DIY Skills Every Renter Needs

(Image courtesy of andrewwhitmey)

One of the best parts about renting is that you don’t need to worry about many of the major maintenance issues that befall a home- a water heater leaking, a toilet overflowing and frozen pipes are all issues that you can call in someone else for. However, sometimes, smaller issues can fall to the wayside when waiting for a maintenance person to stop out between major emergencies.

To make your home experience more comfortable, it is important to be able to troubleshoot small issues in your apartment to save yourself alot of time and hassle. This article from apartmentguide.com highlights some very important skills for perspective renters. Keep reading to find out which skills are the most important:

1. Unclog a sink/toilet

If your sink is slow to drain, you’ve got a clog. The good news is, it’s probably an easy fix. Just remove the stopper and check out what you’re dealing with. If you’d rather not touch whatever’s causing the clog (because: gross) you can take a metal coat hanger, bend the end into a hook, then reach the hook into the drain and pull out the clog. After you’ve removed it, pour about half a cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by half a cup of vinegar. Let it bubble away for about half an hour, which will give it time to eliminate smells and break down any extra grime down there. Then flush the drain with boiling water and replace the stopper.

If you’ve got a clogged toilet, your DIY fix is still easy. Take your plunger and place it over the hole in the toilet bowl, making sure the water in the bowl comes at least halfway up the rubber cup. If there’s not enough water in the bowl, pour some in. Push the plunger up and down a few times without breaking the seal. Then pull the plunger up sharply to release the suction. This should dislodge the clog, allowing water to fill up the bowl again. If this doesn’t work the first time, try a few more times. If you still have no luck, it’s time to bring out the big guns with a toilet snake – or, better yet, place an emergency call to your apartment community’s maintenance crew.

2. Remove a stripped screw

It happens to the best of us – sometimes, repeated attempts to remove a screw will strip the head, which means there’s little left for your screwdriver to bite. There are quite a few ways to remove a stripped screw, but here’s an easy way: All you need is a screwdriver and a wide rubber band.

Place the rubber band on top of the screw. Press down with your screwdriver, applying slow, hard force as you turn counterclockwise (remember: rightie tightie, leftie loosie.) The rubber band should provide enough grip for the screwdriver to bite the screw, and the turning motion should pull it out.

3. Locate a stud

(Easier said than done – am I right, ladies?)

No, I’m referring to wall studs, which you need to locate if you’re hanging shelving or heavy decorative itemson your walls. You can buy a stud finder at any home improvement store for as little as $10. Use it to find the best place to anchor things to your wall, causing minimal damage to your drywall.

A few stud facts:

• There’s always a stud in every corner of a room.
• Studs usually are placed 16 to 24 inches apart.
• Electrical outlets generally are located right next to a stud.
• There are studs on either side of a window.

4. Use a fire extinguisher

If you’ve got a fire on your hands, you definitely don’t want to make a phone call to a maintenance crew – you want to put that fire out immediately. If your apartment contains nothing else, it should contain a working fire extinguisher. Your apartment community should check to make sure all units have one, but you need to check, too.

So what do you do when flames arise? First, don’t panic. Then, remember the acronym PASS:

Pull the pin at the top of the fire extinguisher.

Aim the hose at the base of the fire, not the flames.

Squeeze the lever slowly, releasing the foam in the extinguisher.

Sweep the extinguisher from side to side until the fire is completely out.

5. Find/change a light bulb

Buying light bulbs is more complicated than it used to be. CFL or LED? Warm light or soft light? The choices can be daunting, but a little online research should make the choice easier. Energy Star has a handy guide to help you make the right choice.

Now that light bulbs have become so efficient, you likely won’t have to change them very often. But when you do, the process is the same as it’s always been – turn off the lights, carefully unscrew the old bulb, screw the new one in, then turn the lights back on. Remember to drop off your old bulb for recycling at your local home improvement store.

What DIY skills do you think everyone needs to have? Share in the comments below.

