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The residents of our Chicago, IL apartments love living in the center of all the hustle and bustle the Windy City has to offer. Many of them also love living in spaces that are spick and span. When cleaning day arrives, some people give everyday household objects double duty by embracing their abilities to make counters and floors spotless. Are you wondering which kitchen items have magical cleaning capabilities? Let's take a look!
Dishwashing Gloves Remove Pet Hair
You know those stubborn furs that Fido leaves behind after he's had a slumber on the sofa? It seems like no matter how much you vacuum, you can never get all of the hair to go away. When you run an ordinary pair of dishwashing gloves under water, they instantly collect pet fur like it's their business. This works on all types of sturdy fabrics, including upholstery, carpeting, and heavy outerwear.
Lemons Clean Microwaves
No matter how hard you try, it seems like the goo from food always finds a way to explode when it's in the microwave. Over time, this buildup can become crusty and quite difficult to get clean. This is when lemons enter the picture. When microwaved in a bit of water, the citrus from the lemons and the steam from the water come together in a way that makes it easy to wipe off most stuck-on messes.
Seltzer Water Fights Rust Off Cast-Iron Cookware
Cast-iron cookware isn't cheap, so it only makes sense that you'd want to keep it looking its best for as long as possible. Pour a little seltzer water into your skillet or pot, and the bubbles will know exactly what to do. Swish the liquid around for a minute or two, then use a scrubbing pad to easily remove the residue.
White Rice Cleans Coffee Grinders
Run a handful of rice through your coffee grinder to get it squeaky clean and ready to grind your next cup of Joe. The rice helps removed trapped coffee grounds and stale odors.
If you're searching for a Chicago apartment that's in the heart of it all, look no further. Schedule a tour with our River North Park Apartments team today!
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Some people think stainless steel appliances, beautiful as they may be, simply aren't worth the effort it takes to keep them looking nice and clean. It's easier than it looks, but as with anything in life worth doing, it does require effort.
There's a Trick To It
The first step to cleaning stainless steel: Get to know the grain. A vinyl countertop can be scrubbed and wiped in any direction you like. Straight across, zigzag, crazy circles — it doesn't matter. With stainless steel, you're going to need to get familiar with the grain. Take a close look and check the direction of the grain. Do the same for knobs, handles and other areas of your appliances as these might not match the surface. When you clean with the grain, you'll always get a better shine.
It's true that you should avoid using most off-the-shelf cleaners on stainless steel, but you may be surprised at the broad range of products you can use to clean and polish stainless steel: Baby oil, WD-40, white vinegar, olive oil, club soda — even flour. With acids like white vinegar, you can use a spray bottle and wipe the stainless steel with a cloth as many times as needed to get rid of grime. Then you can polish with oil: Apply a little to a cloth, wipe with the grain, then wipe away the product with a clean cloth. For fingerprints, a bit of window cleaner should do the job for spot cleaning.
And we weren't joking about flour. However, you may want to reserve this trick for the sink as it leaves you with a bit of a mess to sweep up after use on a countertop or fridge. Clean the sink using whatever method you choose, then, instead of polishing it with oil, wait for the surface to dry and then cover it with flour. From there you can use a circular motion to polish the stainless steel with the flour, and then rinse the sink clean.
If you'd like to see what a modern apartment looks like with all that beautiful stainless steel, get in touch with us at River North Park for available floor plans. There are a lot of apartments in Chicago, Illinois, but few are this amazing.
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Living in apartments in Chicago, you may have a great view and a location that can’t be beaten. One downfall to apartment living is that sometimes your apartment may feel a bit confined or stuffy, and you’d like to enjoy cleaner, fresher-smelling air. However, store-bought, chemical-filled deodorizers are not always the best solution. They are expensive, bad for the environment, and can be triggers for asthma and other breathing problems. A better solution is to freshen your home naturally. Here are three ideas as to how you can do just that.
Simmer Herbs
Put a small boiler on low heat on your stove with water and a few herbs of choice. Cinnamon and cloves are an excellent go-to mixture. Let this simmer on low for a few hours, keeping a close eye to make sure your water does not boil dry. Your house will smell delicious, as though you had been cooking all day. Plus, it helps humidify the air too, which can be useful in winter.
Use Essential Oils
You will have to invest in the oil, but they can be picked up inexpensively online. Choose your favorite all-natural scent and either use in a store-bought diffuser or just dot a bit on a lightbulb before switching it on and letting it freshen that way.
Clean with Vinegar
While vinegar may not seem like it would freshen your home, using it as a cleaner by mixing it with water will help reduce odors at the source. You’ll notice an immediate improvement in how your home smells and feels. If you really do not like the scent of vinegar, you can mix a bit with water and add a few drops of your essential oil. Then, use this as a multi-purpose cleaner to clean throughout your home. It will immediately freshen and leave behind the smell from the essential oil, not the vinegar.
These are just a few of the ways you can help your apartment smell its best, naturally. If you are ready to find that perfect place to call home in Chicago, reach out to us at River North Park Apartments today, and let us show you which floor plans are currently available.
