Should I pay to improve the house that I'm...renting???

[CogentCap]

Thanks for the great advice, everyone!  The original question has been resolved.

[NV Teacher]

Have you looked at a portable dishwasher?  They also have counter-top dishwashers that you could put on a rolling cart.  You would probably be able to sell it when you move.  I wouldn't put that kind of money into a rental.

[Fomerly known as something]

I 2nd a portable dishwasher.  I had one for 8 years while in an apartment and at my first Condo.  It worked great for about 1/3 of the price.  (and you can sell it later)

[MilesTeg]

don't improve their property on your dime. The only kind of improvements I would ever make to a rental property are the kind that I could exchange for reduced rent (painting, landscaping, general handywork, etc.).

Get a portable dishwasher or move to a property that better suits your needs.

[CogentCap]

We've actually thought about moving over it, lol.

Trouble is with that is, it would be hard to find a place as nice as ours for a comparable price, and our location is close to work and the grocery store, and the highway.  Also, a new place would lock us in with a longer lease (ours expired 2 years ago, so we just give 60 days notice whenever we want to move out).  So if a job opporuntiy arose, it would be that much harder to take it.


Portable Dishwashers:
We've thought about a portable dishwasher before and dismissed it because "there's no place to put it" when not in use, and when in use, it would be in the middle of the floor (kitchen is TINY. Only has 2 cabinets below and two wall-mounted).  However, perhaps I haven't been creative enough.  I could probably make a home for a portable unit in the dining room when it's not in use.

I'm going to go look up some models now.  Sounds like this is going to be a way better solution.

Thanks for reminding me about portable dishwashers, and talking some sense into me too :D

[letired]

+1 portable dishwasher. My friend had one that they put on a little rolling cart so they could roll it over to the sink to run it, then roll it back to it's corner when it was done. That is the only one I'm familiar with, and it hooked up to the kitchen sink, with a drain hose. I never operated it, but I'm assuming there is some sort of internal water control as well so you don't have to babysit it. Probably looking up a product manual is a good option.

[Fomerly known as something]

Question about portable dishwasher for you guys that have had them:

How does it work with the water?  Does it control its water supply from the kitchen faucet, or do you have to pay attention and turn the water on and off?

I've been poking around online but can't find this answer.

You attach it to the kitchen faucet and it does it's thing.  Because you do leave the water on I only ever ran it when home.   

I had a small kitchen, mine was on wheels, when it was in use it was in the middle of the floor, when not in use it was shoved in a corner.

[diapasoun]

Portable Dishwashers:
We've thought about a portable dishwasher before and dismissed it because "there's no place to put it" when not in use, and when in use, it would be in the middle of the floor (kitchen is TINY. Only has 2 cabinets below and two wall-mounted).  However, perhaps I haven't been creative enough.  I could probably make a home for a portable unit in the dining room when it's not in use.

If there's no place to put a portable dishwasher, where would you put a full-size regular dishwasher?!

What's the sq footage on the counterspace? Like, do you have room for a drying rack, or are you at NYC kitchen size? And if your sink is very tiny -- have you tried doing dishes in the bathroom tub? I know it sounds ridiculous, but when you live that tiny apartment life, you do what you must.

[nick663]

Is the rent really good or market rate?  How long until your lease is up?  You could try to make it a condition of renewing your lease when it comes up for renewal but if your rent is below market it probably isn't worth rocking the boat.

TBH, I've never found dishwashers to be that convenient.  You still have to rinse dishes and load/unload the dishwasher and most dishwashers don't even hold that much so you need to run them often.

[Rural]

I had a portable for a number of years. It had a butcher block top, so I used it in place of a kitchen island countertop. It did indeed control its own water, but I agree about running it when someone is home. The hose attaches to the faucet with a quick release deal that could potentially decide to quickly release itself someday.


You may have to replace the screw-off end of the faucet that holds in the screen with an adaptor for the quick release to attach to. It's not hard; just hang on to the original part for when you move.


