Moving Into a House Checklist: The Essentials 2025
Moving into a new house is an exciting but overwhelming process. This checklist ensures you have the essentials to make your move as smooth as possible.
However, it can also be hard to keep up with everything you need for a new house, especially as much will depend on what you already have and what comes with your new home. With that in mind, Access Self Storage has compiled the ultimate moving checklist for home movers. These are the basics we’ve left it up to you to decide ho
w you’d like to furnish your home.
To help you get the most for your money, we’ve also reached out to experts – Thomas Goodman at Myjobquote.co.uk, the UK’s leading trades matching site; Nick Grey, the CEO of British home and garden appliance company Gtech; Yvonne Keal, Senior Product Manager at Hillarys, a UK-based producer of blinds, shutters, and curtains; and Anna Marshall, Content Manager at Oak Furnitureland, a trusted furniture retailer.
Kitchen Essentials
Depending on the modern kitchen in your new home, you might need to upgrade the ‘white goods’ (fridge, washing machine and dishwasher) or install the basics, like a cooker.
While you may not be in the mood for cooking after a strenuous move, you might still want some hot food or drinks. That’s where the moving home checklist comes in! Thomas says, “When buying a new microwave, consider the size you need. How many people are in your family? How often do you plan on using it?
You also may want to think about the colour of the microwave you choose. Do you want a microwave that matches your other appliances? If so, hunt for the same colour. Many kitchen brands can provide various appliances in the same colour, and some even sell them in a set. This helps ensure all your smaller kitchen appliances match each other.
Appliances:
Fridge
Washing machine
Dishwasher
Cooker
Microwave
Basic Items
Kettle
Toaster
Bin (plus bin bags)
Drying rack
Utensils and Cookware:*
Cutlery and crockery
Glasses and mugs
Sharp knives
Can opener and bottle opener
Pots, pans, and baking trays
Vegetable peeler and colander
Spatula and wooden spoon
Measuring jug, scales, and mixing bowl
Salt and pepper shakers
Cleaning Items:*
Sponge
Washing-up liquid
Tea towels
I recommend a large bin for the kitchen and smaller bins for other rooms such as the bathroom and home office. A good bin will be large enough to store all your rubbish without you having to run out of bin bags every day.
Consider the size of your family and how much waste you produce when choosing the right bin. For hygiene reasons, a pedal bin or a bin with an automatic lid is best for the kitchen. This will prevent you from having to touch the bin with your hands while you’re preparing food.
Of course, “a bin wouldn’t be complete without bin bags. If you want to avoid getting your bin dirty, bin bags are an important purchase before you move into a new home. It’s also likely that you’ll find a lot of things amongst your moving boxes that you want to sort through and get rid of.
Be sure to choose heavy-duty bin bags if you’re planning on putting a lot of items in them. Also, look at the size of your bin to ensure you buy the right size of bin bags for the bins around your new home.
Bathroom Essentials
Bathrooms are generally already kitted out with the essentials (toilet, sink, shower and/or bath). The following moving home checklist essentials cover everything you’ll need for the first morning you wake up in your new home:
- Towels (hand and bath)
- Bathroom mat
Toilet brush
Toilet roll and holder
Shower curtain (if needed)
Soap and toothbrushes
Toothpaste
If your new home has a shower over the bath, you will most likely need to purchase a shower curtain. This will help to ensure water doesn’t spray out of the shower area when you’re showering and will prevent water damage to other parts of the bathroom.”
A good shower curtain is completely waterproof and has robust fittings that will keep the curtain in place at all times. Choose a shower curtain that you can wipe clean to help prevent mould from forming at the bottom of the shower.
Cleaning Products:
On our moving home checklist, we’ve included some basic cleaning products that might also be useful:
Bleach
Bathroom spray
AAGlass cleaner
Limescale remover
Living Room Essentials
Ideally, you don’t want to buy too much furniture before you move into your new home because this will make moving more difficult and potentially more costly. We have included on the moving checklist the bare essentials you need for a comfortable living room:
Sofa or chairs
Coffee table
TV and stand/bracket
Wi-Fi setup
Lamp
When choosing your sofa, the first thing to consider is how you’ll use it. Do you want somewhere for everyone to gather for movie nights? A cosy space to watch your favourite series? A loveseat for a reading nook? We have a wide range of styles that span spacious corner sofas for leisurely lounging to compact 2-seaters that are ideal for zoning broken-plan living areas.
You’ll also need to consider whether it will fit in your chosen space and match it to your décor scheme. Leather is durable and stylish, while fabrics range from sumptuous velvet to hard-wearing polyester that’s practical if you have children and or pets. At Oak Furnitureland, our sofas range from classic to contemporary and come in a choice of different upholstery options.
Bedroom Essentials
Of course, a bed is the main thing to have in your new bedroom. But there are a few other moving home essentials we have added to our checklist:
Bed (mattress, duvet, and pillows)
Bedding (duvet cover and pillowcases)
Wardrobe
Chest of drawers
Bedside table and lamp
Curtains, blinds, or shutters
Hangers
Curtains, shutters, or blinds are essential for a new home, but if there’s one room you want to sort right from move-in day, it’s your bedroom. Some window covering will keep the early morning sun out and give you some privacy.
When it comes to choosing the right window dressings for the rest of your home, making your new house feel like a home can be tricky, but window dressings can add texture, warmth, personality and the finishing touch to transform a space into a haven.
When considering which window dressings to choose, consider the function and size of the room. For example, in your bathroom, you will need a dressing to withstand steam and humidity, whereas for your living space, you may want a more contemporary style to create a warm and welcoming space.
Cleaning Products
After moving into your new home will most likely be dusty after all your boxes have been moved in. Therefore, we have included some essential cleaning products on our moving checklist:
Cloths, sponges, and scrubbers
Mop and bucket
Feather duster
Dustpan and brush
Vacuum cleaner
Disinfectant sprays and wipes
Washing-up liquid
Laundry detergent
Clothes horse
Safety Essentials
Smoke alarm
Carbon monoxide alarm
Fire extinguisher and fire blanket
Torch
Tools and Hardware
Ladder
Extension leads
Light bulbs and batteries
Hammer and screwdrivers
Measuring tape
Pliers and screws
Other Essentials
First aid kit (painkillers, plasters, bandages)
Pens and paper
- Scissors and Sellotape
Quick Tips for Moving
1. Label boxes clearly by room.
2. Take a video of the new house for spatial planning.
3. Set up utilities (Wi-Fi, gas, electricity, water).
4. Schedule a supermarket delivery for pantry essentials.
Don’t forget to get your bills sorted before moving in! Wi-Fi, gas, water and electricity are all must-haves for your new home.
Consider Self Storage
Using self-storage can reduce the stress of moving by letting you store items securely and move at your own pace. Access Self Storage offers modern facilities with options for all storage needs.
For more information, find your nearest Access Self Storage facility.
Keep your checklist handy to ensure nothing is missed during your move!
0 Comments