More and more of us are living in apartments, units, flats, terrace homes and other high-density housing. Living in such close proximity to other human beings comes with its share of challenges, from enduring the yapping of the dog downstairs, to the “balcony rain” when someone up above you waters their plants.
But some of the frustrations that come from apartment living can be solved through the clever application of the right appliances.
Here are three apartment living problems and how to solve them:
The Kitchen… That CRAWLED!
Hip and cool urbanites have better things to do than wash the dishes. Just stack those plates up in the sink, we’ll wash them later… Next thing you know, the whole place is covered in soiled crockery, which starts attracting wildlife.
While this issue is by no mean exclusive to apartment-dwellers, the problem does tend to become more pronounced in their smaller kitchens. It only takes one or two lazy, “I can’t be bothered washing up” days to render a small kitchen practically unusable.
If only there was some kind of… household machine… an appliance, if you will… that could… WASH the DISHES for you.
Some kind of… dishwasher.
Okay, so a lot of apartment kitchens are too small to comfortably fit a dishwasher without sacrificing a significant amount of cupboard space. Plus, because many apartment-dwellers are also renters, adding a new built-in appliance to the landlord’s kitchen may not be a viable option.
There are still a couple of options available, though. Slimline dishwashers are specifically designed for compact kitchens, leaving more storage space free w
hile keeping your plates nice and clean. And if your landlord isn’t ready to get the kitchen remodeled, consider a bench-top dishwasher.
These appliances aren’t huge, so they can only realistically handle a limited percentage of your total washing up, but they make up for it with their simple installation (no cabinetwork required!) and the fact that when your lease runs out, you can take the dishwasher with you to your next place.
The Strange Case of the Cable Underfoot and the Wireless Wizard
As most of us aren’t international recording superstars (if you are, call me!), most of us don’t have access to a small army of roadies to tape down any cables snaking across our floors to minimise the tripping hazards.
Whether it’s old-school blue internet cables, or leads for surround sound speakers, having wires running all over the place is particularly frustrating in apartments with relatively limited floor space, as you’re likely to pass through these high-traffic danger zones far more often during your everyday puttering about than you would in a larger house.
That’s why the rising prominence of wireless networking has been an absolute miracle for apartment dwellers. Fewer cables means fewer chances to potentially faceplant yourself while walking down the hall. Plus, to get different electronics talking to one another, you no longer have to plug one thing into another thing, then that thing into a third thing.
All of these appliances and many more can help to deal with your apartment living horror stories.