First Home Essentials Checklist

Congrats on your new first home!!! That’s beyond exciting that you even need a first home essentials checklist. There is so much stuff that you “might need” it’s hard to know what’s necessary and what is just a “would be nice” product to have.

…. Or the Facebook goblins found out what you have been searching and they are putting some pretty cool things in front of your face as you scroll Facebook and Instagram.

I remember what it was like buying things for my new home. It was a ridiculous amount of fun. BUT I wanted to make sure to get what I needed and not waste money.

I have curated a list of house hold items you will need for your new home plus the reason why I love that product.

Now I don’t know about you but I love it when certain products can do more than one thing.

So if there is something like a cleaning product that you will use in all areas of your new first home, it will go under the cleaning section. Ok?

There wont be cleaning sections under each room.

Keep in mind that this list is quite lengthy. But don’t let that overwhelm you. Get things a little bit at a time and budget out for the things you need.

psst… If this is your first home and you are getting married. Remember that people will give you gifts and gift cards for places that you can use to buy these items for your first home. So you won’t have to budget for all of this out of pocket.

First Home Essentials Checklist For Cleaning

Personally, I like it when one product will work for multiple things. It saves space and sanity. I cant really argue that it saves money because you are still using the same amount of product to do the cleaning.

Mr. Clean Products

I am not one for going with the crowd because that’s what’s popular. But Mr. Clean products are one of the few that live up to their reputation.

• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Extra Power
• Mr. Clean Clean Freak Multi-Surface Spray – I bought this stuff to clean off tough stains on mettle siding and it worked great on stains that nothing else did. This is defiantly a must-have. Just e sure not to use it on painted walls or something you care about removing the finish off of.

Other products that are great.

• Pine-Sol All-Purpose Cleaner, Lavender Clean – Pinsol is a concentrated product. So you add a large amount of water to just a few ounces. It works great on literally everything as a multipurpose cleaner. (It even works on my greasy stainless steel range hood)
• Swiffer Duster with extendable handle – Great for hard-to-reach places OR those stupid slat doors that have a tone of little crevices. Who thought that was a good idea? Probably the same person who thought up a salt gun.
• Swiffer Sweeper Dry & Wet Mop – If you have dogs this is a godsend but not a must-have.
• Dusting Spray – For dusting with rags. This will save money.
• Lysol disinfectant wipes – These are great for those nasty messes (or the areas in the bathroom that make you want to gag) so you can just throw away the sheet and not even stick the rag in your washer.
• Vacuum – I was really skeptical of this style of sweeper for a long time but I LOVE this one. Especially if you have a lot of hard floors the air from the machine is higher up so you are not blowing the dirt away from yourself.
• Mop – Great self wringer
• Broom
• Dust pain – Ok so I love the dust pain with the handle so you don’t have to bend over to pick up the debris off the floor. BUT the handle on the broom is ridiculously short. So you want a taller broom too. This broom in the bundle works great for getting dust bunnies and brushing of nasty things you don’t want your main brush used on.
• Windex
• Paper towels
• Scrub Brush
• Rags – Save old clothes or fabrics and cut them into 2×2 foot squares.

Kitchen Specific Cleaning Supplies

• Dawn Dish Soap – I tried to be a rebel and try a few other brands but they do the best job.
• Dish Brushes
• Drying rack drip tray – If you hand wash dishes or don’t have a dishwasher.
• Dish Cloths
• Drying Towles – You will use these ALL THE TIME. So yes get some cute ones but also get a lot of sturdy towels that will do the work. Not leave water behind after you set something on them.

Bathroom Specific Cleaning Supplies

• Scrubbing bubbles
• Toilet bowl gel – I love the gel because it slowly runs down the sides of the toilet bowl not just ending up in the pot.

Laundry Specific Supplies

• Laundry detergent
• Fabric softener
• Iron and ironing board
• Spot cleaner
• Oxiclean

First Home Essentials Checklist For The Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the areas that is going to be the hardest to do without. So if you had to priorities what you buy for the most important areas. This should be at the top.

Eating Essentials

• Eating utensils – this set is very affordable and has 4 place settings.
• Steak knives – Steak knives are a bit more than silverware but if you don’t have them it will make eating meat a real pain in the behind.
• Cooking Knives – This is one area where people tend to go overboard. You don’t need a ton of knives especially if you aren’t big into cooking. Two too three will do the job.
• Knife Sharpener
• Drawer organizer for utensils
• Plate & bowls dish set. – this is going to be the most affordable way to buy dishes. Here is a page on amazon to farmhouse-style dish sets.
• Glasses

Cooking Essentials

• Measuring spoons
• Rolling pin
• Wisk
• Tongs
• Spatula
• Colander
• Corning Ware
• Ice cube trays
• Bowls – I love this set because they have lids and you can use them for travel or just storing a large batch of something in the refrigerator.
• Baking sheets
• Pizza pan or pizza stoneSealable containers (we use these Rubbermaid ones and buy them when they are on sale)
• Parchment paper (this is great for baking things in the oven, it saves scrubbing pans afterward!)
• Tinfoil
• Can opener
• Meat thermometer – Only if you are a rule follower. If you eyeball the meat (or cut it open) to see if it’s done then you don’t need this.

