Get Outside No Matter Where You Are

Do you want to get outside, but you are not sure where to do it? There are many ways to explore the outdoors even if you live in a city. Apartment Therapy has your list of ways to become "outdoorsy" no matter where you live.



1. Camping at home
Got a backyard? Then you've got the perfect bear-free zone in close bathroom distance for creating a fun camping spot for yourself or the whole family. Pitch a tent, drag your favorite blankets and mattresses outside, build a fire in a fire pit and enjoy a night of staring up at the stars (until you get tired of being outside and can slip back inside to sleep).


2. Forest bathing
In Japan, they have Shinrin-yoku, which translates to forest bathing. It basically means walking through a forest and immersing yourself in the aromatic smells of nature, even for a short time. If you happen to live near a forest, bathe away! But if not, find your own little spot of nature you can cell phone-free walk through, paying close attention to smells and textures. It could be a local park, a botanical garden or even your own backyard if you've planted lots of lovely flowers and other smell-good things in it.

3. Urban hiking
Grab a friend, pack a light bag, pick a within-walking-distance destination and do what I like to call urban hiking — a longer-than-usual jaunt through and past the same streets you drive past every day, going slower and pausing to take in sights, smells new scents and notice things around you. If you live in a hot environment, don't do this in the heat of day (in fact, don't do any of these activities at noon if you live in a hot zone). And though figuring out the best path to get to where you're going is part of the fun, remember that not every city in the world is super walker-friendly; be extra vigilant crossing streets and don't listen to music, rather paying attention to the sounds around you. And take these things with you.

4. Meetup for an outdoorsy thing at your own pace
We mentioned the website Meetup in the last exploring post (we swear they're not paying us!) but they are a great way to explore more of the outdoors in a way that you might find enjoyable, whether that's going kayaking with new friends or going on an outdoor photography excursion. Find the thing that makes you excited to be outside and do that.

5. Find a foraging class
Are you a foodie that prefers being in a kitchen than in the wilderness? Find a foraging class where you live or in a nearby bigger city. It's amazing the free plants to eat there are out there for the taking, and it'll make you view your surroundings in a whole new way.

6. Birding and bugging
You can find a bit of nature just outside your door, even if you live in a big urban city! Buy or borrow a bug or bird book, grab a magnifying glass or binoculars and marvel at the flora and fauna that exists even among the sidewalks and concrete. Just don't pick up anything you don't recognize and don't disturb any snoozing creatures!

The Best Natural Cleaner For You

What natural cleaner do you have in your home? Apartment Therapy has some great natural cleaners that are budget friendly. The list below includes various cleaning items for areas in your home. There are even cleaning items that are good for your home and for yourself. Keep reading to learn more!

A cheap, effective cleaner that renders my bathroom unusable due to the danger of asphyxiating on dangerous chemical vapors or an effective, natural cleaner that costs so much that I have to downsize or take on roommates to afford it simply will not cut it. Fortunately there are other options! Here's a list of great, inexpensive cleaners that I use in my own home.

1. This Homemade Citrus Cleaner is amazing! It's a bit of an investment in time, but as it's made from discarded citrus peels and plain white vinegar it costs less than a dollar for the whole batch.

2. Barkeeper's Friend is only $2.00 a canister and has a dozen uses. It's the only thing that gets the stains off the bottoms of my le Creuset, so I'm definitely a big fan.

3. Bleach, another multi-tasker. Great for whitening laundry, removing stains, and sanitizing kids' and dogs' toys (diluted of course). I prefer the chlorine-free biodegradable Seventh Generation Bleach, it's only $4.49 a gallon and lasts forever!

4. CitraSolv Degreaser is essentially a highly concentrated version of our Homemade Citrus Cleaner, which makes it perfect for cleaning heavy grease stains on driveways and in garages, as well as removing permanent marker and oil based paint from spots where they don't belong. For someone without children it is surprising how often I need to clean up paint/marker/crayon from walls and furniture, I get a little enthusiastic with my projects!

5. Earthstone Kitchen Scrub Stones are like pumice stones for your oven. They're $3.95 for two stones, which will last through many cleanings of your oven, range, broiler, and even your Pyrex.

6. Now, you'll have to hear me out on this one. At about $18 a bottle, Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap doesn't appear to be cheap, but the 32-ounce bottle goes a long way and can essentially clean anything in your home, including your very own body. Really, you can use it to wash the dishes, mop the floor, do the laundry, cleanse produce, and yes, wash your hair and shave your legs too. Plus it comes in eight great scents, including my favorite, unscented (I know, I'm pretty wild!).

7. Good old-fashioned 20 Mule Team Borax is cheap (under $4.00 a box), and performs one of my favorite tasks, cleaning the machines that are supposed to be doing the cleaning. It kills mold and gets rid of mildew smells that might lurk in the washing machine and freshens a less than fresh smelling dishwasher, plus in its more traditional function as a laundry aid it softens water and adds to the effectiveness of detergent.

8. Up & Up Floor Sweeper Cloths are meant to be a replacement for a Target brand floor sweeper, but I tend to simply use them on their own to dust surfaces and occasionally to "foot mop" the floor. They're $3.59 for 16 cloths and perfect for times when you suddenly need to tidy up because someone is going to stop by. I also like to slip one in my suitcase when I travel so I can dust off my shoes during my trip, it's amazing how dingy a pair of black shoes can look when you've been wearing them several days straight!

9. Microfiber Towels ($9.88 for 18) are great for cleaning and polishing smooth surfaces. They're particularly good at achieving a streak-free finish on shiny surfaces like the glass front of your microwave or oven. Plus, they're reusable, which is good for your wallet and your conscience.

10. Magic Erasers are a guilty little secret of mine. I've been fascinated by them for years, ever since a college chemistry professor explained how the open-cell foam pads are created, it's cleaning and it's science! I hate that they're disposable, but I absolutely love how effectively they clean difficult stains without added cleaning agents. They're only $2.69 for a box of two, which is great as I only tend to use about one a year for cleaning scuff marks on the walls and floors!

Budget Furnishing Tips

You are out of school for the summer time to have some fun. This means that it is time for an old past time. Yard sales will be popping up throughout your town, and we have found some great purchases that can save you money in the future. Grab your friends and head to the yard sale to save your household money this summer. Apartment Therapy has some great ideas for your summer vacation.

1. Rugs. Rugs are notoriously difficult to sell secondhand, which is why you will see plenty of them around at yard sale time. Head out for a few Saturdays, you are bound to find a new rug for the kids' room for under $30. I found one recently, a 5x7 foot 100% wool rug for $5! It had been passed over by others because one small corner was a little frayed - a problem easily solved by tucking it under a crib.

2. Furniture: Do you need to furnish your apartment? Yard Sales are the perfect opportunity to find a cheap piece of furniture for your new home. 

3. Old Music: Have you always wanted an old record player or old music from your childhood you forgot about? This is the perfect place to find that old music for a decent price.

4. Entertainment: Yard Sales can be a great source of entertainment and a fun afternoon with friends. You never know what treasures you are going to find!