A family of blue tits have found a new home at our Big Yellow Colchester store in a wall mounted ashtray.
The tiny birds have been chirping away and a sign has been put in place to make sure people don’t use it while they are nesting.
We’ve decided not to charge rent, so the blue tits are welcome to stay until they’re ready to leave the nest!
Learning basic DIY can be a beneficial skill to have as you can save money on home improvement and emergency repairs. Here are some top tips on how to use DIY around your home.
If you’re a complete novice then it’s advised that you learn some basic skills from your friends and family as well as the many DIY websites online. In no time you’ll be looking for things to fix all over your home!
One important thing to remember about DIY is make sure you set enough time to complete a job and add an extra hour on top just to make sure. Most DIY errors occur when someone is trying to rush through a project. However if you start a job then you must finish it. Leaving a job unfinished can make your home look messy and if you leave tools out then it can become cluttered with items that take up space and could easily be removed.
Proper equipment should be a part of every homeowner’s tool box. This will help save time, money and ensure that you have the right tools to complete a wide variety of jobs. Tools can be very valuable and whenever you’re not looking for things to fix or planning any home improvements you could store them in one of our secure self storage rooms until they’re needed again.
To find out how you can benefit from self storage or if you’re looking for somewhere to store your tools, visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to get started.
If you’re moving in with your partner for the first time it may be hard to find a space to fit all of your belongings from your previous homes.
Before you move in together you should go through your belongings and decide what you really want to keep, what can be donated and what can be stored until you find free space in your home. If both of you move all your belongings it can become overwhelming as there is maybe too much.
If you found it a struggle to find space in your previous home then you will need to make a sacrifice. Now that both of you have made a compromise and have gotten rid of your clutter, you can really start organising.
Any items that you want to sell or donate but want to keep can be kept in storage until your new home is organised and you find extra space or move into a bigger property.
To find out how you can benefit from self storage when moving in with your partner, visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to get started.
Even if you’re constrained by the size of a room, there are some things you can do to make it appear bigger.
Mirrors are a great way of making a small room seem larger. Hanging a mirror on the door or using a large mirror on a wall is a good plan of action. Furniture should be placed at an angle in order to hide the box-like feel of certain rooms. You should also consider using fewer, but larger pieces of furniture and eliminating the things that you don’t need such as side tables.
The light in a room also makes a lot of difference, and in general, the more lit a room is, the bigger it looks. Blinds are a better option than drapes in order to maximise the sunlight on offer, but if you have drapes, they should be hung as high as possible in order to give the room the appearance of being higher.
Painting a room can also offer solutions to making a room feel bigger. For example, painting a horizontal stripe around a room can trick the naked eye into thinking that the room is wider than it actually is. Painting the walls the same colour as the furnishings is another trick that makes the furniture seem to fade into the walls. Painting the room in lighter or softer colours is helpful, and certain colours such as creams or icy blues are bright and reflective, which will make a room seem larger. Consider painting the mouldings of the room in lighter colours than the walls, as doing this the walls appear to move outwards, which makes the room seem bigger.
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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.
Your living room is usually the area where clutter can build up quickly and can be difficult to keep organised. Here are some top tips to help keep the room free from clutter giving you more space to relax.
An effective way to eliminate clutter in your family room is to designate areas for specific purposes. If you use this area to read magazines and books it’s easy for them to be left in different areas such as on coffee tables. Make sure they always return to a bookshelf or magazine rack so they’re always kept in one place.
If your family room has too much furniture, it will make the room appear much smaller than it actually is. Any furniture that you feel is taking up space but you want to keep can be stored in a self storage room. This will help clear space in your home and allow you to keep the item, especially if it’s one that you think you may want in the future.
To find out how you can benefit from self storage to help clear clutter and free up space in your living room, visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to get started.
If you’re working from a home office many things can cause a distraction such as paperwork that hasn’t been filed or a large amount of items around your desk. Here are some suggestions to make your home office a more productive place to work.
Simple things like changing your desktop picture to something calming and pleasing to look at will make spending a day in front of the screen less of a chore. It’s also a great way to compensate for an office that doesn’t necessarily boast a room with a view.
Place house plants around the room in order to not only look better but aid the circulation of oxygen through the office. Let there be light and take advantage of any outdoor space you may have.
Stay hydrated and ditch the sugar to avoid the sugar crash and boost your energy. Dehydration is a common cause for fatigue and weakness.
Working in a calming space will create a productive environment and will make your work much more productive and to a higher standard. It will only make going to work easier!
If you want to find out how you can use self storage to create a home office, visit www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal to find out more.
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.
Moving to a new home can be a very exciting time but it can also be very stressful. Here are some top tips to take the stress out of moving home.
The first thing to do around your home in the months and weeks leading up to your move is decide what you don’t want to take with you. As the fewer items you have to take, the easier the move will become.
Every other night, take 15-20 minutes going around areas of your home sorting through your belongings that you want to take with you. Not only will this reduce the amount of items but it will make your home more organised.
It’s always good to pack items that you don’t use regularly in advance of your move, as this will allow you to take your time. Start in one room packing up the items that you won’t need until you’ve moved into your new home. When packing, make sure you seal that boxes and you clearly label the contents and which room they belong in.
Once you’ve packed your boxes with items that you won’t need, it’s great to get them out of the way. This will help clear space around your home and keep it organised. You could use one of our self storage rooms to hold your belongings so you don’t have to worry about moving everything in one day.
If you want to find out how you can take the stress out of moving by using self storage, visit www.bigyellow.com to get started.
After a stressful day at work, there’s nothing better than coming home to a relaxing environment. Here’s some top tips help clear clutter and relax at home.
The first thing you will need to do is to declutter the main areas of your home from items such as magazines in the living room, kitchen utensils and clothing in your bedroom. If you have too many items lying around it won’t be comfortable and the messy environment can add to your stress levels.
Clearing an area will make the room look much bigger and more enjoyable and keeping areas of your home sparse and clear of all clutter will create soothing surroundings. Make sure you use drawer organisers, under the bed storage and closets but avoid overfilling.
Having a clean house will make you feel calm and less disorganised, giving you one less thing to think about. Now the final step is to put on some of your favourite music or chill out watching a film.
If you want to find out how you can benefit from self storage to clear clutter and create a relaxing home, visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to get started.
Big Yellow Self Storage provides secure do it yourself storage rooms for domestic and business customers for as long or as short a period as required. We provide space that’s easy to arrange, secure – and affordable.
