Apartment Living
Healthy Apartment Living
Moving into your first apartment can be an exciting, but challenging experience! Below you will find some tips to help you make a successful transition from dorm room to apartment.
Cooking
- Helpful items to bring include: pots, pans, utensils, baking sheets, dish rack, ice trays
- Talk with roommates about food sharing and who will buy what
- Designate a space in the kitchen/fridge for each person
- Keep fresh/fruit/veggies in the refrigerator
- Don’t turn your refrigerator on too high or you food will freeze
- You can boil/heat water in the microwave, but be careful it doesn’t boil over
- Only set the microwave for the least amount of time you want to cook food to avoid buring
- Be sure to run fan/smoke head when cooking to avoid sounding the alarms
- Be Green! Avoid paper plates, plastic flatware and paper towels with real dishes, silverware and cloth dish towels.
- Use "to-go" containers to store leftovers and pack snacks and/or lunches for those long days on campus
- Always remember to check that coffee pots and oven are turned off before you leave
- Schedule weekly dinners to bring roommates together and share favorite foods
Cleaning
- Get proper cleaning supplies for kitchen as well as pots and pans
- Know what items/materials are recyclable and use the proper bins in your apartment and on the hall
- Set a cleaning schedule for each roommates for the bathrooms, kitchen, vacuuming, ect.
- Don’t let dishes pile up
- Clean surface of the stove and oven after spills or it will burn and smoke and set off alarm
- Don’t leave crumbs or trash around or the ants and rats will come
- Clean shower at least once a month to avoid build-up and mold
- Microwaving a dish sponge in a bowl of hot water will kill germs and make it safe to use
- Recycle plastic bags as trash bags
- You should be cleaning the whole apartment at least once a month
- A cordless/rechargeable vacuum can be very handy or your RA has a vacuum to borrow
General Apartment
- Bring or go buy a fan and/or heater for warmer/colder nights. A box fan fits perfectly in the window
- Take out trash to dumpsters as often as you can/once a day
- Bring a mattress pad/cushion
- Keep doors open when you home to get to know neighbors (and borrow when needed)
- For a cooler apartment, leave windows open during the night and leave the door open when home for cross ventilation
- Unplug appliances when they are not in use or when you leave town
-Trash bags and toilet paper are provided at the Palomar Desk
- Invest in a small took kit
- You will need a co-axiel cable for cable TV
- Bath mats are handy
- Call maintenance if you want the beds bunked or lofted
- Use coasters!
- A shoe rack can save a lot of closet space
- Call in any room problems to your RA or maintenance at x4250
Where to Shop
-Trader Joe’s for organic/premium food
- Whole foods for even better organic food
-Try to buy non-perishable foods
- Ralphs for general groceries
- Food for Less for cheaper versions
- Henry’s for healthy marker groceries
- Costco is great for bulk items and to share with your neighbors
- The OB Market and Hillcrest market are great places for fresh and local foods
- Buy a water filter or large jugs of water because the tap water can be unpleasant
Upcoming Events
No postings for 2009.