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Whether you want to welcome your new neighbors or celebrate your daughter’s first home, the right housewarming gift can really help them get started in style. Finding the right gift can be a challenge, especially if you don’t know them very well.

In any case, here are some creative, thoughtful and unique housewarming gift ideas for first-time homeowners in 2021 that will help bring smiles.

New Kitchen Gift Ideas

Let’s start in the kitchen where there are so many utensils, cookware, and tools that a couple just moving into a house for the first time might not have. These aren’t your typical plates and saucers found on a bridal registry.

Personalized Cutting Board

Something personalized is a perfect housewarming gift for brand-new homeowners. Give them something of “their own” and the tools they need in the kitchen to make great meals and prepare their favorites with this custom bamboo cutting board.

The new homeowners can cut their favorite vegetables, fruits and other meal ingredients without damage to their counter or table. Add up to 38 characters that will appear under the cutest Home Sweet Home design. They’ll be sure to thank you.
That’s My Pan – $13.99

Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds (Set of 2)

Help the new home-buyers celebrate their new home with ice orbs that keep their wine or other drinks cool for a long time. These sphere ice molds (check price on Amazon) add fashion to any cold drink and melt slower than typical ice cubes.

They can use them right away and place them in sodas, beer, wine, liqueur, juice, or any other drink they desire.
Amazon

Sea Stone Splash Sponge Holder

If you really want to help accent their kitchen, this sponge holder is perfect for first-time homeowners and replaces those dull, boring holders with something beautiful to actually look at.

This artistic sponge holder is made with stone top pieces and a granite base, along with three aluminum rods to hold the stones in place. The sponge wedges in between with plenty of drying space.
Uncommon Goods – $24.00

Kitchen Dish Towels Set

Another thoughtful kitchen gift idea are a set of soft kitchen towels (Amazon link). Made from 100% natural fibers, these durable towels will leave dishes and linens sparkling clean.

These dobby weave cotton dish towels are 15 x 25 inches and come in a tasty combo of black on white or black on ivory. Give your friends something to take care of their first big kitchen mess that comes their way.

Amazon

Bubble Glass Pitcher

Everyone needs pitchers for their favorite cold beverages, but how about one that adds flair and style in a way that is different from the norm? Give them a stylish, bubble glass pitcher that feature elegant curves and a handle that graces the circumference with the look of a hole through the pitcher.

They can use it for parties, to accent their kitchen, and even to decorate with a floral arrangement.
Wayfair – $41.95

12-Bottle Bamboo Wine Rack

Celebrate their home acquisition with a 12-bottle bamboo wine rack (check price on Amazon) that blends with any décor. This rack is available in black (espresso) or natural and is a great way to kick-start their wine collection.

It can also just provide a place to store existing wines.
Amazon

Keurig K55 K-Cup Single Serve Coffee Maker

Everyone needs coffee, but you often have to wait for it to brew. This instant, one-cup coffee maker (check price on Amazon) lets the new homeowners enjoy a quick cup of coffee anytime they need during their busy day working or getting situated in their new home.
Amazon

Veggie Smart Storage Containers

Help your new friends keep their vegetables and fruits fresh for a longer period of time with a set of smart containers designed to conserve space.

Each piece stacks together and includes a tall one for lettuce and other large vegetables, a slimmer one for things like carrots and celery, and two small containers on the top for strawberries, blueberries, and more. The slotted bottoms can also serve as a colander while the closable vents on the sides control air flow.

There are also charts on the lids to help keep track of freshness.
Uncommon Goods – $55.00

Polka Dot Stacking Mugs Set

If your new neighbors don’t place these stacking mugs on the counter, they will surely save space in their cabinet.

The set includes six 11 oz stoneware coffee cups each with a different polka dot design that easily stack in a chrome-plated steel rack.

They are dishwasher safe.

Amazon – $29.99

Monogram Elegance Cookie Jar

Offer a personalized way to store cookies or other similar treats by giving the new homeowners a chip-resistant, stone cookie jar.

This white jar is available in six color choices for the custom monogram you choose and it provides an airtight seal to keep the cookies fresh.
Bed Bath and Beyond – $43.99

Gifts for the Yard / Outside the Home

Personalized gifts are always highly valued as they aren’t ho-hum off-the-shelf presents you spent 30 seconds grabbing at Wal-Mart. The recipients will immediately feel a connection with a gift that is unique to them. Here are a couple for the outdoors.

Family Initial and Name House Doormat

Help them welcome guests to their new home with a customized doormat made with an easy-to-clean polyester surface and a non-slip backing material.

