35 Essential Cleaning Supplies For A New Apartment
Moving out for the first time and have no idea what to purchase to furnish your new home?
Having the right essential cleaning supplies for a new apartment makes all the difference, especially if you find cleaning a bore and a total chore.
35 First Apartment Cleaning Essentials
Did you know that Americans dedicate an average of 23 hours and 36 minutes to cleaning up their homes a month?
With almost a whole day spent scrubbing, vacuuming, and washing, you’ll want to make sure you have all the household supplies to help you get those chores done fast.
If it’s your first time moving out, whether you’re moving into a college dorm or your first big girl apartment, you’ll want to check out this new home cleaning supplies checklist. Keep reading!
Before we get onto the list, get my printable new apartment cleaning supplies checklist along with lists of furniture and essentials for every room that you’ll need in one easy package. It even includes a shopping list so it’s easy for you to keep track of what you still have to purchase.
1. Vacuum Cleaner
A good quality vacuum cleaner is really important if you want to keep your place clean from dust and hair. It’s even more important if you have pets. An iRobot Roomba can help you vacuum your floors without having to lift a finger by scheduling it to turn on by itself. It’s a serious time saver if you’re a busy person and worth it.
Not into robot vacuums or need a vacuum that you can use for more precision? Check out this rechargeable ultra-light cordless vacuum stick.
For those hard-to-reach places in the house that can’t be reached by a robot vacuum cleaner, a cordless handheld vacuum is a nice addition that you can consider purchasing. If your apartment doesn’t have much space or you just don’t want to spend the money on an expensive and large vacuum cleaner, this is a great cleaning tool.
2. Mop
If your apartment has hardwood floors, a vacuum cleaner won’t be enough to get all the dirt off the ground. Use a microfiber spin mop to keep your floors in pristine condition and smudge-free.
Forget about those annoying mops where you have to wet the mop and manually wring out the water yourself. This one is built to help you spin the water out automatically when you press the pedal so you don’t have to break a sweat.
3. Duster
Does your furniture become dusty easily? If you live in a polluted area or open your windows a lot, you’ll be prone to quickly accumulating dust all over your apartment. Get rid of dust fast with the Swifter Duster and help keep dust allergies at bay.
4. Toilet Plunger
A toilet plunger is such a useful tool when you, inevitably, experience a clogged toilet or sink. You want to have this on hand when you’re dealing with a messy clog so you can avoid paying a hefty price for a handyman or plumber to come to fix the problem.
5. Dust Pan
For any spills that happen where you can’t vacuum up the pieces (such as when you break something made of glass), a dust pan always comes in handy.
Want a broom that converts into a dust pan? Check out this dust pan/broom set that is multi-use and will help you save room.
6. Lint Roller Brush
If you have pets, you’ll understand how annoying pet hair can get when it accumulates all over your couch, bed, blankets, and carpets. And if you own those sticky tape lint rollers, you’ll know that they don’t even pick up hair much anyways.
On the other hand, this ChomChom lint roller brush is a serious lifesaver and is an essential item you need to have in your apartment if you want to remove the endless clumps of hair that accumulate. This brush is great because it’s reusable, compact, and battery-free. Plus, it gets the job done. Your guests will appreciate how clean and hair-free your furniture looks.
7. Magic Eraser
The Magic Eraser literally works like magic just like its name. Whether you need to clean up any messes in the kitchen, wash off built-up grime in your washroom, or remove dirt and grime anywhere else in the house, this handy little versatile eraser will do it all. Just add a little bit of water and scrub away.
8. Scour Pads
For very dirty dishes and non-coated cookware, it’s always best to stock up on heavy-duty scour pads to make cleaning up a much easier job.
9. Non-Scratch Sponges
And of course, don’t forget about non-scratch sponges to clean your coated cookware. You can also use these to clean your bathroom and kitchen.
10. Glass Cleaner
The Windex glass cleaner is a definite cleaning essential if you like to keep your mirrors and glass windows clean from smudges and dirt.
11. Cif
Cif is liquid magic if you’re facing tough stains, dirt, and grime build-up in your washroom. It easily gets grime off and makes everything sparkling, shiny, and clean feeling again.