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Your Chicago apartment looks clean and pristine, but the kids, the pet or the visiting nieces and nephews left their mark, literally, and now your walls are looking less than stellar. It's tricky to get marks off of a painted wall surface without causing damage. But there are a few nifty tricks to keep in mind that can help you out.
Remove crayon markings with baking soda toothpaste
Crayon markings from wax crayons can be tricky to remove, especially on light-colored walls. However, if you have a soft sponge and some baking soda toothpaste on hand, you're good to go. Simply rub a dab of the toothpaste onto the markings and gently scrub in a circular motion with the sponge. The waxy residue will come off on the sponge. Just make sure you wipe down the walls with a dampened washcloth to remove any remaining toothpaste residue.
Make oily handprints disappear with chalk and a cloth
Oily handprints happen all over the house, from the kitchen to the hall, and these suckers can be hard to get rid of. There's a simple solution that may sound counterintuitive. Grab a stick of plain old white chalk and use a rounded end to cover the markings. Allow the chalk to sit for a few minutes and then wipe away the residue with a soft dampened cloth. The oily residue gets absorbed by the chalk, and you wipe the chalk away. It really is just that simple.
Tackle scuff marks with a melamine cleaning sponge
Scuff marks can come from a lot of things. Maybe you accidentally dragged a chair across the painted surface or perhaps a rowdy young visitor put shoes on the wall. In either case, these scuffs tend to be easy to eliminate with melamine sponges. These plasticized sponges have just enough abrasion power to slough away scuffs, and they are soft enough that they will not damage the painted surface.
By nabbing those pesky wall marks with these simple tactics, your painted walls will not look dingy and dirty with time. Reach out to us at River North Park to find out what apartment floor plans we have available.
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When it comes time to clean up your apartments in Chicago, it is important to have the right tools on hand. You can only grab the tools you need if you know what they are, however. Some tools may not have yet made it on your radar — but that is soon to change. Check out the four following tools, and you will surely want to add them to your cleaning kit.
Cotton Swabs
There is no better way to get deep down in nooks and crannies than with cotton swabs. They reach far between the crevices in your bathroom, kitchen and other living areas. You can lightly moisten the ends of the cotton swabs with your preferred cleanser to boost their cleaning power even more. Try them while cleaning your sinks, toilets, and stovetop to see how well they work.
Drain Hook
When your drains are clogged with hair and other debris, they start to drain slowly, leaving stains in your sinks. If you act at the first sign of a problem, you can remove the clogs without calling a plumber. You just have to use a drain hook to pull the hair and debris out of the drain. This device works equally well on your kitchen and bathroom sinks.
Rubber Squeegee
With a rubber squeegee, you can effectively clean your mirrors, tile, and other flat surfaces. After you spray the surface with your cleanser, this device pulls the cleaner and water away from the surface, leaving a streak-free appearance. The surface will look much cleaner and shinier when dried with a squeegee instead of a rag.
Pumice Stones Work for Cleaning Chicago Apartments
Toilet and bathtub stains will be a thing of the past once you learn about the power of pumice stones. Simply spray the cleaning product on the surface of your bathtub or toilet, and then scrub with the pumice to make it look like new again.
When you use these tools on a regular basis, you can make your Chicago apartments shine. If you would like to explore how to upgrade your apartments, contact our team at 866-489-7207 to learn about our available floor plans.
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It’s awesome to have a beautiful kitchen in our Chicago apartments, and you want to keep it looking fantastic all the time. Use these three tips to minimize kitchen cleanup time!
1. Use a Kitchen Towel to Eliminate Counter Cleanup
One of the things that apartment residents do several times a day is wipe down countertops. A clean countertop is definitely an attractive feature, but with all the meals and snacks you make, it can be a challenge to keep counters clean. The next time you make anything in your kitchen, make sure the first thing you do is lay down a clean kitchen towel. The towel will absorb all the liquid spills, plus the crumbs will never reach the counter. When you’re finished, just toss the towel in the laundry hamper. Your counter will be spotless!
2. Cut Produce in the Sink
Fresh produce is the foundation of a healthy diet, but there’s a lot of work involved in preparing fresh produce for consumption. It often has to be washed, peeled and sliced. This process dirties up the counter, cutting board and utensils. Instead, invest in an over-the-sink cutting board. Any juices that run off fruits will spill directly into the sink. Dirty utensils can be placed straight into the sink for washing, and the cutting board can be quickly rinsed off; all without messing up your kitchen countertops!
3. Use Soapy Water to Wash Down the Sink
Pots and pans and larger bowls require washing by hand, even if you do have a dishwasher appliance. You can minimize kitchen cleanup time by reusing the last bit of soapy water to wash down the kitchen sinks. Instead of pouring soapy water from that large bowl you just washed down the drain, use it to quickly scour the bottom and sides of the sink. Then, when you’re rinsing and spraying the bowl, quickly spray the sides of the sink as well. Your sink area will get clean just as you’re finishing the last of the dishes!
These are three tips you can use every day to minimize kitchen cleanup time. That will leave you more time to enjoy your Chicago apartment. For more information about life at River North Park, please contact us today!
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