7 Small appliances that every new homeowner can use

Useful appliances that new homeowners need – great for house warming gifts, too

Are you a new homeowner? Or are you looking to buy a house warming gift for a friend or family member that recently bought a new home? Well you’ve come to right place as I’ve assembled several useful appliances that virtually all new home buyers need…and some of them they don’t even realize they need…well…until they really need it.

1. Vacuum for hardwood floors

Most people don’t realize that need a DIFFERENT vacuum for their hardwood floors than the one they use for carpeting. In fact, most vacuums are designed and rated for their ability to clean carpets. And, many of these vacuums actually damage your hardwood floor by creating scratches.

You can read more about the best vacuums specifically designed for hardwood floors here. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune on good vacuum for hardwood floors. Here’s the one I recommend, and if you can get for under $150, it’s a steal. (Check current price here).

2. Spot cleaner for carpets

While I’m on the topic of floors, I have to share an awesome tip for you so you can get rid of spots on carpets. This could be for wall to wall carpets, as well as area rugs and carpet runners.

This product is awesome. It removes spots and stains (including pet stains). It has a built in hot-water heater and amazing suction. And, it cleans and dries in one step.

One of the biggest challenges homeowners have with carpet stains is that they don’t remove all of the soap. Soap is an emulsifier, so it attracts dirt. So, if you don’t remove all of the soap, it will attract dirt from socks (and pets) and the stain appears to re-emerge. This avoids this problem with a powerful clean and suction action.

This little green machine is amazing. It’s also adept as it has a flexible hose and a crevice tool as well.

There is a second slightly less expensive option. It does not include the heating element. It only saves around $10, so my advice is to get the gold standard.

Oh, and before I forget, using heat for cleaning carpeting can help. But, never use a steamer or heat when cleaning hardwood floors (this can cause warping as well as degrade the finish).

3. Air purifier

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, allergies on the rise and appear to affect around 30% of adults and 40% of kids. And, believe it or not, according to Consumer Reports, indoor air can be 2 to 5 times as dirty as outdoor air. To help clean the air, many are turning to air purifiers.

Not only will an air purifier help you if you have allergies, but it will help all members of the family to make the air we breath cleaner (and most likely will reduce the onset of allergies and other airborne problems).

This air purifier is one of the best out there and is very reasonably priced. Check price here. Or check out below article for some more expensive options.

4. Instant Pot

This recent invention has been taking the world by storm and is especially appealing to Millenials and Gen Xers, especially busy ones and ones with kids. Once someone has one, it becomes one of those “can’t live without” appliances because it’s so convenient and so versatile.

The Instant Pot functions as a pressure cooker, slower cooker, steamer, rice cooker, yogurt maker and much more. And, if you google Instant Pot recipes or search for them on pinterest, you will probably find enough recipes to last you over 5 years. It’s incredible.

This is a best seller on Amazon and has amazing reviews…over 25,000 of them. Check the price and reviews here.

5. Dehumidifier

If you have a house here in the Northeast or Mid Atlantic, or even the mid west, chance you are you have a basement. Since most basements are below grade (i.e. below the ground or partially below the ground), then they tend to get humid (and tend to have large temperature and humidity swings).

Of course with humidity changes, you can have problems with both your floors and walls (e.g. cracks, warping, etc.), not to mention that mold and mildew can develop. So, a dehumidifier is a smart appliance to have. It fact, it’s usually a “must have” item. (Also, by the way, dehumidifiers help remove odors and allergens).

I’d highly recommend this one from Homelabs, and it’s currently the best seller on Amazon. It’s more expensive than the one Amazon is recommending…and yes, in this case you really do get what you pay for. And, here’s why…

The less expensive one says it covers 1,100 cubic feet…which sounds large…but it isn’t. If you have a regular height ceilings of 8 feet, that means it covers 138 sq feet (or a 10 x 13 ft sized room). The one from Homelabs covers 4,000 sf feet AND it has a holds 9 gallons of water. The other one only holds 2 cups of water, so you’ll have to empty that out at least once a day, if not more.

And the one from Homelabs has fan wheels and a drain hose outlet. That allows you attach it to your sump pump for more drainage and convenience. Either way you slice it and dice it, this is a great value, especially compared to the price of replacing your flooring and repairing/repainting your walls.

6. One Cup coffee maker – Keurig

I love love love these machines and have used them for years. It’s such a great way to welcome guests, and it allows you to easily make different flavors for each guest. Of course it’s fast and the brew comes out nice and hot. But, best of all, there’s no mess so there’s no clean up. (BTW, this is great for dorm rooms, too).

I even bought this for my parents years ago…and they love it, too. My dad wants regular coffee and my mom wants decaf, so it’s perfect as they can each make their own. (And, by the way, now they even have coffee blends that are half decaf/half caf…that’s the one I’ll have in the evening so I have enough energy to drive home, but not too much so I can’t fall asleep.

This Keurig is a best seller on Amazon. It’s an updated one that my parents have. It now comes in many different colors, too. And, you can buy a mix of coffee flavors and holders.

Here are some of the accessories you buy as well.

40 count variety k cups coffee pod carousel

7. FoodSaver (for storing meats and other foods)

Now this is a nifty tool to have. One of my close friends told me about this one. She loves to buy meat in bulk at Sam’s club and this helps her save a lot of money. She will set aside a small portion for what she intends to use over the next week or so and vacuum freezes the rest.

So, the FoodSaver vacuum sucks all the air out so it will store fresh in the freezer without getting freezer burn. It generally prolongs the life of the product 5x as long vs just putting it in the freezer (so instead of saving it for 1 month, you can save it for 6 months. What a great idea.

Now for this one, they have upgraded models that are more expensive, but the basic model is perfectly fine (and it was a lot less expensive than I thought it would be. It comes with a starter bag/roll, but you can also get some refills.

Conclusion:

These small appliances are super handy for new homeowners (and even ones that have been living in their home for a while). They help you maintain the value of your home, help you keep it cleaner, save you time and save money. And, of course, these are useful house warming gifts, too.

If you live in Westchester County NY, I offer color consultations to advise customers on paint colors and stain choices. My designer discount at the paint stores usually more than offsets the cost for the hour consultation. Read more here. Due to many requests, I’m now starting to offer phone consultations, too.

Complementary products that will prolong the life of your hardwood floors

Did you find my tips helpful? If so, feel free to buy me a coffee and support my blog.