Getting ready in a flat or a small home
Published
You need one box and some floor space for water. Everything else fits in a drawer.
In the government’s 2026 survey, 18% of adults said not having enough storage space stopped them getting ready. It takes less room than you’d think.
Water
Water is the bulky part. For 2 adults, that's 18 litres for 3 days: 4 × 5-litre bottles, or 1 × 25-litre container.
Our picks. Links go to Amazon, and we earn a small share if you buy.
Supermarket 5-litre bottles stack, and fit in the gaps, like the bottom of a wardrobe or behind the sofa. A 25-litre container needs a patch of floor, and full, it weighs 25 kg. Fill it where it’s going to live. Our pick is the Liquipak 25-litre water container on Amazon. The calculator works out your household’s figure.
One box
Our picks. Links go to Amazon, and we earn a small share if you buy.
Everything else goes in one box, under the bed or in the bottom of a wardrobe. Our budget pick is the STASH’D 50-litre clear storage box on Amazon.
Upper floors
Our picks. Links go to Amazon, and we earn a small share if you buy.
Lifts stop in a power cut. Keep the kit where you can reach it, and keep a head torch for the stairs. Ours is the Energizer Vision HD+ head torch on Amazon.
If you rent
Ask your landlord or agent where the stopcock and the fuse box are. It’s on the checklist: know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water.
What to skip
Big water containers you’ve no room for, bulk food, and anything that needs a garage.
Everything we recommend is on one page: the kit.
Read next
- Getting ready on a small budget
Free things first, then the cupboard, then the cheapest picks.
- How much water for 3 days
Drinking water for everyone. Supermarket bottles are fine.
- Food for 3 days
Normal supermarket food that doesn't need cooking, and a box.