Recently we moved into a new apartment that’s about a 40-minute drive from our old place. The setup was a little different and so we needed a few things.
1) Island, 59,900 won. (link) We bought “Type D”.
What’s good about it: It’s very sturdy. We house a lot of heavy stuff in it and put our oven on top.
What’s not so good about it: The shelves are fixed, and they’re not that far apart, so you can’t store tall items such as big canisters and the like.
What you need to know before buying: expect 20~30,000 won extra in delivery fees. Have it ready in cash.
2) File Folder Storage for important documents, 17,800 won. (link) I bought Model D2003.
What’s good about it: It’s very sturdy, but also lightweight. Plus, it has a cool design.
What’s not so good about it: It was too wide for my standard-sized American file folders. Plus, it’s a little expensive.
What you need to know before buying: Measure whatever you want to hang up or store in such a box before buying it.
3) Storage/moving boxes, 3,800 won for a pack of 4. (link)
What’s good about them: They’re cheap. They are also good for general storage, and you can get them in a variety of colors.
What’s not so good about them: They’re not very sturdy – good for light objects, like clothes or craft stuff (heehee…) but not books or anything like that.
What you need to know before buying: How much stuff you’ll actually need/be able to pack in them.
4) Jumbo-sized plastic totes with wheels, 10,000 won each. (link)
What’s good about them: They’re huge! And they have wheels. Plus, they’re half the price of similar items you can find in HomePlus.
What’s not so good about them: I can’t really think of anything for this. They’re good for what they’re good for, I guess.
What you need to know before buying: Being made of plastic, they might get damaged in shipping, so make sure you order them ahead of time enough to make a return on a broken one if you need to.
5) Wire and felt wardrobe, 21,900 won. (link) We bought the larger one and it was a little more expensive.
What’s good about it: I like the color. You can also zip it up for privacy. It’s inexpensive.
What’s not so good about it: It’s cheap. If you plan on storing board games, shoes, or a lot of sweaters on this thing then skip it and go for a sturdier model.
What you need to know before buying: You can’t store anything really heavy on it, so seriously consider what you will need to put in your wardrobe and buy one of an appropriate sturdiness.
6) Dish rack that hangs under the cabinets and over the sink, about 15,000 won. (link) We bought Model #20.
What’s good about it: It’s sturdy and holds a LOT of stuff. That’s great for us because we have more dishes than we have storage space, so we end up using the drying rack for two purposes: drying dishes and storing them.
What’s not so good about it: Nothing, it’s practically perfect!
What you need to know before buying: the exact measurements of the space where you will put it. It’s huge, and it hangs kind of low over the sink, so you’ll want exact measurements to see if it will work for you.
7) A spin-dry mop, about 16,000 won for a mopstick, 5 mop attachments, and a spin-bucket. (link) (note: it looks like they are temporarily out of stock)
What’s good about it: It’s fantastic!!! Can you believe I’ve gone a whole year in Korea without a mop? I was using cloth diapers to mop the floor, and then I just stopped mopping after a couple of months because it was so tiresome. I just didn’t have any place to put one, and I didn’t see any I liked. All the other models like this one were way over priced (like 50 bucks!).
What’s not so good about it: You need a place to store the 4 mop attachments you are not using. Then again, that’s not really anything wrong with the product, more just a lack of space in my apartment. Let me just say that this was BY FAR the most satisfying home purchase I’ve made since the move, and probably the second or third most satisfying purchase I’ve made in Korea, next to my oven and couch.
What you need to know before buying: Where you intend to keep it! The mop bucket is a little big, and you’ll have to store the attachments.
Happy Shopping, everyone!
