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Don't Fall for These Apartment Cleaning Myths
We’ve all heard of housekeeping hacks and fool-proof methods that are “guaranteed” to keep our West Flagstaff apartments spic-and-span. Be careful, though—you can’t always believe what you hear! Sometimes these cleaning myths can cause more harm than good.
If you’re gearing up for spring cleaning and are on the lookout for some reliable housekeeping tips to keep your beautiful Woodlands Village apartment in Flagstaff, AZ clean and tidy, be sure not to fall for these apartment cleaning myths that won’t get the job done!
5 Apartment Cleaning Tips (That Failed)
- Toothpaste Cleans Silver – It’s best to avoid toothpaste when cleaning your silver. It is very abrasive compared to silver polishes, and over time it can damage your pieces.
- Hairspray Removes Ink – Years ago, hairspray had a higher alcohol content and did help remove ink stains. Today, however, hairspray is made with “stiffeners” that will make the spot worse. Plain rubbing alcohol works best.
- Tea Cleans Wooden Furniture – Although rumored that teabags work well for cleaning wooden furniture, this is definitely not the case. Anytime wood is exposed to water, there is a chance for stain damage to the natural wood.
- Bleach is the Best Cleaner – False. Bleach does not clean. It will kill bacteria and lighten stains, but it does not remove dirt or stains like soap.
- Dryer Sheets for Dusting Furniture– This is actually partially true. Fresh, new laundry sheets contain oils that can stain surfaces. The used dryer sheets work well though, as the oils were dispersed in the dryer.
Another tip for tidier looking apartments in Flagstaff, is to start with a great floor plan! Woodlands Village offers a selection of studio, one- or two-bedroom apartment homes to fit every lifestyle. We invite you to stop by today (or invite a friend) to experience these quality and luxury apartments in West Flagstaff.
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Watching Reality TV shows about hoarding can be entertaining and enlightening. That’s because we all have a little packrat inside us we need to rein in. Here are some decluttering ideas for our Woodlands Village community members in Flagstaff, Arizona, to consider.
Toss The DVD Collection
It’s time to come to grips with the reality of your video collection: It’s all streamable and rarely does popping in a DVD make sense. If you haven’t already, sign up for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon or another inexpensive service and open up some drawer or shelf space.
CDs Make Better Coasters
Like DVDs, music CDs have gone the way of the dinosaur. Whether you subscribe to SIRIUS radio, enjoy a Pandora, Spotify or another targeted music subscription, the tunes you crave are one touch away. Even if you prefer the old school creativity of a full album, that is more likely to be downloaded to a device. CDs still make a decent coffee table coaster, but why clutter your space with dozens or hundreds of discs?
Hard Copy Calendars Are Unrealistic
Every year, calendars seem like a terrific holiday gift idea. Many are themed and enjoy wonderful artwork. But other than looking nice, most people keep electronic appointment calendars in their phone or other devices. When you need to know the day and date, no one runs to a wall calendar. It’s time to eliminate the wall calendar.
Take-Out Menus Are Unattractive
Paper menus stuck to your refrigerator or piled in drawer are not the best way to organize food options. The vast majority of restaurants have a menu on their website and many offer online ordering options as well. Take-out can be much more easily done on a phone or other device. Remember to recycle those antiquated folded pieces of paper.
Filing Cabinets Are Too Bulky
That home office filing cabinet once gave off an air of organization. Now, it makes you appear behind the times. It also takes up a lot of space that could be put to better use. And, removing it could open up the room. It’s time to backup your financial records on a mini storage drive and do away with cumbersome filing cabinets.
We hope these decluttering suggestions help our Woodlands Village community members improve your personal space. If you or a friend would like more information about our Flagstaff apartments, call us today.
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Messes are a natural part of life. However, with very little effort you can make your apartment seem cleaner than it actually is. Now you won't have to worry about your friends or anyone else dropping by unexpectedly. Here are a few tips to keep your place looking much cleaner than it really is:
Decoration Tips to Make Your Apartment Look Cleaner
- Simplify the color scheme: Try to avoid a lot of different colors. When you keep to several shades of the same color, your place will seem more put-together and spacious.
- Keep heights of furniture uniform: When you have mismatched chairs of different heights, it creates a visual distraction, making your place seem a little more chaotic. Keep the majority of your furniture around the same height to create a continuous visual line that is pleasing to the eye.
