maker
A label maker is a really handy tool in a flatshare – they’re perfect for those times when things just have to get labelled. Your tub of butter in the fridge, that ominous jar of chilli flakes (that always gets confused with cinnamon), or your open carton of oatmilk... Label it up!
6. Over the door shower caddy
Bath caddies are very useful for storing all your wet bathroom goods, and having one makes it easier for you to know who owns what, what’s for sharing and what’s off limits. Gone are the days of feeling bewildered as to why half the contents of your shower gel have gone astray...
Other life-saving products you reckon we’ve missed off the list? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram!