Category Archives: Clean APARTMENT

How to Make Your Entire StarLoftPgh Apartment Smell Pleasant

Clean APARTMENT, Comfort

The ability to smell is more powerful than we often consider. Scents tell us a lot about our surroundings by helping us determine what food to eat and what fragrances to wear. The right scents can even have a mood-boosting effect. Think back to when you pulled laundry straight out of the dryer and how fresh it smelled. Or consider a time you tried a new shampoo that smelled amazing. You probably felt more relaxed or at peace afterward. The same feeling can apply to your StarLoftPgh. A clean and fresh apartment unit can boost your mood and get you in the right headspace to tackle the week ahead of you. Here are tips on how to make your apartment unit smell fresh. 

One of the most common causes of household odor is moisture. One area of every apartment that’s susceptible to moisture is the bathroom. You can keep your eye on small water sources, such as washcloths, sponges, and towels, by replacing sponges every week or biweekly. 

Additionally, it’s best to ensure that clean towels are fully dry before folding them and putting them away. You can also hang bath mats over the shower rod to help them dry. You can also manage moisture in your apartment unit by ensuring that your rooms never stay too humid. You can open the windows occasionally to improve airflow throughout your apartment. 

Another step to take is cleaning out the fridge is throwing away anything expired. You might be surprised how long old condiments stay inside refrigerators. You can do a monthly inventory check to ensure that the contents are fresh. Then, you want to give the interior of your fridge a thorough scrubbing. Pull out removable shelves and drawers and soak them in hot, soapy water. An equal mixture of hot water, white vinegar, and a small drop of dish soap are always helpful. It would be best to use cleaners that won’t contaminate the fridge. 

Soft Surfaces Hold Odors

Carpets, throw pillows, and bed linens can be magnets for unpleasant smells. Even after a spill dries or dirt gets wiped away, odor-causing bacteria can linger. It’s helpful to invest in a professional steam cleaning if you have any soft surfaces you can’t wash in the machine. Also, cleaning up spills before they dry is the best way to ensure that smells don’t linger. Vacuuming your carpet and spot-treating will keep your apartment unit fresh. Then, it’s best to maintain a regular cleaning routine and scent your apartment unit with your favorite scented plug-ins and essential oils. Room sprays can also be helpful in providing a boost of pleasant scents whenever you desire. 

Star Lofts Pittsburgh, located in the exciting theater district of Downtown Pittsburgh, we offer beautiful spaces with access to gym, and maintenance whenever you need it – and have access to all the information you need to be our resident at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com. To set up an appointment with Janet, please call Janet, at 412.943.7660 or visit the website at http://www.StarLoftsPgh.com.

Tips for Passing Your Moveout Inspection

Clean APARTMENT, Mobility Pittsburgh, , ,

There seems to be a lot of confusion online about what expectations are when someone is moving out of a rental home. We want to help save you money at move-out by providing these tips for passing a move-out inspection without incurring extra fees. Did we miss any tips? Let us know!

1. If you’re doing DIY cleaning, do it thoroughly (This is one time when hiring a professional might be a good idea)

Doing your move-out cleaning yourself is a great way to save money, but there are pros and cons here like with anything else. Having a professional cleaning company perform the service not only takes some of the stress of moving off of your shoulders, but also enables you to obtain a letter from the company that may come in handy if you run into a dispute with your landlord. Still, if you choose to do the job yourself, it’s even more important you are very thorough and take photos when you’re finished so you have documentation. One major tip if cleaning yourself? Remember to do the floors last, or you’ll have to do them twice.

2. Clean cupboards, around handles, appliances, etc.

I was putting some groceries away the other day when I noticed some light discoloration around the cabinet knob. It wiped away immediately, but we forget that the cupboard-pulls get dirty over time as we are cooking. We may have a little flour or seasoning on our hands when we open that cupboard for the next ingredient, so it’s a good idea to do a special cleaning around all handles and doorknobs in your apartment, and wipe down the cupboards and doors themselves at the same time. This also applies to your fixtures including taps, which you want to leave in the best possible condition. Once you’ve emptied your cupboards, remember to wipe down the shelves to ensure you’re leaving them like new.

3. Patch those holes, even just nails

Once you’ve packed away your photos and other things you’ve had hung on your walls, it’s time to remove the nails or pins and thoroughly check each wall in your suite for holes or related damage. A quick Google search will turn up many instructional videos on how to perform these easy and minor repairs. Doing so correctly will ensure your move-out bill is lower, and your landlord is happy!

4. Baseboards, corners, and crevices

Baseboards, corners, and crevices are easy spots to miss, but important to clean nonetheless. Start with the baseboards and the corners, then move on to the crevices. A vacuum wand may be required to help clear things out for tricky spots. As mentioned previously, it’s important to do this cleaning before you clean your floors, as this will kick up some dust and dirt. This is also a good time to wash the walls, ensuring the cleaner you use is paint-safe and won’t cause any issues.

5. Use the right product for the job

As we mentioned regarding washing your walls, it’s important to use the right cleaner for the right job and to ensure the cleaner is safe by testing it on a small patch before deploying it throughout the space. This is pretty straightforward: for example, ensure you use oven cleaner and not Pine-Sol to clean your oven, this will avoid damaging an appliance you could end up paying a lot for. Don’t mix your cleaners, and ensure your area is well-ventilated while using the chemicals.

6. Repaint and repair

If you’ve made your apartment your own by painting some walls, now is the time to talk to your landlord and work with them to get the unit returned to the color and condition in which you received it. Ideally, you will have spoken to your landlord before having painted the wall, but either way, you will need to speak to the landlord to get the proper type of paint to ensure an exact match. Try for “close enough” or “good enough” and you will find that you’re on the hook for that bill anyway. Most landlords will appreciate your honesty and willingness to return the unit as you received it, so this should be painless.

7. Carpet Stains

If you have stained your carpet during your time in the rental, you will be billed for its cleaning or replacement. By dealing with it yourself, either by hiring a carpet cleaner or by trying to do it yourself with rented equipment, you may be able to avoid significant fees. For instance, if the landlord or their employee determines the carpet stain isn’t worth trying to fix, you could be on the hook for a full carpet replacement. By dealing with the problem yourself, you eliminate that risk.

8. Wash your Windows

This is a simple one, but many people forget to do it. It’s important to wash your windows before you move out. Depending on your apartment, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to clean the exterior but you will be responsible for ensuring interior windows are clean. For everything in your apartment, remember this rule: if you don’t clean it, your landlord has to pay someone else to clean it, and they will have no option but to pass those costs on to you.

9. Empty the Fridge and Cupboards: Leave NOTHING in the Unit

Not a box of baking soda in the fridge, not a shaker of salt in the cupboard. As we just mentioned, anything that the landlord has to pay someone else to do – even removing a handful of small items – can incur an extra move-out charge. You must take your garbage out; you need to ensure you don’t even leave hangers in the closet. If you brought it in, it must leave with you. Making it somebody else’s problem will simply make that a problem dealt with at your expense

5 simple ways to appoint you’re apartment.

Clean APARTMENT, Comfort, Downtown Pittsburgh Apartments, interior design, , ,

As intimidating to see an empty apartment and not know what to fill it with. Thankfully, there’s a simple decorating style that requires far less furniture and decorations than other styles, and it’s trending too! This style is minimalism, of course, so read on below for five great minimalist decor ideas for your first apartment.

Functional decor

One important principle that can guide your minimalist decor journey is knowing that your decorations can be functional pieces. Having decorations for the sake of decorations isn’t always necessary – you can often make your apartment look fantastic by tastefully arranging the functional items you use on an everyday basis.

Multi-purpose furniture

A great way to minimize clutter in your apartment is to invest in things that serve more than one function, and multi-purpose furniture can be a perfect choice. When shopping for a couch, ottoman, or sitting chair, look for an option that can be opened up to provide extra storage.