Kitchen Appliances

• Refrigerator (this will take you to Best Buy to see what appliance are on sale)
• Toaster – you want a 4 slot toaster especially if you have more than one or two people.
• Microwave – This one has excellent reviews.
• Coffee Maker
• Tea Kettle – Here are two options. This one is a bit more budget-friendly but this one is a bit more stylish. These things sit on your stove all the time so they might as well have a nice look to them.
• Griddle – This is great for pancakes, bacon, and a bunch of other things.
• Instant Pot – Hear me out. This is not for everyone. If you are like me and like simple cooking then this is not for you. If you like gadgets and are willing to figure them out then go for it. They are a time saver but have a bit of a learning curve. More than I was willing to give to a kitchen tool.
• Crockpot – This is more my speed. Turn the file to high or low and call it good.

Spices

This is a hard on because it is going to depend on your preferences and what you like to cook. So I am going to list out the things that go into most meals or recipes then the ones that are not so necessary in their own group.

• Pepper
• Salt
• Garlic

Oils and Spray

• Basil
• Oregano
• Spice Rack

You can get all of these and more in a spice rack set , like this one here. It’s the one we got and had a bunch of different spices to try out. Plus we really liked the look of it on our kitchen counter.

Other Kitchen Supply Items for New Home

• Cling film
• Ziploc bags
• Chip clips
• Napkins
• Paper towel
• Cleaning gloves
• Kitchen fridge magnets
• Recipe book holder or device holder for cooking recipes
• Cooling mat
• Stepping stool (for those things that are waaayyyy too far back on the top shelf)
• Lining paper (goes in the bottom of drawers)
• Garbage can
• Trash bags

First Home Essentials Checklist For Bedrooms

Believe it or not you can do without a lot in your bedroom. BUT I will say to make sure it is cozy and you like the things in it. Because this is the room where you end and start your day.

• Mattress
• Pillows
• Pillowcases
• Blanket
• Nightstands
• Dresser
• Laundry bin
• Alarm clock
• Under the bed storage bins
• Hangers
• Shoe Rack
• Curtain rods and curtains

Not necessary but nice to have.

• Closet organizer
• Shoe rack
• Cute storage bins
• Jewelry organizer
• Decorative pillows
• Full-length mirror

First Home Essentials Checklist For the Dining Room

• Dining room table
• Dining room chairs
• Table Cloth
• Placemats
• Table runner
• Chair Seats

Living Room Furniture

• Coffee table
• Chairs
• Sofa or sectional
• Sofa table
• End tables
• Chair felts (prevents the hardwoods from scratching

Nice but not necessary.

• Area rug (get this underlay to stop if from moving around)
• Pillows
• Throws or blankets

First Home Essentials Checklist For The Bathroom

• Shower curtain hooks
• Shower curtain
• None Slip adhesive stickers
• Bathtub plug
• Sink plug
• Garbage can
• Small trash bags
• Tissues
• Towels (it’s always good to have an extra set, whether it’s because you are doing laundry or you have unexpected guests stay the night)
• Hand towels
• Facecloths

Tools and Supplies

• Cordless drill (by your 2 pieces of furniture this will be your favorite thing ever!) Screwdriver set (my big miss, don’t let it be yours on your new house checklist)
• Stud finder (must…resist…corny…. jokes…)
• Hammer
• Hanging Nails
• Hanging Brackets (for when there isn’t a stud)
• Wall screws (you will need these to hang items that aren’t on a stud, they are worth it!)
• Flashlight (we get these that just stay plugged into the wall, when the power goes off they light up)
• Batteries (you can get these from Amazon Essentials, IMO get the rechargeable ones)
• lighter
• Candles
• Duct tape (for fixing everything 😉 Step ladder
• Wd-40
• Set of small screwdrivers (i use these for a lot of things I never thought possible)
• Level (unless you want to spend hours debating if every picture is straight)
• Tape measure

Entrance Way Essentials (the last check on your household essentials)

• Welcome mat
• Shoe Tray – from muddy boots to melting snow these things are awesome.
• Place to sit
• Coat rack – Here are a few options and ideas based on the space you have. – Freestanding bench and rack – hanging rack on the wall Just be careful with these because they can get heavy fast if you load them up- coat tree.
• Key Rack

This is defiantly a long list. So don’t let it overwhelm you. Start slow and use gift cards as you get them. Also don’t be afraid to ask for things as gifts. People want to get you things you need instead of finding something that will do.

Also be a where that you don’t have to be ashamed to take things people what to give you. Especially when it comes to furniture. That will save you thousands even if you buy affordable items.

Stick to a budget and like the things you get. Its a new season of life and not having huge credit card bills hanging over you will make you feel so much better.

Congrats on your knew home.