Everyone loves personalization that shows you care and this 27″x 17″ mat includes an initial, a name up to 25 characters, and a 4-digit year for the established line.
Personal Creations – $24.99

Q Tech Bluetooth BBQ Grill Thermometer

Everyone loves to BBQ when the weather allows it. Give the gift of this Bluetooth, wireless BBQ thermometer (check price on Amazon) so that they can monitor the inside temperature of the meat without constantly checking it.
Amazon

Whimsical Garden Gnome

Help your new homeowner get started on their garden gnome collection with this little fisherman. Floyd comes perched on his rock with his catch of the day still on the line.

He will be happy to provide your homeowner with some company as they work on their garden or even greet guests as they arrive at the front door. Standing at 12 inches, Floyd can also be brought inside to add a little fun to any nook or corner.

Lighted Copper Flowers Solar Garden Stake

Whether the new home is a rental or a purchased one, give them a gift to enhance their outdoor area. This gift available only from Hammacher Schlemmer includes a set of three solar-powered copper flowers. The center of each of the flowers contains a different LED light so it is an energy-friendly way to add color and beauty to the landscaping.

It is one sure way to welcome them into their new place.
Hammacher Schlemmer

Good Living Room / Den Ideas

Some of these ideas are fun and some are highly practical. These items will get out in the open and be viewed every day so I didn’t go overboard with any odd design choices. Again personalization makes an entrance here!

Personalized Monogram Wall Key Holder

Help your new homeowner(s) know where their keys are at all times. This customizable, wall-mount key hanger features four metal hooks and will add that extra touch to the home while also helping them stay organized.

The MDF material creates a smooth surface and the background can be customized to match the home.
Etsy – $19.95

Three Tier Tabletop Fountain

The flowing water of a fountain can add a sense of tranquility to any home. This tabletop version is a great housewarming gift.

The water flows over each of the three lily designs to a basin below. It even has a LED night so the fountain can provide a focal point even in the evening.

Since it is a tabletop fountain there is no need for plumbing and each tier can be easily removed for cleaning. Your new homeowner will be able to enjoy their new gift immediately.

His and Hers Key Holders

For those that want to give a key holder that is unique and different, this set is the ticket to make the new homeowners smile. The his-and-hers pieces mount directly on the wall and include actual locks to insert the keys while the rest hang down like they do in your car.

They just pluck them out easily and quickly when they need to go. Each piece features a zinc base with a protruding person that delivers a mirrored reflection made from chrome.
Uncommon Goods – $17.00

Marble Coasters (Set of 4)

Everyone needs coasters to protect beautiful surfaces from drink condensation damage and beverage drips that run down the side.

Welcome your new neighbors with a beautiful, durable set of marble coasters, featuring a classic white design that blends with any house theme. The hexagon shape also serves as a nice change to the traditional square or circular varieties.

Each coaster includes 4 foam feet to protect any surface they place them on.
Couleur Nature – $50.00

Bliss Gardens Air Plant Terrarium Kit

Give new homeowners something to do and something to accent any room they desire with this beautiful glass terrarium kit (check price on Amazon) that features colorful plants and a 4-inch round design.

It easily fits on shelves, counters, tables, and more. The purple, awe-inspiring Amethyst gemstone adds life and beauty in conjunction with the Tillandsia Air Plants that help purify the air around the room.
Amazon

Rustic Home Framed Print

Give new homeowners something to enhance their living room, hallway, or a bedroom like this rustic home framed print with a black, wooden frame and a glass cover.

The print is customizable up to 25 characters and is often used for the family’s name.

It has quite a few positive reviews so your new neighbors will surely enjoy it.
Personal Creations – $38.99

Where Memories Are Made Throw Pillow

Give the gift of comfort with a 15-inch, personalized throw pillow that features the words “Home is Where Memories are Made.” Customize it with 16 characters underneath that and a year for the established line.

They will enjoy it because the canvas is made of 100% cotton and it can be used anywhere they desire without affecting the theme of the room.
Personal Creations – $34.99

Better Homes & Gardens Mosaic Glass Stake Light

Whether the new home is a rental or a purchased one, give them a gift to enhance their outdoor area. This Better Homes & Garden solar stake includes an orb with amazing mosaic detail. And they’re actually so inexpensive you can grab a few and still not break the bank.
Walmart – Under $20.00

Custom Home Accent Light

When you have some new homeowners to celebrate with, this personalized, tabletop light does the job well.

It’s made of wood and acrylic materials and you can personalize for them with any message up to 25 characters that will appear below the home image. It measures 10-1/4″ wide by 8-3/4″ high.
Personal Creations – $49.99

Google Chromecast Ultra

This one may be slightly off to the far side of housewarming gifts, but it definitely makes a good one. Everyone needs access to the entertainment they love and the Chromecast Ultra gives the new homebuyers access to all their favorite videos, movies, and shows.

