Many people are either renting their apartment or home nowadays, meaning they might not necessarily own they space they live in.

This can sometimes make it feel like their rental isn’t exactly their forever home, and therefore it can be hard to make it feel comfortable and homey.

But just because you aren’t going to be there forever doesn’t mean you can’t add your own personal touch to where you live and really make it feel like your home while you are there.

Here are the top five ways to make a rental feel like you own the place and leave your mark, without actually leaving any trace at all (because we all want our deposits back at the end of our stay!)

1. Put things on the wall

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It might seem like a hassle to put anything up on the walls in the home or apartment you are renting and just one more thing you have to take down when you move, but putting up art or pictures of you and your family is a great way to make it feel like home.

You can get creative and put up a gallery wall or classic by putting up a couple of beautiful paintings in all the rooms.

But it will pleasantly surprise you the difference between a blank wall and a wall with something on it.

2. Add shelves

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Shelves are a great way to customize a space and make it looked lived-in in a good way in your rental home.

You can customize it even more by re-arranging what you have on the shelf with cute knick-knacks and some more nice pictures or paintings.

Shelves also make for great extra storage, especially if your rental apartment or home lacks for storage space.

Just make sure you ask your rental manager to make sure you can put holes into the wall or if your shelving units need to be unattached.

3. Add some light

Whether it’s a light fixture or some nice looking lamps, adding light to any of the rooms in your living space not only brightens it but adding light adds warmth and comfort as well.

The nice thing is that if you replace any of the light fixtures while you are living there you can keep the originals and just replace them when you need to move out.

4. Add some life

Things like plants and flowers are a great way to make space more personal and homey, plus fresh flowers can make it smell great as well.

If you want to save some money and are worried you don’t have enough of a green thumb, you can also have the look of plants and flowers but without the responsibility by buying fake ones.

5. Create interest with rugs

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Rugs are a great way to cover some not-so-nice-looking floors as well as make a rental home or apartment more inviting.

You can find some beautiful rugs that can become a focal point for each of your rooms.

The great thing as well is when you decide to move you can just roll them up and take them to your next place.

The post Top 5 Ways to Make a Rental Feel like Your Forever Home appeared first on InstantELLA.

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There’s a downside to this though – the rug pad will leave marks on your floors. Many floor installation companies know how to deal with this problem, and thanks to the tips listed below, now you do as well.

Use a Solution Like WD-40

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WD-40 is a lubricant, and is probably the last thing that you’d reach for when you have sticky rug pad residue on your concrete floor. However, it’s actually one of the best things to use. All that you need to do is spray the WD-40 onto the residue and then let it sit for a few minutes.

Run a microfiber towel over the mess to pick up as much of it as you can, and then repeat as needed. In most cases, you won’t have to do this more than two or three times.

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Be careful to not let the WD-40 sit on the floor for more than a few minutes at a time, since it will seep into the concrete and stain it. If this happens, pour a little laundry detergent over the stain and cover it with sawdust or cat litter. (Yes, this is similar to what you do in order to remove oil and stains from your driveway.)

If you don’t have any WD-40 on hand, you can use any lubricant, or even things like Goo Gone or any other adhesive remover.

Use a Paint Scraper

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Depending on the type of floor that you have, you can also use a paint scraper to remove the rug pad residue. Don’t use this on tile or wood floors, as it can scratch them, but if you do decide to be brave and test this method, be very careful.

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(Most floor installation companies will simply tell you not to use this method at all.)This method works best in conjunction with the WD-40 and lubricant, since it can help with the stubborn bits of residue.

Mix Up a Vinegar Solution

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If you have vinyl or tile flooring, then you’ll need to mix up a concoction that consists of ¼ cup of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish detergent, ¼ cup of baking soda, and 2 gallons of hot water.

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Soak a rag in the mixture and place it on top of the residue, then let it sink in for about five minutes. Wipe the spot with the rag or soft cloth and then repeat as needed until the residue is gone.

Avoid Getting Rug Pad Marks in the First Place

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Ideally, you won’t have these marks in the first place. They can be avoided fairly easily, just by picking up the rug and its pad every six months in order to clean them and the floor underneath very thoroughly.

The post Cleaning Solutions: Restoring Different Types Of Floors From Rug Pad Marks appeared first on InstantELLA.