Apartment Blog

If you’re like me you know the benefits of going green. We preach it all the time in our Apartments Going Green articles; it helps save the earth’s resources and the green in your wallet (money). But what are some unique reasons, perhaps some you didn’t think of before, for going green? Well, I turned to my favorite place for answers, Yahoo Answers and Google, to find some. They require some creative thinking, but I think you’ll like the reasons we’ve come up with…

1. It’s fun! You can totally make a game of recycling with a group of your friends or even a competition to see who the best is.
2. It’s empowering. Can you imagine the kind of high you’ll feel from helping the environment? You will have a since of pride that you are helping change the world for the better!
3. You’ll resemble your favorite celebrity! Many celebrities are taking the world by storm to try and get people more involved in environmentally friendly ways.
4. You’ll be viewed as stylish and trendy. The ‘hot’ thing right now is to ‘go green’. Many stores are printing t-shirts with phrases about going green, making recyclable bags with fun slogans, etc. You’ll be ‘in’ to your friends & family.
5. Green is a cool color that looks good on you! Many going green items are in fact green in color. When you think of going green, you think of Mother Nature, which is green. And, as we mentioned earlier, it helps save you some green in your wallet. This fabulous color will be all around you, and why not? You look good in green!!

1. Think before you print.
2. Turn your computer off at night.
3. RECYCLE: Items including fax paper, ink cartridges, and junk mail are easily recycled.
4. Make it a habit to bring your own dishware for meals you eat at the office.
5. Turn off the coffee pot when not in use and de-lamp your vending machines; this can save you up to $100 each year.
6. Purchase office supplies and tradeshow giveaways made from recycled materials.
7. Carpool or take public transportation to work.
8. Change the thermostat…just a little. An adjustment of only one or two degrees can cut heating or cooling bills by 2-3%
9. Be sure to turn lights off at night, for the weekend, and any time you will be gone longer than 15 minutes.
10. Wear clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned.

The importance of Earth Day has evolved dramatically from its origins in April 1970. This movement began in the U.S., but grew into a world-wide event in 1990. The now global movement was spearheaded by Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, who began advocating the importance of preserving the environment in 1962. Interestingly enough, during its infancy, industrial pollution was not a top priority for Earth Day observers. It was to stop the deterioration of the environment. But soon, groups fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife realized they shared common principles.  And that marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement that is today.

There are many ways to participate in improving the environment. We all know the three key elements, reduce, reuse and recycle. I received this interesting email yesterday about buying and recycling appliances. Many companies and vendors are offering new and innovative ways to clean our earth. For example, Best Buy has a wide variety of Energy Star appliances; appliances that meet firm energy efficient guidelines. Some of these appliances include washers, air conditioners, TVs, laptops and more. These types of appliances are located in apartments around the nation and can be modified to help the environment.

Best Buy also offers a recycling program where people can drop off most old electronics. Free removal and recycling are included with the purchase and delivery of a new product. There is even a company within the Hampton Roads area in Virginia that does this: E-cycling Central. But if you’re in the market for an upgrade or if you just want to add some style to your apartment, Best Buy would be a good place to start! Save the world and set apartment trends at the same time!

Source: Wikipedia.com

The very color of St. Patrick’s Day happens to coincide with the same color as reduce, reuse and recycle…. GREEN! So it’s only fitting that this St. Patrick’s Day you follow the second tip from our ‘10 New Years Resolutions for Renters’ blog by ‘going green’.

Did you know that 45 tons of used discs end up in the landfill every month where they will never degrade? There is a great organization called Discs for Dogs, a SPCA program, that uses your unwanted discs to help save animals. It’s a win-win!

This is an AMAZING way to go green this St. Patrick’s Day and help out a great cause.  You can mail in your disks for free and the SPCA will sell them for $1 each and all proceeds will go to help provide better living for sheltered animals.So why don’t you go through your unwanted disks (CDS and DVDS) and mail them in. You have a chance to really help out a lot of animals! An added bonus is you’ll be following our third tip from our ‘10 New Years Resolutions for Renters’ blog by getting organized!

By Simon Phillips 

I like to do my bit for the planet by doing things like recycling and not using plastic bags for my grocery shopping, but my girlfriend takes green issues even more seriously.  Recently she started trying out all kinds of DIY cleaning tips using eco-friendly products.  To my surprise these strange concoctions made from things like baking soda and vinegar actually seem to do the trick.  As well as being good for your apartment’s air quality, you can cut down on packaging and reduce the number of cleaning products you need, and save money at the same time.  Here are some of the green cleaning tricks I’ve picked up, which you can try out for yourself next time you’re cleaning your apartment.