Still have that portable, actually - you're not in the south, are you? At any rate, you might check craigslist for a used one.

[driftwood]

This is definitely Face Punch worthy, unless you're somehow disabled and unable to wash dishes. If you don't want the face punch then skip the rest.

Wash the dishes immediately after use. When you prepare meals, wash some of the dishes that you've finished with while other things are finishing up, before you even eat. After you eat, wash the dishes immediately. Stuff dried on a pan... leave with water in it overnight, wash with the breakfast dishes.

I see you say it didn't take off. Why? It is SO easy. If you (and/or your family) can't be responsible enough to wash dishes regularly when it's a small amount of dishes, you won't be responsible enough to load/wash/unload dishes in a dishwasher.

As I read you post I'm thinking... do they wipe their ass after they poo or do they wait a few days then do a 1am dread-fueled shower binge? Do they let the garbage pile up on the floor and then do a 1am 'pick up the trash and put in the trash can' frenzy? What about laundry?! How do you even live?!

[KBecks]

I would look for ways to make your manual dish washing easier and better.  Would a dishpan for rinse water be helpful?  Are your meal times consistent?  Would having rubber gloves or nicer dishwashing tools and towels make the chore more pleasant?    Can you try a timer where you wash dishes for 10 minutes a day, 2 or 3 times a day?   Do the kids need a stool?

$1,500 is a lot of change to give away.

[Barbaebigode]

This is definitely Face Punch worthy, unless you're somehow disabled and unable to wash dishes. If you don't want the face punch then skip the rest.

Wash the dishes immediately after use. When you prepare meals, wash some of the dishes that you've finished with while other things are finishing up, before you even eat. After you eat, wash the dishes immediately. Stuff dried on a pan... leave with water in it overnight, wash with the breakfast dishes.

I see you say it didn't take off. Why? It is SO easy. If you (and/or your family) can't be responsible enough to wash dishes regularly when it's a small amount of dishes, you won't be responsible enough to load/wash/unload dishes in a dishwasher.

As I read you post I'm thinking... do they wipe their ass after they poo or do they wait a few days then do a 1am dread-fueled shower binge? Do they let the garbage pile up on the floor and then do a 1am 'pick up the trash and put in the trash can' frenzy? What about laundry?! How do you even live?!

+1

Also, try to make sure you're not dirtying too many dishes. Not sure if it's your case, but some people overcomplicate things while cooking, getting a bowl or fork dirty at every micro step taken.

Also, again, not sure if it's your case, but drink water instead of juice, beer, etc. since water glasses don't need to be thoroughly washed as often. It's healthier and cheaper too.

[MDfive21]

assuming you aren't moving for 2 years or more, propose this to the LL. 

assume $1500 expenditure. 
you pay up front, you sign a new 2 yr lease for $60 monthly decrease in rent.
adjust monthly rent decrease accordingly, depending on final actual cost.

basically a wash for you over the 2 year term and LL gets a dishwasher in the property with no up-front expenditure.  lack of dishwasher is a deal-breaker for a lot of people. 

[J Boogie]

do they wipe their ass after they poo or do they wait a few days then do a 1am dread-fueled shower binge?

Quite the analogy :)

[joonifloofeefloo]

+1 to the portable. Can put it on a cheap trolley, roll to store it anywhere you like. I had no DW for many years, then suddenly had a phase of getting crazy overwhelmed by dishes, so got a portable one. Sold it to my landlord when I left, have been great without one again since. But it was a godsend for that one challenging phase.

[MommyCake]

My vote is, just wash the dishes.  Work it into your routine like any other necessity.  You will get used to it.  Dishwashers are not even that great. Everything looks better after washing by hand, and I don't buy the theory that using a dishwasher would save water.  A dishwasher came with our house and we still wash by hand for our family of four. 

