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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nanyang Tech chapter.

Until recently, I thought of IKEA as a mere home goods store that sold practical, affordable and ready-to-assemble furniture. This was up until I found some extremely useful and handy items for hall residents or otherwise. Here are some of my best finds to make life a little easier for you:

  1. Outlet Control Kit

Imagine this: after a long day, you’re comfortable in bed and about to doze off, but ugh. You forgot to turn off your desk light again! With this outlet control kit, however, you just stretch your arm for the remote and switch it off without having the need to disturb your sleep, get up out of bed and then lie awake for the next few hours. 

It comes with a remote button and a socket that sandwiches between the plug point and the plug of whichever appliance you choose. While a bit pricey at $23.90, the kit can truly make life more comfortable for you. 

  1. Hemming tape 

Ever need to make a skirt or a pair of pants shorter? Or just want to convert a long t-shirt into something cropped and more flattering for you? If you don’t have a sewing machine or any talent for sewing, this easy-to-use iron-on hemming tape can come to the rescue. All you need to do is grab, fold and press! Sold at $3.90 for 10 metres, it’s affordable and has a range of use-cases. 

  1. Milk Frother

If you’re tired of spending money on expensive coffee, try being your own barista and making some at home. This milk frother will spice up your daily cup(s) of coffee by adding in frothed milk. $3 is a small price to pay to change your morning brew game.

If you prefer tea over coffee, IKEA also sells this tea infuser (at just less than $2) which allows you to let your tea soak to perfection.

  1. Drawer Organiser

Everyone’s got a junk drawer which becomes a weird mix of batteries, buttons, lonely socks, old movie tickets, and other small bits. This drawer organiser with 8 compartments will help you tame that one drawer which collects everything. It is a practical solution to keep all those chargers, cables, arts and crafts, etc. in an organised way. For just $15, it will keep the mess out of your way. Remember to measure your drawer to ensure the organiser fits before buying it.

Vedika Sharma

Nanyang Tech '24

Vedika is an Economics major at Nanyang Tech and a lover of all things cottage core. When not writing or working on academics, she can mostly be found sewing, watching trashy reality TV or gushing over Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She can hold hour-long conversations on intersectional feminism but can't pronounce Worcestershire.