Home Advice

"CB" (jrcb) 08/21/2013 at 15:30 • Filed to: Houses

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Hey guys, I know this isn't car related, but you all seem like a knowledgeable bunch of folk, so I figured I'd try my luck.

Basically, I just moved into my first real house (a basement apartment) for university, and was wondering if there is any advice you can give me. I'm slowly figuring out cooking, and I have a basic idea on how to clean, but this is my first real time living on my own (by that, I mean with two other guys and no parents).

So, is there anything I should know for maintaining my house? Any tricks for cleaning, or (relatively cheap) products that would make my life a little bit easier? Anything will be greatly appreciated.

For your time, have a picture of a Baja Beetle, taken a year or so ago.

Takuro Spirit > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:31

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Get a woman to do it all for you.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:35

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Use this shit for bathrooms and counters. Paste cleaners take getting used to, but IMHO it's head and shoulders above something like 409 and gasses you a lot less while being better for cleaning metal and tile. The crystals provide a certain amount of scrub, but won't scratch.

Brian, The Life of > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:36

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Find the biggest, toughest roomate and beat him senseless. That way nobody will ever mess with you (or eat your food).

CB > Takuro Spirit 08/21/2013 at 15:39

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If only...

Besides, the two girls who stayed at the place for the summer made it a bit of a mess.

AbigGRNboot > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:41

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Start looking for an unoccupied space. Roommates are the worst. Unless they're female.

CB > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/21/2013 at 15:41

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Looks good. Thanks!

ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:42

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Get everything at the dollar store. Same shit as the box stores for cheaper. Then you have a few dollar left over for home repairs.

Take care of your house and it will last. That is the trick to it all.

Clean the house on a schedule. But dont spend your whole life doing it. Only to die early or have your beautiful clean house burns to the ground.

Im not sure if I am in a cynical mood or not.

Dont get anything for show. If it is in your house it should have a use. If you can not longer use something sell it or throw it out if it is broken. This will reduce clutter.

Get organized. Having everything in one spot is the best feeling ever. A little effort in the short run is worth it in the end. You will think where is that thing I need? If it doesnt pop into your head the very next second...you arent organized enough. It will also increase your quality of life.

I could go on. I don't have a house I am just using my parents house as an example of what to do or not to do.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:42

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Don't let any trash touch your floor. Ever.

*My home's only rules.

boobytrapsandtreasure > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:44

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Basic Cleaners: Windex makes a really good cleaner for all surfaces. It comes in a spray bottle. For harder general cleaning like toilets and bathtubs Comet works well with a stiff nylon brush. For dishes a basic type like Dawn for use at the sink work well. If you have a dishwasher I find the Cascade gel packs work well.

Between the three of you I recommend working out a chore schedule. Every week the list should rotate to keep things fair.

Example:

Week One

JRCB: Trash Duty and Kitchen.

Roomie 2: Common bathroom and common area pick/straighten up.

Roome 3: Vacuum all common areas on Sunday and Thursday. Feed the fish daily.

You get the idea. Best of luck and smart work with school.

CB > ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR 08/21/2013 at 15:48

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Excellent advice. I'm trying to re-jig the house right now so it's a bit more organized, and will figure out a schedule once the other guys get here.

Also, about the dollar store: while I do agree, I find that yard sales are also a good place to get things like plates and cutlery on the cheap (as long as you don't care about matching sets [I don't]).

HammerheadFistpunch > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:51

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One piece of advice? Stay on top of basic cleanup, it piles up fast and its so much easier to just keep your stuff clean than it is to wonder who's mess it is and how to get them to clean it up. If you are the clean one, no one has anything to give you crap about.

ZeroOrDie - Powered By MZR > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:51

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Oh yup forgot about yard sales. My friend moved in a townhouse and furnished the whole thing by going around to yard sales in the area. He got a killer deal in a swanky area so needless to say the stuff he got yard sales was pretty nice.

Takuro Spirit > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:54

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Find better women.

desertdog5051 > CB 08/21/2013 at 15:58

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Some great advice already posted here. But I agree, clean either on a schedule or when it needs it. Do your carpet when they get a spot right away. I use some laundry soap diluted and a sponge. That way it does not become overwhelming.

HeelToe Do-See-Do > CB 08/21/2013 at 16:02

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Best pieces of advice I ever got were these two things:

1) Small things keep it from getting messy in the first place. Put your dishes in the dishwasher right after your meal, or hand wash them if you have no dishwasher. Have a designated container for dirty laundry and put stuff there. Keep the trash taken out so it doesn't overflow or overstuff the garbage can (not much sucks like ripping the garbage bag pulling it out of the can and garbage going everywhere, especially if any of it is liquid). Basically, take the extra time to clean up after yourself right away.

2) Some things you can't prevent from getting messy, so instead of waiting and cleaning it all at once break it into smaller pieces and do one thing each day. Vacuum floors on monday, dust off surfaces on Tuesday, clean bathrooms on Wednesday, etc... it keeps cleaning from being such a big job all at once, and most of these smaller jobs don't take very long. Especially divided up among three people.

Beyond that, I'd say the dollar store tip is probably the best. Cheap cleaning stuff was always good enough for me.

