Winter is coming! If you’re new to Rexburg, you can expect the snow to start falling in late October or early November. As a local, I can’t recall a time I wasn’t celebrating Thanksgiving with a bit of snow on the ground. With the cold, there also comes holidays, and with holidays comes trips. When you’re paying for your gas bill for the majority of the year, it is very tempting to turn off your heat for the few days you’re out of town to save a few dollars. Let’s look at why this is a bad idea:
Each apartment in Mesa Falls has a fire prevention system. The sprinklers in your ceiling have an intricate pipe system behind them. Your smoke alarm goes off whenever it detects smoke, and your sprinkler system goes off whenever there is an actual fire. There is 80 gallons of water per minute that comes out of each sprinkler. If those pipes freeze, they will burst causing the sprinklers to go off. Your apartment would flood, and if you’re in a second or third floor apartment, an entire waterfall would appear right on your balcony, and you would be coming home to thousands of dollars in damages.
What can we do to avoid flooding our apartment?
In the winter, the only thing keeping your pipes from freezing is the heating system. Keeping your thermostat above 65 degrees Fahrenheit will keep the pipes warm enough to avoid freezing. Of course, when it is -10 degrees outside, you’re not likely to keep your apartment any colder than 70, so if you do make plans to leave for a few days during the winter, make sure to set your thermostat at 65 or higher. Paying a few dollars to the gas company is a small fee compared to paying for the flooding damages.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the office at (208)359-0000. We are here to help you!
Mesa Falls has a great maintenance staff. With seven maintenance technicians and plenty of experience, they can fix just about anything. It amazes me every day that they are able to keep up with all of the maintenance requests from 408 apartments! A lot of the problems they fix are very avoidable. One of them being washing machines. Let’s look at a couple of do’s and don’ts to keep your washing machine in good shape.
Don’t: Overload
One thing many people do is over estimate how much their little washing machines can hold. These machines are doing their best, but we often give them too much to clean at once. There are a couple of problems caused from overloading your machine. Some of them are easily fixed and some of them completely damage your machine.
Your machine will become unbalanced and make a lot of noise during each cycle.
The drum will be damaged and decrease the efficiency of your washer.
There isn’t enough space for your clothes to move as they should to soak and clean.
This can cause you to wash your clothes a second time, which raises your gas and power bills. Running the load twice is a good indicator that it’s too big.
In short, don’t overload your washing machine. There are so many ways to avoid some serious damage to these great machines. Washers are supposed to last for many years as long as you treat them right, so do your part to help them last.
Do: Separate Your Laundry
If there is one thing I really dislike about laundry, it’s having to sit in a pile of dirty clothes and separate the lights, darks, and bulky items. To solve that, I got a laundry bin that has separate bags so I can toss it in the right bag and already have it separated. It sure makes doing laundry a whole lot easier.
Separate your laundry to keep your loads smaller and your clothes nicer. Have you ever noticed that your favorite t-shirt or blouse doesn't last as long as your heavy duty work jeans? That’s probably because you’re washing them together. It’s like continuously rubbing chalk on the sidewalk. Of course the chalk is not going to last very long. We all wear clothes, so it’s important to know at least a little bit about fabrics.
I’ll give you a quick crash course on fabrics: A few heavy fabrics would be jeans, towels, and hoodies. Anything that is thick would be considered a heavy fabric. A few light fabrics would be polyester, blouses, t-shirts, and tank tops. Anything that is thin is considered a light fabric. All of your whites are on a different plane of consideration. It’s very important to wash your whites together and not with any other color. This will help keep the vibrancy of the white and keep any possibility of colors bleeding and ruining your clothes.
The best way to separate your clothes is by color. For starters, always separate your jeans from the rest of your laundry. Anything with a jean fabric should be washed together to avoid damaging other clothes. In order to separate by colors, you should have 3 different loads (besides your jeans): whites, lights, and darks. Each of these loads should be washed at different temperatures. Your darks and jeans should be washed in cold water. All lightly colored clothes ought to be washed in warm water. To keep your whites the brightest, they need to be washed in hot water. By separating your laundry by fabric and color, your clothes will last much longer.
DO: More TLC
In order to keep your washing machine in good condition, it needs a little tender love and care. Now that we have covered using smaller loads, let's talk about keeping your machine clean. It’s odd to think that you have to clean something that cleans something. It’s very similar to your shower. You get washed, but the shower gets dirty and needs its own cleaning.
Your first step in keeping your washing machine clean is keeping the lid open in between cycles. This allows the humidity in the machine to disperse and air out. Do this to avoid any musty scents and odor build up. Occasionally, you will open the lid right after a load finishes and find that the clothes have a scent you did not add with the soap. This happens because some suds from the soap dry on the sidewalls. When the water fills the machine, the old soap will get on your clothes. You simply need to clean the machine with a cleaning solution from the store. If you would rather go the DIY route, you can mix ¾ cup of bleach with 1 TBSP of powder detergent and run the washer while it’s empty. Make sure to use the least amount of water in the load since it is empty. It’s best to clean the machine at least once a month.
