Safety items and tools to buy in your first week
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Buy these before you buy anything decorative: a combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarm for any room that's missing one, a kitchen fire extinguisher, a few water leak sensors, and a small tool kit with a cordless drill. Together they cover the most common first-month emergencies and the jobs you'll actually do, like hanging curtains, tightening hinges and assembling furniture.
Safety
Kidde battery-powered smoke & carbon monoxide alarm (30CUDR)
If the house has gas appliances, a fireplace or an attached garage, you want CO detection near the bedrooms. A battery combo unit fills a gap without any wiring.
Tip: If your existing alarms are hardwired and interconnected, replace them with a compatible hardwired model instead, so they still all sound together. That's a job for an electrician if you're not comfortable with it.
First Alert home fire extinguisher
Keep one in the kitchen, mounted near the exit rather than over the stove, so you can reach it while moving away from the fire.
Tip: Read the label the day you buy it, not the day you need it.
GoveeLife water leak detectors, 3-pack
Small sensors that alarm when they get wet. Put one under the kitchen sink, one by the water heater and one behind the washer. Those are the places where slow leaks go unnoticed for weeks.
Tools for the jobs you'll actually do
STANLEY 65-piece home tool kit (94-248)
Screwdrivers, pliers, a hammer, hex keys, a tape measure and a level in one case. It handles furniture assembly, loose hinges and cabinet pulls without a trip to the store.
BLACK+DECKER 20V MAX cordless drill/driver (LDX120C)
You'll hang curtain rods, blinds, shelves and TV mounts in the first month. A basic drill makes each of those a 10-minute job instead of an afternoon.
Tip: Buy a small set of drill bits and wall anchors with it. The anchors that come with curtain rods are often the weak part.
Franklin Sensors ProSensor M150 stud finder
Heavy shelves and TV mounts need to go into studs. This one shows the stud's full width at once, so you aren't guessing at the edges.
Stanley PowerLock 25 ft tape measure
The tape in a starter kit is usually short. Measure windows before you buy curtains, and doorways before you buy furniture.
ScotchBlue painter's tape
For marking where shelves and art will go before you drill, labeling breakers and boxes, and the touch-up painting most houses need after the move.
Power and light
Amazon Basics 6-outlet surge protector
Older houses often have fewer outlets than you need by the desk or TV. A surge protector beats chaining extension cords together.
Philips LED A19 soft white bulbs, 4-pack
Expect a few burned-out bulbs and some mismatched colors. Buy a pack in one color temperature (2700K is warm and soft) so the rooms match.
Leave these to a pro
Gas lines, electrical panel work, anything involving the roof, and structural changes. If an inspection report flagged something, start with that list.
Checked November 12, 2026. Product listings change, so check the current listing before you buy.