Posts Tagged 'declutter'

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Tips & Tricks: How To Organise Your Garage

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Garages can fast become an area of your home where items just get thrown into simply because there’s no other place for them or they haven’t been organised properly. Sifting through these can be a real time investment purely because you may find bits and pieces that you forgot you even had! Here are some top storage solutions to keep your garage organised and stop it from becoming cluttered.

First of all you should divide your items into different sections depending on what you decide to keep, store or throw away which will help reduce the amount of items that you have to find a new home for and act as an incentive to clear out the junk.

Adding open or closed shelving to your garage will clear away many items such as small paint tins that get cluttered on the ground into a safer area. Which type of shelving you go for depends on what need to get out of the space as open shelves make it easier to find items and much easier to grab the ones you need. Closed shelving or cabinets may give your garage a cleaner look but can restrict lighting; you’ll also have to remember where you’ve stored items to make it work. Placing a label on the door listing the contents inside will make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for.

Bins are a useful garage storage solution for certain things such as sports equipment because footballs, rugby balls and cricket bats can be kept together without a great deal of effort. Small bins can group similar small items but avoid getting too many large bins for your garage as it will be easy to throw items in without organising them and will just build up with clutter.

For all those items that you don’t want to throw away but aren’t being used at the moment you can place these into self storage. To find out how you can benefit from self storage visit us in any of our stores or our Quote and Reserve online page to get started.

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Did You Know You Can Store Files In The Cloud?

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Did you know you can store computer files online without them taking up space on your computer? When you store items online it’s called ‘Cloud Storage’ or ‘The Cloud’ and can often act as a cheaper alternative to buying additional hard drives for your computer.

What makes cloud storage so useful is if you’re connected to the internet, you can access your files. It doesn’t matter what your location is or what computer you’re using. There are different forms of cloud storage; private clouds, public and hybrid which make it easy to store documents for you and share with others if they’re too large to fit in an email.

Unfortunately Big Yellow can’t store your physical items in our ‘Cloud’ yet but you can store your household items in our self storage rooms for a little as a week, month, year or as long as you want. We only ask for seven days notice when you want to leave. If you’re interested to find out how you can benefit from our self storage facilities, visit our Quote and reserve online page to get started.

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At Home’s ‘Save Space’ Series: The Best Zones To Save Space Around The Kitchen

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

We’ve teamed up with our friends at home magazine to give you top advice on personal storage solutions. Stay tuned as we’ll be bringing you more ideas to save space and declutter for all areas of your home……

Welcome to the second installment of at home’s ‘Get Some Space in Your Life’ series with some great advice from leading personal storage experts at Big Yellow Self Storage.

at home have already looked at space saving tips for your living room and we’re going to continue to bring you personal storage solutions about how to declutter in all areas of your home, including the bedroom, garden and ideas to maximise space to make working at home more successful. Planning the perfect space in the kitchen is like creating the perfect menu. You can create space by throwing out products that are out of date or no longer in use and keep the best ingredients to maintain the great look.

Three space saving tips for your kitchen

Organising Kitchen Cupboards
Kitchen cupboards can be a main area of frustration as jars can easily clutter and build up with every shopping trip. There are some easy ways to organise the clutter that spice jars, canned goods and other items create before they quickly multiply.

Transferring spices from there original packaging into small sized jars and labeling them by hand can free up a large amount of space and make them stackable. Keeping canned items in one cupboard area and assigning one shelf for each type can keep them organised and easy to reach. Any other space you create can be used to store pasta or boxes of food.

Clearing the Clutter Under the Sink
The area underneath your kitchen sink can quickly become cluttered and make it hard to find anything you need. Overtime the area is piled full of items such as cleaning products or washing detergent and every time you to try to pull a product out, five others fall out with it. Sorting under the sink can make it much easier to find items and have a completely de-cluttered area.

Get rid of any products that you don’t need, if it’s so old that you can’t even read the label or no longer use then don’t hesitate to throw them away. If you haven’t used a particular item in a while, then chances are you’re not going to use it again anytime soon. Hanging on to these products will just collect more clutter and take up more free space that could be used. For the items you decide to keep, sort them out by category to make them easy to find out them all later.

Organising Kitchen Drawers
Drawers are the messiest place in any kitchen with items simply getting chucked in. The answer to stop all your drawers from becoming overly cluttered is by making space for one drawer that can store a mixture of items. This can store scissors, various utensils, stamps and any other items that end up jumbled together. A single drawer used for these items can make the whole kitchen feel de-cluttered.

Dividing the drawer into different sections and assigning an item to each one will create space and make things easier to find. It’s also a great excuse to throw away any old, broken or unused items.