[Another Reader]

Countertop portable.  With today's poor quality dish soaps, it's very hard to get all the grease off the dishes.  I hate hand washing and dishwashers save water, especially if you are pre-rinsing and doing a thorough job of rinsing off the soap.

[YttriumNitrate]

In a somewhat analogous situation, the future tenants of my rental house would like to put in a $1,200 water softener and are asking me to chip in for it. Even if they fully pay for it, I would rather not have it in the house. While a water softener would be kind of nice in the house, like your dishwasher, it is also yet another thing to maintain after they/you move out. For that reason, reason I'd also suggest going with a portable dishwasher.

[jim555]

Don't pay to improve a rental.  Wash your dishes right away and don't let them build up.

[mm1970]

This is definitely Face Punch worthy, unless you're somehow disabled and unable to wash dishes. If you don't want the face punch then skip the rest.

Wash the dishes immediately after use. When you prepare meals, wash some of the dishes that you've finished with while other things are finishing up, before you even eat. After you eat, wash the dishes immediately. Stuff dried on a pan... leave with water in it overnight, wash with the breakfast dishes.

I see you say it didn't take off. Why? It is SO easy. If you (and/or your family) can't be responsible enough to wash dishes regularly when it's a small amount of dishes, you won't be responsible enough to load/wash/unload dishes in a dishwasher.

As I read you post I'm thinking... do they wipe their ass after they poo or do they wait a few days then do a 1am dread-fueled shower binge? Do they let the garbage pile up on the floor and then do a 1am 'pick up the trash and put in the trash can' frenzy? What about laundry?! How do you even live?!

I'm gonna go +1 on this one, but with some sympathy.

Because, I was you!  My husband and I were married for 8 years and living in rentals.  For a few, we lived in student housing, basically a "one-butt" kitchen.  No dishwasher. 

Our dishes would pile up over the week.  We ate out on Friday nights because we couldn't face the dishes.  We ate out on Saturday for fun.  Back then (2001), our food bill was $450/month for groceries and $400 a month for eating out. For two people. Ugh!

After student housing, we got a rental with a dishwasher.  It was better.  But still not.  Right around that time I got into frugality via Simple Living Network.  I got into Weight Watchers to lose 57 lbs.  I had to learn to cook because I realized that I needed to know what was in the food (husband was doing the cooking).  All this reading about things and watching cooking shows and stuff...

One night, after dinner (at the coffee table while watching TV, of course!)  I got up, went into the kitchen, and started washing dishes.  Husband came in with his dishes and said "what are you doing?"  I  said "washing dishes.  I realized that you know, the dishes will get clean easier if we wash them right away, instead of letting them sit for a couple of days.  So we should just do them."

Seriously, that was that.  16 years ago.  Unless we are sick, we don't leave dishes.  We wash them after breakfast and after dinner.  (We also have a dishwasher now.  After that rental, a few years later, we bought the house, no dishwasher, but put one in.)  We hand wash pots and tupperware.

[acroy]

This is definitely Face Punch worthy

+3
Stop being a slob, clean up your mess ;)
good luck!

[MilesTeg]

Question about portable dishwasher for you guys that have had them:

How does it work with the water?  Does it control its water supply from the kitchen faucet, or do you have to pay attention and turn the water on and off?

I've been poking around online but can't find this answer.

The one we had when I was a kid coupled to the kitchen faucet and drained directly into the sink and as long as you remembered to actually turn the water on the rest was taken care of.

[anotherAlias]

When I bought my first house it didn't have a dishwasher and I tried to make do without.  I always did my dishes right after my meal but I came to dread it so much that I started developing some poor eating habits just to avoid having dishes to wash.(ie nibble on prepackaged stuff right out of the container vs making a proper meal).  After 2 months I caved in and bought one similar to this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-24-875-in-64-Decibel-Portable-Dishwasher-White/50157896

[wageslave23]

My suggestion would be to either offer to split the cost with the landlord or do without.  I actually just had this conversation with my tenants.  In their case they agreed to a higher rent.   But $1000 is about right.

