Resource library

Every free source this manual relies on, grouped by chapter, with who publishes it and what it is for. All fetched and checked on the date stated below.

Every link on this page was fetched and read on October 23, 2026. The next full check is due October 23, 2027. Agencies move pages; if a link has broken before then, the publisher's own site search usually finds the new address. No link carries a referral or tracking code, and we receive nothing from any site listed.

Most sources are federal agencies (the U.S. Fire Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, EPA, USDA, CDC, the CFPB, USPS), state agencies used as labelled examples (the attorneys general of Minnesota and Massachusetts, the California Department of Real Estate), university extension services, and the National Fire Protection Association's public pages. A few research papers are cited for what they found, with their limits.

Other free manuals from Learn Things

Linked from the chapter where the question comes up; this manual does not reteach them.

• Learn Meal Planning: kitchen inventory, how long food keeps and shopping (A working kitchen).
• Learn Space Planning: the furniture you have, safety in the layout and bedrooms and small homes (Essentials in phases and Limited space).
• Learn Digital Security: computer and Wi-Fi, passwords and recognizing scams (Lease and move-in record and Utilities and accounts).
• Learn Interior Lighting: bulbs and labels (Essentials in phases and Repairs and requests).
• Learn Machine Sewing: everyday mending (Weekly routines).

Renting

Used in Your first-home plan, Lease and move-in record and Repairs and requests.

• Rental Listing Scams. Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice (agency). Warning signs of fake and hijacked rental listings, and where to report.
• Your tenant and debt collection rights. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (agency). The federal frame for renting. Most tenant rights come from the lease and state or local law; federal law adds fair housing and debt-collection protections.
• Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities, chapter "Entering into the Agreement". Office of Minnesota Attorney General (agency). One state's rules for pre-lease inspection, screening fees, deposits and the move-in inspection, as an example.
• Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities, chapter "During the Tenancy". Office of Minnesota Attorney General (agency). An example of entry-notice and written-repair-request rules.
• Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities, chapter "Ending the Tenancy". Office of Minnesota Attorney General (agency). An example of move-out inspection and deposit-return rules, and written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy.
• California Tenants: A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords' Rights and Responsibilities, 2026 Edition (RE 26, Rev. 1/1/26). California Department of Real Estate (agency). A second state example on deposits, the inventory checklist, entry notice and written repair requests.
• The Attorney General's Guide to Landlord and Tenant Rights (links the 2025 guide). Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General (agency). A third state example with a formal move-in "statement of condition" and different deposit limits.
• Rent Smart Module D, Activity 2 & 3, Handout 3: Check-In/Check-Out Rental Condition Checklist. University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of Extension (extension service). An extension-service model for this manual's move-in condition sheet, and how to use it.

Lead paint (pre-1978 housing)

Used in Lease and move-in record.

• Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). What sellers and landlords of pre-1978 housing must give before a lease or sale is signed.
• Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home - Real Estate Disclosure. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). The current pamphlet edition and languages.
• Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home, January 2026, English. EPA, CPSC and HUD (agency). The document a renter of a pre-1978 unit should receive.

Address and records

Used in Utilities and accounts.

• Standard Forward Mail & Change of Address. United States Postal Service (agency). How to change an address, the fee, timing and what isn't forwarded.
• Carr Warns of Fake Change-of-Address Websites. Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division (agency). An official warning about look-alike change-of-address sites that charge large fees.
• Register to vote in U.S. elections. Vote.gov, U.S. General Services Administration (agency). Updating voter registration after a move.

Utilities and help with costs

Used in Utilities and accounts and First night and safety.

• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, HHS (agency). What LIHEAP is and where to apply.
• Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications. Federal Communications Commission (agency). The remaining federal phone and internet discount for low-income households.
• Affordable Connectivity Program. Federal Communications Commission (agency). A record that the ACP ended; this manual should not point readers to it.
• Renters (Save money and energy). U.S. Department of Energy (agency). DOE's live renter-specific tips, including the water heater and thermostat figures.
• Energy Saver Guide: Tips on Saving Money and Energy in Your Home (2022). U.S. Department of Energy (agency). The citable DOE source for 120°F and the thermostat setback now that the Energy Saver web pages are gone.

