Self Storage Blog » Did you know?

World Records – Bizarre Collections

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:59:07 +0000

Everyone’s collected something at some point in their life. Sometimes finding your passion is as easy as looking around and saving the item that has always fascinated you. But, have you ever wondered what some of weirdest and largest collections people have created? We’ve compiled a list of the wackiest and largest collections from around the world that are all record breakers. How do your collections measure up?

1. Navel Fluff – Australian, Graham Barker has been collecting his own belly button lint since 1984, categorizing it by years in 4 jars. It all started when he wanted to find out how much fluff a person produces and how much it would take to fill a cushion. Barker plans to continue growing his collection, the largest in the world, until he’s no longer physically able to collect his own fluff.

2. Beer Steins – In Germany, farmer, Heinrich Kath, has the world’s largest collection of beer steins. Even though he doesn’t drink beer, Kath has over 20,000 steins since he started collecting in 1997.

3. Rubber Ducks – Valli Hammer has a collection of over 2,400 rubber ducks and no two look alike. She started collecting when she stumbled upon a few rubber ducks that belonged to her son, and from there her collection grew quickly.

4. Joker Playing Cards – The world’s largest collection of Joker playing cards belongs to Italian, Donato De Santis. After inheriting 2,000 cards from magician Fernando Riccardi, his collection has grown to over 8,500 jokers.

5. Airplane Sick Bags – Strange as it may seem, unique airsickness bags printed by different airlines have become highly sought-after collectors’ items in the age of the Internet and eBay. Holland’s Niek Vermeulen holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection, consisting of 5,468 different ones representing over a thousand different airlines. He uses photograph albums for storage.

6. Toothpaste – Dentist, Val Kolpakov, toothpaste is not something to be overlooked lightly. The American first learned about another toothpaste collector online in 2002 and was intrigued. Kalpakov started asking friends abroad to send him tubes of toothpaste from their respective countries and then scoured eBay. To date, Kolpakov has around 1,800 tubes of toothpaste and toothpowder, some donated by visitors to his website. He achieved his ultimate goal in 2010, being named Guinness Book of World Records holder for the largest toothpaste collection.

7. Celebrity Hair – If celebrity signatures and pictures aren’t good enough for you, what are you to do? John Reznikoff decided to start collecting celebrity hair instead. His collection includes celebrities who’ve been dead for many years already with Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe, as well as Edgar Allan Poe, and Abraham Lincoln. His collection is a part of Guinness Book World Records for being the largest and also the most valuable hair collection to date.

8. Banana Labels – To some banana labels are nothing but garbage, but to America Becky Martz, they’re special. Her collection of banana labels boasts over 10,000 labels She first became interested in banana stickers when she noticed an amusing one that read, “The Perfect Stocking Stuffer,” on a Chiquita banana. Since that incident around 1991, Martz has avidly been collecting banana labels from brands around the world.

Collecting doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby; in many cases it can even be free. Whether your collections resemble memories of a trip, your childhood, or a hobby that spans across the years, Big Yellow Self Storage can help you store your collectables from only £7 a week, clearing up space around your home for you to enjoy!

Big Yellow Bramall Lane win a Sheffield Telegraph Environment Award

Big Yellow Blogger — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:29:58 +0000

Big Yellow picked up the Business award for outstanding environmental and sustainable innovations and improvements at this year’s Sheffield Telegraph Environment Awards last night.

In its fifth year, the event was truly inspiring with guest speakers including Paul Hudson, the BBC Look North weather reporter, discussing issues relating to climate change and changing the public’s opinion.

Big Yellow was up against some tough competition including Meadow Hall Shopping centre for their outstanding recycling system.

Hannah Jones, Big Yellow employee said “The judges were really impressed with Big Yellow’s commitment to the environment and the fact that we have a green feature in a large number of our stores. They also commented on how passionate the staff were about the company’s corporate social responsibility and in particular Bramall Lane store which has encouraged local wildlife, flora and fauna by planting hundreds of trees at the rear of the building.”