Storing Utensils
Utensils such as spatulas, ladles and whisks can be a major cause of clutter in the kitchen as they can get left on the counter or mixed up in a drawer. When items are mixed together, sharp objects can cause injury if you’re in a hurry and don’t look carefully when reaching inside. Keeping utensils organised and tidy is a great way to avoid accidents and make cooking a lot smoother. Storing these large utensils in a wide pot that matches the design of your kitchen will keep them organised and easy to reach.

Invest in a drawer that has different components for each type of silverware including forks, knives and spoons. This will keep your entire set of cutlery from becoming mixed with each other and make them easily accessible.

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Tips & Tricks: Maximise The Space In Your Bathroom

Friday, August 20th, 2010

We tend to spend a lot of time decorating our bathrooms but more often than not toiletries begin to take over and outgrow their storage spaces with extra clutter. You can make great use of all the areas of your bathroom to help store items in the most efficient way regardless of the size. A great way to start clearing the clutter and maximising the space is by throwing away any items that have expired or products that you no longer use.

Shelves are a versatile storage solution that match any décor and can be added to a blank wall space which will give you the opportunity to find a place for items in your bathroom. Corner shelves are very useful to maximise the space in the corner of your bathroom and be purchased ready-made from household retailers.

Wicker baskets are practical, provide simple storage solutions and can aid in the décor of your bathroom. They’re portable and can be placed on open spaces around your room, although you don’t want to cover every available space with a basket. With these you’ll be able to store a variety of different large or small items as they come in many different shapes and sizes.

Adding a storage cabinet that goes above your toilet is a great way to make use of the dead space that is often left empty. It will give you lots of extra space to store items such as soap, toilet tissue and hand towels.

The back of the door is an area which many don’t realise is a great storage space. You can purchase hangers which clip on to the top of the door or even paint the door with magnetic paint. This space can be used to hang towels and store other items while maintaining the attractive look of the door.

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At Home’s ‘Save Space’ Series: The Best Zones To Save Space Around The Home

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

We’ve teamed up with our friends at home magazine to give you top advice on personal storage solutions over the next six weeks. Stay tuned as we’ll be looking at how you can save space and declutter in all areas of your home……

Welcome to the first installment of at home’s ‘Get Some Space in Your Life’ series with some great advice from leading personal storage experts Big Yellow Self Storage. Over the next six weeks, the at home team will be bringing you personal storage solutions about how to declutter in all areas of your home, including the living room, bedroom and garden.

It’s important to remember that keeping a tidy mind means keeping a tidy home. You can create space through natural palettes in design or decluttering style choices throughout your home – decluttering regularly will help you keep it looking brand new.

Four space saving tips for your living room

Tip 1. Newspapers & Magazines
We’ve all had a special 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 these ‘we were there’ moments or how this event has touched our life that makes the edition important to us.

The biggest problem when it comes to storing paper keepsakes are pests! Here’s how to ward off any unwanted visitors and ensure your papers stay in excellent condition for years:

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 make sure it doesn’t touch the papers.

4. Monitor your papers occasionally, checking for both pests and mold.

Alternatively, by putting these into self-storage can put your mind at rest from pesky critters destroying your keepsakes.

Before you decide to store those magazines, you need to ask yourself:

• Are these magazines 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 from time to time or are you happy to put them away and letting them sleep in a cool, dark place?

• Are your magazines valuable or more sentimental?

• Do you want to keep them in pristine condition for 40 years or 400 years?

Tip 2: DVDs
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 Blonde. 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.

Tip 3: Books
The main focus should be to store your books in a way that will give the bindings and covers the support for efficient use of the self-storage space. If there is room left on your bookshelf, make sure to place a bookend or another heavy object against the last book. This will help to hold your books upright, preventing any bowing or bending. You will also need to consider storing them in places where the books won’t be exposed to direct sunlight, moisture, or heat as serious temperature changes can cause major damage to fragile book bindings, pages, and covers.

One final tip to keep in mind is to rotate your books every once in a while by swapping some of the books that are at the ends of the shelf for ones in the middle. By doing this you are avoiding placing any long-term stress on any one book.

Tip 4: Photographs
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 that are magnetic or of the ‘stick and peel’ variety. 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.

For all of your packing needs and to find out how you can benefit from self storage, visit bigyellow.co.uk to get started.

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Tips & Tricks: De-Cluttering Your Home

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Deciding how to store items in your home is a very important part of de-cluttering and getting organised. The following tips will help you make quick and valuable decisions which will help you organise all areas of your home.

