When you live in an apartment with limited space, storage options get a little tricky. Especially for bulky kitchen appliances. Fortunately, there are small appliances that can help provide solutions so you can live more comfortably, and even save money.
The following list offers the best small appliances every renter needs. From room-cooling fans or smart plugs to help you save on utility costs, the following five items are less than $100 each and a must for apartment dwellers.
Indoor pollution is a real thing, due to the increase in urbanization. Air purifiers remove contaminants in the air within an enclosed environment. Studies also show that air purifiers are efficient to protect against allergies and other hazards, as well as help with cardiovascular health.
An air purifier is a must for renters, as it helps eliminate dust and allergens from pet dander, pollen and even odors from cooking.
This one from Germ Guardian has three speeds and is only 22 inches — perfect for small spaces. The filter needs to be vacuumed off once a month and replaced every 6-8 months.
Here's the problem: If you live in a studio, your kitchen is in the same room as your bed. Most likely you don't enjoy the smell of lingering garlic from three nights ago. Not to mention, using your stove a lot can increase your utility bill and cooking in the summer can make small your space unnecessarily warmer.
You've probably heard of someone who uses an Instapot, which is an all-in-one pressure cooker, slow cooker and rice cooker (among other things). Not only can you cook your food quickly (boiled eggs in three minutes!), it also helps minimize overpowering smells that may result from using an oven.
You can make anything from perfectly boiled eggs to rice, steaks, stews and soups. There's even a function to make homemade yogurt.
Depending on how frequently you use your stove, you may even save on your utility costs.
Your AC can easily be one of the most expensive utility bills to pay for each summer, costing you roughly $23 to $137 each month.
Every renter needs a good fan to help cool your apartment on sweltering summer days. You can choose from a tower or circular design — both can easily cool an entire room.
A fan is also a great way to give your window air conditioner a “boost," and can be used to implement cross-ventilation to cool your space.
Having a solid night's sleep is crucial to our well being. But research shows that 35 percent of Americans aren't getting the recommended seven hours of sleep each night. Another 9 million Americans are turning to prescription drugs to help aid those restless nights.
Any city-dweller knows that living on top of (or below) your neighbors means it can get noisy. Instead of turning to sleep aids, prioritize your sleep with the help of a white noise machine.
Not only can this gadget produce ambient noise to block out disruptive sounds, but some (more expensive) models will also monitor your sleep patterns, provide personalized recommendations on how you could sleep better and wake you up in the morning.
Technically, these don't fall into the small appliance category, but smart plugs may help you gain greater control over energy-sucking appliances and save money on your monthly bill.
Smart plugs are great because you can remotely control whatever appliance is plugged into your smart plug through your smartphone. All you have to do is plug them into your existing outlets and then plug your appliance directly into it.
Bear with us here. We realize an electric kettle that costs $70 can be a stretch. But if you want to know the exact temperature of your water to make oatmeal, tea or even coffee, the Cuisinart CPK-17 PerfecTemp can help.
It has six preset heat settings for steeping tea at the right temperature, a 30-minute “keep warm" setting and blue LED indicator lights.
As anyone who lives in an apartment knows, your drinking water usually comes in the form of a Brita pitcher. Not only do you have to constantly fill up the pitcher and purchase expensive replacement filters, but it also takes up precious space in your refrigerator.
If you want to simplify, save money on filters and get rid of the pitcher lifestyle, check out a countertop water filter. Instead of fiddling underneath your sink to install it, all you have to do is connect this directly to your faucet.
According to Amazon reviewers, the filter works great, is BPA-free and complies with strict EPA guidelines for water quality.
Claire Tak is a writer who previously served as head of content and chief editor for FinTech companies in New York and San Francisco. Her work has appeared on FOX Business, Bloomberg and Forbes. She writes regularly about travel, money and being a good human. Traveling and snowboarding are her two favorite things to do.