How to prepare for a disaster-free home makeover

Whether it’s improving the kitchen, fixing up the spare room, or simply cutting the grass, disaster in the home can strike when advice is ignored. Insurers Allianz say that DIY disasters cost Britons a staggering £4.4billion every year, so here are our top tips on how to avoid destroying your home or taking an unwanted trip to hospital. Take baby steps and know your limits. Don’t try to tackle all your redecoration projects at once. Jump right in without planning and you’ll end up with a house full of half-finished projects. You need to think about how much each project will cost, whether you have all the right tools and how long it will take to complete. With the baby steps approach why not focus on one room at a time, and choose small projects that are achievable. Maybe start […]

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Top tips to prepare your spare room for guests

We’ve all experienced that feeling of sheer panic that sets in when you have guests staying with you. That moment when you realise that the spare room is currently occupied by your fishing gear, gym equipment that you never used and all the bric-a-brac that you tell yourself you really need but have been condemned to sitting in boxes since you moved into the house 10 years ago. What follows is usually panic and a frenzied tidying spree. To avoid this process and ensure that your guests don’t end up having to climb over all your stuff to get to their bed, Big Yellow have compiled a helpful checklist of things to do before your guests arrive to make their stay as pleasant as possible. 1) Clean! Yes, this might seem incredibly obvious – why wouldn’t you clean a room […]

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How to maintain value of all-weather furniture

Out of all the items in your home, outdoor furniture is the most weather-beaten. Exposed to snowy winters and British ‘summers’, outdoor items need the most tender love and care to make sure they don’t lose their quality and value. Here are a few ways to ensure they’ll last you for many seasons to come. 1) Treat them with a protective varnish. Coating wooden furniture in a protective sealant at the start of the summer season will help reduce the amount of water absorbed into the grain, as well as protecting it from the sun. After a while furniture will start to fade so coloured varnishes can be a great way to bring some much needed life back to your furniture. You can buy them in a range of natural colours here. For metal furniture these protective paints are the […]

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Clear your time to clean your home

We don’t have time for it and (most of us) don’t enjoy it, but cleaning is a job that just won’t go away. Despite our best efforts to ignore them, chores will build until eventually your list of things to do tomorrow will be flowing across three pages. Here at Big Yellow we would much rather spend our days relaxing and enjoying what is left of the summer. Here are a few simple changes to your routine which will leave your house cleaner and your days freer. 1) Plan cleaning into your daily routine. Whether it is a quick wipe down before you head to work, or sorting out the washing while you wait for dinner to cook, completing little jobs every day won’t feel as time consuming as sacrificing whole day at the weekend. There’s no need for a […]

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Going on holiday this year? Make sure your home is secure. We’ve got the run down on the latest home security products…

“We’re all going on a summer holiday, no more working for a week or two, sun and laughter on our summer holiday, no more worries for”… the burglars who’ve just got away with all your prize possessions. Here at Big Yellow we hate to be pessimistic, but if you’d like to see your home the same way as you left it, then leaving the landing light on just isn’t enough to deter those baddies. So don’t assume that prying eyes believe that you’re all huddled on the landing for days on end and get safeguarding your home. For some of us, home is where the heart is and no one likes theirs broken. We’ve got the run down on the latest home security products: 1.There’s nothing worse than burglars getting away with their thievery, so it’s time to play big […]

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5 Quick and Easy Ways to Increase Space in your Home

Regardless of whether you live in a mansion or your parent’s box room, there just never seems to be enough space! However, the answer need not be as drastic as moving to a bigger house. We’ve compiled a list of simple solutions that can increase the space in your home and give it that fresh feel. First things first… Move nonessential items out. We all have things that we use a few times a year then leave in a corner for the rest of it. Whether it’s those woolly jumpers for winter or the paddling pool we can rarely enjoy in the British “heat”, not all items need to be within immediate reach at all times. Attics, garages and garden sheds; all of which are still close enough just in case the sun comes out, are great home storage solutions. […]

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Hot BBQ tips for a cold British Summer

We’re not all about industrial units, business storage and warehouse space at Big Yellow Self Storage. We’re also about making the most out of what you have whether it is space, furniture or even the British weather. A British summer wouldn’t be the same without a barbeque or two, but with the weather as it is, barbeques are few and far between. How can you make the most out of these brief and rare sunny spells? Here at Big Yellow we’ve been trying to master the art of the barbeque and we think we’ve cracked it! Read our tips and tricks to perfect your “summer” barbeque… 1. Invest in a good barbeque. If you don’t have the right tools how can you expect to cook up a good feast? Whilst the price makes disposable barbeques very tempting, and let’s not […]

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A Whatever-the-Weather Guide to Festival Packing

With weather warnings continuing to interefere with this year’s festival optimism, we thought we’d give you some tips on how to ensure you’re prepared to tackle the music without dampened spirits. We’ll start with the pre-festival essentials: Getting to the festival requires more planning than just making sure there’s room for you in the car. Quick access to your belongings will save you stress and time at the motorway services. Side loading rucksacks are a great way to pack practically, without having to unload your things when you’ve left your wallet or tickets in the bottom of the bag. Admit it. You’re not looking forward to carrying your bag from the car to the campsite. Well guess what, we’ve found a solution! Pick up a trolley for as little as £15 – make it collapsable for added ease. The big […]

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How to Turn Your Shed into a Man Cave!

As it’s National Shed Week we’re hitting you with our final instalment of shed-themed content. This time we are going to advise you on how to make the perfect man cave. Does your other half always moan at you when you watch an action movie with the surround sound turned all the way up when all they want to do is watch soaps? Maybe you want to play air guitar with your work tie around your head and Bridget Jones is on the TV, on repeat, again? Or are you the one doing the moaning? Now ask yourself, do you have a shed? Is it empty or just wasting space in the garden? If the answer is yes (or no), you could turn it into the perfect getaway to relax and do all those things you’re not allowed to do […]

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Top Tips for organising your Shed

As it’s National Shed Week we thought it would be a great opportunity to throw some shed themed advice your way. In this blog we’ll be discussing some of the essential tools for your garden and some of the best ways to organise your shed. Firstly let’s talk about some essential tools you’ll need to maintain your garden and keep it looking marvellous for the upcoming summer weather (fingers crossed). When buying tools make sure you buy good quality ones as they will be able to take the wear and tear – so buy cheap and buy twice! Some great quality brands that you won’t go wrong with are: Fiskars, Spear & Jackson, Wolf, McCulloch and Bosch. No shed would be complete without: • A lawnmower. Now there are a few choices so it really depends on the size of […]

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