Blog Posts

How to Keep Cats off Your Counter Tops

While it may seem harmless and even endearing to true cat lovers, cats on your counter top is actually kind of gross. Think of the other surfaces those tiny paws have touched--i.e. the liter box--right before pouncing their way to your dinner plate. Appetite: lost. But fear not, there are ways to keep kitty off your counters and unwanted particles off your food. Let's start out with an excellent quote from the ASPCA: Rather than spraying your cat with water when they jump on a forbidden counter, "arrange for the environment to punish your cat directly." "Balance some lightweight cookie sheets on the edge of the counter. When your cat jumps up, she'll land on the sheets. They'll move and possibly topple over, making some unpleasant noise while she leaps back onto the floor." If you don't want your cats on your cookie sheets and your cookie sheets on the floor (or if you only own one cookie sheet), Huffington Post recommends using cheap, recyclable aluminum foil. The Humane Society advises making your counters unpleasantly sticky, either DIY-style using double-sided tape, or using readymade products. This Old House notes that cats hate the feel of sandpaper underfoot, so you could lay it on your counters when you're not cooking. If your counters are your cat's idea of a little piece of heaven, Petfinder recommends simple ways to make them less enjoyable, like pulling down the blinds to block the basking sun — and the view of the bird feeder. According to The Nest's Pet column, a peppermint solution can be sprayed on countertops to deter cats — and to make your kitchen minty fresh. WikiHow has similar advice involving black pepper, lemon, eucalyptus, cinnamon, rosemary, and lavender — delicious. One of my favorite solutions comes from Pawnation: "Some experts recommend clicker training. This method involves training your cat to jump off the counter on a cue word, like 'off'. When the cat follows your cue, click the clicker, then reward your cat with a treat." Positive reinforcement! ...Don't forget to clean the counters after your feline flees the scene... If your cats do occasionally traipse around your countertops, VetStreet wants you to protect your health —and the health of your guests — by cleaning the surfaces thoroughly before preparing food. Hot water, soap, and an antibacterial agent should do the trick

Keep Cool Without Blasting Your AC

You could crank your AC in an attempt to keep cool this summer, but who wants to pay through the roof on electric? Whether it’s by choice or forced on you, there are a number of ways to keep heat at bay during the summer. You’re probably already doing some of them, like running the ceiling fans, but there’s more that you can do to keep cool without abusing your air conditioner. 1. Focus on cooling yourself, not the apartment : All these tips are built on this idea, but it deserves to be pointed out. Air conditioning cools the whole apartment, but your comfort depends on how you feel. It’s okay if the temperature is high, so long as you feel cool. 2. Use ice packs (or other cold items) : Freeze an ice pack and place it underneath you on the couch or bed. Keep it in a pocket while you’re walking or lounging around the apartment. Keeping it close to you will cool you down considerably. In a pinch, you can use frozen food, such as a bag of peas or popsicles, just be cautious of the mess they can make. 3. Freeze your sheets and clothes : Place your sheets and pillowcases in the freezer a few hours before bedtime, and make your bed with them right before you get in. The same trick will work for clothes, so while you can’t open the freezer to cool the room, you can use it to cool your clothes. 4. Take a cold bath or shower: If the thought of getting into a cold bath makes you sweat, fill it first with lukewarm or room temperature water, and get in. Gradually let the lukewarm water out and refill it with cold water until you’re in a mostly cold bath. You’ll feel cool for a long time afterwards. 5. Eat cool foods : Running the stove or oven just warms up the room. Instead, try to eat cold foods that don’t need to be cooked. Not only do you avoid creating more heat, but they also help cool you off. Popsicles and other ice cream are really helpful for this, and who doesn’t want an excuse to eat more ice cream? 6. Wear cooler clothes : If you’re home alone, go without clothes or walk around in your underwear or a bathing suit. Otherwise, wear natural fabrics such as linen, cotton and silk. These breathe better than man-made materials, such as rayon, polyester and other artificial fibers. Athletic wear is an exception and can wick moisture away from your body. Looser clothes also tend to breathe better than tighter clothes. 7. Close and cover windows and doors : Leaving windows open lets in warm air, and just leaving the blinds open lets in sunlight, which also warms up the room. At least close the blinds, if not putting up lined drapes or aluminum foil to reflect sunlight out of the room. Also, focus on just the part of the apartment you’re going to be in. Closing off parts of the apartment cuts down on air circulation, but that’s a benefit if most of the air that can circulate is warm air. 8. Set up fans cleverly : If you have multiple fans, set them up so that they intersect on you, the air hitting you from multiple directions. Make sure that your ceiling fan is set to counterclockwise, drawing the warm air upwards. Fill and freeze jugs of water, placing them behind fans (with a towel under the jug to absorb the water) to blow cool air at you. It’s helpful to have a fan blowing air at you, but setting it up properly can make a really big difference. 9. Drink ice water : Cooling down starts on the inside, so downing several glasses of ice-cold water will really put the chill on. Drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of your body weight. For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink at least 75 ounces, or a little more than nine eight-ounce glasses, of water per day. 10. Use mint or menthol products : Smear cooling topical ointments with medicated vapors (such as Vicks VapoRub) or peppermint lotion on your skin. Bathe with peppermint soap, use lip balm with peppermint oil and brush your teeth with something minty. Mint refreshes the skin and leaves a nice cooling sensation. 11. Go somewhere with air conditioning : Just because you don’t want to run the air conditioner doesn’t mean that no one is. If a day is particularly unbearable, that could be the time to find somewhere else to go. Grocery stores, especially in the dairy aisle, are somewhere you probably need to go anyway, so why not now? You can also go to a grocery store, a friend’s house, or make it an outing to a movie theater. Wherever it is, someone else is paying for the air conditioning, and you get to really relax and embrace the cold.

