THE ULTIMATE MUST-HAVES FOR NEW RENTERS

Not only did moving into my first rental property teach me a thing or two, but it also made me really want to share the products and items that have been helping me along the journey in order to help other people moving out of their home too. I found the most important parts of making sure my house felt like a home were: Cleaning, Repairing, and finally, Settling In. If you're moving out soon, whether it's into Student Halls, a Rental property, or a House of your own, there are definitely a few items that I can recommend for you to easily meet the 'Clean, Repair, Settle' criteria. Here goes...

To Clean.
If you know me, you know I'm a bit of a clean freak. I don't do germs, grime, mess and dirt so when I first moved into my new rental property, I found that I needed a lot of cleaning products on hand and a lot of tools for maximising the cleanliness of my place. Over time, I found the best products that worked for me and, while I'm still learning, there's definitely some that I'd love to recommend. 

For tackling tough dirt, like mucky hobs and stained furniture, it has to be Elbow Grease All Purpose Degreaser. I've found this product for a brilliant £1 in a few shops now - from the bargain stores to Tesco. It's strong stuff yet not damaging to a lot of materials - 100% the best multi-purpose de-greaser.

For Antibacterial cleaning, I've been using the Dettol Power & Fresh Green Apple spray. It doesn't clean quite as powerfully as Elbow Grease so I generally do a clean with that first, then eliminate bacteria with this spray; I use this one because it smells divine and leaves the surfaces very fresh. 

This one is a bit more expensive than a few bottles of spray (aka, a lot more expensive) and, just for the record, I don't have one of my own and the one that I do use is borrowed from my family, but this next item is an absolute lifesaver. For awkwardly shaped flats, minimum storage space around, and the need for trustworthy and long lasting investments, the Dyson Cordless Vacuums are a complete league of their own. They're perfect for size, practically, trust, and power - I would love to have one of my own in the future and it's definitely at the top of my wishlist. 

To Repair.
I'm kind of handing over to my boyfriend, Jamie, for this little bit now as he does fancy himself as quite the handyman but, you don't always need to have your own makeshift handyman on call, all it takes is a half decent toolkit. From a Junior Hack Saw, Pliers, a bunch of different screws, a few different screwdrivers, a hammer, and, if you're feeling fancy, a power drill. In fact, shops that have substantial DIY sections are usually quite understanding and helpful when it comes to amateurs; Wilko does a 'Home Repair Kit', which is a box of a few different hooks, screws and clasps for just £3. You can also head to this shop for their 'pick-n-mix' style scheme but, instead of sweets, it's screws, hooks and whatnot. Although some of us would rather it be the sweets, you'll find toolkit essentials a lot more beneficial in the long run.

If you are looking to splash out on a fancy drill to have in your household, Jamie recommends his brilliant Makita Power Drill and the Impact Driver which was very kindly gifted to him one year. When we first moved in, Jamie found these tools made it so much easier and quicker not only to put up the classic IKEA flatpack pieces but for dismantling old, leftover furniture that can be a complex puzzle of screws, dirt and rust. Our move would've been a whole lot more difficult without it.

To Settle In.
I definitely had to learn my way to settling into my new flat by trying and testing as well as fulfilling gaps. For example, I found adding lamps with soft, warm bulbs around the place something very relaxing and calming. There's something quite special about finishing off a day of busy-bodying, fretting, and flitting around, by then relaxing in an ambient room with a cup of tea and a good book or something on TV.

Admittedly, moving in isn't all sunshine and rainbows and, believe me, I went to bed some nights rather frustrated. Again, I'll admit, I'm still a little frustrated as to where on Earth (or at least, where in this flat) are my straighteners going to live, or where will my gym clothes go right now, or the fact that I could be spun around a million times and I'd still be able to map out the exact line of cables behind the sodding TV. Okay, I get it, I sound like a perfectionist. I guess I am, but do not cry my fellow perfectionists, storage boxes are the answer. Take it from me, there's a storage box in this flat that contains a makeup bag of nail polishes, a yoga band, and a bunch of notepads. Why? They had nowhere else to go just yet. Storage boxes are the way forward when it comes to making the mess look a bit more organised - it's also helpful for lifting things off the floor and eliminating clutter.

A big part of settling in for me meant to bring home to me. As a true home bird and mommy's-girl, one of the essential parts of 'home' that I wanted to bring with me was my Mum's cooking. Over the years, my mum has taught me her ways of cooking to the point where I can pretty much perfect her Spag Bol down to a t. A lot of the food that Mum cooks is Oriental and Mediterranean dishes so having a Rice Cooker was always quite the game changer. Being the students that we are, Jamie and I knew that getting a Rice Cooker of our own would be so helping at making cooking meals easier as well as feeling familiar. We got ours from Asda Home at a fantastic price of just £12. They're beneficial for 1 person right through to 6 - definitely a kitchen must-have.

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Moving home teaches you a lot and I'm definitely only at the very beginning of that journey. I'm so happy that I found brilliant products and items like these to help me along the way, they can definitely help you too.

Which products would you currently recommend for the home?