[CogentCap]

Update: We're going with a the Portable Dishwasher!  Once I realized that was an answer that could work for us, paying the landlord for one basically went out the window, lol.  I knew that was a bad idea, but I couldn't think of a better alternative, so thanks, everyone! 

And all you guys who say we should just wash them right away--you're totally right, of course.  But it's not gonna happen.  (I say not because it can't, but because it hasn't happened, despite efforts.)  Changing one habit at a time and all that.

I see you say it didn't take off. Why? It is SO easy. If you (and/or your family) can't be responsible enough to wash dishes regularly when it's a small amount of dishes, you won't be responsible enough to load/wash/unload dishes in a dishwasher.

As I read you post I'm thinking... do they wipe their ass after they poo or do they wait a few days then do a 1am dread-fueled shower binge? Do they let the garbage pile up on the floor and then do a 1am 'pick up the trash and put in the trash can' frenzy? What about laundry?! How do you even live?!

This was a great face punch, lol.  And more true than you know!

As to the first part, it's just not true, which is why we've gone with the portable dishwasher.  We've always had a dishwasher until we moved here 3 years ago and dishes never used to be such a problem.  Plus, now we have 1/4 of the dishes that we used to, so dishwasher loading/unloading should be easy-peasy, even if manual washing has not gotten easier. And the dishes can be OUT OF SIGHT what a blessing.

I also wanna respond to the second part part because--lol, yeah, how DO we live?!?  I don't even know.  Feeding ourselves is hard enough (often skip meals rather than deal with figuring out what to eat, especially when working on a project).  Laundry piles up until we're out of socks and underwear, obviously--isn't that how all laundry is done??  (Unlike the dishes, though, it gets hidden in a hamper and doesn't take up valuable real estate.) 

And as for butt-wiping, we handle that one fine (phew!)  but even if we didn't, there would be no dread in a binge shower!  Who doesn't love luxurious hot showers?  If washing dishes was as pleasant and rewarding as showering, we wouldn't have this problem lol.

I'm super pumped about our portable!  We'll have it in about a week and then dishes will be SOLVED FOREVER YAY

[Cassie]

Great solution. When the kids were home we bought one because I only washed dishes one day and it bugged my husband.  I hated washing the dishes so I feel your pain even though it was literally decades ago.

[joonifloofeefloo]

A gracious, delightful, and hilarious reply, CogentCap :)

We're not all able to do everything. Even my government says, "Know your limit, play within it." which is how I generally find I need to live a slightly complex life with the available resources. My portable was such a help in the one year out of 47 I just couldn't manage the dishes. I loved the help of mine so much, I very often just listened to its quiet pumping and felt overwhelming gratitude and relief. It was so easy for me to keep the rest of my house and life in order once that was in place.

ENJOY!!!

[Noodle]

A good friend had a portable in her apartment years and LOVED it, partially because it prevented divorce from her husband, who is a truly good and lovely person, but the kind of (excellent) cook who dirties every.single.dish.in.the.kitchen.

I hope you enjoy yours too!

[Another Reader]

You can offer to sell it to the landlord or the new tenant when you move.  If that fails, put it up on Craigslist or Nextdoor, because someone else will be in your situation.

[moof]

This is definitely Face Punch worthy, unless you're somehow disabled and unable to wash dishes. If you don't want the face punch then skip the rest.

Wash the dishes immediately after use. When you prepare meals, wash some of the dishes that you've finished with while other things are finishing up, before you even eat. After you eat, wash the dishes immediately. Stuff dried on a pan... leave with water in it overnight, wash with the breakfast dishes.

I see you say it didn't take off. Why? It is SO easy. If you (and/or your family) can't be responsible enough to wash dishes regularly when it's a small amount of dishes, you won't be responsible enough to load/wash/unload dishes in a dishwasher.