Insurance (definitions only)

Used in Utilities and accounts.

• For Rent: Protecting Your Belongings With Renters Insurance. National Association of Insurance Commissioners (standards body; association of state insurance regulators). Plain definitions of renters insurance parts, actual cash value and replacement cost.
• A Consumer Guide to Renters Insurance. New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (agency). A state regulator's coverage list, exclusions and glossary.
• Condominium insurance FAQs. Maryland Insurance Administration (agency). Definitions of the association's master policy and the owner's HO-6 policy, and the question to ask the association.

Money tools (no advice)

Used in Essentials in phases, Weekly routines and Your household binder.

• Your Money, Your Goals toolkit. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (agency). The free federal source for budget and tracking worksheets this manual can link.
• Spending tracker (Your Money, Your Goals). Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (agency). A method this manual can teach for tracking a household's first month of spending.
• Does late rent affect my credit score? Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ask CFPB (agency). How rent history can reach credit and tenant-screening reports, and the adverse-action right.
• Consumer Expenditures: 2024 (news release, USDL-25-1586). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (agency). Measured shares of household spending for context (not as targets).

Secondhand items, recalls and furniture safety

Used in Essentials in phases and Limited space.

• Recalls & Product Safety Warnings (search). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). The official place to check a used item for recalls before buying or using it.
• Resellers Guide to Selling Safer Products. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Small Business Ombudsman (agency). CPSC's rules on what may not be resold, which this manual can turn into "what not to buy used.".
• SaferProducts.gov. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). Where to search consumer reports of harm before buying an item, and to report one.
• Protecting Your Home from Bed Bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). Prevention steps when bringing in secondhand furniture and using shared laundry.
• How to Find Bed Bugs. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). What to look for when inspecting a used mattress, couch or chair.
• Anchor It! U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission campaign site (agency). Furniture and TV anchoring steps and the renter note.

Moving

Used in Utilities and accounts.

• Protect Your Move. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. DOT (agency). The federal hub for hiring an interstate mover.
• Spot the Red Flags. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (agency). A checklist of rogue-mover warning signs.
• Liability & Protection. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (agency). Definitions of the two federal valuation options and the claim deadline.
• Frequently Asked Questions: "Who regulates local movers?" and "What is an interstate move?" Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (agency). The local-move note.

Digital: home Wi-Fi

Used in Utilities and accounts.

• How To Secure Your Home Wi-Fi Network. Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice (agency). Router setup steps for a new household.

Smoke alarms, CO alarms, extinguishers, escape plans

Used in First night and safety.

• Smoke Alarms. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). Where to put alarms, testing and replacement schedule, what to do about cooking nuisance alarms.
• Smoke alarms (Home fire safety). National Fire Protection Association (standards body; public education page). Placement detail renters can check on night one, alarm sounds, the 10-foot kitchen distance.
• Carbon Monoxide. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). CO alarm placement, the source of CO in a home.
• Carbon Monoxide safety. National Fire Protection Association (standards body; public education page). Which homes have CO sources, alarm placement, testing, what to do when it sounds.
• Carbon Monoxide Information Center. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). Federal death figure and symptoms list.
• Childproofing Your Home, Publication #252. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). CO alarms in every home, plus the child-safety devices used in the child-safety part of the first-night chapter.
• Fire Extinguishers. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). PASS, the decision checklist for when to use one and when to leave, home extinguisher classes.
• Home Fire Escape Plans. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). The escape plan steps and apartment-building rules.
• Escape planning. National Fire Protection Association (standards body; public education page). Drill frequency, "once you're out, stay out," sealing in when trapped.

Cooking, dryer, heating and electrical fire safety

Used in First night and safety, A working kitchen, Weekly routines and Repairs and requests.