Upholstery - Baking soda works wonders at removing stains from upholstery.  To get rid of spots of greasy food on a polyester seat or cushion, rub dry baking soda into it and then brush off.  Vinyl seats such as recliners or barstools can be cleaned by using baking soda mixed to a paste with water.

Metal Surfaces - You can bring the shine back to a stainless steel sink by cleaning it with baking soda sprinkled onto a damp cloth.  You can clean chrome faucets and other fittings by using a paste of baking soda and water and buffing dry.  This works on metal barstools as well.

Flooring - To stop spills from staining carpet, remove any solids and then pour club soda onto the area.  You’ll need to act quickly and do this as soon as the spill happens.  The club soda will help bring the spill to the surface and stop staining.  When vacuuming, add baking soda and a few drops of a pleasant smelling essential oil to the bag to reduce unpleasant odors. 

Wooden Furniture - Ditch the synthetic spray polish and use olive oil mixed with a small amount of lemon juice instead.  Rubbing mayonnaise on water marks helps shift them, and lemon juice helps remove heat marks from wood.

Laundry - Adding a spoonful of washing soda crystals to each wash makes hard water softer and reduces how much regular laundry powder you need to use.  Stubborn stains, including red wine, tomato sauce and curry, can be removed from clothes by soaking them overnight in a mixture of 1 cup of washing soda to 1 pint of water and then washing as normal.

Bathroom - Use an old toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water to clean up old grout on tiles around the tub.  Scrub shower curtains with baking soda or a few drops of white vinegar to remove mildew.  Pouring half a cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar down the plughole in the sink and tub can unclog blocked drains and if you do this regularly can prevent future blockages.  The same mixture can be used to remove lime scale deposits from a showerhead - leave it to soak in the mixture for an hour before running hot water through it.

Kitchen - Soaking greasy roasting tins in hot water and baking soda to loosen the grease and encrusted food makes them much easier to clean.  An effective multi-surface cleaner can be made from 2 cups of hot water, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of borax, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a drop of washing-up liquid.  A homemade disinfectant can be made from 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of washing-up liquid and 25 drops of tea tree oil.

Windows and mirrors - A really simple way of cleaning windows and mirrors that really works is to spray undiluted white vinegar onto the surface and then buff to a shine using scrunched up newspaper or a paper towel.

Simon Phillips is a writer, interior design enthusiast and co-founder of GetBarstools.com.  He loves finding eco-friendly, money-saving ideas for the home.

Do you plan on throwing a party this December? I know I certainly do. Having a little party is a great way to have friends over and enjoy the merriment that is Christmas.  So if you’re looking for tips and ideas for hosting a holiday party, check out our list. We’ve provided you with the essentials to make your party a success!

1. Invitations! Be sure and send out invitations. With the busy holiday season, your party is not the only one people would like to attend. Send out invitations in advanced so others know to put yours on the calendar! I would personally recommend Evite.com as that is a great website for you to host all your party’s details and list of attendees.

2. Holiday Decorations Outside Your Apartment. As guests come up to your home, you want to make sure they immediately feel the holiday spirit!

3. Holiday Decorations Inside Your Apartment. Check out our ‘Must Haves’ list for holiday décor (link).

4. Menu. Catering would be the easiest solution as you don’t have to prepare the food while you’re scrambling with other details. However, it is an alternative that could be more expensive. Regardless of what option you choose, make or cater, be sure to include a variety.

5. Beverage Assortment. Not everyone will drink regular soda (especially the diet conscientious). So be sure to have a plethora of options for your guests. Water for the non-drinkers! Or a neat idea would be to have a hot chocolate bar!

6. Entertainment. Be sure your guests are entertained at this event. Have a raffle for them to participate in, or games for interaction.

7. Music. Having a little holiday music is great for the backdrop of conversations taking place. It eliminates the lull of silence should any conversations cease for a period of time.

8. Theme. Want to incorporate a theme?? You could do an ugly Christmas sweater contest! Seeing all your friends in the ugliest creation is sure to get lots of laughs!

9. Serve Ware. Use plastic plates, cups and utensils for easy clean up at the end of the night. A ‘go green’ effort would be to recycle them all after washing them off in the sink!!

10. Attire. As the host/hostess you’ll be the center of a lot of activity. You’ll be answering any questions someone may have about the apartment (i.e. location of bathroom), partaking in just about everyone’s conversation, etc. So you’ll want to make sure you look good! Be sure and get dolled up for your holiday party by wearing a nice holiday outfit!

11. Thank You Gifts. A nice touch would be at the end of the night to have a little ‘party bag’ for your guests to take home. Something to remind them of the good times they had at your holiday party. It can be elaborate or something simple. It’s a really nice gesture for sure!

12. Relax!! You are finally at the party you’ve worked so hard to plan. So relax and enjoy your time with friends and family!!

We hope you have a terrific holiday party season! Have fun and be safe!!