Monday, March 8th, 2010
It really doesn’t take long to clean up your home when you’ve got an end goal in mind. If you are about to put your home on the market, then you should know that it becomes all the more important for you to make the space inviting. It’s a lot like presenting a blank canvas to a new family. Letting them see the potential for how they can make it their own – instead of getting distracted by what’s already there.
And when you are giving people the tour of your home, the last thing that you are going to want to do is make it look a lot smaller by failing to clear out any extra items.
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”
What’s more, when you see those offers start coming in, you are going to thank yourself for taking the extra time to clean everything up.
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Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, furniture storage, home, music storage, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Stroage, staging, storage, storage solution, student storage, UK storage, wine storage
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Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Estimating how much space you will need for your storage items can be simple if you know what you want to store. First up, make a list of the items you want to store (this is also useful for helping to remember what’s in there, though it can often be fun to go back and have your very own treasure hunt!).
Next, group the items according to how you will organise them. Start by identifying items that will be packed in boxes and stacked, then prioritise boxed items you will want to access most frequently (they’ll go closer to the front of the room).
Divide by fragility or weight, as heavier, sturdier items should be stored on the bottom of stacked items with fragile items on top. Then consider awkwardly-sized items that won’t stack well, including how often you will need to use them, and how heavy they are.
Finally, take note of how these items will be packed and organised. Boxes and containers should be of uniform size, and should be stacked no more than a few boxes high (depending on the type of box you use).
You’ll then be able to estimate how much size you’ll take up, whether you want to keep some extra space for more items in the future – or simply pack things in and leave them till you move.
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Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, fine wine storage, furniture storage, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Stroage, storage, storage solution, student storage, UK storage, wine storage
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
We’ve all had a special magazine or newspaper that we are tempted to keep for the future. It might be for reference or an historical event that we want to share with the future generations in the family. Sometimes these are valuable, but most often they won’t be worth much in monetary value. It’s the fact that “we were there” or how this event has touched our life that makes the edition important to us.
But how do you properly store those newspapers? Ask yourself some questions:
- Are these magazines and newspapers worth hanging on to, or can they be recycled to clear the clutter?
- Do you want to be able to go back and read the magazines and newspapers from time to time or are you happy to put them away and letting them sleep in a cool, dark place?
- Are your newspapers and magazines valuable or more sentimental?
- Do you want to keep them in pristine condition for 40 years or 400 years?
The biggest problem when storing paper keepsakes are pests! Here’s our top tips to ward them off:
1. Find a closet or drawer in a dry area.
2. Store and stack papers tight together, folded in half (as they are delivered).
3. Use a pest trap nearby, but not touching the papers.
4. Monitor your papers occasionally, checking for both pests and mold. Papers stored in this manner can stay in excellent condition for years.
Want more protection? Use the same basic methods as above, but purchase acid free folders to keep the papers in. Still store in that same dark, dry area and monitor for pests.
At Big Yellow Self Storage we offer clean pest free self storage, so you never need to worry about little nasties ruining your paper based keepsakes. Visit our “What is self storage page?” to find out how you can benefit from one of our self storage rooms.
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Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, clutter, collectibles, de-clutter, declutter, energy efficient, fine wine storage, furniture storage, magazines, paper, personal storage, recycle, reduce, reuse, self storage, self storage blog, Self Stroage, storage, storage solution, student storage, UK storage, wine storage
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Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Whether you’re a hoarder, just a collector of gorgeous and vintage clothes or buy more than you should, keeping your clothes and collectables in tip top condition is key to having an extensive wardrobe.