Stay Fit This Fall

(Image courtesy of Christos Takos)

With fall and colder weather just around the corner keeping up with your daily workout routine can be a challenge. When it’s cold outside, snuggling up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book always sounds better than braving the weather to go to the gym.

Luckily, for those days when it’s just too much to get out of your pajamas and into a pair of gym shoes your apartment is stocked with a myriad of workout equipment. With all these tools at your disposal it’ll be hard to say no to a quick calorie burning routine. Follow some of the tips from this article from renters.apartments.com for a quick work out session that you don’t even have to leave your apartment to get done!

Hand towels: Head to your linen closet and you’ll find one of the most versatile exercise accessories. Hold it tight with one hand on each end and keep it taut while you do crunches, squats and oblique twists. Then, place it on the floor and jump over it from side to side for a heart-pumping plyometric workout.

Plastic bottles: Buying your own set of hand weights can be a costly purchase. Instead, save those one- and two-liter bottles of soda and refill them with water or sand. You can use the smaller bottles to work smaller muscles like biceps and triceps, and the larger ones to add weight to your squats, lunges and chest presses.

Chairs: Usually used to relax, a chair can also be used to make you sweat. Put your palms on the edge and extend your legs in front of you for some intense tricep dips. Or, put your hands on the floor and your toes on the chair for incline pushups. You can also use the back for balance during yoga postures and leg lifts.

Stairs: One of the best workouts you can get in your apartment is on the stairs. Run up and down them 10 times and you’ll be breathing as hard as you would after a mile on the treadmill. If you don’t have stairs in your unit but live in a high rise, don’t be shy – chances are everyone else is taking the elevator.

Your cat/baby: Really! Videos and websites like the Happy Baby Workout and Cat Workout show you how you can involve your littlest companions in your workout routine. Use them like a weight for squats, chest presses and upright rows. Sit your baby on your stomach during crunches and give him a high five with each one, or lay him underneath you during push-ups and give him a kiss.

What are your favorite ways to workout in your apartment?

How To Prepare Your Apartment For Fall

(Image courtesy of Caitlinator)

The official start of fall is just around the corner! Everyone knows that fun apple and pumpkin themed drinks and treats and a brand new wardrobe more appropriate for the cooler weather are here to stay when the leaves start to fall. By this point, most of us are ready to stash our tank tops and shorts in favor of sweaters and jeans.

Before you get started enjoying all the fun that this season has to offer, take a look around your apartment. A change in the weather means a change in the items you need to have at hand and this article from apartmentguide.com reminds you of the quick adjustments you need to make in your home to prepare for the chilly days ahead. Keep reading to learn some of their quick and essential tips to make sure your apartment is updated for the season.

1. Bring out the warmer bedding. Comforters and quilts will make those chilly nights more pleasant. Get washing and dry cleaning out of the way now so that they’re fresh and ready to grab when those goosebumps arise at night.

2. Replace bulbs and batteries. Think fast! Replace light bulbs around your apartment now to avoid being stuck in the dark later. ENERGY STAR offers a great online resource for helping you choose the right energy saving bulbs. This is also an ideal time to swap out batteries in your smoke detectors and flashlights. Tip: Be sure to keep flashlights easily accessible for when the power goes out.

3. Go with a fall-inspired color palette. Fall is a favorite season because of the extraordinary changes we see outside. As leaves turn red, orange and yellow, your apartment can take on the same seasonal look. Small accessories like pillows and tableware are easy and affordable ways to update your apartment’s color scheme for the season.

4. Stash some meds. If you’re a coupon clipper, you’ll love this seasonal tip. Scour the Sunday paper and online sites like Coupons.com to find savings on your preferred cold and flu medications. Flu season officially starts in October, so stock up now!

5. Reorganize the front entry. Take a good look at what’s located near your front door. Now is a good time to make sure there’s ample space for fall outdoor essentials: jackets, hats, umbrellas, boots and the like. Having a dedicated nook will keep those wet and muddy belongings from wrecking your apartment’s orderly feng shui theme.

