First Apartment Cleaning Kit: What You Actually Need

I still remember standing in the cleaning aisle at Target after I got my first apartment keys. I was 22, completely overwhelmed, and I had no idea what I actually needed. So I bought everything that looked important. Fancy Swiffer mop? Sure. Five different specialty cleaners? Why not. A steam mop someone on TikTok said was life-changing? Into the cart.

I spent almost $200 that day. Within six months, half of it was shoved in the back of my cabinet, unused. The steam mop broke after three uses. The Swiffer pads ran out and I never bought more because they were expensive. I had like seven bottles of cleaner I’d used maybe twice.

Here’s what I wish someone had told me then. You don’t need a lot of cleaning supplies. You need the right ones. And honestly, the list is way shorter than you think.

The Eight Things You Actually Need (And Nothing Else)

I’m going to be blunt here. If you’re on a budget and you’re trying to figure out what to buy first, this is it. Eight things. That’s all.

A decent vacuum cleaner is number one, and it’s where you should spend actual money. Not a ton, but don’t cheap out completely. I bought a $30 vacuum from Walmart my first year and it died four months later. Then I bought another cheap one and same thing. Finally I spent about $120 on a Bissell and I’ve had it for four years now. Do the math. The expensive one was actually cheaper.

You want something with decent suction that doesn’t weigh 40 pounds. If you have mostly hard floors, get one with a hard floor setting. If you’re in a carpeted place, make sure it has a brush roll. I know this sounds obvious but my roommate once bought a vacuum without checking and wondered why it didn’t pick up anything from the carpet.

Next is a microfiber mop. Forget the Swiffer, I’m serious. Everyone recommends Swiffers but you’re just buying those disposable pads forever and they don’t even clean that well. Get a flat microfiber mop with washable pads. O-Cedar makes one for like $25 and the pads last for years. You throw them in the washing machine. Way cheaper and honestly they clean better because you can actually scrub.

Bar Keeper’s Friend is the thing nobody tells you about but it’s genuinely magic. It costs $2. Two dollars. And it’ll clean your sink, your stove, your bathtub, that weird ring around the base of your toilet. I use it on everything. The powder version works better than the liquid in my opinion. You make a little paste with water, scrub for 30 seconds, and stuff just comes off. I’ve talked about this before when I saved myself from a bathroom renovation, and I still stand by it.

Dawn dish soap is next. Not the fancy antibacterial kind, just regular blue Dawn. You’ll use it for dishes obviously, but also for spot cleaning floors, wiping counters, even pre-treating grease stains on clothes. Some people swear by Dawn Powerwash in the spray bottle and they’re right. It’s more expensive but so convenient for quickly cleaning the stove or sink that I think it’s worth keeping one bottle around.

White vinegar is your all-purpose cleaner. Mix it half and half with water in a spray bottle and you’ve got something that cleans glass, counters, appliances, bathroom surfaces. Yes, it smells like salad dressing for about two minutes and then the smell disappears completely. If you really hate it, add a few drops of lemon juice. I keep a spray bottle of this under my sink and I use it more than anything else I own.

Microfiber cloths. Get like 20 of them. They’re cheap, you can buy a huge pack on Amazon for $15. Use them for everything. Dusting, wiping counters, cleaning mirrors, drying dishes. When they’re dirty, you wash them. Don’t use fabric softener though, it ruins the microfiber and makes them stop working. I made that mistake once and had to throw out half my cloths.

You need an actual toilet bowl cleaner. This is the one thing vinegar doesn’t really handle. You need something with acid in it. Lysol makes one, Clorox makes one, they all work basically the same. Get the squeeze bottle with the angled neck so you can get up under the rim. Use it once a week and your toilet won’t get gross.

Last thing is a broom and dustpan. Even with a vacuum, you need a broom. Vacuums are loud and sometimes you just need to quickly sweep up crumbs without making a production of it. Get a regular broom, not one of those angled ones that are supposed to be better but actually kind of suck. And get a dustpan with a rubber edge so stuff actually goes into it instead of sliding under it.