Don’t: High Water Levels
A common mistake is using too much water in your loads. This is a big one you want to avoid as it can cause a flood in your apartment, and you certainly don’t want that! There are options for load size on your machine and this determines how much water will be used to soak the clothes. If you were to put your washer on a “Super Load” when there is a small load, the clothes wouldn’t be able to soak up enough water and the machine would shake the excess water onto your floor. Make sure to keep your water levels appropriate to your load sizes.
In the End
In the end, keeping your washers in good condition is really important and quite simple. If you have other tips on keeping your washers clean or separating your clothes, email them to us at [email protected] and we can add it in our next Maintenance blog!
When it comes to living in an apartment, you have to make due with the space you have. I have always found I have more items to put in my bathroom than space to utilize. However, when things are organized, there always seems to be more space. Here are a few tips to keep your bathroom organized to maximize your space!
#1. Everything has a spot.
The first rule of organization is that everything has a spot. You pick it up from its spot and replace it to its spot. This rule is the enemy of clutter, and it ends the worry of not having somewhere for it to go!
#2. Shower
Your shower can change the entire feel of your bathroom when the curtain is left open. If your shower is cluttered and dirty, the rest of the room feels cluttered and dirty. However, if it's organized and clean, the rest of the room matches. Using the edges of the shower is the most convenient way to keep your items close. Nevertheless, it doesn't look too nice and can cause a hurdle when stepping into or out of the shower. Plus, it's so easy to knock things over. Instead, add some extra storage to your shower with either a shower caddy or some shelving with suction cups . Place everything on your shelves from tallest in the back to shortest in the front for easier accessibility.
#3. Extra Shelving
When you don't have enough space in any room, often our immediate thought is "It's too small and I need something bigger." In reality, we just need more storage space. That is very easily done by adding some extra shelving. An easy way to add extra shelving in your bathroom is to get over-the-toilet storage. Use baskets to keep the space organized and looking neat. Use this area for things like toilet paper, extra towels, or hair tools.
#4. Keep your bathroom items at a minimum.
Believe it or not, there are quite a few "bathroom items" that shouldn't be kept in your bathroom. Due to the humidity, lack of ventilation, and light, the following items could dry out, age quicker, or the chemical composition could change: makeup, perfume & cologne, facial moisturizers, creams, serums, sunscreen, medicines, and cleaning supplies. Keep these items in a cool, dry, dark place like a pantry or closet. Use a small tote to keep necessary things portable and organized.
#5. Vanity
Your vanity is one of the first things you see when entering your bathroom, so of course you don't want it to be cluttered. How can we keep that from happening?
#5a. Counter
Let's start from the top. Keep only the essentials on your vanity: hand soap, hand lotion, hand towel. If you have other items you prefer to keep on your counter, that's totally fine! Just give yourself a maximum of 5-6 small items, and remember to give them all a spot on the vanity. It often helps to buy a vanity set that comes with jars for each item. Fill the jars and place them neatly. If you don't want to buy a vanity set, consider finding matching containers around your house and use those instead.
#5b. Drawers
Drawers can get cluttered so quickly! What can we do about it? Get some drawer separators . They are a great way to designate spaces. If you don't want to pay for something that's hidden away, you could use cardboard from moving boxes or cereal boxes. Keep them looking nice by painting them or covering them in washi tape.
#5c. Under the sink
There is so much space under the sink, but once you start adding things, the space seems to dissipate. Consider buying plastic drawers or some baskets to designate and stack the space.
#6. Style
Keep your bathroom looking modern by having a theme to your bathroom. Whether it's beach , forest , superhero , or even a color scheme, coordinating the room honestly makes everything look more put together. If you keep things on your vanity counter, consider using matching containers.
Just remember: extra shelving saves lives, organize with separators and baskets, and give everything a spot! Live by that rule and once something is organized, it will stay that way. Make sure to communicate your organization with any roommates you have. This way, you can all help each other to keep an uncluttered space.
If you use any of these tips, send us a picture or video on Facebook or Instagram! We love to see our residents' hard work!
Wintertime in Rexburg is by far the most magical. You can count on snow and Hemming Village is covered in beautiful, twinkling lights. The snow can make it difficult to travel to see those lights. That’s why we have come up with a few ways to fill your apartment home with holiday magic.
Apartment living in Rexburg, Idaho is a wonderful experience. Here is a list of some of the most prevalent holiday decorations and how to set them up in your Mesa Falls apartment home.