It mirrors their Android or iPhone devices so they can sit back on the couch and enjoy that long-needed binge break or browse pictures on their phone.
Google – $59.00

Printer’s Home Office Letter File Bin

Organizing is one thing that everyone can benefit from and a letter file bin is a perfect addition to keeping an office or room free of clutter.

This new homeowner gift is made of pine with a Tuscan chestnut finish. It features two roomy slots for mail, letters, and other paper materials. Give them easy access while also giving them less clutter and less lost mail.
Pottery Barn – $99.00

One Last Thing

I hope one of these gift ideas will make these new homeowners feel welcome. The personalization of some of the gifts is a nice touch and everyone loves a piece of unique home decor.

Need even more gift ideas? Try the Gift Idea Generator from Generators List. Click endlessly to get new gift ideas.

What have you given as a housewarming gift recently? Let me know in the comments below. I’m always looking to keep track of good ideas for welcome gifts as we live in a military town with a lot of turnovers.
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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you. Read our full disclosure here.

It’s a headache when one home appliance after another develops a malfunction. Sadly, some modern appliances aren’t intended to last more than a few years; welcome to throw-away society! Manufacturers rely on increasingly cost-effective but less durable components and materials. Correspondingly, appliance prices have fallen dramatically since the early 1990s, but it’s of little comfort if the items you own are always letting you down.

Product warranties, too, are growing commensurately shorter, reflecting the expected curtailed lifecycles. Regular product turnover aids the makers’ innovation cycles and profit margins, so the sad fact is, they’d rather sell you new machines than breathe new life into your aged household friends.

However, despite all the odds being stacked against you, there are still many households in which appliances rarely stop functioning. The reason’s simple: these homes go to extra lengths to look after their electrical goods.

Here are 11 tips to ensure your appliances live long and healthy lives.

1. Read the instructions.

You’re dying to try that new appliance but–wait! Variations between models and brands mean what’s good for one can prove a death sentence for another. Flicking through the user guide prior to first use isn’t a tall order.

As appropriate to the appliance type, read about correct assembly, how to clean the appliance and its filters, explanations of the display and warning lights, ideal storage temperatures, safe loading and unloading, maximum weights and operating times, troubleshooting, and when to request repairs.

Operating manuals for machines that take consumables–things like dishwashers, washing machines, and tumble dryers–also often recommend the brands and product types best suited to the appliance.

2. Keep cool and dry.

Keep appliances in cool–not cold–spaces. Unless they are designed for it, garages and outhouses can be too chilly and draughty, especially if appliances rely on lubricating grease or oil.

Install appliances inside the house, away from direct heat. Even inside a home, location is everything. Condensation is a major appliance-killer, so if the area’s chilly, install a tubular glass heater; these are ideal for areas needing low-cost, steady background heat, and they keep the frost and condensation at bay. In a slightly-warmed room, grease and lubricant remain fluid and appliances don’t build up moisture on their cabinets or moving parts.

Install major appliances in spaces where they can breathe, and keep an eye on operating temperatures. Tumble dryers are prone to static build-up and overheating.

3. Monitor appearances, sounds, and smells.

If you notice rust, mold or mildew on appliances, take care. If the unit’s showing damp or rust externally, how might it look beneath its casing? Wipe casings, rubber joints and seals frequently, checking for pitting and corrosion; this applies to rubber parts the same as metal ones.

Listen to units when they’re working properly, noting their sound; if something starts making odd noises, call a repairman. Don’t dismantle items yourself unless you have no warranty, as owner interference invalidates product guarantees.

However, if you do open your appliance up, vacuum it out. Only use a light air blower on small componentry; the air blower is a small, usually gas-powered canister emitting compressed air, and is available at low cost from computer suppliers.

Clean and lubricate moving parts before reassembling and testing.

Don’t continue running any appliance that’s making strange noises. Usually, this is the precursor to a motor breakdown or overheating. Similarly, if you smell burning, stop using the appliance pending further investigation and testing by an approved repairman.

4. Observe weights and usage conditions.

Observe the weights that washing machines and tumble dryers can accommodate. Laundry soon doubles or trebles in weight once wet, and if your appliance is struggling to make its drum turn, you’ve overloaded it or the laundry needs more even distribution. If there’s groaning, squealing or straining, the motor is under duress; that’s your appliance’s SOS call.

Observe ‘maximum fill’ markings on vacuum cleaners and don’t keep using them when they require cleaning or emptying.

5. Keep air vents clear.

Small appliances like hairdryers, curling tongs, and even some straighteners may have air vents; check all over to see if you can spot any, and keep these free of dust, hair, and debris, otherwise, the appliance could burn out. If something goes up in flames in your hand, you’ll know about it!

While unplugged, inspect DVD players, satellite boxes and music players, running a lightly dampened cloth across air vents and grilles, ensuring no dirt or debris build-up. Again, an air blower may be better suited to this job than your vacuum cleaner.

