Seeking Simplicity

DIY: Rental Bathrooms

Posted by SeekingSimplicity on March 26, 2010.

Make the most of your rental bathroom!

There are plenty of things that I would do to my bathroom if I owned the property I live in. But I don’t. So I have to live with the toilet, sink, shower, and tile. To make the most of what have I made several small changes that have definitely improved my bathroom’s overall look. Here is what I have done so far:

• got a new toilet seat
• installed a new light fixture
• replaced towel rack
• changed knob on vanity
• freshened up the walls with paint (same color)
• bought a new rug and towels that match my new
• shower curtain
• replaced old shower head

All of these things were super easy to do and pretty inexpensive. Even though I would love to rip out the old tub and install a more efficient toilet, this mini redo has made me feel a lot better about my bathroom.

Check out customize a rental bathroom by Apartment Therapy for more ideas on how to improve your bathroom.

Simple Design: Birdfeeders

Posted by SeekingSimplicity on March 21, 2010.

Deep Clean: Bathroom

Posted by SeekingSimplicity on March 20, 2010.

Step 1: Clear out the stuff. Empty all drawers, cabinets and shelves and place the items outside the room. Take down shower curtain and wash or purchase new one.

Step 2: Start at the top. Use your vacuum or a damp towel on a broomstick to dust ceiling. Don’t forget the light fixture and exhaust fan. Next, wash any window(s). If you have blinds or window treatments wash those too or replace. After that, grab a rag and bucket of water with your choice of diluted cleaner and start scrubbing the walls. Dust towel bars. (This may also be a great time to paint since your walls are clean!)

Step 3: Scrub shower area, tub, and faucet. Make them sparkle!

Step 4: Clean toilet.

Step 5: Clean sink, mirror, and counters. Wash inside drawers and outside of vanity too!

Step 6: Flooring. Mop thoroughly with your choice of cleaner.   

Step 7: Time to rebuild. Now that you have a sparkling clean bathroom it’s time to bring back your toiletries. If it does not belong in this room leave it out! This is a great time to declutter and evaluate what you really need in your bathroom. Hang clean or new shower curtain.

For more tips on cleaning bathrooms, check out Apartment Therapy’s bit called How To Get the Bathroom Spic and Span.

Deep Clean: Living Room

Posted by SeekingSimplicity on March 17, 2010.

Step 1: Start with a clean slate. First vacuum and dust all of your furniture, spot clean if necessary. Next, clear it out of the room! Remove everything if possible including furniture, books, electronics, plants, etc… The emptier the better! Next, take down window treatments and throw them in the wash (check labels and be careful about shrinkage) or hang outdoors to air out.

Step 2: Start at the top. Use your vacuum or a damp towel on a broomstick to dust ceiling and walls. If you have blinds dust those too or purchase new ones to replace. New blinds are relatively inexpensive and can make your room sparkle. Next, wash windows and sills. After that, grab a rag and bucket of water with your choice of diluted cleaner and start scrubbing the walls. (This may also be a great time to paint since your walls are clean and everything is moved out!)

Step 3: Flooring. Thoroughly vacuum any area rugs or carpet. Roll up area rugs and place outdoors to air out or in another room.

If you have hardwood, tiles, or other hard surface flooring, cleanse it thoroughly with your choice of cleaner.

For carpet: steam clean. If you do not own a steamer you can rent one at your local hardware store. Some grocery stores have them too!

Make sure your floor is completely dry before moving to step 4.

Step 4: Time to rebuild. Now that you have a sparkling clean room it’s time to rebuild. First, hang your window treatments. Now bring your furniture back in. Study your room and work out a floor plan that suits you. Look online or in books for tips on furniture placement. Leave out furniture that does not fit in well or you do not love.

Next, bring back any accessories you want in your room. If it does not belong in this room leave it out! This is a great time to declutter and evaluate what you want in the room. If necessary, make a pile of things to donate or throw out.

Step 5: Drop off your donation items. Take your items to your local Goodwill or other appropriate place.

Site Spotlight: Simple Desktops

Posted by SeekingSimplicity on March 16, 2010.

Site Name: Simple Desktops

Link: http://simpledesktops.com

Why: Simple Desktops is a collection of desktop wallpapers designed to make your computer beautiful without distraction. I enjoy this site because they offer beautiful and simple backgrounds that I have been longing to find on the web.

Sites that are spotlighted are not affiliated with SeekingSimplicity.com and are not compensating us. These are just sites we really like and recommend checking out!

Weight Loss

Posted by SeekingSimplicity on March 15, 2010.

I have struggled with my weight my entire life off and on. While I am not a physician or medical expert my personal experience has given some key insights into what has worked and failed. Nothing I am going to say here is ground breaking in fact it is probably what you already knew in the back of your mind.

Diets simply do not work. If you think that following a very austere eating plan is going to work in the long term you are probably wrong. I have tried just eating veggies, fasting, high protein, etc. In the end the mind and body will rebel.

So if dieting doesn’t work what should we do?

Count calories and exercise. It is really that simple.

I have lost thirty pounds and maintained it with relative ease by tracking my calories and exercising regularly. My experience of keeping a food journal has made me conscious of how much I am consuming. Finding your caloric budget for your goal and following it is an absolute must to achieve weight loss. Making better food choices is helpful for your health, but is not essential to lose weight. The number of calories is the key. Exercise allows for more calories and makes you feel good. Try to do a mixture of cardio, resistance, and stretch to keep the body healthy.

Being an iPhone junkie of course I use apps to help me with calorie counting. My two favorites are the LiveStrong.com and Tap and Track apps. Of course these apps aren’t necessary, but it does make it easier to track everything. In addition, when you enter your weight, height, and goal they will calculate your caloric needs and then act as a food and exercise journal. Of course my advice should never substitute for the advice of your physician, but I doubt my thoughts are going to be very different.

The formula is simple: calories in need to be less than calories out. Otherwise we get fat.