Is Your Apartment Preventing You From Meeting the Love of Your Life?

Modern dating is hard enough as it is, but is your apartment sending potential great loves of your life running for the hills?  Here are  some things to consider so you can avoid sending "run away from me now" signals to potential mates.

Bare Light Bulbs In Living Areas

Is the sole source of light in your apartment a bare lightbulb from your ceiling?  Even worse, is it fluorescent white?  Harsh, unfiltered lighting from the top of your ceiling does several things.

• It forces all shadows downward, making anyone under this harsh fluorescent glare appear older than they are.
• It puts everything in vision into HD, when most things in life are better left to standard definition.  Pores, wrinkles, hair loss, hair on your sweater, dirt on the carpet, a stain on a sheet.  All of these things suddenly are thrown into stark focus and can come off as gross.
• It signals that you don't know or care about making your space warm and inviting.  People like to be in comfortable spaces, and fluorescent lighting can make people feel uncomfortable with both how they think it makes them look and the unflattering things they're seeing.
• To many people it signals immaturity.  You know who has bare lightbulbs in their rooms?  College kids.

Bare light bulbs: what should I do instead?

• Invest in a high lumen warm lightbulb first and foremost.  You can buy a 6 pack of these on amazon for less than $10.
• Find some floor and nightstand lighting, either vintage or modern is fine.  Floor lighting is coming from the horizontal plane, nightstand or shelf lighting can be coming from an angle below you when you're sitting or standing.  The effect is that this makes the shadows on the face very flattering and youthful.
• Consider relying on floor lighting only, but if you must turn on that dreaded ceiling light, you should absolutely have a ceiling light diffuser of some kind.  This can be of any material that fits with your space.  Alternatively you can take a thin piece of ornate cloth and hang it under the ceiling light to soften the harsh rays to a softer glow.  The idea being to eliminate severe shadows that accentuate the appearances of aging.
• Contact a local handy man to install some professional track lighting.

Only One Pillow

If you are fortunate enough to get to a point where you have an overnight guest they could be in for a horrible nights sleep without proper pillow logistics.  Having fluffy yet firm pillows with fresh pillow covers is paramount to ensuring your potential partner not only sleeps hard, but gains respect for your nesting abilities.

• One sad wimpy pillow can be a signal of lack of self care.  You spend every day for (hopefully) 8+ hours on this pillow.  As an adult it's worth your time and money to go out and purchase a pillow of a high quality with which to lay your noggin.  It signals you are prioritizing your own comfort and therefore will be likely to prioritize your date's comfort as well.

Only One Pillow: what should I do instead?

• The average person needs at a minimum 2 pillows.  I cannot stress this enough. 
• One for head support
• One for miscellaneous use.  This could be for hugging (because sometimes cuddling another person is literally too much heat), for putting between the knees to alleviate back pain, or for emotional support.
• If you want to really impress, you could have an alternative pillow set that is significantly softer or firmer than what you typically sleep with.  Alternative pillow case options are also a huge plus.

Jersey On The Wall

If you have a jersey hanging on your wall that is a risk you've chosen to take and I probably won't be able to walk you back off of that cliff.  However if you absolutely must here are some pointers.

• Some will hang a jersey on a wire hanger, then hang it on a plastic push pin in drywall.  You can definitely do this, but if a strong wind comes into your space, it's likely to fall down.  It falling down can startle your date, cats (if you have them), or yourself if you're home alone watching a scary movie.

Jersey On The Wall: what should I do instead?

• If you absolutely insist on the jersey hanging I would recommend getting your jersey professionally framed and hang it on your wall with a painting hook kit.

TV On Dresser In Wire Salad

No, "TV On Dresser In Wire Salad" isn't a Chef's Table dish.  Is your TV sitting on your dresser in a mess of wires?  This is probably the most common tv setup situation on the planet. 

• That TV stand, dresser, or whatever is going to be dusty and messy.  There will be crumbs.  It's not hygienic and is kind of a turn off if you haven't thoroughly cleaned it in a while.  I'm talking taking everything off, wiping down the wires for dust, and wiping down the surface for crumbs and dust.
• The wires for HDMI cables and power sources tend to be heavy and drag things off.  Are you finding yourself constantly having to precariously finagle them to be "together" and "in their place" only to walk by and accidentally drag them (and by extension the television screen) off the counter top?  Heavens help you if you put a glass of water there and this happens when your date is over.  You don't need that kind of trauma in your life.
• If you're a cat parent, you know that they can be little psychos who need to chew on electrical wires.  Protect them at all costs.

TV On Dresser In Wire Salad: what should I do instead?

• Buy a television mount online, you can find them on amazon for typically $30 - $40.  Consider getting one with an adjustable arm if you need. 
• Mount your tv onto the wall, you'll need to get a drill, a level, right sized screws, and anchors for the material you're drilling into.  If you're drilling drywall you'll also need a stud finder, if drilling into concrete you're going to need a hammer drill and concrete grade screws and anchors, and if you want to mount over a fireplace I'd recommend finding a professional.
• Hide the wiring, there are many ways to do this and they're beyond the scope of this article.  But you can do your own research to find a few methods right for your particular situation.
• If you're too busy, hire a professional to come right to you and install it for you!