Get a Smart Apartment

If the first thing you think of when you hear the term "smart home" is a programmable thermostat, but it's time to update your concept of what makes today's homes so, well, smart. Today's smart home technology has evolved to be accessible, adaptable and portable, making it perfect for renters. Here, we'll take a look at how you can outfit your apartment with smart essentials to make renting significantly more convenient and safe. Digital Assistants If you're not already using a digital assistant (also known as a virtual voice assistant or smart speaker), these devices may be one of the easiest ways for you to introduce smart technology into your home. Digital assistants, such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, respond to voice commands and are designed to make your life a little simpler. You can ask your digital assistant to perform a number of tasks, such as play music, read you the news, order groceries, place a phone call or add appointments to your calendar. When synced with other smart devices in your home, digital assistants allow you to adjust lighting, turn appliances on and off and even activate security cameras. Smart Plugs Smart plugs are an inexpensive, easy way to integrate smart home tech into your rental. These devices allow you to remotely control anything that plugs into a wall socket - all with a tap of your finger on your smartphone or tablet. At home, you can even use your smart speaker to activate smart plugs with a voice command. When paired with lighting, smart plugs make your apartment more secure. Plug in your lights, then program the plugs to activate them at random times while you're away. This gives the appearance that youre home and helps deter would-be thieves from breaking into your apartment. Smart outlets can also optimize energy savings by turning off appliances - such as your washing machine or television - when not in use. With smart plugs, you never have to worry about leaving a light on all day or forgetting to turn off the oven, since you can manage all your devices and settings from your mobile device. Smart Window AC Unit You can't necessarily install a smart thermostat, but you can but you can have more control over cooling costs with a smart window air conditioner unit. The smart AC units are controlled by Wi-Fi. You can activate them remotely and program them to fit your schedule - meaning you can walk into a perfectly cool apartment after work without running up your utility bill. Smart Mattress Ready to go to smart apartment extremes? Consider a smart mattress. These futuristic beds provide sleep tracking, so you can keep track of how many hours you slept. They can also detect optimal wake time based upon your sleep patterns and set an alarm for you. And a smart alarm is only the beginning - smart mattresses can also regulate their temperature throughout the night, adjusting constantly to keep your body as comfortable as possible. If you connect your mattress to a smart home hub or digital assistant, it can kick off your morning the right way. For example, you can set your coffee maker to begin brewing as your smart alarm goes off, and program the lights to turn on as you step out of bed. 500 Park

