How to Prepare for a Quarantine in an Apartment
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down the entire world. As a growing state of panic has set in, governments, businesses, places of worship, entertainment venues, heck, entire nations have shut down and everyone has opted to hunker down, shelter in place, and ride this thing out from the safety of our homes.
Fortunately, the world’s a very different place compared to even a decade ago, and spending weeks in isolation can actually be quite comfortable these days — if you do it right. There are streaming services galore, food and other goods can be delivered right to your door, and you can stay in touch with others via the interweb.
In spite of the conveniences, though, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s easier for some people to be in a quarantine zone than others — and we’re not just talking about introverts versus extroverts here. We’re talking about your actual, physical location.
Rural preppers may be all set as they hide away in their typically spacious homes with generators hooked up, chickens in the backyard, six months of rations stowed in the basement, and plenty of outdoor room to stretch their legs.
But what about those of us living in cramped apartments?
If you find yourself amongst the ranks of the apartment-dwellers of the world, here’s a quick rundown of things to keep in mind as you go about prepping for a long-term quarantine in the cramped spaces of the concrete jungle.
Gain Perspective
We love harping on perspective on the Homestead of Dead blog — and with good reason, too. If you have a panic-stricken, doomsday mindset at all times, you’re going to end up making a bunch of boneheaded mistakes that will hurt your finances, burn up your time, and likely cost you your sanity, to boot.
That’s why, before you put that bunker in your Amazon shopping cart, we’re begging you to step back and think things through.
Remember, humanity has dealt with sickness and disease since the beginning of time.
Not only that, but some experts are suggesting that COVID-19 could be a recurring issue and, at the least, there’s a good chance that most of us will get it at some point anyway.
This isn’t a doom and gloom conversation, so much as a call to keep a healthy perspective as you go about prepping. As you make each decision, remember that, yes, you’re preparing for what could amount to a huge humanitarian/economic disaster, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’ve dealt with stuff like this plenty of times before.
It’s not the apocalypse. Not yet. You’re not prepping for a “zombies in the rearview mirror” kind of catastrophe here. You’re simply trying to get through a very trying stretch of weeks and months that lie ahead.
If we all stay calm, cool, and collected, we can survive the unfolding pandemic with our emotions intact and our heads on straight — but it all starts with that perspective.
Okay. Did you take a deep breath? Are you feeling your blood pressure chill out a bit? Good. Let’s move on.
Make a List of Priorities
It’s always good to start with a list. So before you throw on your shoes and dash out to the supermarket to buy fifty rolls of toilet paper and a spoon, sit your butt on the couch and get out your smartphone.
Lists can be your savior when you’re out shopping. They help you get organized and prioritized, which — prepper t-shirt design idea alert!
Without a list to keep you grounded, you’re liable to walk past that spot in the store where there’s a single can of beans left on the shelf and — like Gollum realizing that he lost the One Ring — your eyes will widen as you realize that you’re about to miss out on kidney beans for the next three months straight.
Like a piranha that senses blood in the water, you’ll snap it up in a frenzy and the next thing you know, you’re trying to fit every item in the store into your overloaded cart.
If you want to avoid a financial, emotional, and mental disaster of this magnitude, start with a list.
Considers the following items (and anything else that comes to mind), figure out what you already have in stock, and the prioritize what is most important before you go shopping:
Food and water
We’re talking about basic survival stuff here. Don’t go buying fifty boxes of your favorite cereal. Stock up on non-perishable items like:
Bottled water.
Beans.
Rice.
Canned goods.
Basically, anything that will last a while. Try to purchase a reasonable amount each time you go to the store and then build your home supply over a few shopping trips so that you don’t exacerbate the supply issue as companies try to keep things stocked for everyone in need.
Hygiene items
Cleanliness is important, especially when you’re trapped in the same four walls of a tiny apartment for months on end. With that in mind, look for:
Soap.
Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Toothpaste.
Deodorant.
Toilet paper.
Feminine hygiene products.
Basic first aid supplies.
Note: You can find our more complete preppers list in our coronavirus survival guide.