Glance inside your hairdryer while it’s in operation; if its heat filaments glow, it has insufficient free-flowing air and is running too hot. The same applies to fan and convector heaters.

6. Clean filters, brushes, and outlets.

Filters are present in tumble dryers and washing machines–the latter also have coin traps many people don’t even know about!–and in toasters, some kettles and all vacuum cleaners. ‘Digest’ user guides and be aware of filters’ locations. If you don’t clean or renew filters, you’ll encourage dust and debris build-up in the motor compartment.

In addition to as many as four filters, modern, bagless vacuum cleaners have the added complexity of air-powered or motorized brushes. If vacuum cleaner brushes are not kept free of hair, a build-up causes slow turning, stressing and overheating the motor.

It’s easy to clean hair from brushes using an old fork and a pair of scissors; ease the fork prongs beneath the hair, pull the matted hair towards you and snip it free. To finish, a drop of motor oil or even olive oil at connecting ends of the cleaner brush prevents stiff, friction-causing brushes.

Washing machines can suffer build-ups of fabric conditioner or detergent in the soap tray and around the coin trap and drain; keep these areas clear. Pop your machine’s detergent drawer into the dishwasher occasionally, having first cleaned it of built-up residue. The hot wash will remove bacteria and mold spores that can attack internal parts.

Dishwashers need care too; check there’s nothing in the filter or blocking the drain outlet. If a glass has smashed in the appliance, carefully check for fragments as these will slice their way through your dishwasher’s moving parts and cause leaks or blockages. If they end up in the drain pump, the appliance will stop draining.

7. Use domestic appliances domestically!

Domestic vacuum cleaners are not equipped to handle brick or DIY dust or debris, wet or damp surfaces, or even carpet cleaning powders; they’re called ‘domestic’ appliances because their use is limited to standard household applications.

If your home doubles as a business, or if you’re cleaning at work, buy industrial appliances from office and workspace suppliers; they’re less stylish but more robust.

Carpet cleaning powders aren’t safe domestic appliance products. Their abrasive nature at the microscopic level can destroy your vacuum cleaner’s motor, and the small print on some powders indemnifies the manufacturer against claims for damage to domestic appliances.

The same applies to insect-killing dust; this works by breaking through the insect’s shell or carapace. Seen under a microscope, those innocent-looking dust particles have razor-sharp, or toothed edges that chomp away at your precious gadgets.

8. Oh, rats!

Keep appliances free of rodent and small animal access, including the house bunny, hamster and pet mouse or rat! Rodents will spy those lovely cables and sink their teeth in. The next time you plug in, there’ll be a nice bang, or a big fat–nothing. Many pedigree cats also have a strange cable-chewing penchant.

9. The long and the short of cable care.

Ensure long cables aren’t trapped beneath appliances or they’ll perish. Wind long cables around holders screwed to the wall, and carefully ease appliances towards the wall, leaving a gap. Don’t overstrain short cables; there should be some slack.

With units unplugged, wipe down cables with a damp, clean cloth occasionally, ensuring no damage. Extension cables–especially those housed on wind-out mechanisms–lead to overheating and fires. If you must use one, check it’s fully extended and isn’t getting hot. Use thermal-cutout adaptors, so appliances shut down at signs of temperature trouble. Check electrical plugs are tightly screwed and haven’t become a home for spiders and slugs.

10. Tomcat turmoil.

Unneutered or late-neutered male cats often spray urine over electrical units, disabling them. Prime candidates are computers, keyboards, speakers, and video or DVD players.

If you have a high incidence of household gadgets ceasing to function without prior warning, check for sticky, unpleasant patches and take your male cat to the vet for his overdue surgery.

11. On the level.

Keep ovens, washing machines and tumble dryers on level, solid surfaces. If the item has moving or rotating parts, discrepancies in standing surfaces place strains on the motor, suspension, bracketing, and feet. If your washing machine or dryer shudders or hops as it operates, it has a wobbly leg or is standing on an uneven surface.

The same can happen with a microwave oven’s rotating turntable; is it making a strange sound when operating? The chances are, it’s not sitting flat so the turntable motor is under duress.

Now you’re taking great care of your precious appliances, consider locking the portable ones away from people who won’t be so respectful. Cheaper, slightly less effective small appliances can be retained for visitors, the cleaner, and your accident-prone husband or teens.

If you really want to cover all bases, call in a domestic electrician once a year to carry out a house-wide small appliance safety test, sometimes known as a Portable Appliance Test or PAT test. The electrician will check each appliance and mark it as ‘passed’, so you’ll know every item’s safe.

Whatever system you put in place, treating appliances with tender loving care will afford them long life and ensure they give good service whenever you need them.