NBA Playoffs

By: Jack Skolnik If you haven't figured it out by now, I will tell you one very important fact about me, I am a diehard basketball fan. So with the regular season at a close and the NBA playoffs beginning this week, I couldn't think of a better topic to write about. This year's playoffs will definitely be interesting to say the least. There were numerous big time headlines during the season that will continue to be big as we get into the playoffs. Starting in the East you have the Raptors at the #1 seed as a lock. They have defied the odds all season and after some major changes to their style of play made by Coach Dwayne Casey, they look to prove the doubter wrong after years of underperforming in the playoffs. At the #2 seed you have the Boston Celtics who without Gordon Hayward have been one of the best teams in the league. However injuries may prove costly in the playoffs as they will be without superstar Kyrie Irving. After the #1 and #2 seed the rest of the east gets a little bit less defined. You have the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers battling it out for the third seed. Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid have been unbelievable in their first full season in Philadelphia. However if basketball fans have learned one thing over the years, it is to never bet against Lebron James and the Cavaliers. Then rounding it out in the bottom half are the Indiana Pacers at the #5 seed, the Miami Heat at the #6 seed, and then the Milwaukee Bucks and my Washington Wizards battling it out at the #8 seed. I must say this was a huge year of disappointment for my Wizards, a team that was projected to be a top 3 seed just could never put it together. I don't see a lot of these bottom half teams making much noise in the playoffs. However a first round 2 vs 7 matchup will be interesting. With the Celtics taking on either the Bucks or the Wizards. I will say that either Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks or John Wall and the Wizards will make for a very entertaining series against Boston. Although a tough choice I can't bet against the King, as I believe Lebron James and the Cavaliers will once again make it to the NBA finals. Then you have the West. Boy oh boy are things getting interesting out west. Coming in at the #1 seed are the Houston Rockets who have finally dethroned the Warriors as the top team in the West. Watching James Harden and Chris Paul play together this year has been unbelievable. Plus with Clint Capela playing the way that he has been playing? Man are they scary. Coming in at the #2 seed are the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors. With how good they have been the past couple years it is hard to bet against them making it back to the finals. However without Steph Curry to start the playoffs they will have to rely heavily on Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and the rest of the gang. The Portland Trail Blazers are clinging on to the #3 seed after a red hot second half of the season led by all-star point guard Damian Lillard. An even bigger surprise is the 4 seed where we see the Utah Jazz. After starting the season 19-28 the Jazz have gone 29-7 since the return of Rudy Gobert. The last four seeds however are where things get crazy. With five teams battling for the final four seeds. Right now all five teams are within a gamer of each other. Right now if the standings were to hold we would see the New Orleans Pelicans at the #5 seed. With an injury to all-star center Demarcus Cousins, the Pelicans will have to rely heavily on their other all-star, Anthony Davis. At the #6 seed we have the always dangerous San Antonio Spurs. Although without Kawhi Leonard all season the Spurs have proven how good they can be without him. Coming in at the #7 seed are the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although thought of by most to be an underwhelming season, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and the Thunder will look to regroup in the playoffs. Rounding out the West is the Minnesota Timberwolves, looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. With newly acquired all-star Jimmy Butler, a first round Timberwolves vs. Rockets would be fun to watch. So with that you have the playoff race in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. As usual I am sure there will be no shortage of great playoff basketball to watch. With all that being said I already said I have the Cleveland Cavaliers making the finals out of the East and I am going to take the Houston Rockets out of the West. I think this is the year that the Golden State Warriors finally go down. If the Warriors are going to lose at all I think it will be against the Rockets in Western Conference Finals. Then in the finals I am going to take the Rockets to be crowned as champions this year. With the roster that they have I feel that if they can get past the Warriors than the Rockets have a great chance of winning it all. Regardless of who makes it there I think we are all in for an entertaining 2018 NBA playoffs.