General wear and tear and poor storage can damage clothing and shorten the lifespan of your favourite frock. Here’s some top tips on storing your clothes and keeping them in mint condition:
- Before you pack anything away, make sure it’s dust free and clean
- Don’t cram too much into a box as fabrics need to breathe. Make sure the boxes aren’t packed too tightly
- Refold items regularly to prevent dust settling
- Self storage facilities offer the perfect temperature and darkness
- Don’t store fabrics against wood and bear in mind that certain fabrics need specific care i.e. use muslin or acid free tissue between delicate fabrics for added protection
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Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, clothing, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, fabrics, fine wine storage, furniture storage, packing fabrics, personal storage, safely, self storage, self storage blog, Self Stroage, storage, storage solution, storing clothes, student storage, UK storage, vintage, wardrobe, wine storage
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Monday, January 25th, 2010
DVDs have a habit of accumulating around the TV and before you know it, they’re all mixed up and in the wrong cases so when you want to find The Dark Knight, you end up with Legally Blond. Not ideal. Investing in a DVD rack is a smart way to avoid this potential catastrophe and will also minimise clutter. Another solution is to do away with DVD cases altogether and store your discs in a CD wallet which you can arrange by genre.
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Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, clutter, collectibles, de-clutter, declutter, dvd, fine wine storage, furniture storage, music storage, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Stroage, storage, storage solution, student storage, UK storage, wine storage
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Friday, January 8th, 2010
… To store photographs properly, make sure you use the right type of albums. Do not place old photographs (or any photographs for that matter) in albums which are magnetic or of the ‘stick and peel’ variety in self storage. Over time, the plastic, cardboard, paper and glue found in such albums will only damage your photos. Instead, invest in albums which are guaranteed and labeled as free of acids. Use a permanent black marker on the back of the photographs to identify the time, occasion and the people or subjects in the photo. Make sure to write with a soft grip, so as to not leave any marks or indentations on the pictures.
If you don’t want to put your photographs in albums or frames, then you can use plastic sleeves or bags which are PVC-free. Another option in place of plastic sleeves or bags is layering each photograph with sheets of acid-free paper or cardboard.
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Tags: personal storage, photographs, self storage
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Friday, January 8th, 2010
… To store photographs properly, make sure you use the right type of albums. Do not place old photographs (or any photographs for that matter) in albums which are magnetic or of the ‘stick and peel’ variety in self storage. Over time, the plastic, cardboard, paper and glue found in such albums will only damage your photos. Instead, invest in albums which are guaranteed and labeled as free of acids. Use a permanent black marker on the back of the photographs to identify the time, occasion and the people or subjects in the photo. Make sure to write with a soft grip, so as to not leave any marks or indentations on the pictures.
If you don’t want to put your photographs in albums or frames, then you can use plastic sleeves or bags which are PVC-free. Another option in place of plastic sleeves or bags is layering each photograph with sheets of acid-free paper or cardboard.
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Tags: personal storage, photographs, self storage
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Monday, January 4th, 2010
…Commercial wine self storage facilities charge a surprisingly minimal amount to let you sit back and relax at home while they take care of your wine bottles stored at the perfect temperature and humidity. The best thing that you can do to ensure that your bottles are kept safe is to store them lying on their sides so that the cork can be kept moist – this is what keeps air away from the liquid. Once the cork is dry, the wine will be oxidised and lose its quality.
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Tags: personal storage, self storage, wine storage
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Thursday, December 17th, 2009
…use furniture drawers or the insides of large kitchen appliances as boxes for delicate items and specially label them as ‘FRAGILE’. Do the same for mirrors and pictures, using a protective covering like bubble wrap, then stack them on their ends. Never leave them flat, as even if you’re extra careful, something may fall on them and break the glass. Separate lamp bases and lampshades, then wrap them as you would any other small item. It is not recommended that you store loose photographs as they may curl or suffer from temperature damage whilst in self storage.
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Tags: fragile items, personal storage, self storage
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Friday, December 11th, 2009
… Never store flammable or perishable items. Drain the tank of any items you plan to store (lawnmowers etc.), as you should never try to store combustible substances in your unit. If you are unsure about whether a certain item is flammable, be sure to find out before storing it.
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Tags: combustible substances, flammable, personal storage, self storage
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