12. Toilet Bowl Cleaner
A toilet bowl cleaner is a must if you want a shiny and clean toilet bowl in your home. Just squeeze the tube until the liquid spreads around the bowl and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then scrub the bowl with your toilet scrub brush, flush, and then you’re good to go.
13. Toilet Brush & Holder
A toilet brush & toilet holder is a definite must if you want to keep your toilet nice and clean. This one is compact and perfect for small spaces.
14. Multi-Surface Cleaner
This Lysol multi-surface cleaner is an essential cleaner to keep your place fresh and clean. It’s great for large surfaces such as mopping your floors or spot cleaning greasy messes.
15. Disinfecting Wipes
Keep your kitchen and bathroom counters clean with these convenient bacteria-fighting Clorox Disinfecting Wipes.
16. Tissue
Tissue boxes are definite must-haves in every room around the house whenever you need a tissue for an issue. They’re convenient and oh-so-functional.
17. Toilet Paper
Don’t forget to stock up on toilet paper for your bathroom. Charmin 2-ply toilet rolls are super soft and are relatively strong for a great price.
18. paper Towel
For those tough stains and spills around the house, Bounty paper towel rolls are the go-to cleaning essential to clean up messes fast. They’re quite durable and strong so you can re-use them a few times when you’re cleaning up a mess.
19. Rubber Gloves
Want to protect your hands from harsh chemicals while cleaning your house? Use these reusable latex-free rubber gloves with a comfortable cotton lining for protection. Perfect for washing dishes or scrubbing the bathtub.
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20. Stove Cleaner
Cooking can cause oil to splatter all over the kitchen so always have a gentle non-abrasive and no-scratch glass cooktop cleaner and polish on hand for greasy stove messes.
21. Cleaning Vinegar
Not into using chemicals to keep your house clean? Use natural white cleaning vinegar to clean your kitchen, bathroom, in your laundry, and so much more.
22. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a multi-purpose household item you’ll need in your new home. From cleaning to baking, there are a ton of uses for this essential.
23. Microfiber Cloth
For surfaces that require a gentle touch, you’ll want to have a few microfiber cloths lying around.
24. Bleach
Kill 99.9% of germs around the house by having some handy dandy bleach. You can use this for multiple things including cleaning your floors and toilets, removing mold, and getting rid of stains from white clothing.
25. Spray Bottle
This refillable glass spray bottle is perfect as an addition to your cleaning supplies. Just wash the bottle and re-fill them each time with different products.
26. Supply Caddy
A supply caddy is a must-have item to keep all your cleaning products organized. This is also handy to have if you’re going to be moving around the house and want to have multiple cleaning products on hand.
27. Laundry Detergent
Keep your clothes smelling fresh and without stains with a good quality laundry detergent.
28. Soaking Bucket
This portable soaking bucket is great to soak your clothes when they’re dirty before you put them in the wash. The basin is also collapsable so it’s perfect if you have little to no storage space.
29. Drying Rack
A drying rack is so useful especially in the summer when you only have a few things to dry and don’t want to use the drying machine to save money. It’s also compact and can be easily folded and stored away when not in use.
30. Fabric Softener
Want your clothes smell to fresh and soft to the touch? You’ll want to have some fabric softener on hand.
31. Stain Remover
Making sure you have a non-toxic stain remover on hand is a must for spills on clothing, carpets, and other fabrics.
32. Clothespins
Do you tend to air dry your clothes without using the drying machine? Make sure you get some clothespins.
33. Iron
Get all the wrinkles out of your shirts and dresses with an iron. In addition, don’t forget to also get an iron board or a portable ironing mat blanket as an alternative.
34. Steamer
Get all the wrinkles out of your clothes with this compact steamer.
35. Garbage Bags
Last but not least, grab some durable garbage bags to get rid of all the trash around the house.
Have you snagged your printable first home essentials checklist yet? If not, get yours now.
More First Home Essentials
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- 17 Living Room & Dining Room Essentials
- 35 Useful Household Tools & Safety Items
What is on your cleaning essentials list for your first apartment?
Great tips! I really loved reading this blog! Very useful and eye-opening tips. I will most likely use them when I move from NYC this month. Thanks for writing this down and sharing it! I am gonna write these tips down and use them when the time comes. Thanks!