- Don't mix and match styles: It's okay to have a couple different styles that complement each other in a natural way, especially if they share a common element, such as color or time period. Too many styles, however, can be very distracting and busy, making your place seem messier than it really is.
- Large pieces of art: It can be hard to get the look right with multiple pieces of art or photography hung in different frames. As much fun as it is to have a gallery on your wall, one large piece of artwork draws the eye in and leaves room for contemplation.
- Aim for symmetry: Symmetry is an easy way to create a sense of order, purpose, and calm in your apartment. Face chairs against couches, separated by a coffee table. Have a mirror on one wall facing a work of art on an opposite wall. Just don't overdo it, or it will seem unnatural.
A great floor plan can really help your place look tidier and more spacious. If you are searching for apartments in Flagstaff, give us a call to see how our floor plans can really make a difference.
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This spring, don’t just clean your apartment … make it sparkle! Every home needs a good “sparkle” kit: an essential stock of cleaning supplies to make everything from spot cleaning to spring cleaning a breeze. Here are our top ten picks to add some charm to your clean!
1. The Caddy Shack. Find yourself a nice, easy to tote, cleaning caddy. You can pick up a cheap one at the Dollar Store. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy … just easy to move around!
2. Mrs. Meyers. We are seriously in love with the entire cleaning line from Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day series! Check out the multi-surface everyday cleaner, which comes in a variety of enticing scents.
3. Go Green on Glass. It used to be that every home needed a bottle of Windex, but in today’s green culture maybe something a little more natural is called for. We like the whole Method line, but their Glass and Surface cleaner in mint warms our hearts brighter than the light it lets pour through our windows!
4. The Method to Our Madness. Every home needs an all-purpose cleaner, and Method delivers again with another perfect scent: honeycrisp apple.
5. “Goo”d Housekeeping. Goo Gone. No home is ever clean enough without Goo Gone. This stuff is like magic.
6. Do You Believe in Magic? We do. If housekeeping had a Mount Olympus, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser would totally be Zeus. This thing cleans EV.ER.Y.THING!!! And there’s a variety pack? Hallelujer!!
7. Eat My Dust. Not you … a dustpan. Target sells a cute little Up & Up Mini Dustpan Set. Saying goodbye to dust bunnies has never been so easy.
8. A Royal Flush. “I love scrubbing the toilet!” Said no one … ever. That’s why we have toilet wands. Grab a Clorox Toilet Wand and keep your hands out of the toilet. You’re welcome.
9. Swiff and Flick! Speaking of wands, we’re convinced the Swiffer Duster is secretly a magic wand. Stick one of these in your cleaning kit and you’re set. Bonus: when you run out of the actual duster covers, just replace it with homemade fleece bands!
10. A Breath of Fresh Air. We probably could have made this whole list Method products, but variety is the salt of life. That said … when it comes to a planet-friendly air freshener, we’re giving the gold to Method again. Their scents include pomegranate, beach sage, and wild poppy. Captain Planet would be proud.
Happy Cleaning!
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It’s summer, and that means it’s time for fun. But it also means it’s time to declutter your apartment, and let’s face it … nobody likes cleaning. If you’re like us, keeping your space neat may present a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, we’ve picked up some helpful tips for folks like us who really, really, spectacularly, hate having to clean!
1. Make It A Challenge. Set a timer, and tell yourself you HAVE to get that corner of the room cleaned before time runs out. Or, imagine that there’s someone on the other side of your bedroom wall also cleaning their room, and it’s your challenge to beat them. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a limited amount of time. Try typing your time limit into Google (i.e. “10 minute timer”) to pull up an automatic timer that will sound when time runs out! Or, create a 10-30 minute playlist and challenge yourself to finish cleaning before the end of the final song.
2. Make It A Party. Speaking of music, there’s no rule that says you can’t dance your way through cleaning! Create a cleaning playlist full of songs that inspire you or make you happy, and start cleaning! The Seven Dwarves whistle while they work, so you can totally wobble while you wash. Just keep your dance moves a little tamer during tasks like dusting!
3. Make It Multiply. No, we don’t mean add more cleaning tasks to your checklist! We’re talking about making cleaning less of a chore by cleaning while you do something else you enjoy. It’s easy to enjoy a glass of wine while you wash the dishes. Chat on the phone with your best friend while you fold your laundry. Watch a movie while you dust and sweep. Put knick-knacks away during commercial breaks. Listen to a book on tape. Study for that upcoming exam. Knock the boredom out of cleaning!