As I read you post I'm thinking... do they wipe their ass after they poo or do they wait a few days then do a 1am dread-fueled shower binge? Do they let the garbage pile up on the floor and then do a 1am 'pick up the trash and put in the trash can' frenzy? What about laundry?! How do you even live?!

+1

OP is being LAZY.

In our house one person cooks, the other cleans up.  It is not some super hard and fast rule, but the expectation is there.  While cooking I take gaps in the cooking to clean up from prep, either putting away ingredients or washing dishes.

Take the facepunch and go do your dishes.

[moof]

...
I also wanna respond to the second part part because--lol, yeah, how DO we live?!?  I don't even know.  Feeding ourselves is hard enough (often skip meals rather than deal with figuring out what to eat, especially when working on a project).  Laundry piles up until we're out of socks and underwear, obviously--isn't that how all laundry is done??  (Unlike the dishes, though, it gets hidden in a hamper and doesn't take up valuable real estate.) 
...

I think the mindset you espouse here is very telling.  Laundry in our house gets done almost as soon as there is a full load available, not when clothing availability reaches a crisis point.  When you manage by crisis for too long, you will always feel behind the curve.  Tacking chores before things get out of hand should be part of a routine.  I try to look for things that need to get done, rather than waiting for them to overwhelm me.

[Cranky]

I am not opposed to the OP getting a dishwasher, just want to go on record there... but I agree that working on changing the habits that let you pile stuff up until you run out of cups or socks or whatever, that would be good, too.

If you do a little bit every day, then you never are in crisis mode, and it feels like much less of an obstacle.

[joonifloofeefloo]

Agreed, Cranky. My own sympathy comes from there having been one year when I just couldn’t. I don’t even know why! Since young childhood, I’ve been an extraorinarily neat, particular, orderly, methodical, keep-on-top-of-stuff person. And then that one year, the dishes! It was strange.

[cchrissyy]

...
I also wanna respond to the second part part because--lol, yeah, how DO we live?!?  I don't even know.  Feeding ourselves is hard enough (often skip meals rather than deal with figuring out what to eat, especially when working on a project).  Laundry piles up until we're out of socks and underwear, obviously--isn't that how all laundry is done??  (Unlike the dishes, though, it gets hidden in a hamper and doesn't take up valuable real estate.) 
...

I think the mindset you espouse here is very telling.  Laundry in our house gets done almost as soon as there is a full load available, not when clothing availability reaches a crisis point.  When you manage by crisis for too long, you will always feel behind the curve.  Tacking chores before things get out of hand should be part of a routine.  I try to look for things that need to get done, rather than waiting for them to overwhelm me.

exactly this. I can't recall even one time I did laundry for the reason that somebody was out of a clean item they needed. It's possible that it has never happened. I do laundry when the dirty basket is full enough to make a load of laundry. That's it. There's no routine or stress or remembering involved. I'm a single mom and the laundry basket is in the bathroom. Everybody tosses their dirty stuff into that basket. Then whenever I'm in the bathroom and notice the basket is full enough, I carry it down to the washing machine. If it's almost full but not quite enough, I may ask myself if there is a towel or sheet or bathroom rug that I could add to the pile and make it into a full load. Actually, now that I have teens, sometimes I say to somebody else "hey, the basket is full, go start the laundry ok?" and that works too! : )


I don't know if the above is helpful to you, but maybe it's interesting at least? I agree that whatever makes laundry into a crisis in your house is probably also what makes dishes harder, and you might be happier if you found an easier and more effective approach.

[Cali]

I think the mindset you espouse here is very telling.  Laundry in our house gets done almost as soon as there is a full load available, not when clothing availability reaches a crisis point.  When you manage by crisis for too long, you will always feel behind the curve.  Tacking chores before things get out of hand should be part of a routine.  I try to look for things that need to get done, rather than waiting for them to overwhelm me.

