You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to create homemade materials and craft projects to spruce up your apartment. Often times, you can use items you already have, which makes D.I.Y. projects fun and affordable! Here is one cost effective and handmade product you can make right at home on your very own.
Citrus Cleaner – Instead of buying overpriced cleaning spray full of chemicals, you can make your very own, environmentally friendly batch that will last a long time using items you probably already have at your house. This recipe from Apartment Therapy will make a powerful natural cleaner in no time! In addition to keeping your apartment clean, this D.I.Y. project will have your house smelling of fresh citrus as a bonus!
Materials
Citrus Peels
Distilled White Vinegar
Water (optional)
Airtight Glass Container
Spray Bottle
Tools
Measuring Cup
Strainer
1. Collect citrus peels and store them in an airtight glass container.
Note: citrus fruits contain d-limonene, a natural solvent that chemically reacts with oil to break it down.
2. Once your container is full, cover the peels with white vinegar.
3. Date your jar, and let it sit for about 2 weeks.
Note: when ready, the vinegar should have a strong citrus odor and be yellowish in color.
4. Strain the peels.
5. Dilute with water if you so desire.
The concentration depends on your intended use and preference. I used a 1:1 ratio.
6. Pour into a spray bottle and use.
While I have been using it mostly in my kitchen to clean up stove top grease, this makes for a great, all purpose cleaner.
After your citrus solution is ready, pat yourself on the back for completing this craft project and enjoy your homemade cleaner at one of 1st Lake’s New Orleans apartment rentals in Metairie, Kenner or River Ridge or on the Northshore at 1st Lake’s apartments in Mandeville and Covington!
If you’d like to make your cleaner even more fragrant, try adding rosemary, like Steve Parente does in the instructional video below! He walks you through every step of the instructions above. Enjoy your new craft project
If New Orleans being named the Best American City by Travel + Leisure wasn’t enough to convince you to move to New Orleans, there is plenty of evidence to back up that claim! At a time when both apartment renting and New Orleans is on the rise, seize your chance to be a resident of one of 1st Lake Properties’ New Orleans apartments!
New Orleans Food
New Orleans food is known far and wide to be among the most delicious and iconic in the world. Classic New Orleans cuisine is known for its slow cooked, rich flavors found in gumbo, jambalaya and crawfish etouffee, plus its classic sandwiches like the po-boy and muffaletta. Recently, the James Beard Foundation recognized New Orleans restaurants and chefs, nominating four chefs and one outstanding restaurant for the James Beard Awards, one of the most prestigious culinary honors.
New Orleans Music
In addition to the food, the music of New Orleans is one of the city’s most defining qualities. Congo Square in New Orleans’ Armstrong Park is known as being the birthplace of American music, laying the groundwork for Jazz, Blues and Rock ‘n Roll. Practically any hour day or night, live music can be found in local venues or on the street. In a recent Travel + Leisure article, three New Orleans music venues were featured that offer great local musicians in a cool atmosphere: d.b.a., Hi Ho Lounge and Saturn Bar.
New Orleans food, music and all of its cultural offerings are not far from the 1st Lake apartment communities in greater New Orleans, including the popular suburbs of Metairie, Kenner and River Ridge.
FoodFest brings together chefs and cooks from all over the United States in order to celebrate regional, hometown eats. This weekend-long festival highlights the delicious, informal fare found in local cafes and city neighborhoods, seafood shacks, barbecue joints, food trucks, and casual bistros.
During this event, cooks from all over the country head to New Orleans to dish up their regional delicacies. At FoodFest, you can find anything and everything from New England clam chowder to Houston tamales to Memphis barbecue to Kentucky sweet tea and mint juleps. It’s all about great American classics, cooked and served by chefs that not only love food, but love what it says about our culture and upbringing.
Bring your appetite!
FoodFest Street Festival
Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24
French Market at 1008 North Peters Street
Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Free for all
March is National Nutrition Month, and this year’s theme is “Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day”. As you can tell by this year’s slogan, the minds behind this month long movement are encouraging personalized healthy eating styles, in the hopes of getting people excited about and committed to lifelong healthy living.
Health professionals recognize that there are a number of solutions that work when it comes to getting healthy, but the most important this is finding what works for you. Thus, this year is all about celebrating the food preferences, lifestyle, cultural, and ethnic traditions, and looking into the health concerns that should all be considered when designing a healthy lifestyle.
National Nutrition Month is a month-long nutrition education and information campaign, started by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to bring attention to the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
Are you just moving to New Orleans from a different city or state? If you’re new to the location, you’re probably not familiar with all the resources to establish yourself in your new rental in New Orleans. We’ve offered some tips for what to do before moving in and setting up a new apartment, and now we’ll guide you through setting yourself up once you’ve moved in. Start with this moving checklist of resources and you’ll be settled in no time.
After you’ve gone through this moving in checklist, sit back and relax in your new 1st Lake Properties apartment.
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
