Blog Posts

Dos and Donts of Cleaning Stainless Steel

Your stainless steel appliances give your home a sleek and polished appearance, especially when theyre sparkling clean! However, smudges and fingerprints often accumulate quickly, taking away some of the sophistication you expect from this beautiful finish. There are plenty of people with all sorts of solutions for your stainless steel sadness, but weve noticed that quite a few of these miracle cleaners dont quite do what they say they will. We have for you what NOT to do when cleaning your appliances, and a few tips on what is safe. DONT 1. Do NOT use anything abrasive, such as steel wool or scrubber sponges. These may scratch the finish. 2. Never rub the steel in a circular motion or against the grain. Always clean stainless steel with the grain. 3. Never use chlorine bleach on stainless steel. It ruins the finish and can corrode the steel. 4. Do not allow residue (cleaning products or otherwise) to sit on the surface of your appliances. Grime, dirt, and cleaning products should be removed as soon as possible. 5. Do not use furniture polish. Any drips on the fridge will be seen and the appliance will have to be coated with the polish again. 6. Avoid baby oil. While it may create a sleek shine, is also susceptible to drips from other liquids. 7. Think twice before using olive oil. It may give your appliances a temporary shine, but it can quickly turn to a greasy residue with just as many fingerprints as before. DO 1. Buy a microfiber cloth. It is gentle enough to avoid ruining the finish, but will also effectively banish streaks and smudges! 2. Use cleaning vinegar. Common vinegar works as well, but takes more elbow grease to remove stains. Cleaning vinegar can be found in many major stores and wont damage your stainless steel. 3. Buy a trusted brand of stainless steel cleaner. There are several brands of cleaning products made specifically for stainless steel, and often its best to go with the professionals! We think this list is pretty comprehensive, but would you add anything else?

Games Games Games

Its great to have a clubhouse on site, but how often do you actually use it? The clubhouse is a great place to get together with friends, family, and neighbors. So unplug the electronic devices and sit down to an old favorite like Scrabble, Monopoly, or Clue, or perhaps try one you havent played before. Heres rundown of some games to try: Bang! BANG! is a spaghetti western card game where the Outlaws hunt the Sheriff. The Sheriff hunts the Outlaws. The Renegades may take one side or the other. Bullets fly, and the Sheriff hopes his Deputy doesnt accidentally shoot him! Each player randomly receives a character card and role to play (which is a secret, except for the Sheriff), and the role determines what will constitute victory. Its kind of like Paper, Rock, Scissors: Sheriff - Kill all Outlaws and the Renegade Deputy - Protect the Sheriff and kill any Outlaws Outlaw - Kill the Sheriff Renegade - Be the last man standing The deluxe version of the games comes complete with a Sheriffs badge (provide your own cowboy hat please) and the number of players can vary from a minimum of four to nine or ten. Add on extensions are available to provide more variations. Youll get a Bang! out of this game. Next up, Dominion : With an 84% Five-star rating on Amazon, Dominion is clearly a popular deck building game. And, a bonus, it is easy to learn. Deceptively simple,it also allows for endless variation. The marketing gurus describe the game like this: You are a monarch. . . a ruler of a small pleasant kingdom of rivers and evergreens. . . . You want a bigger and more pleasant kingdom, with more rivers and a wider variety of trees. You want a Dominion. In all directions lie fiefs, freeholds, and feodums. All are small bits of land, controlled by petty lords and verging on anarchy. You will bring civilization to these people, uniting them under your banner. But . . . several other monarchs have had the exact same idea. You must race to get as much of the unclaimed land as possible, fending them off along the way. An evening of playing Dominion may be just the ticket. Which brings us to this favorite: Ticket to Ride Ticket to Ride is a delightful cross-country journey in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim various railway routes connecting cities. The longer the routes created become, the more points they are worth. Claiming points leads to the win. Points are given for claiming a Route between two cities, successfully completing a Continuous Path of routes listed on your Destination Ticket, and by completing the Longest Continuous Path. Originally the game covered the USA, but now you can play maps of Europe, Mlin (Germany), and the Nordic Countries, with additional types of expansions are also available. So whether you play a tried-and-true favorite or a new game, call the front office or login today and reserve the clubhouse for a game night soon.

Get in Some Golf Near Your Parkland Apartment

Do you love to golf? If so, youll be pleased to know that the site of the 2015 U.S. Open Championship is just a twenty minute drive away from your Parkland Apartments! Play a round of golf at Chambers Bay before the champions do. The U.S. Open has accommodated the biggest names in golf such as Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, and Phil Mickelson. Chambers is opened year-round with day, annual, and off-season passes available to the public. Golf is a sport that requires a great deal of focus and technique, which is why the golf course is just as important as anything else. It should be designed in a way to optimize the feeling of serenity and professionalism. Chambers Bays architect, Robert Trent Jones II, has dedicated four decades of his life crafting the worlds top golf courses. Chambers Bay was designed to be played on by golfers of all skill levels, from beginners to the pros. Built adjacent to Puget Sound, the views are phenomenal and the soft breeze that comes is sure be in your favor. They offer one-on-one or group lessons by top PGA instructors. For those of you whose only interaction with golf has been mini-golf, Chambers Bay provides an expansive driving range and programs that can teach you the basic fundamentals of golf in just a few, short lessons. After these classes youll be playing confidently alongside your friends, family, and coworkers. They also have junior programs for those who would like to pursue competitive golf in the collegiate level; these lessons are not limited to learning new techniques but to learn proper nutrition and get tips on college recruiting. Chambers also hosts a number of championships and banquets for your entertainment; these are open to anyone for an entry fee. The open, lush courses with romantic views are also an ideal place for weddings and reception. Whatever the reason, head out to Chambers Bay and experience a world-class course not far from your apartment in Parkland, WA.