The award is now proudly on display in the reception of Bramall Lane.

Cash in on your spare room next June to earn up to £1000!

Big Yellow Blogger — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:18:53 +0000

Are you finding it hard during the downturn in the economy? Fancy going on holiday next year, but you can’t afford it? Well the answer could come from your spare room. Simply by letting it out during the world’s biggest sporting event next year, you could increase your income by up to £1,000!

So how do you go about doing it?

Michael Holmes, presenter of Channel 5’s Britain’s Best Home and editor-in-chief of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, Real Homes magazine and Period Living magazine, believes that by clearing out your spare room and renting a self storage unit for as little as £5 a day, 5.4 million homeowners, who have a additional space, in the UK could be cashing in on local events such as the famous Edinburgh Hogmanay, Oxford Literary Fair, the Grand National in Aintree or the PGA Golf Championships in Surrey.

He explains: “For those who don’t feel comfortable sharing their home with a lodger on an ongoing basis, short lets for special events can prove highly lucrative.

“For a property located close to a major event, such as those in Edinburgh, across London or Liverpool, it can make real sense to clear out the spare room or rooms, put items into self storage and let it out for the duration of the event. Self storage units provide a flexible, easy and clean way to clear out the clutter for a short period of time and the potential rental income will far outweigh the self storage costs.”

“However, homeowners should check potential guests, take references and look at getting paid up front, so there is minimal risk in letting out a room on a short term basis. For people who are keen to let their home out in its entirety for the duration of an event, locking their valuables away or putting them into self storage is vital.”

Here’s Michael’s top tips for renting out your room on a short term basis:

1: Renting a room during popular local events can help boost your household income and help towards your mortgage and bills, plus there are tax benefits too – you can earn up to £4,250 tax free for a furnished room

2: You won’t have to register as a landlord, but you need to tell your mortgage company and home insurers. Also you must make sure your home meets safety regulations – ideally with smoke alarms and a gas safety certificate

3: Store your personal items in a flexible self storage room then you don’t have to worry about anything going missing. Providers such as Big Yellow offer smaller rooms from as little as £7 a day for a little as seven days

4: Make sure the room you are renting out appeals to the right sort of paying guests. Take good photographs to help with marketing and have a clear idea of who you want to share with

5: Find potential guests through online sites such as http://www.2012homerentals.com or www.eventfulstays.com. You can also register with an agency such as www.rentduringthegames.com

6: Interview candidates over the telephone first and check their work references. Do some research online by checking social media sites to make sure everything rings true

7: Use your instincts and always take references, such as family, employer and previous landlords and check them

8: Discuss and agree the key ground rules from the outset, covering the following: rent; payment terms; rules on guests/sharing; access to other rooms/privacy; rules on tidiness/cleaning; general noise; bathroom and kitchen arrangements; parking

9: Request half the rent before the tenant arrives so that if things go wrong you have protection. Ask for the remainder on the last day of the rental period

10: Treat your lodger with the respect you would like them to give you. Sharing can be difficult at times but if you are considerate and communicate, it can work very well for everyone and be a great financial solution

So why not have a think about releasing some extra cash from your spare room next year and enjoy that holiday that you’ve always dreamed of!

Michael Holmes chats through his top tips

Antiques of tomorrow: old computers and phones

Big Yellow Blogger — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:40:16 +0000

So you’ve discovered your old coat from many, many winters ago in the back of the cupboard. You try it on, just to see if it still fits; you put your hand in the pocket and pull out a large, brick shaped object. On closer inspection, you discover it is your old mobile phone, the one from long before the days of touch screen and cameras. Well did you know that you could potentially get a rather large amount of money for that old ‘brick’?

When we think of antiques, we usually think of precious pieces of china or family heirlooms passed down from generations. We don’t often associate the word with phones and computers. However, an expert at the BBC show ‘The Antiques Roadshow’ believes that future generations will be bringing their old mobiles on to the show, particularly those that have models such as the first version of the flip screen phone.

