Fresh Start In The New Year
With the beginning of yet another new year, it’s a great time to get a fresh start. After the holiday hustle and bustle, the New Year is a fabulous time to organize your life and home so that you set yourself up for a year of happiness, health, and success! Once the new year hits, think about looking at these areas of your life that tend to collect clutter so that you can start the new year off right.
1. Get rid of clothes that you no longer like or wear.
Go through your closets and drawers, and pull out any items that you no longer wear or no longer like. Toss any clothes that are stained or damaged. Then pack what is left to donate to Goodwill in Kenner or drop off at one of the many consignment shops located in Metairie – who knows, you may even make a few bucks from your unwanted items! There are many Goodwill stores throughout Metairie and Kenner.
2. Clean out your car.
If you are one of the many people whose car tends to collect things, take some time to clean it out. Toss the garbage, take unnecessary items out and put them in their proper places, and give it a good vacuuming and a wash at several Car Washes located off Veterans Highway.
3. Switch up your workout routine.
If you do the same old workout day after day (or don’t workout at all), it’s time for a change. Try something new that sounds like fun – yoga class? aqua aerobics? kettle balls? Zumba? 1st Lake Properties offers many workout facilities on site at their apartment communities. Several properties have walking tracks around the apartment community. Almost all of the apartment communities have a pool so you could think about swimming. This will work new muscles and you might just find a new activity that you enjoy
4. Reevaluate the relationships in your life.
This is something that often takes a back-burner to life’s other to-dos. The New Year is a great time to think about the relationships in your life and if they support and uplift you, or if they deplete you. If things seem off-track with your significant other, your parent, or a friend, this is a great time to seek a solution. Or, if there is someone in your life that drains you, maybe it’s time to let that friendship go.
5. Clean out your cupboards and fridge.
Just like your closet and dresser, your kitchen needs some love and attention too. Go through your fridge, cupboards, and pantry. Toss any expired items, donate canned goods at Second Harvest Food Bank that you know you won’t use, and make room for loads of fresh, healthy items that will keep you satisfied and healthy.
Having a pet in a New Orleans apartment can be a fantastic joy, especially in the colder months, when more people are spending time indoors! While there’s nothing quite like having our favorite furry friend greet you at the door after a long day, or watching TV with a pet curled up beside you, it can also be difficult keeping your apartment clean with them around!
Pets can scratch up furniture and floors, leave behind hair and dander, as well as make messes in the home that can be tough to clean. If you take a few simple steps, and consistently follow a few routines, it can take a lot of the hassle out of cleaning up after your furry best friend! Not only do you want to ensure that you get a return on your deposit, but it’s important to make your apartment human-friendly while keeping your pet comfortable as well!
First of all, and most importantly, make sure your pet is completely housebroken. If your animal is completely trustworthy indoors, that can go a long way in ensuring that your apartment stays mess-free and odor-free. Accidents in the home can be a huge mess, and stressful for you, the pet owner. If you own a cat, make sure he or she knows how to use the litter box, and keep clean litter at all times. Some first-time cat owners discover to their dismay that cats will leave little “presents” everywhere if their litter is not kept clean. If you have a small dog, make sure they are crate trained or can be left alone while you’re at work, until you can take him or her outside for a walk.
See to it your pets play with pet toys and not your furniture. Not only can pets tearing up furniture be costly, but it can make your apartment look shabby. This can be a big problem, especially if you have a cat that isn’t de-clawed. Break the habit early on if your pet exhibits destructive behavior. Encourage them to play with toys, and scold them if they attempt to chew or claw your possessions. You can also purchase sprays which tend to repel animals away from the area and discourage destruction such as Pet Block, by Nature’s Miracle.
If you own a small dog, it’s important to keep them healthy and happy by allowing them safe access to the outdoors. Whether it’s a small patio, dog park, or other protected space, dogs need exercise and room to roam. Take your dog outdoors often, both to potty and to play!
You’ll probably notice that your pet sheds and excess hair and dander can be a problem. Vacuum your apartment often to ensure that it remains hair-free. Having a small hand-held vacuum can be very useful for sucking up hair from couches, chairs, and other areas where your pet tends to lay. It may also be a good idea to have a lint roller on hand to make sure that your clothes are hair-free before leaving the house! You can also brush your dog or cat to cut down on some of the shedding. Brushing loosens dead hair that’s about to be shed, removes dander, and keeps your dog or cat’s coat healthy from shedding all over your apartment. Brush your pet as often as possible, and try to do it outside, to keep hair from accumulating throughout your apartment.
It’s also important to bathe your pet fairly often so they don’t become smelly. Animal smells can permeate a space quickly, and make your apartment unpleasant to visitors.
Keeping both your pet and your visitors happy can make your living situation a much more pleasant experience. Not only is cleanliness and maintenance important for the look and feel of your apartment, but it’s also helpful to the health of both you and your pet!
In the greater New Orleans area, the weather can change from warm and muggy to wet and cold at the drop of a hat. With the recent weather change taking a turn for the colder, it can be tough to adjust. Many people are cranking the heat up at the home and in their cars. However, if you’d like to save a little on your electricity bill while still staying toasty in these cold winter months, there are a few things you can do.
First of all, make sure all your doors and windows are closed securely. Any openings can let the cold air right in, and can make the your apartment drafty. After ensuring that all openings to outside are closed properly, also make a quick check to make sure your doors and windows are as air-tight as possible. Check to see if the weather stripping around your doors is doing its job and the caulking around your windows is keeping the air out as well.
While many people assume curtains are strictly for blocking sunlight or keeping your apartment cool, they can also be tremendously useful for keeping cold air out as well. The heavier the curtains, the better they’ll be at blocking any window drafts that may be present. When the sun is shining, you can open the curtains to allow the warmth in, then close them when it’s overcast outside or once night falls.