That’s the list. Eight things. You can clean an entire apartment with this.

If you want the full breakdown with exact products, storage tips, and a room-by-room system, I put together a complete guide here with printable checklists and everything. But honestly, even just this list will get you 90% of the way there.

What You Don’t Need (And Why Everyone Tells You to Buy It Anyway)

Here’s where I’m going to save you money. You do not need specialty cleaners for every surface. Wood floor cleaner, granite cleaner, stainless steel cleaner, glass cleaner. The vinegar solution and Bar Keeper’s Friend handle 90% of what you’re cleaning.

You don’t need a mop bucket. Your microfiber mop doesn’t need one. You spray the floor with your vinegar solution or use a little water, then mop it up. Done.

You don’t need Windex. I know it’s what everyone buys but vinegar and water cleans glass just as well and costs like one tenth as much.

Those fancy dusting sprays like Pledge? They leave a residue that actually attracts more dust. Just use a damp microfiber cloth. Way better.

And you definitely don’t need a Roomba. I know they’re cool but they’re expensive and vacuuming a small apartment takes maybe 10 minutes. Save your money for something else.

The Real Cost Breakdown

I’m giving you actual numbers because I remember trying to budget for this and having no idea what anything cost.

A decent vacuum runs about $100 to $150. Bissell Featherweight or Shark Navigator are both solid options in that range.

Microfiber mop with pads is around $25.

Bar Keeper’s Friend is $2 for a can. Buy two.

Dawn dish soap is $4 for a big bottle.

White vinegar is $3 for a gallon.

A pack of 24 microfiber cloths is about $15.

Toilet bowl cleaner is $4.

Broom and dustpan set is around $15.

Total: Somewhere between $170 and $220 depending on which vacuum you get.

That’s it. You’re done. This stuff will last you at least a year, and the only things you’ll need to replace are the vinegar and dish soap.

How to Actually Store Everything in a Tiny Space

Here’s what works in a small apartment. Get a cleaning caddy with a handle that you can carry room to room. I use a $20 one and it holds my spray bottles, Bar Keeper’s Friend, microfiber cloths, and scrub brush. Keep it under your sink. When you need to clean, grab the caddy and you’re set. No running back and forth.

Hang your broom and mop on the back of a closet door or on wall hooks. They take up way less space that way and you’re not tripping over them.

Keep your vacuum in a closet near where you use it most. If you have to drag it up from the basement every time, you won’t use it. Trust me on this.

Store extra microfiber cloths in a drawer or basket. I keep mine in the bathroom cabinet so I can grab one when I’m cleaning without going anywhere.

When to Buy What (If You’re Broke Right Now)

If you’re moving in and money’s tight, here’s the order I recommend.

Week one, get the vacuum, broom, microfiber cloths, dish soap, and toilet cleaner. These are non-negotiable. You need to be able to vacuum, sweep, wash dishes, and clean your toilet right away.

Week two, add the microfiber mop, vinegar, and Bar Keeper’s Friend. Once you’re settled, you can tackle mopping and deeper cleaning.

Month two, get backup supplies and extras. Now you’re just making life easier, not solving emergencies.

Real Talk About Cheap Versus Expensive

The vacuum is worth spending money on. A $100 vacuum will last you five years. A $30 vacuum dies in six months and you have to buy another one. I learned this the hard way, twice.

Everything else? Buy the cheap version. Store brand vinegar works exactly the same as name brand. Dollar store microfiber cloths work fine. That fancy $8 bottle of all-purpose cleaner is not better than your homemade vinegar spray.

The one exception is Bar Keeper’s Friend. There are knockoffs and they don’t work as well. Just buy the real thing. It’s two bucks.

What If You Have Weird Floors or Fancy Counters?