Did you know that the very first Apple Macintosh computer was sold in 2008 for a rather comfortable $8,260? Who’d have thought the phones and computers that we now laugh at will one day soon be able to make us a small fortune?

The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was the world’s first mobile phone and went on sale in 1983, so anyone with one of those knocking around would be wise to hold onto it. Even though it may just be in the home gathering dust, it will also be gathering a small fortune.

The companies that produce these products are innovating at an alarming rate to keep on top of the game; remember the days when phones didn’t have colour screens? Or before computers could enable you to talk to other people…face to face? Is innovation the reason these products are fast becoming the antiques of the future?

We know these objects aren’t small (that’s part of their charm) so you may need somewhere to store your future antique? Why not leave it with us at Big Yellow Storage where it can spend its days getting more and more valuable.

What other modern day products do you think will become antiques of the future? Why not head over to our Big Yellow page on Facebook and tell us your ideas.

http://facebook.com/bigyellow

Image courtesy of Laura Blankenship

Did You Know that keeping a clean house can reduce your allergy symptoms?

Big Yellow Blogger — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:43:49 +0000

Did you know that you can control and even reduce your allergy symptoms just by having a clean house? There are an estimated 5.1 million people in the UK that suffer from asthma which is most commonly triggered by an allergy to the house dust mite which reside in the buildup of dust in your home.

In order to illuminate these, use allergy proof covers on cushions and bed linen or replace all carpets and rugs with wooden floorings. A simple and less expensive solution is to clean using a damp or static-charge cloth so that dust is not just stirred but removed completely-doing this regularly will minimise the opportunity for dust to gather in your home. Do away with large unwanted furniture and air rooms when cleaning to reduce the humidity of the room preventing damp and mold growth by decreasing the number of pollutants in the air.

Visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to find out more about how self storage can help reduce your allergy symptoms.

Did you know – Garden Furniture Storage

Big Yellow Blogger — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:25:37 +0000

We are already half way through summer, and the party season is in full swing, with garden furniture coming out at every opportunity. However, what with the disappointing weather it’s nearly that time again for the age old question of where to store the garden furniture.

The problem with the traditional methods of storage such as the garden shed, or just left covered in the corner of the garden is that when you come back to it next summer, it is likely that you will find it covered in rust or mould, and that it has to be thrown out.
Big Yellow Self Storage could prove to be an economical way to store your garden furniture, rather than replacing it each year. Our Self Storage units will guarantee prevention of rust or mould developing as each room is dry, clean and safe from undesirable weather conditions.

If you are worried about the costs of the length of storage for a year, just check our website for the latest deals as you can get discounts for renting the unit in certain blocks of time, and there is no maximum time limit either.

If it is just your garden furniture you want to store we can accommodate for this as our rooms come in a range of sizes starting from 10 sq foot going all the way up to 500 sq foot. You also have the option to increase the unit space if you find you have more items to add in the future.

Please visit www.bigyellow.co.uk/quote-and-reserve/ to get a free and quick online quote, and let us help you save your garden furniture, and some pennies!

Did You Know – the average person makes £150 online?

Big Yellow Blogger — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:11:28 +0000

Whether it’s things that you no longer need, can’t fit into or gifts you can’t return, online auctions are a great way to earn money from the comfort of your own home.

You can earn anything from a few pounds to hundreds of thousands, depending on how much you have to sell. Platinum power sellers on eBay for example, make sales of over £15,000 every month. To shift that much stock however, you would need a serious amount of personal storage space!

Vintage items and used designer brands in good condition are always in demand. Auction on eBay and you could have the money within a few days. It’s not only on eBay that you can sell your wares. If it has a bar code then Amazon is a good bet – especially books.

Another quick win would be to get cash back for your phone. If you’ve recently upgraded your mobile phone, sell it online or recycle it and get cash back. Iphones are valued highly, but can alternatively be put in storage and sold as vintage in a decade or so.