6. Keep floors warm with a trendy rug or two. Tile and hardwood floors can be uncomfortably cold once the temperature plummets. If you forget or refuse to wear socks, place a few rugs throughout your apartment to keep your soles from shivering.

7. Prepare to be lazy on cold days. Trust us, there will be days this fall when doing absolutely nothing will feel like the best idea in the history of ideas. So do it! Get ready now by organizing your favorite DVD’s alphabetically or by genre. You can do the same digitally if you subscribe to Netflix or a similar streaming service. Now is a good time to organize your board games, too. Also, make sure you have a stash of snacks like popcorn and candy. No veg out session will be complete without the right calorie-loaded eats.

Apartment Tip: Freshen Up With Houseplants

(Image courtesy of Brett Levin Photography)

Sometimes our apartment begins to feel stuffier than usual. It can't be helped, especially during the summer, when temperatures fluctuate and we can't always comfortably open all of our windows for some fresh air. So what's an apartment dweller looking to add a little freshness to their home to do?

Simple: get a couple houseplants! Houseplants, both in homes and in apartments, are a great way to freshen and purify your air while also sprucing up the look of your living area. It's a win-win, especially during the summer, when the extra hours of daylight help plants flourish.

Already we can hear you wondering and asking questions like, what kind of plant should you get? How much care will a plant need? Where will be the best place to put one? Well, it's time to start answering those questions! Check out this article from apartmentguide.com to learn more about the good a houseplant could do in your apartment and get some tips on selecting the plant you get:

What’s in the air?

Many people develop mysterious illnesses and allergies from the place they least expect: Their homes! That’s because we can be surrounded by toxins such as xylene,a pollutant found in paints and glues; benzene, found in paints, glues, detergents, furniture wax, and tobacco smoke; formaldehyde, contained in processed wood products, foam insulation, some synthetic fabrics, cosmetics and shampoos; and perchloroethylene, or PERC, used by the majority of dry cleaners. These toxins usually enter our systems when we breathe them in as products off-gassing — what happens when material “breathes out” a level of pollution.

How do potted plants improve air quality?

NASA studies have shown that plants have the ability to balance indoor humidity, absorb excess carbon dioxide and pollutants through the tiny openings in their leaves, and release oxygen. They’re like living, breathing air purifiers, and they can be had for little money. What’s more, how many air purifiers can you think of that actually improve the look of any space they’re in?

6 houseplants that clean air

Now that you know how good plants can be for you and the air in your apartment, you’re probably eager to get started. Here are just a few of many plants that are known to improve the healthful atmosphere in your home:

Peace lily: The peace lily is a heavy-hitter on all lists of healthful houseplants and is known to reduce benzene and formaldehyde. Easy to care for, the peace lily is an all-around powerful air-purifier and pollution-buster and looks pretty, too.

Marginata: This plant’s lovely red-edged leaves add color to your apartment while removing benzene and formaldehyde from the air, as well as filtering out other toxins. It’s also easy to care for.

Orchids: Considered a high-maintenance plant by the uninitiated, orchids are really quite hardy. They are effective at removing xylene from the air and releasing oxygen at night, making them a good bedroom plant. Orchids perform heavy-duty air cleaning while making your apartment look good.

Gerber daisies:These bright and cheerful flowers aresuper effective at removing trichloroethylene, another dry cleaning solution, and benzene from the air. Just give these plants lots of light and consider growing them in a laundry room or your bedroom, where they can do some of their best work.

Spider plant: This long-time favorite houseplant grows fast, with long, grassy leaves. It’s very effective at removing gases and toxins like xylene and formaldehyde from the air. Consider keeping it near the fireplace or in the kitchen to deal with carbon monoxide that can collect in these areas.

Ferns: Once standard-issue in ’70s restaurants, ferns are actually complex plants that have been around since prehistoric times. Their large feathery leaves are what work so well to clean the air of pollutants like toulene and xylene, which both are found in many paints, nail polishes and glues.

In the pursuit of healthier indoor air quality for your apartment, house plants should be your first line of defense. Bring some home today to beautify and detoxify your home.