If you live in a small studio apartment and you want to minimize even further, consider buying a Murphy bed. By combining your bed and a table, two of the largest floor-space items in an apartment, you can simplify your surroundings and save a significant amount of space.

Floating shelves

Whatever your style of minimalist decor is, floating shelves are a must-have for displaying decorations and other items in a simple and practical way. Whether in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, or bedroom, a floating shelf feels refined where a regular shelf could feel like it just takes up wall space.

Simple wall art and mirrors

Minimalism doesn’t just mean simply removing everything unnecessary from your living space, and it’s still good to have interesting art and decor to make your apartment feel comfortable. Simple wall art can add a unique element to your apartment, especially when tastefully color-coordinated with your other pieces.

Alternatively, mirrors are another great apartment wall fixture that can add depth and light to your apartment. Too much wall art can feel cluttered, but large, simple mirrors can make the apartment feel more spacious. 

Neutral colors with an accent color

Many aspiring minimalists have a hard time knowing how to decorate in a simple way, and color is one of the most difficult aspects to grasp at first. Putting together a color palette can be tricky if you haven’t done it before, so here’s an easy way to get started.

Choose an accent color to use for your color palette. It’s helpful to use a color that you already have furniture or decorations in, but you can purchase items later to supplement this. Then, simply choose two to four neutral colors that go together well with your accent. Consider tinting everything the same for a monochromatic look, like a deep blue accent color with bluish-gray neutrals. You can also try to balance the color scheme by pairing a warm accent color with cool neutrals or vice versa.

Have fun at http://www.starloftspgh.com

How best to clean every kitchen surface.

Clean APARTMENT, Cook at home, ,

Backsplash

A great place to start cleaning is with your kitchen backsplash. You’ll need cleaning spray and a slightly abrasive brush or sponge. You can pick up a bottle of stainless steel cleaner or glass cleaner for a metal or glass backsplash. Otherwise, you can make a simple solution of one part water and one part vinegar to deal with most of your backsplash stains.

Stovetops

If you have an electric stovetop, you should only need a rag or sponge and some warm soapy water for cleaning. If there’s gunk built up over time or stains that don’t want to come out, try mixing half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to form a paste, and then scrub the dirty areas with a rag and your baking soda paste.

Gas stovetops can be easier to clean than electric stoves because you don’t have to worry so much about scratching the stovetop. Remove the grates and drip pans and soak them in warm water, then wash them with a brush and dish soap. Take a rag and warm soapy water or baking soda paste and scrub out any gunk that might be remaining on the stovetop.

Counters

You might be wiping down your counters every day, but gunk can still accumulate over time, especially in the corners. Wipe down your counters with a wet rag as you usually would, but make sure you really get down in the corners with your fingernail and scrub hard at any spots that feel crusty under the rag. This is also a good time to sanitize your counters with a food-safe sanitizing spray.

Inside the fridge

An essential part of cleaning your kitchen is cleaning the inside of your fridge, as spoiled food can go to waste or cause food poisoning. Start by removing all the food from your fridge and discarding anything that is rotten or expired. Then, remove any shelves you can, and clean them in your sink with dish soap and a sponge.

Anything you can’t remove from the fridge can be wiped down with a hot sponge or rag. Finally, replace the shelves and all your food, putting the oldest food in the front of the fridge and newer items further from expiration in the back.

Kitchen sink

Your kitchen sink will get dirty from washing your rag while cleaning all your other surfaces, so take the spray nozzle and spray all around the side of the sink. Use a sponge to clean off any dried food that might be stuck to the side.

Floor

The last element of your kitchen you want to clean is the floor. It’s best to save the floor for last because it will accumulate some of the grime you wipe off other surfaces during your kitchen cleaning. Sweep what you can, and then mop or spot-mop your floor with a rag. A solution of vinegar and water can be great for this too, and you can try mixing in some fragrance oil for a pleasant smell afterward.

The Penthouse apartment will be available May of 2022.

Call 412.943.7660 for a tour.