The Ultimate First Night at Your New House Checklist!

Moving is stressful enough – not to mention settling down in your new house on the first night and realizing you don’t know where your essentials are. Use this ultimate first night at your new house checklist to keep things running smoothly!

I’ve been there and done that. Not fun!

I have compiled this list of some essentials you might want to keep easily accessible for those first few nights while you are still getting settled. As well as a list of cleaning tasks to complete before you can rest easily.

The Ultimate First Night at Your New House Checklist!

I recommend keeping these things in clearly labeled boxes or even in your car if that’s an option. Usually these are items that are last to be packed up when you are moving out and by that point in the moving process you are tempted to just shove things where they fit and I highly recommend you don’t do that.

Take the time to sort and pack up these items. It’s worth it I promise! I like to use plastic totes for these things or even large baskets I have around the house. This keeps everything clearly separated from the rest of the boxes and craziness.

Essentials

Kitchen

• Plastic cutlery
• Paper plates/bowls
• Paper towels
• Coffee maker
• Easy breakfast items (cinnamon rolls, eggs)
• Cups
• Dish soap

Bathroom

• Toilet paper
• Tooth brushes and toothpaste
• Body Wash
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Hair ties
• Hand soap
• Shower liner
• Towels
• Hair brush and any needed tools

Bedrooms

• Air mattress or regular mattress
• Bedding (pillows and blankets)
• Pajamas
• Clothes for next day
• Nightlights

For the Kids and Pets

• pet food and bowls
• Sound machine
• Special blankets and loveys
• Anything to keep them entertained

Cleaning Checklist

I know most people expect that a house is clean when they move in but it’s honestly never clean enough for me. I rather spend the extra time and just make sure it’s squeaky clean so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

Supplies

• All purpose cleaner
• Sponges
• Bleach
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Toilet brushes
• Shower cleaner (Scrubbing Bubbles with bleach is my favorite!)
• Broom
• Cleaning cloths
• Vacuum
• Mop

To Do

If at all possible, come in the house and take care of the cleaning before you move anything in. The less stuff you have to work around the easier and quicker it is!

When it comes to cleaning I always like to work from the top down. This way any dirt and dust makes it way to the floor and at the end I vacuum and mop.

1. Freshen that air! – Replace all air intake filters and set your system to ‘fan’ and spray a can of lysol into the intake area and let the system circulate that air and sanitize your duct work. I like to leave my fan on for about 20 minutes. I know it’s a lot of chemicals but it’s a good way to freshen it up.
2. Ceiling sweep – remove any cobwebs in the corners with either your long vacuum attachment or a cloth on the end of a broom handle.
3. Fan blades and light fixtures – remove any dust with a cloth then use an all purpose cleaner to wipe everything clean.
4. Window treatments – if there are any curtains pull them down and if you are going to keep them set them aside to go through the washer or just toss them. Wipe down the curtain rods. Also be sure to clean your blinds. I like to vacuum the majority of the dust off mine and then use some all purpose cleaner and a cloth to wipe them down. Be sure to windex the windows at this point!
5. Cabinetry and countertops – clean the inside and outside of your cabinetry with your all purpose cleaner. Clean counters and brush anything into the sink or on the floor.
6. Mirrors – clean your mirrors!
7. Appliances – clean the inside and outside of your appliances
8. Toilets – BLEACH IT BABY. No but really, deep clean. Replace the toilet seats if necessary. It’s worth it. Clean all around the base of the toilet, too.
9. Showers/tubs – let scrubbing bubbles do the hard work. Spray and walk away for a bit then come in and rinse everything off.
10. Doors, handles, light switches – I like to use my all purpose cleaner and scrub any surface that hands touch a lot. Sanitize that mess!
11. Floors and baseboards – for now I recommend just vacuuming the baseboards off and vacuuming the floors. Vacuum any carpeted areas as well. If anything smells funky throw some baking soda on it and let that do its magic, then come back and vacuum. Mop your floors using your mop of choice. I like to use Tide powder and bleach for this step with my spin mop. But whatever you have works for the time being.

That’s it! That’s my moving in cleaning checklist. This isn’t going to be a glamorous everything sparkly clean but it’s going to get your new home clean and ready for you.

We are getting ready to move homes and buy our 2nd house. Even though we are buying a new build – I will still be implementing this cleaning list. I like the way I clean my home so I want to start off on the right foot! Plus, theres so much construction dust to deal with when you move into a new build.

I hope this list was helpful for you! Follow our journey over on Instagram. I share daily about anything and everything and I would love for you to join the family!