• Cooking Fire Safety. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). Stand-by-your-pan rule, lid on a pan fire, national figures.
• Safety with cooking equipment. National Fire Protection Association (standards body; public education page). Grease fire and oven fire steps, newer statistics.
• Clothes Dryer Safety (tip sheet). National Fire Protection Association (standards body). Lint filter and vent frequencies.
• Clothes Dryer Fire Safety (flyer). U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). The federal agency's lint filter wording.
• Appliance and Electrical Fire Safety. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). Extension cord and outlet rules, the dryer-cleaning statistic.
• Heating Fire Safety. U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA (agency). Space heater rules.
• Indoor Electrical Safety Check. Electrical Safety Foundation International (nonprofit). What a tripped breaker means, how to reset it, GFCI test steps, extension cords as temporary only.
• Preventative Home Maintenance. NC State Extension (extension service). When to call an electrician, GFCI and smoke alarm schedule, drain clearing without chemicals, valve leak checks.

Shutoffs: water, gas, breaker panel

Used in First night and safety and Repairs and requests.

• Locating a Water Meter & Emergency Service Valve. City of Columbus Department of Public Utilities, Division of Water (agency, municipal water utility). Finding and testing the main water valve.
• Home Maintenance (WaterSense). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). Finding the water meter, a leak check, toilet dye test.
• What To Do If You Smell Natural Gas. Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (agency, state utility regulator). Gas odor steps from a regulator.

Emergency kit and first aid kit

Used in First night and safety.

• Build A Kit. Ready.gov, FEMA (agency). The kit list.
• Water. Ready.gov, FEMA (agency). Water storage details.
• Make a First Aid Kit: What to Include. American Red Cross (nonprofit). Kit contents.

Food safety

Used in A working kitchen.

• Refrigeration & Food Safety. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (agency). 40 °F, appliance thermometer, weekly fridge clear-out, storage times.
• How Temperatures Affect Food. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (agency). The Danger Zone and the 2-hour rule.
• Cold Food Storage Chart. FoodSafety.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (agency). The fridge and freezer time chart.
• Cutting Boards. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (agency). Wood vs plastic, separate boards, cleaning and sanitizing, when to replace.
• Best Ways to Clean Kitchen Sponges. USDA Agricultural Research Service (agency; research news release). The USDA sponge study.
• Cardinale M. et al., Microbiome analysis and confocal microscopy of used kitchen sponges reveal massive colonization by Acinetobacter, Moraxella and Chryseobacterium species. Scientific Reports 7, 5791 (research journal). The basis for "replace sponges regularly.".

Cleaning products, labels, and cleaning versus sanitizing and disinfecting

Used in Cleaning safely.

• When and How to Clean and Disinfect Your Home. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (agency). The three definitions, when each is needed, safe-use rules.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting with Bleach. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (agency). Never mix bleach; ratio and contact time.
• What's the difference between products that disinfect, sanitize, and clean surfaces? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). The regulatory definitions and contact time.
• 6 Steps for Safe & Effective Disinfectant Use. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). Label-reading routine.
• Top tips for a safe spring cleaning. Poison Control, National Capital Poison Center (nonprofit). Never mix, acid and bleach, ammonia and bleach, the Poison Help number.
• Ammonia: History, usage, and safety. Poison Control, National Capital Poison Center (nonprofit). Ammonia-specific label and ventilation rules.
• What's in drain cleaner and what happens if you drink it? Poison Control, National Capital Poison Center (nonprofit). Why this manual starts with a plunger, and drain cleaner precautions.
• Learn About the Safer Choice Label. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). What the label means when choosing cleaners.

Moisture, mold, pests, radon

Used in Cleaning safely and Repairs and requests.

• A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). Humidity targets, 24-48 hour drying, size threshold for DIY cleanup.
• Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety (EPA 735-K-04-002). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). Food, water, shelter prevention and pesticide storage.
• Health Risk of Radon. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (agency). One line for owners.

Laundry

Used in Cleaning safely and Weekly routines.

• Clothes Captioning: Complying with the Care Labeling Rule. Federal Trade Commission (agency). What a care label must say, whether symbols are allowed.
• Laundry on Your Own (L-5200). Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (extension service). Sorting, detergent, temperature and drying basics for first-time launderers.
• Annual Report: Unintentional Pediatric Poisoning Injuries and Fatalities (March 2024). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency; staff report). Laundry packet and bleach injury figures for children under 5.
• Poison Prevention Information Center. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). Storage rules for laundry packets, medicines and cleaners.