I like that phrase "manage by crisis." That was me for a long time. Once I became more proactive my net worth grew faster and things fell into place. I no longer wait to return items I don't want and run out of time (yup, I've done that). I no longer waste time calculating how much time I have to do something and then run out of time when something else comes up. 

SO much better.

[CogentCap]

Lol you guys, I appreciate the concern, but don't worry. Laundry is not a problem (I don't get stressed over laundry, but I'm sure not gonna do it before it "needs doing." ) We've all got different ideas of when it "needs doing", and thats ok.  It's the dishes that were a problem.

When I responded to the poster about "yeah, how DO we even live?!?" It's mostly bc I thought it was funny how much of our lifestyle they would probably find appalling. Still chuckling, bc it seems now I've horrified more than just that poster, lol.

And actually, I am indeed working on avoiding "crisis mode," but only in my work, which is ongoing, involves high-level performance stakes and is mostly prepared from home. Crisis mode in work is to be avoided at all costs. Laundry doesnt even count as a crisis, lol.  I mean, what's the worst that can happen? I have to re-wear a pair of socks?

Here's some additional info if anyone is interested-- the house is kept in a pseudo-minimalist way--I consider it a sort of "system" that ensures it rarely needs cleaning.  Yes, I should vacuum more often, but that's about it. I'm pleased with the dishwasher concept (it's coming wednesday!!!) bc it will provide another easy "system" for handling a chore that actually WAS a big PITA, and that I couldn't solve with reduction of stuff.

Limited focus, guys. It's gotta go where it's needed, and that's on my craft.

Additional fun fact: DH was the primary dishwasher, and had to wear these thick gloves while washing to protect his hands and nails (for his career, not vanity.) Unfortunately this made dishes super slippery, so he was breaking dishes All The Time. I don't think we have any item that isn't chipped or cracked at this point (and veruthing has been replaced at least once already!) So dishwasher will literally save our dishes too!

[CogentCap]

Follow-up question on "crisis mode:"

A lot of responders have developed some kind of "system" for doing what sounds like a variety of tasks.  Did you guys just come with that programming already installed, or did you have to specifically adopt rituals that worked?

I could use better rituals/habits/systems to help structure my days.  Part of the problem about crisis mode (WHICH MUST BE AVOIDED IN WORK, but idgaf about laundry as long as I don't have to look at it) is that I struggle with routine because I structure my own days, and most of my days are spent at home.  (So I still have lots of work to be done, but no regular pattern of activity in the day.)

If anyone has any books or recommendations on how to effectively structure time, that would be welcome. 

[CogentCap]

A good friend had a portable in her apartment years and LOVED it, partially because it prevented divorce from her husband, who is a truly good and lovely person, but the kind of (excellent) cook who dirties every.single.dish.in.the.kitchen.

I hope you enjoy yours too!

LOL!  I may or may not be the dirty cook in my relationship...  :)  DH is even more excited about the dishwasher than I am!

[Enough]

Sounds like this one is solved, but I didnt seen anyone suggest a countertop dishwasher? They dont have the footprint and storage needs of a rolling portable dishwasher with a lot of the benefits.

[accolay]

This is definitely Face Punch worthy, unless you're somehow disabled and unable to wash dishes. If you don't want the face punch then skip the rest.

Yeah, I have to agree. Clean as you go.

[joonifloofeefloo]

Sounds like this one is solved, but I didnt seen anyone suggest a countertop dishwasher? They dont have the footprint and storage needs of a rolling portable dishwasher with a lot of the benefits.

Oh, that's what I had meant in mine (with suggestion to put it on a rolling cart, preserving counter space).

A lot of responders have developed some kind of "system" for doing what sounds like a variety of tasks.  Did you guys just come with that programming already installed, or did you have to specifically adopt rituals that worked?

