Top Pick: Moen 26112SRN Engage Magnetix | $50 | Amazon
Renting can often leave you feeling like you’re borrowing someone else’s home, and making the touches to improve where you live don’t always feel worthwhile. It’s a tough one too, because buying a house is absurdly expensive, so you need to think about what you’re doing. To that end, we’ve come up with some of the best upgrades for renters to improve your home a little bit.
One of the best things you can do is to get a nice shower head, because nothing feels better than a good shower. But even things like wallpaper stickers and fake plants can help you make a place your own. Of course, you can also go for other functional upgrades to make things better as well. Just have a look at all of these, and then you can start making your mark, without getting in trouble.
Best Home Upgrades for Renters: A Decent Shower Head
One quick and easy bathroom fix is changing your rentals showerhead. My colleagues have already gone in-depth with the best products based on their individual preferences. However, it doesn’t hurt to add to this ongoing list!
Plus, if you’re looking to pretend that you’re in a rainforest, try the G-promise All Metal Dual Shower Head Combo. Made with all-metal construction, this product is a combined rainfall and handheld showerhead. The fixed portion has an 11-inch extension arm, which can be adjusted with two knobs to meet your specifications.
And if you love a handheld option, cash in on the Moen 26112SRN Engage Magnetix Shower Head. It has a magnetic base for docking. Plus, the brushed nickel finish is spot resists fingerprints and water spots for a clean look, regardless of where you are in your cleaning routine.
And lastly, if you love a high-pressure, hot shower, try the Hopopro 5 Modes Bathroom Showerhead. It has an adjustable ball joint design, so you can change the angles and directions that the water flows. Additionally, it comes with 19 abs nozzles and 47 self-cleaning nozzles.
Best Home Upgrades for Renters: An Inexpensive Bidet
A bidet may not be the first thing you think of when looking at life-improving upgrades, but it should be. We’ve talked about the benefits of bidets a few times on the site now, but you absolutely should go ahead and invest in one, especially as they don’t even have to cost that much.
This isn’t just a smart upgrade because it’s not only a nicer way to clean yourself than toilet paper, but will also save you money in the long run. Plus, it’s ideal for anyone who has trouble moving, might have just given birth, or those with stomach issues in general.
Here are a couple of non-electric options from Amazon, guaranteed to transform your bathroom experience.
Best Home Upgrades for Renters: Ethernet ... Ethernet Everywhere
This might not be an upgrade that you would expect, but tech nerds like me will know how valuable Ethernet is.
Back in my apartment days, my wifi wasn’t the best. It felt like it took forever to back my computer up, and my online gaming hobby definitely suffered from the annoying latency and dropouts. Instead of spending a ton of money on upgrading your router, which has never been perfect, run some damn Ethernet through your apartment. Get right to the source!
You don’t even need to open up the walls or trip over cables. Just grab some Cat 8 Ethernet Cable and some cable management sleeves to make some clean runs along the baseboards or ceiling. (I used Command strips with the cable raceways to make sure I didn’t pull off any paint with included too-strong adhesive.) I’ve also used powerline adapters in the past, but they can be more finicky in some apartments than others—so the longer Ethernet runs are well worth the extra work. Your internet will be faster and more reliable than ever, and you won’t have to futz with the Wi-Fi to keep your Zoom calls stable.
Best Home Upgrades for Renters: A Few Cheap Smart Bulbs
Isn’t it such a drag to walk into a room and do the extra work of flipping on a light switch? That’s exactly how I feel! No more with the LUMIMAN Smart bulb. This product is compatible with the Alexa Echo, Echo dot, and Google Home Assistant. No hub required! Just wifi and the power of your beautiful voice.
Remote control your lights from anywhere and at any time. These light bulbs come with the free PLUSMINUS app, which can be used on your smartphone or tablet whether you’re at home or away. Additionally, these bulbs can be scheduled or be set to a timer. Note that these bulbs only support 2.4 GHz wifi network.
Best Home Upgrades for Renters: Magnetic Screen Doors and Adhesive Window Film
When my wife and I first moved to San Diego, we rented an apartment that was well within our budget but was really outdated. With a little bit of research, we discovered that there’s a lot of changes you can do to your home that won’t be permanent. So, we put our toolbelts on and got into the fixer-upper spirit.
One issue was that our backdoors didn’t have privacy window films, and it was really easy for pedestrians to look into our home. So, rather than call our landlord, we decided to apply those films ourselves. This option will easily frost your glass in either your bathroom, kitchen, or back entryway. It even has heat control and glare blocking functions.
Next, my wife loves keeping the door open while she’s cooking to ensure that the kitchen doesn’t get too hot. However, she does not love the bugs that can come inside in the process. So, we opted for a magnetic screen door, so we can filter the hot air out and keep the bugs out at the same time.
Best Home Upgrades for Renters: Curtains
Lastly, my biggest pet peeve was the amount of light that leaked through our blinds. Now, I don’t know about you, but I am very sensitive to light, especially while I am sleeping. And I was tired of waking up at 6 am every morning, particularly on my days off.
So, my wife and I hit a local discount store, found a couple of curtain rods and panels on sale, and then got to work! With a little measuring and a couple of holes drilled thanks to my power tool, we were in business! Goodbye waking up at dawn! See ya never!
Amazon even sells a few brands that make their panels at special lengths, which is perfect for those of us who need to block out the light above our window AC unit.
This story was originally published by Whitson Gordon on 01/29/2021 and updated with new information by Jason Coles on 02/22/202.