One last small piece of advice. When I was single most of my cooking was in the form of warming up frozen things in the oven. Someone showed me that putting aluminum foil over my baking tray kept me from having to wash it every time I cooked pizza or whatever. Saved me lots of time since I had to had wash the tray.

bourgeoisie > boobytrapsandtreasure 08/21/2013 at 16:03

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Windex is awfully heavy in ammonia (which, when it evaporates, becomes part of your environmental breathing air, which would be unfortunate in a basement apartment) for general cleaning.

You can get better (and much, much healthier) results with homemade cleaners based on vinegar or hydrogen peroxide.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > CB 08/21/2013 at 16:09

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Since you said you are figuring out cooking, get a slow cooker even if your cooking skill is open cans and dump you can make some tasty meals.

GreenN_Gold > CB 08/21/2013 at 16:21

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It's a college apartment, just trash it.

/probably bad advice
//probably what will happen...hey, it's college apartment.

Brian Tschiegg > CB 08/21/2013 at 16:24

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The biggest mistake I made when I first lived on my own was an unwillingness to spend money on products that will make my house a cleaner, nicer place to be. e.g. My roommates and I refused to buy a $10 trashcan and resorted to tying it to closet doors and such for a year. Just man up and spend a little bit of money at Ikea or Wal-mart and get yourself some domestication. It also doesn't hurt to have a girl help you do these things. If one is not available, just look at what they do and try to emulate.

As far as cooking goes: Invest in a nice set of knives (chef's, paring, filet, and maybe a santoku knife because they're badass), get a couple cutting boards and keep them separated by what you cut on them (better to cut meat on plastic rather than wood for sanitary reasons), rice cookers can really cut down on your prep time and they are worth the $10 you spend for one, and don't buy plastic utensils (spatulas, mixing spoons, etc.) because they will all melt eventually.

Also, look up recipes and just steadily add easy stuff to your repetoire. Girls (and guys) love a guy who can cook and they are often easily impressed by simple recipes.

KMarino > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 08/21/2013 at 16:53

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Slow cookers are the best! Nothing beats having a warm cooked meal when you get home.

KMarino > CB 08/21/2013 at 16:56

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Change the A/C filter often. When I helped my brother in law move out, I could see dust on the grill to the vent. Disgusting! That filter helps the A/C run better and keeps the air and house cleaner.

If you are renting the place, don't spend much of your money upgrading the place. If you want to improve something, ask the land lord to do it or if he will reduce your rent by the amount you spent.

KMarino > boobytrapsandtreasure 08/21/2013 at 17:03

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Don't mix things with ammonia and bleach.

theFamilyThalamus-akacatfart > CB 08/21/2013 at 18:27

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Clean regularly- like a pretty thorough going over weekly with light cleaning daily, or every other.

In your kitchen, start with your surfaces & just wipe crumbs into open dishwasher or onto floor. Always clean your floor last. Use a simple hand towel to dust & toss into dirty laundry when finished. Vacuum/sweep daily, if you can.

Don't mix your chemicals. In fact, don't buy specialized products. A squirt of hand soap in the toilet & brushdown works great. To disinfect, mix 1 part laundry bleach to 10 parts water in an empty spray bottle. Spray away in your bathroom & kitchen food prep areas. Wipe away after a minute. Protect your hands with gloves. Bleach full strength also helps get rid of mildew. Apply with something (rag?) to avoid splashes. Ventilate the area well when you clean with bleach.

Good old basic baking soda works great as a scouring agent. Less than a dollar a box. And if your sink runs slowly, you can dump a box of baking soda down it & pour in some basic white vinegar. Poof! Elementary school science experiment and drain cleaner in one. Follow with very, very hot water.

I have used vinegar as a window cleaner- wiping with newspaper is supposed to leave lint-free glass. The smell isn't too tolerable, though it remains safer than standard cleaning sprays.

Just remember to try to stay on top of things before they become an unbearable mess. Maybe you all should decide which tasks are most palatable individually to avoid issues. Good luck!

brotherparish > bourgeoisie 08/21/2013 at 20:43

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You can buy Windex formulations made without ammonia. I find them everywhere regular Windex is sold.

The Stampi > CB 08/21/2013 at 22:32

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1) Get a crock pot/slow cooker and start looking for recipes online. You will be blown away by how much you can accomplish with a crock pot. It's easy cleanup and practically no work.

2) Make sure that you and your roommates are on the same page about pretty much everything. A/C temp, general cleaning, what visitors are and are not allowed to do inside, how groceries are handled, etc. It may sound dumb, but living with roommates (even if they are friends you've known your whole life) can be surprisingly taxing on your sanity. If someone does something jacked up, talk about it. Don't let it slide just because you think it might cause a fight. When everyone just ignores problems like that, they can end up getting blown way out of proportion.

3) The A/C filter. Stay on top of changing it.

4) When you set up the beer pong table for the night, toss some towels under the table so they are handy when (not if) someone knocks over the rack blocking a bounce shot.

a cat named scruffy- live from Caldor > CB 08/22/2013 at 01:15

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Post the utility bills and how much per person and the due date on the fridge so there will be no excuses for not having the money on time. Also one person should be in charge of paying all of the bills and collecting everyones money. You should know which of you is the most responsible, if not you'll quickly find out.

There's always one person who doesn't believe in paying bills on time and you'll screw around and come one day and have no heat and find out that Tom didn't pay the bill and instead used the money to take a trip or buy an XBOX instead.