For more ideas on how storage can help your cash flow please visit www.bigyellow.co.uk

Feature – How to Use Big Yellow Self Storage to help Your Business

Big Yellow Blogger — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:57:49 +0000

There are lots of ways in which Big Yellow Self Storage could help your business, as you might need somewhere to store goods on a temporary or semi-permanent basis. All businesses go through periods of change and reorganization. The current state of the economy is not helping and it has been a hard couple of years for many companies. Take a look at these ideas about how self storage could help your business:-

Free up space for new equipment – When you need space for new furniture or equipment such as a photocopier or drinks machine, you may find yourself visiting Big Yellow. Businesses, like homes, inevitably accumulate an excess of clutter over time, from boxes of papers to redundant tools. For things that you simply cannot throw away, or that you have to keep for a period of time, self storage can help. By storing goods on a short or long term basis, your equipment and valuables are kept safe and your business kept clear.

De-clutter and improve working conditions – Maintaining a tidy and clutter free office is difficult, especially when space is tight. By improving the organisation of your office storage, you can reduce dust, improve working conditions and increase productivity. Having a minimalist office can also instill a sense of calm. Utilise every inch of a room, especially areas that are slightly out of the way. You can find a range of boxes and vacuum bags to store products online at https://www.bigyellow.co.uk/boxshop/.

Storage for decoration and renovation- If an office or business needs to be decorated, it needn’t cause a major upheaval. Short term self storage rooms are available at Big Yellow. Goods and furniture can be stored in rooms from 10 sq ft to 500 sq ft or more. The best part is that you only pay for what you need. Everything in the rooms is accessible seven days a week between 8am to 6pm. You can even extend access hours for a small fee.

Seasonal variations in requirements – For many companies, seasonal variations in goods can cause problems. Christmas and Easter are busy times for any business working in the gift or chocolate markets for example. For expanding cottage industries, keeping up with demand or maintaining stocks of gift boxes around the festival period may well cause issues with storage.

Self-storage rooms at Big Yellow could provide an ideal solution, have a look at the website and get a personalized quote direct at http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/business/

Did You Know DIY Is Taking Over YouTube?

Big Yellow Blogger — Fri, 13 May 2011 09:39:52 +0000

Did you know that while YouTube is filled with music videos and your favourite television clips, it has also become a virtual treasure trove of DIY hints, tips, and inspiration? In fact, it’s quickly becoming the first port of call for someone with a specific problem or DIY need.

The quality of DIY videos on YouTube vary, from videos of one person trying to share some knowledge, to recognised home improvement brand names with their own channels and playlists. For example, the kitfoam channel features seven videos with instructions for the installation of spray foam insulation kits. Meanwhile, the iFixitYourself channel has alerady gotten over two million views of its videos. As YouTube grows, its DIY content will no doubt continue to grow as well.

Don’t forget that many sites also have their own video portals, such as Helium.com.

Remember that for certain tasks, you should always use the video to supplement what you have found in other resources. Also, there is no substitute for having thorough written instructions and photos that you can take with you to the site of your home improvement. And always choose video instructions with the an eye toward safety.

Did You Know You Could Be A Hoarder?

Big Yellow Blogger — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:32:54 +0000

Did you know that there is such a thing as Disposophobia? Becoming a hoarder and being reluctant to dispose of your items is now a recognised disorder. After recent exposure to the public through television shows such as Hoarders and Hoarders: Buried Alive, recognition of the condition and its symptoms has increased.

Also known as Hoarding Disorder, Disposophobia affects 1-2% of people in the UK which accounts for 2 to 3 houses per urban street. Extreme cases such as that of Edmund Trebus; who featured on the BBC’s Documentary Series ‘A Life of Grime’, cause victims of the disorder to allow hoarding and clutter to dominate their lives. Mr Trebus lived in one corner of the kitchen only accessible by ladders in his North London home along with his Jack Russell, whilst his collections of vacuum cleaners, old cameras, children’s toys and Elvis Presley Records resided in the rest of his four story house.

Has your cluttering gone to the extreme? Visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to find out more about how you can use self storage to clear your hoarding habits.