If Cars Could Talk Series at the LeMay Museum

Were slowly moving into an era where cars are so common we have lost appreciation of the path that brought us where we are today. If you are intrigued by all things automobile related, be sure to check out the Lemay Museums If Cars Could Talk: Adult Brown Bag Lunch Series . A rotating schedule of local and guest curators choose pieces from the museums display to highlight, and provide insight into the story behind them. The lecture series, held on the first Tuesday of every month, is an incredible opportunity to expand your knowledge in a fun an interesting way. For those unfamiliar with the museum, in 1946, Harold E. LeMay began a collection of vehicles that would become a hobby carried out through his entire life. In the 1990s it was named the largest privately owned collection in the world, according to Guinness Book of World Records. Now his legendary collection is available for the public to see at the LeMay- Americas Car Museum which is only ten minutes away from our apartments in Tacoma, WA! The vision of the museum is to preserve Americas love for the automobile. Every exhibit tells a story of a point in American history that influenced the way cars were built; whenever there was a shift of interest in the people, there was also a shift in vehicles. For example after WWII, there was a British influence in America which introduced the most iconic cars such as the Jaguar and Lotus. The museum attracts various types of people; car enthusiasts, educational leaders, and visitors of all ages. Get out there and explore your community today!

Indoor Gardening at Your Tacoma Apartment

There are many great aspects of life at Nantucket Gate apartments for rent in Tacoma. From the incredibly outfitted interiors, to the beautiful surrounding areas; Nantucket Gate has just about everything you could want in an apartment home. The one thing you cant do here, however, is enjoy the process of maintaining a vegetable garden or can you? Many people are surprised to learn that I have a vibrant herb and vegetable garden while living in an apartment. They often assume that a home garden would be next to impossible to pull off because of the lack of yard space. While this is a valid concern, it is still possible to grow a wide variety of herbs and vegetables; all without requiring a large plot of land. You would be surprised to learn all the different foods people grow in their apartment gardens . You can plant all the usual suspects like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, but you can also grow a number of things you might not expect. Carrots and radishes, as well as some types of potatoes can be grown in low-soil environments. And, if you prefer cooking with fresh herbs, you are in for a treat; culinary classics like cilantro, rosemary, basil and oregano, to name a few, all do very well in indoor gardens. So youve decided to start a garden, but where do you put it? The deck is an obvious place, if you have one. This allows the plant more access to natural light and fresh air. Not to mention, there is less concern of spilling a little soil or water out there than inside the home. If you dont have a deck in your Tacoma, WA apartment, you can set up your garden on a sill or table near a window. Youll want the garden to be in a place that allows the maximum amount of sunlight. If this is not an option, you can always get a relatively inexpensive light system to help your plants grow. They say it isnt possible, but you really can get the best of both worlds here at Nantucket Gate. Enjoy all the fun parts of having a garden without having to worry about all the undesirable aspects of yard maintenance. Then, when your garden is ready for harvest, you can enjoy the feeling of independence provided by growing your own food.

Getting To Know Your Neighborhood - Mount Rainier

Welcome to your new Tacoma, WA apartment! Our fine city, and Pierce County as a whole, is a beautiful and unique part of our states culture and heritage. Its highest natural point, in the county and state, is Mount Rainer stretching to 14,410 feet high. Mount Rainier provide a beautiful backdrop for the scenic Puyallup valley, But its not any ordinary mountain. Rainier is actual a kind of volcano known as a Stratovolcano. A stratovolcano is developed by the hardening of multiple layers (or strata) of lave, pumice, tephra, and volcanic ash. In comparison to other volcanos, stratovolcanoes exhibit a more steep sloping profile. Other stratovolcanoes around the world are Mount Vesuvius near Naples Italy, Mount Fuji in Japan, and Tavurvur near Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. In addition to its potential volcanic activity, Mount Rainier is covered with glaciers providing it with its most prominent and evident geologic feature. The gravitational pull creates hydro-runoff as the glacier caps melt during warmer temperatures. This runoff creates numerous waterways provides a rich source of nutrients provide life up and down the mountainside. Mount Rainer is a big destination for climbing and other recreational activities and is home to the largest glacial traverse in the lower continental 48. Roughly between 8,000 and 13,000 hikers attempt to summit peak each year. Residents of Nantucket Gate apartments in Tacoma, WA have quick and convenient access to all the outdoor recreation that Mount Rainer has to offer. Mount Rainer caters to lifestyles of all sorts including hiking, photography, camping, traversing glaciers, snow shoeing, and many other winter sports. Take the time to enjoy your own backyard and visit the beautiful landscape that makes Tacoma the place to call home. There are also numerous city and county activities to provide you the availability to keep yourself active in your community and countryside. Again, welcome to Tacoma and began to explore the wonderful possibilities of calling Pierce County your home.