Lights
Lights are essential. A single string of lights can transform your apartment. Not only can they be placed around a tree but they can also accent your other holiday decorations. Place Light behind your stockings or tucked inside your wreath.
Another place to place lights is around your windows. The Mesa Falls apartments have large windows in every bedroom. Placing lights around your windows will spread holiday cheer to your Rexburg neighbors because they will be able to see the lights from your window.
Stockings
In the Luxury Falls apartment , it’s easy to decide where to set up the stockings. There is a beautiful fireplace located in the spacious living room of the apartment.
For other floorplans, there is an extension of the countertop in the kitchen. Every floor plan at Mesa Falls has this feature and it is an excellent way to add a splash of holiday to your apartment home.
Tree
Here is the Great Falls floor plan . It is our 2-bedroom by 1-bathroom unit. Here are a few locations to place your tree. Having the tree in the kitchen is a good idea especially if you have a real tree. Real trees smell amazing but the needles fall constantly. Having the tree in the kitchen is a great way to easily clean up those needles.
Another great place is the living room. The living room in the Great Falls floor plan is spacious for an apartment home. It is also right next to the beautiful patio door. Having the tree near the patio window will allow the magical lights to be enjoyed by all of your neighbors.
How to Make This Winter The Best One Yet!
Winter is one of the BEST seasons here in Idaho! If you are an avid snowboarder or avid snowman builder, you are most likely all ready for this winter! However, it is no secret that when the day shortens and the snow blows in, people may experience a dash of winter blues every so often. As some of us may have experienced, we may feel different than we do in Summer when the sun is out until 10 pm! All of a sudden we go from being outside all the time to staying indoors. Fortunately, there are ways for us to combat these winter blues and make the winter as much fun as the summer!
Here are a few tips that can make this winter the best one yet!
Get outside at least ONCE a day.
This can be hard when its winter. Its cold, icy and we want to be snuggled under our blankets, but it is extremely important to get outside every day! If you make an effort to go outside you will notice that your mood may improve, you will get a daily dose of vitamin D, and may even boost your metabolism.
Make Plans With Friends!
Making plans can help you get out of the house! You can find plenty of activities that are inside away from the snow, OR you can even find some fun outdoor activities to do as well. If you haven't tried snowshoeing you will have to try it! There are so many trails around the Mesa Falls Waterfall to snowshoe.
Stay Hydrated.
Just because you are not sweating doesn't mean you don't need to drink water. Its extremely important to pay attention to how much water you're drinking. As it becomes colder, we don't pay a whole lot of attention to drinking a ton of water which actually makes it more likely for us to become dehydrated. Remember to drink your water!
Find a Winter Hobby
Find a Winter Hobby! Winter hobbies do not have to be outside hobbies, they can also be inside hobbies! Hobbies are so important to help you feel happier, build confidence and reduce stress! They are especially great in winter when you are feeling a little sluggish.
Maintain your Physical Health
Maintaining your physical health is extremely important. This not only helps you feel happier and elevates your mood. This can also help you find a hobby and relieve stress. At Mesa Falls, this is extremely easy to do. We have an inside full sized basketball court that is free for residents to use, as well as a gym ! Come use our court and gym this winter to help maintain physical health!
Fall is finally here which means pumpkin picking, cooler weather, HAUNTED HOUSES, corn mazes and PRETTY COLORED leaves falling everywhere. Whether you are new to Eastern Idaho or have been around for awhile you're definitely in for a Spooktacular Fall season! The Rexburg area is full of haunted attractions, pumpkin patches, fall festivals and so much more! Here are a few activities to seek out during this fall season!
1. The Haunted Straw Maze
The straw maze is an entertaining attraction for adults, teenagers, and children! This attraction offers a fun straw maze to stroll through and enjoy during the day. This maze also caters to those who love jump scares, they offer the haunted version of this maze on Friday and Saturday nights!
2. Family Fall Festival in Hibbard
This is perfect for families and there is so much to see! This festival offers hay rides, a fairy tale forest, a pumpkin patch, and lots of vendors! This is a family friendly event that everyone will love! They are open from October 5th until the 31st with a small entrance fee.
3. The Haunted Mill
The haunted mill is a haunted attraction filled with spooks and scares! This is an old flour mill that can be toured during Halloween time. It is filled with all sorts of monsters and Halloween décor to keep the tourists on their toes throughout their night spent there! This is a hot spot for date night or to just simply enjoy Halloween festivities with friends!
4. RC Pumpkin Patch
This little pumpkin patch is a fun place to go pumpkin picking with friends and family. They are just north of Rexburg and offer various sizes of pumpkins. They sometimes have barn cats wandering around the property, so you might be lucky to see one if you visit this farm! They also have a small train that kids can ride around the pumpkin farm on.