Homefront stuff
Finally, consider your home front. Do you have the basic clothing you need? What about things like batteries, blankets, or any equipment you may require if you’re setting up to work remotely from home for a while.
Also, consider your apartment itself. Does it have any leaks or drafts? If so, pick up some weather tape or window plastic. Strong household cleaners like bleach and rubbing alcohol are also good to have on hand as well.
Don’t forget entertainment, too. This is obviously a need more than a want, but you should include some items like board games, books, and movies to help keep you busy during the long amount of time you spend indoors.
Pro Tip: If you’re an avid reader, consider getting a Kindle instead. Then you can borrow books from the library system using an app like Libby or OverDrive without ever needing to go further than the nearest electrical outlet.
Finally, while we’re on the subject of entertainment, it’s worth mentioning that you can also start a garden if you’re feeling ambitious. There are tons of different urban gardening ideas out there, and you don’t need a sprawling homestead to start growing your own veggies.
As you go through each area, consider your situation and make lists of what is the most essential thing you need at the moment. For instance, getting a new pair of slippers or a fresh fuzzy blanket should go way lower on the list than bottled water or soap.
We also recommend keeping your prioritized list of wants and needs on the cloud. Use an app like Google Keep to track what you need as you go along. That way you can keep an ongoing list and simply check things off as you order them online or purchase them at the store.
Consider Your Limitations
Okay, while we’ve considered things from an apartment-living perspective so far, it’s time to hone in on what the restrictions of quarantine look like specifically when you’re living in a cramped apartment with limited space to work with.
Depending on if you have a storage option in the basement of your building, you may be working with as little as a single room or two. This can have a huge effect on how you prep — and it can heavily impact those want and need lists we’ve been talking about.
Take your square footage into consideration and start to come up with a strategy to store supplies, sleep, and generally exist within your space without driving yourself insane. Remember things like:
Space needed to work: If you’re working remotely, it’s important to have an area that is dedicated to your work. If possible, try to get an entirely separate room so that you can at least have some boundaries between work and pleasure.
A dedicated sleeping area: In the same vein as the work area, if you spend all of your waking hours in the same space, you’re going to find it difficult to sleep there too. Even if it’s just your bed, try to have an area of your apartment that is just for sleeping. An entire bedroom set aside for just you and the Sandman is even better. You can hang blackout curtains, make it an electronics and blue light-free zone, and ensure that you can actually get a tight 7 to 9 hours of rest every day.
In-home entertainment space: Again, this may sound superfluous, but spending months indoors means you’re going to want room to separate your relaxing activities from your sleep and work.
Storage: last but not least, you’re going to need areas to keep your apartment prepper supplies. Try to find closets and out of the way places where you can keep things out of sight to avoid a stressful, cluttered appearance to your quarantined living space.
As you tackle your limited spaces, try to infuse your efforts with a bit of a minimalist attitude. Clear out expired food in kitchen cupboards to make room for food that genuinely matters, get rid of stuff you don’t need or use anymore, and generally make sure you’re only hanging on to things that have a proper function in your life.
Pro Tip: “Function” is a pretty broad term when it comes to minimalism. If a game or a book makes you happy, it has a function. So don’t strip your life down to the boring bare-bones as you clear things out. Just make sure you’re not cluttering up your space with three versions of the same game or a drawer full of clothes that you never wear ...that kind of thing.
Once you’ve sized up your apartment’s geographic potential, you’ll have a solid idea of how to set yourself up for long-term quarantining success.
Remember the Golden Rule
Finally, it’s important to reiterate the simple fact that we’re all in this together.
Remember that you’re not the only one stocking up on essentials, even in your own apartment building. You likely have dozens or even hundreds of neighbors also busily trying to gather up whatever they might need for the coming weeks of isolation.
So make sure to have a considerate attitude as you shop for things. If there are only two bottles of hand sanitizer or few gallons of water left at a store, leave some behind for the next person. If you find out that a neighbor’s arse is wanting for toilet paper, give them roll or two.
The important thing is that you balance thoughtful prepping with the Golden Rule. If we can all respectfully work together, things will be much easier in the long run.
So look out for each other out there, guys. We’ll all get through this one together.