Close off any rooms you’re not using. A closed door is all it takes to make an unused room another barrier between you and the frigid outdoors. It also stops air from circulating as much, which reduces heat loss. You can also opt to use smaller rooms to ensure that you don’t have to heat as much space. If you have a bedroom that’s cozier than your living room, make that the common area when people are around. This will keep the space warmer, and give you less of an area to account for when trying to keep the room warm.
Dress warmly, and keep a light jacket on while inside. A hat is a great accessory to have when the temperature drops. A turtleneck sweater can also work wonders when it comes to keeping you warm. Dress in layers, especially with wool or cotton clothing. Wear slippers or warm socks. A comfortable throw or blanket while indoors can also keep you cozy without having to crank up the thermostat.
If you have wood or tile floors, try putting a rug down. This will keep the floor from feeling as cold, which can help quite a bit when you’re having to traverse back and forth. Another idea to stay warm is to drink warm beverages. Tea, hot cocoa, or coffee are not only delicious treats, but practical beverages this time of year!
One of the most effective ways of staying warm without cranking up the central heat is to use a space heater in the room that you’re in. Space heaters tend to use much less electricity than a central unit would, and you can carry the heater with you whenever you go from room to room. Not only will it save you money, but you may find the localized warmth of a space heater comforting when it’s blustery and cold outside!
If your clothes have been unfortunate enough to bear the brunt of a spill or stain do not fret! The solution could be as close as your kitchen cabinets and cheaper than the harsh chemicals you would regularly purchase.
For starters, you can create a handy soap jelly which can be a great pre-treatment for stained laundry. You can keep a jar handy in the laundry room.
To make your soap jelly, all you’ll need are a glass jar, a laundry soap bar (or non-perfume soap bar), and hot water! Take your bar of soap and shave it down until the shavings fill half of the jar. Fill the rest of the jar with hot water (boiling if the jar can handle that much heat without shattering), then cover with the lid. Allow the water to soak into the soap a bit to soften it up, then shake it hard or stir it thoroughly until the soap is dissolved. Once the soap is dissolved, allow it to cool completely. The soap and water mixture will form a soap jelly that is ideal for using on laundry stains. Just apply to any of those stubborn clothing stains using a soft brush. Make sure to scrub gently to avoid damaging the cloth.
If you’re at a wine gathering and get red wine spilled on your shirt or blouse, someone else’s white wine may help to save the day! Grab a napkin to dab the wine and neutralize it from dripping elsewhere on your clothing. Then, if you have a bottle or glass of white wine handy, pour it over the red wine stain and thoroughly dab it. As crazy as it may sound, white wine will neutralize the red wine and make the stain vanish! With the stain neutralized, you can throw the item of clothing in with your next load of laundry. But, beware! Make sure the stain is completely gone before you toss your item in with the other laundry! The heat of the dryer will cause the stain to set if it’s still present, making it a permanent part of the garment. The same rule applies to an iron, so never iron a stained piece of clothing!
Whatever the stain, there’s a way to neutralize it! So have fun knowing every stain has a solution!
With the New Orleans holiday season upon us, get-togethers always leave the inevitable mess. Once your friends and loved ones have filed out, sometimes what’s left behind can be quite taxing! Whether you’re hosting a party or simply helping out with the organization and clean-up, it’s important to have a few handy cleaning tricks up your sleeve. While most of us have plenty of household cleaners bought from the store available, sometimes homemade stain-removers work best. If they don’t do the trick, you can always use the store-bought cleaners as a back-up! Whether you’re pre-cleaning your apartment for a get-together or dealing with the aftermath of a holiday gathering, you can never have too many cleaning options.
For general, all-purpose cleaners there are a couple of simple options. Mixing vinegar and salt together will work just fine as a surface cleaner. If you have baking soda just sitting in the back of your refrigerator, you can also use it as a cleanser. Simply dissolve 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of warm water for a general cleaner that can tackle quite a bit in your home. You can also use baking soda on a damp sponge. Not only is it an effective cleanser, but baking soda can help to deodorize all your kitchen and bathroom surfaces as well.
If you’re looking for a toilet bowl cleaner, both baking soda and vinegar can also come in handy there. Sprinkle baking soda into the bowl, then drizzle with vinegar and scour with a toilet brush. This combination both cleans and deodorizes! You can also use lemon juice and borax for more stubborn stains. Simply mix enough borax and lemon juice into a paste that can cover the entire ring. Flush your toilet to wet the sides, then rub on the paste. Let the paste sit over the stain for 2 hours, then scrub thoroughly.
Vinegar and baking soda can be used for most ceramic and tile surfaces beyond the toilet bowl. Sprinkle a bit of baking soda, like you would with scouring powder, over your tub or tile surface. Rub with a damp sponge, then rinse thoroughly.
To clean grout, put 3 cups of baking soda into a medium-sized bowl and add 1 cup of warm water. Mix this into a smooth paste and scrub into the grout with a sponge or toothbrush. Then, rinse thoroughly and dispose of any leftover paste when finished.
The addition of vinegar to baking soda can help with pesky film build-up. Vinegar removes most dirt without much scrubbing and doesn’t leave a film. Use 1/4 of a cup (or more) vinegar to every 1 gallon of water. To remove film buildup on bathtubs, apply vinegar undiluted to a sponge and wipe the surface. Next, use baking soda as you would scouring powder. Rub with a damp sponge and rinse thoroughly with clean water.
If you don’t already have most of these common household items in your home, they can be cheaply purchased at any grocery store. Make sure you’ve got what you need on hand for the next holiday gathering. Not only will some quick thinking and thrifty cleaning save you money and the headache of a mess, but you may actually impress your fellow party-goers in the process!
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