Household time and habit formation

Used in Your first-home plan, Weekly routines and Sharing a home.

• American Time Use Survey, 2025 Results (USDL-26-1022). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (agency). How much time people spend on household work, by sex.
• Table 1. Time spent in primary activities, by sex, 2025 annual averages. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (agency). Exact hours for housework, food prep and lawn care.
• Lally P., van Jaarsveld C.H.M., Potts H.W.W., Wardle J. How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology 40(6): 998-1009 (research journal). How long a routine takes to feel automatic.
• Busting the 21 days habit formation myth. UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre blog, by Ben Gardner (research group, university). The 66-day figure from the study's own research group.

Roommates and shared living

Used in Sharing a home.

• Housemate Agreement. Arizona State University (university). An agreement template for off-campus housemates.
• Comprehensive Roommate Agreement Template. Winthrop University, Off-Campus Transition (university). The fullest topic list.
• [Sample] Roommate Agreement. Keene State College, Residential Life (university). A supplies ledger and utilities table.
• Roommate Agreement - Halls. Cal Poly Pomona University Housing Services (university). Fridge sharing, sleep conditions, a conflict ladder.
• Communication, Compromise and Consideration: The 3 Cs of Getting Along with Roommates (RentWise). University of Minnesota Extension (extension service). Topics to settle before moving in, and how to raise a conflict.

Tools and small repairs

Used in Essentials in phases and Repairs and requests.

• 15 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own. International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, InterNACHI (professional body). A starter tool list led by the plunger.
• Learn About Brightness. ENERGY STAR, U.S. EPA and DOE (agency). Choosing LED bulbs by lumens.

Child safety for a parent with a young child

Used in First night and safety, Limited space and Cleaning safely.

• CPSC Anchor It! Campaign Marks 10 Years (Release 25-409). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). The STURDY Act and tips when anchoring is not possible.
• Product Instability or Tip-Over Injuries and Fatalities Associated with Televisions, Furniture, and Appliances: 2023 Report. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency; staff report). Tip-over figures.
• CPSC Urges Families to Protect Children During National Window Safety Week. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (agency). Window falls figures and the renter step.
• Up and Away and Out of Sight. Up and Away, PROTECT Initiative, created with CDC (nonprofit/agency partnership). Medicine storage.
• Childproofing Your Home for Poisons. HealthyChildren.org, American Academy of Pediatrics (professional body). Room-by-room poison storage and the laundry packet warning.

Small spaces

Used in Limited space.

• Ways to Conquer Household Clutter (Publication 4052). Mississippi State University Extension (extension service). A decluttering method for a small home.
• Food Storage Possible in a Small Space. Utah State University Extension (extension service; news article). Storage spots in an apartment or dorm.

Courses we compared (reference only)

We read these public course pages to decide what this manual covers and in what order. Nothing from them is reproduced, and listing one is not a recommendation to buy it; we receive nothing from any of them.

• Adulting. Udemy, instructors Belle Lau and Jenny Zhou (course vendor).
• Adulting 101: Practical, Social, and Emotional Skills Every Young Adult Needs to Know. Udemy, James Divine (course vendor).
• Interior design for small apartments. Udemy, Ana Marcu (course vendor).
• Home making - complete course for everyone. Udemy, VS Polamraju (course vendor).
• Adulting 101: Independent Living Skills & Financial Literacy. Outschool, Mrs. Moffatt (course vendor; individual teacher).
• Independent Living: Getting a Place to Live (PDF and Google Slides set). Remedia Publications (course vendor; school materials publisher).
• Independent Living: Living On Your Own. Remedia Publications (course vendor; school materials publisher).
• The Essential Home Management Routine To An Ever Clean Home. A Mess Free Life, Maureen Campaiola (practitioner).
• 30 Days To A Clean House. Mummepreneur, instructor Kimberly (practitioner).
• Rent Well Tenant Education. Transition Projects (nonprofit).
• Rent Smart modules. University of Wisconsin Division of Extension (extension service).
• Casey Life Skills. Casey Family Programs (nonprofit).