6 Essential Items You Need In Your Home Tool Kit

Whether you own a home or rent one, you need a set of tools for decorating and maintaining it. Sure, you can always hire a handyman or specialist for these repairs, but you're still going to want these tools for basic tasks and emergencies. However, with the vast available options out on the market, building out your basic home tool kit could get a bit daunting.

So, to help get you started, we're listing out the basic equipment you may need in your home. After you've chosen a toolbox from one of the major brands to keep your tools safe, this list will help you pick out the tools you'll want to put in it. You'll find all these tools useful for just about anything — from opening boxes, fixing basic repairs, and crafting things. They might even help you find a new hobby in woodworking.

We picked out these tools based on the recommendations of DIY communities and several homeowners. Many state that they used these tools for basic repairs and home upgrades, like installing cheap tech items that made their home smart. We'll add more details of our methodology which can be found at the end of this article.

A tape measure is useful for measuring material you're about to cut, whether you're building something from scratch or simply need to cut an item. If you're buying furniture for your home, the tool is useful to measure the space where you'll put it first. That way, you can ensure that the stuff you're getting will fit in the allotted space. Also, don't forget to measure the doors and hallways the furniture will need to pass through. 

Measuring tapes are also essential for installing hooks on your walls, so you can get your paintings and photographs at exactly the right height. More than that, they are not just simple measuring tools. Furthermore, tape measures have other functions to help you out, like having a slot on the hook to grab onto nails or screws. These hooks are also loosely attached to the tape measure so that it can adjust its length whether you're measuring the inside or outside of a space, ensuring that you get an accurate measurement no matter what. 

There are a couple of tips when using a measuring tape that many people follow. First, the adage "measure twice, cut once" is often heard in carpentry and woodworking, but it also applies to just about anything worth measuring. It's best to be sure of your measurement before any permanent cutting. Additionally, it's advised to always use the same measuring tape throughout a project. Inches don't change but the metal piece of one measuring tape may be slightly off compared to another. 

You may have a knife or two in your kitchen for cutting up food items, but you should not use them for other purposes to ensure they stay sanitary. Aside from that, you wouldn't want to dull these knives quickly, especially if you purchased an expensive knife set. So, for other uses, you ought to have a box cutter or multi-functional utility knife. While the latter is far more durable, if you only need something to occasionally use for cutting and you don't want to spend too much money, a box cutter should suffice.

Box cutters are useful for opening packages and cutting ropes, which is great if you're used to receiving boxes from Amazon and other online marketplaces. Aside from that, if you pair it with a ruler or straight edge, you could use the box cutter to cut a straight line — this is a useful trick if you have trouble cutting a straight line with scissors.

Another advantage that most box cutters have is that they're easy to replace once the tip of the blade dulls. If you look at the blade, you'd often see some scoring on it. When the tip doesn't cut well anymore, you just need to break it off along the scoring, and you should have a sharp tip again. Once you've broken off most of the blade, refills tend to be fairly cheap, allowing you to extend the life of the cutting tool.

Almost everything around the house is held together by screws — whether it's your air fryer, your laptop, or your door, among many other household items. That's why a screwdriver set is essential to have in your home. You should also get a complete set, especially as screws come in different sizes. If your screwdriver is too large, it won't fit into the head of a screw, and if it's too small, you might end up stripping it, making it difficult to remove with a bare screwdriver. Though, there are some easy tricks to remove a stripped screw if need be. 

The two most common types of screwdrivers are the flathead and Phillips screwdrivers. However, if you want to be overprepared, a complete set like the DeWalt 71-Piece Screwdriver Bit Set comes with other bits like hex and Torx, allowing you to work with screws that have exotic heads.

Some sets even offer nut bits, allowing you to ditch wrenches. But if you're doing that, ensure that you're getting a screwdriver where you can bend the handle by 90 degrees. That way you will have some form of leverage, especially if you're removing a nut that's quite stuck on the threads of the screw.

Of course, we cannot forget about the lowly hammer as a basic home tool. Even if you don't see yourself building furniture or working with wood, a hammer is important for driving nails and other components where they need to be. For example, door hinge pins could sometimes shimmy out of position. It's nearly impossible to put them back using sheer hand strength, but a hammer can help force it back down into position.

We also recommend a claw hammer over other types of hammers, like a mallet or ball-peen hammer. This is because you can use the claw hammer to pull out nails — an important ability if you have wooden floors or walls. If a nail is sticking out and bent out of place, you could just use the claw to pull it out and replace it with a new one.

Since hammers are pretty basic tools, you can easily find one at your nearest hardware store. However, if you want one that will last you a lifetime, you can check out the recommended hammer in our list of must-have Lowe's tools to complete your tool kit.

Our world runs on electricity and electricity runs through wires, so it's good to have a tool that will help you fix them. This is where pliers come in — they're especially useful for pulling, straightening, and bending cables. There are many different types of pliers, but a good starting point are either long-nose or needle-nose pliers.

These pliers have a tapered end, making it easier to grab items in tight places. Furthermore, some of these pliers also have wire cutters built near the pivot point, making them perfect for working with your home's wiring. We also recommend getting pliers with nice, thick insulation. That way, you have less hand fatigue as you don't feel the hard metallic handles. Aside from that, thick rubber handles offer protection against potential electrocution.

Of course, if you don't know what you're doing, you should always consult a licensed professional, especially when it comes to electricity. But if it's just a basic repair like fixing a loose cable and you know how to switch off the main power, then pliers are an essential part of your toolbox.

Many people use hooks to hang decorations and other items on. This might not be too much of an issue if you only plan to hang light things that can be handled by a stick-on hook. But if you want to put heavier things on your walls, like a coat hook or a pull-up exercise bar, you definitely need to drill a hole to ensure that they're secured to your walls. This is where the cordless drill comes in. When you pair this tool with a drill bit set, you can drive screws and hooks where you need them and start securely hanging or installing things in your home.

You could use a screwdriver if you wanted to save money, but you also may want to consider your time. If you hand screw one screw that isn't pre-drilled, it may take about two to five minutes, depending on how hard the material is. If you need to install ten screws, that's equivalent to about 20 to 50 minutes — quite a long time just for assembling one thing. Aside from that, experts recommend pre-drilling your screw holes, which will prevent splintering your wood and avoid misalignments. You could then use the cordless drill to drive the screw in as little as five seconds or less.

However, using a drill can be dangerous if you're unsure how to properly use the tool. There are many mistakes that people make when using a drill around the house, so it's best to ensure you are comfortable with your tool before putting holes in walls and assembling furniture.

We've based our selection on the feedback of experts and the experience of our own team. We also checked several popular and resourceful discussion boards, such as Reddit, and found that these are tools people often buy based on their needs and recommendations. Eventually, as you get more into DIY or develop your own hobbies, you'll want more specialized tools. But if you're just starting out or want to ensure you have the proper tools for typical home tool kit necessities, these should be more than enough to get you started. However, there are a plethora of budget-friendly tools for everyday tasks that will appeal to any homeowner.