Best Tech for Spring Cleaning

This is 2018, there's pretty much nothing you can't do without the assistance of technology. The same holds true for something as simple as spring cleaning. There are all kinds of gadgets to make the work easier, and apps to make the job organized. Take a look at the ones we've gathered below and choose your favorites when tackling the dreaded (or anticipated) deep clean of your apartment: Apps Cleaning Checklist helps you organize and manage household cleaning tasks and activities. Pick a room, select the task, and check it off when complete. Voila! BrightNest is for those who don't even know where to start. This app is full of useful tips for cleaning specific parts of your home, like how to remove toilet stains or what essential oils keep your garbage disposal smelling fresh. ChoreBank is great if you have kids that want to help. Assign a monetary value or activity reward to each chore and make virtual deposits to your child's account. You can even text reminders to your kids! Gadgets Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of Roomba, the house-cleaning robot. These bad boys can run upwards of $900, but critics claim it's well worth the price. Allergy sufferers: this one's for you. Nothing says spring cleaning like purified breathing air. Molekule is the latest in air purification systems that is not only effective, but smart and innovative. We stumbled upon a nifty little (affordable!) gadget that attaches to any standard household vacuum. The Dusty-Brush consists of dozens of tiny vacuum tubes that pick up dust and debris while leaving behind the important stuff, like nuts & bolts, craft supplies, and other small objects. Perfect for those hard-to-reach places like vents and the back of the pantry. 500 Park

March Madness

by Jack Skolnik Well, it's finally here. The time that everyone has been waiting for. Every basketball fan's dream. Yup, March Madness is upon us. This blog is being written the day after Selection Sunday, everyone's first taste as to what this year's tournament will look like. There were some interesting seeding situations, but for the most part I think the NCAA did a nice job. The four #1 seeds for this year's tournament are Kansas, Xavier, Villanova and Virginia, with Virginia being the #1 overall team in the country and the tournament. Speaking of Virginia, I do have to give a major shout-out to their first round matchup, the #16 seed UMBC Retrievers. As a Baltimore native it is great to see UMBC back in the tournament after a ten year hiatus. A major congratulations to Coach Ryan Odom, star player Jarius Lyles, and the rest of the team. As for the rest of the tournament there will be no shortage of must-see games in the first round. As I sit here filling out my bracket, there is a lot of thought that must go into this. It's hard for me not to fall in love with Oklahoma and Trae Young as a #10 seed in the Midwest. With player of year material written all over him I actually took Young and Oklahoma as the team to take down Duke in the second round (as much as I love coach K you have to root against Duke as a Maryland native, right?). For me, there were a few no brainers. Such as Virginia and Kansas making it to the final four. However, there were a couple tough choices I had to make besides the Oklahoma/Duke matchup. Although I have them making it to the elite eight, it's still a struggle for me to see Xavier making a lot of noise past that, as I have them losing to UNC. Another one was in the sweet sixteen where I have Villanova and West Virginia in the East region. I am a huge fan of Coach Bob Huggins so it was very difficult for me to pick Villanova, even with their #1 seed. But I do have faith in Coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats. All in all it was as tough a bracket to fill out. After a long afternoon I came out with my picks, a few upsets, a few non-upsets and everything in between. I came out with a final four of Virginia, UNC, Texas Tech, and Kansas. I then have Virginia advancing to the championship over UNC and in the other game I have Texas Tech advancing over Kansas to avenge a loss just a few weeks ago. It was a tough decision in the champion game, but my choice for the 2018 NCAA champion is... TEXAS TECH!! I am sure that is not the choice you were expecting, as Tech has struggled a bit as of recent, with key injuries to star player Kenan Evans. However I feel like if Evans and the Red Raiders can get back into form with a first and second round win, they will get back to early season form and make a serious run. Besides, who doesn't love a feel-good Cinderella story? Team comes out playing really well in the beginning of the season, then some key players get hurt and they struggle for a while, but then they get it together to win a National Championship? The Red Raiders are all in! Everybody who loves college basketball loves upsets and loves Cinderella stories, and I feel like this year will be no different. With the first few games looming it's going to be a great year for March Madness. Put on your seat belt folks, because it's going to be another wild ride in March!