Most apartments have normal surfaces, but if yours doesn’t, here’s what changes.

Hardwood floors need diluted vinegar, not full strength. Use like 1/4 cup vinegar to a gallon of water, or just water with a tiny drop of dish soap. Your microfiber mop is still perfect for this.

Tile floors with grout need a scrub brush with stiff bristles. Use Bar Keeper’s Friend on the grout, scrub it, rinse it. Works way better than bleach.

Granite or marble counters can’t handle vinegar because it’s too acidic. Use water and dish soap, or buy an actual stone cleaner. It’s like $6 and lasts forever.

If you have carpet and it gets stained, get Folex. It’s a carpet stain remover and it actually works. Around $5 at Home Depot. Spray, blot, done.

The Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To

I bought a steam mop thinking it would be amazing. It was heavy, took forever to heat up, and didn’t clean better than my regular mop. Wasted $80.

I bought a million different specialty cleaners because I thought I needed them. Used each one maybe twice. They expired under my sink and I threw them out three years later. If I’d known about the seven products that actually work, I would’ve saved so much money.

I didn’t buy enough microfiber cloths at first and kept running out. Had to do laundry just to clean. Buy more than you think you need.

I bought the cheapest vacuum twice and both died quickly. Should’ve just spent the $120 upfront. I’ve had that vacuum for four years now.

Setting Up a Routine That Actually Works

Having supplies doesn’t mean you’ll use them. You need a system. I do a quick clean twice a week for about 30 minutes. Vacuum, wipe the kitchen and bathroom, take out trash, do laundry. That’s it.

Then once a month I do deeper cleaning. Mopping, scrubbing the toilet properly, wiping baseboards, cleaning mirrors.

If you try to deep clean every week, you’ll burn out. If you only clean when things are disgusting, you’ll be overwhelmed. Twice a week for maintenance, once a month for deep stuff. That’s what actually sticks.

The key is making it easy on yourself. Keep your cleaning stuff accessible, set reminders in your phone, and don’t expect perfection. Just aim for good enough.

When Something Gets Really Gross

Stove covered in burned food? Bar Keeper’s Friend. Make a paste, let it sit, scrub with a damp cloth. Use a plastic scraper first for big chunks.

Shower has soap scum? Vinegar spray or Bar Keeper’s Friend. Spray it, wait two minutes, scrub, rinse. Might need to do it twice if it’s been building up.

Toilet has a ring? Toilet bowl cleaner plus a pumice stone. The pumice stone is like $3 and removes rings without scratching. Game changer.

Sink smells weird? Pour baking soda down the drain, then vinegar. It foams up. Wait five minutes, flush with hot water.

Something spilled in the fridge? Take out the shelf if you can and wash it in the sink with dish soap. If you can’t remove it, spray with vinegar and wipe really well.

How Long Does Everything Last?

Vacuum lasts 3 to 5 years if you empty the canister regularly and don’t vacuum up anything wet.

Microfiber mop handle lasts forever. Pads last about a year each if you wash them.

Bar Keeper’s Friend, one can lasts me about 6 months.

Dawn dish soap, a big bottle lasts maybe 2 months.

White vinegar, a gallon lasts about 3 months.

Microfiber cloths last a year or more until they fall apart.

Toilet bowl cleaner, one bottle lasts about 3 months.

Broom lasts years unless you break the handle.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need a lot of stuff. You need the right stuff. Spend money on a good vacuum, buy the basics, skip the specialty products stores are trying to sell you.

I wish I’d known this when I moved into my first place. Would’ve saved so much money and had way less clutter. The complete guide I put together has all the details, printable shopping lists, storage hacks, and a timeline for what to buy when. But honestly, even just following this basic list will get you there.

You’re going to be fine. Buy what’s on this list, set up a simple routine, and give yourself permission to figure it out as you go. That’s what everyone else is doing too, they just don’t admit it.