CogentCap, I'm naturally a systems person; my brain just goes there. If there's a task to do, my first thought is about efficient approach, long term. So I think for some of us it is part of our hardware :)     

And, one of those efficient approaches for me is...badadadum, doing laundry only when needed! Currently, that's working out to about every 12 days (two people). I walk it a block away, put in a few coins, 2-3 hours later we're putting folded clothes away. We have very few clothing item, and just rewear stuff a lot. One small basket collecting laundry, no mess. So, you may be both a person who leaves it til it needs doing and a person who is implementing a sound system.

I can bear only a minimal amount of scheduling or I get very stressed. So I set up my life to need as little of it as possible; most hours are in flow. The laundry can get done on Day 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14, doesn't matter. There's wiggle room. Room for a tougher day or three to pop up in there and not derail the household. It's more about rhythm for me.

And yes, many people can only manage a certain amount of "high importance activities". So if a person has a demanding job, plus parenting, plus caring for a parent, plus... things like dishes may get left, or we need to bring in more resources (machine, worker).

I have no idea why some people have strong ideas about which tools are acceptable and which are not. Car, computer, printer, telephone, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, robot vacuum, regular vacuum, broom... I don't understand the arbitrary lines, as though there is some objective truth as to what's required and what's not. You'll know which tools genuinely make a big difference in your households and which ones are just not essential.

[CogentCap]

I can bear only a minimal amount of scheduling or I get very stressed. So I set up my life to need as little of it as possible; most hours are in flow. The laundry can get done on Day 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14, doesn't matter. There's wiggle room. Room for a tougher day or three to pop up in there and not derail the household. It's more about rhythm for me.

Oh, I love this perspective.  This is great, and resonates with me a lot.  Also I love that you can be a "systems" person and still prefer to live mostly in flow. 

I have no idea why some people have strong ideas about which tools are acceptable and which are not. Car, computer, printer, telephone, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, robot vacuum, regular vacuum, broom... I don't understand the arbitrary lines, as though there is some objective truth as to what's required and what's not. You'll know which tools genuinely make a big difference in your households and which ones are just not essential.

Again, jooniFLORisploo with the truth.  Thanks for that.  I am appreciating all your posts here.

[joonifloofeefloo]

Aw, thanks, CogentCap :)))

IRL it confuses a lot of people that I'm both systems and flow. (They assume I'm all flow until they see me in action or my home, then are shocked.) But to me, the whole benefit of systems is the option to flow. If I set enough in place, I can daydream and focus and play a LOT. And that makes me happy.

For me the following were nonessential for up to 22 adult years: vacuum (even with carpet); car; personal washing machine and dryer; microwave; phone; personal computer; dishwasher. But many Mustachians view some or all of these as necessities.

Currently, the following are crazy helpful for me personally: robot vacuum; car; cell phone; computer; air purifier. The rest, no. (I also had no bed until very recently, when someone gave me a very nice one.)

Depends on household makeup, abilities/disabilities; sensory profile; medical profile; location; schedule; etc. Different for everyone!

[Noodle]

I think most routine tasks benefit from either system or schedule, and some thoughtful analysis about which fits where. For instance, a couple of posters have a system where they put dirty clothes into a container, and when the container is full, laundry is done. I do laundry on Saturdays. Either method means that clean clothes are available on a regular basis. I prefer schedule over system for laundry because I live in a condo with thin walls and, often, noise-sensitive neighbors, so I can't always do laundry anytime my basket fills. What you don't want is neither schedule or system, where, for instance, everyone leaves their dirty clothes all over the place and then has a meltdown when there are no clean clothes for work/school. With cleaning, I use system--when conditions get somewhat grimy, I clean. When they get really grimy, I call the cleaning service.

So maybe start by thinking about (and talking over with your DH) which chores fit best with which category, and then I think you just experiment with the specifics.

[Just Joe]

Portable dishwashers can be cheap. Back in the day in my first house (as a messy bachelor) I bought one used for $75 or similar. One disliked chore out the window. Sold it a year or two later for the same price I bought it for.

Don't improve your landlord's property unless they are discounting your rent to do their maintenance.