4. Make It Worthwhile. Nothing makes cleaning more pleasant than knowing you get a prize at the end of your labors! Set a cleaning goal, and make sure it includes a reward for seeing it through. Whether it’s a luxurious bath, an extra dessert, a shopping trip, or even money (yes, you CAN pay yourself), keep your eyes on the prize while you clean to make it feel more like a treat than a tribulation!
5. Make It Disappear. While we’re not exactly talking about shoving things into drawers, don’t forget to take advantage of cabinet and drawer space for knick-knacks and other items that might not have a place. At the same time … if you can’t think of the right place for something, it might be that it doesn’t belong in your apartment at all. That goes for everything from décor to that extra pair of boots. Remember, the less you have, the less you have to clean! We know it’s hard to whittle down on stuff—even the mention of throwing out shoes made us wince—but you’ll be glad you did when it takes you 10 minutes to clean instead of 20 hours!
(Pro Tip: Want an easy way to declutter before you clean? Buy yourself a large storage box and just dump everything in there! Don’t worry about being neat and tidy … just get it in the box. This makes it so much easier to get the basics taken care of… We’re talking about making the bed, sweeping the floors, dusting, doing the dishes, etc. Once those things are taken care of, and everything looks nice and tidy, start going through the box; put things back where they belong, and leave things with no place in the box to donate or toss later!)
The post 5 Cleaning Tips for People Who (Really) Hate to Clean! appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.
]]>The post 5 Cleaning Tips for People Who (Really) Hate to Clean! appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.
]]>It’s summer, and that means it’s time for fun. But it also means it’s time to declutter your apartment, and let’s face it … nobody likes cleaning. If you’re like us, keeping your space neat may present a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, we’ve picked up some helpful tips for folks like us who really, really, spectacularly, hate having to clean!
1. Make It A Challenge. Set a timer, and tell yourself you HAVE to get that corner of the room cleaned before time runs out. Or, imagine that there’s someone on the other side of your bedroom wall also cleaning their room, and it’s your challenge to beat them. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a limited amount of time. Try typing your time limit into Google (i.e. “10 minute timer”) to pull up an automatic timer that will sound when time runs out! Or, create a 10-30 minute playlist and challenge yourself to finish cleaning before the end of the final song.
2. Make It A Party. Speaking of music, there’s no rule that says you can’t dance your way through cleaning! Create a cleaning playlist full of songs that inspire you or make you happy, and start cleaning! The Seven Dwarves whistle while they work, so you can totally wobble while you wash. Just keep your dance moves a little tamer during tasks like dusting!
3. Make It Multiply. No, we don’t mean add more cleaning tasks to your checklist! We’re talking about making cleaning less of a chore by cleaning while you do something else you enjoy. It’s easy to enjoy a glass of wine while you wash the dishes. Chat on the phone with your best friend while you fold your laundry. Watch a movie while you dust and sweep. Put knick-knacks away during commercial breaks. Listen to a book on tape. Study for that upcoming exam. Knock the boredom out of cleaning!
4. Make It Worthwhile. Nothing makes cleaning more pleasant than knowing you get a prize at the end of your labors! Set a cleaning goal, and make sure it includes a reward for seeing it through. Whether it’s a luxurious bath, an extra dessert, a shopping trip, or even money (yes, you CAN pay yourself), keep your eyes on the prize while you clean to make it feel more like a treat than a tribulation!
5. Make It Disappear. While we’re not exactly talking about shoving things into drawers, don’t forget to take advantage of cabinet and drawer space for knick-knacks and other items that might not have a place. At the same time … if you can’t think of the right place for something, it might be that it doesn’t belong in your apartment at all. That goes for everything from décor to that extra pair of boots. Remember, the less you have, the less you have to clean! We know it’s hard to whittle down on stuff—even the mention of throwing out shoes made us wince—but you’ll be glad you did when it takes you 10 minutes to clean instead of 20 hours!
(Pro Tip: Want an easy way to declutter before you clean? Buy yourself a large storage box and just dump everything in there! Don’t worry about being neat and tidy … just get it in the box. This makes it so much easier to get the basics taken care of… We’re talking about making the bed, sweeping the floors, dusting, doing the dishes, etc. Once those things are taken care of, and everything looks nice and tidy, start going through the box; put things back where they belong, and leave things with no place in the box to donate or toss later!)
The post 5 Cleaning Tips for People Who (Really) Hate to Clean! appeared first on Woodlands Village Apartments Blog.
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