Hallway – Sort through your collection of scarves, hats, coats and other items of clothing that take up space. You can keep the items that are used daily or weekly as any of the excess items can be moved into a nearby cupboard, donated to charity or put in a self storage room.

Living Room – Old books, DVDs and CDs are the usual culprits so lose the bits and pieces and only display your most prized possessions.

Kitchen – The main source of frustration in a kitchen is overstuffed cabinets and drawers filled with duplicate kitchenware, dishes that are used only on special occasions, mismatched containers and appliances that you no longer use. If you can’t bear to part with an item consider relocating it or putting the items in storage.

Closets – It’s time to be strong and clear out those items that haven’t been worn in the last year, no longer fit or are out of style.
Bathrooms – Throw away any items that have expired or those that are no longer in use. Items such as toothbrushes can be kept in holders to save space and keep them clean.

Office – Any paperwork that can be found on a website or email should be recycled. Filing systems can help you minimise the inflow of paperwork and help reduce your existing paperwork piles.

Kids Room – Teaching children the concept of ‘one in, one out’ can stop toys from becoming jumbled and cluttered on the floor.

Garage –When you clear space in your house, boxes of old clothing, sports equipment and extra furnishings usually end up in the garage and will never return inside your home. To create a vast amount of free space you can donate the items or keep them in self storage.

To find out how you can benefit from self storage, visit our Quote and reserve online page to get started.

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Big Yellow Self Storage Opens In High Wycombe

Friday, July 9th, 2010

We’re happy to announce that we have opened our new High Wycombe branch. The new store boasts some innovative eco conscious features to protect and enhance the local environment while providing great self storage facilities for our customers.

We’ve installed a Green roof and timber cladding on the outside of the building that backs onto the River Wye. Already, Mallard ducks have decided to make a home in our new back garden ecosystem.

The Green roof adds extra insulation to the top floor storage area and acts as protection from seasonal fluctuations in temperature and reduces heat reflection back into the atmosphere, which would have been reflected by 100% if it were metal. These contributions of green space ‘help reduce the urban heat island effect’ where some large urban areas may have average temperatures 1 degree centigrade above the surrounding countryside.

By retaining rainfall through the Green roof we can slow down the accumulation of water at ground level, further contributing to the cooling effects from evaporation and vastly reduce the risk of local flooding.

The river bank area around the store has been selectively cleared to give a variety of other plant species an opportunity to thrive and enhance bio-diversity in wildlife and habitat. Nesting boxes have been added to some mature trees and wood piles have been prepared to aid wildlife find habitat in the future.

We’ve also created a front façade to our store with a landscaped area featuring a row of Silver Birch saplings, a variety of shrubs and extensive lawn providing a natural buffer between the busy road an our reception parking area.

To book and reserve online at any of our stores visit us at http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/store/High_Wycombe

Reception opening hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 6pm
Saturday: 9am – 6pm
Sunday: 10am – 2pm

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Tips & Tricks: How To Store Your Garden Tools

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Storing your garden tools properly can add years to the life of your equipment, especially after the summer when there is a risk of rust and wear. Better yet when you are able to use your tools again they will be ready to go straight away. Here are some top tips to help you plan the way you store your garden tools in advance.

Before storing your garden tools make sure you scrub off any dirt or mud by using a stick to knock off the large pieces and a wire brush to remove the dirt that is really stuck on. If it is really covered and you’re finding it hard to get it back to its shiny old self, you may need to soak the tool in a bucket of hot water before attempting again. Make sure you wipe off any excess water with an old rag and let it dry thoroughly to prevent any rusting.

When storing you can treat the wooden areas of your tools by sanding any rough or splintery portions with sandpaper and rubbing in wax which is specially made to extend the usage of your equipment. The metal areas of your tools can be treated with lubricating oil which will protect it from rust and ware.

When putting your tools into a storage unit all shovels, rakes and hoses can be placed together in an empty compost bucket to stop them from falling over and leaning on other products.

For all of your packing needs, including storage boxes visit us in store or online at our online box shop www.bigyellow.co.uk/boxshop.

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Feature: The Key Steps For Redecorating Your Home

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Now you have seen the Best Online Resources and Added Inspiration when it comes to redecorating your home, we thought we would let you know the key steps for actually doing it!

Redecorating your home, or even just one room, is exciting. If you’ve just moved, you’ve got a totally blank canvas to build your dream décor, and if you’re giving a long-term home a lick of paint, it’s just as much as a fresh start.

There is a tendency to get slightly overwhelmed by the task at hand, but there are a few key steps you can take during the preparation stage to prevent this from happening.

First, plan, plan and plan some more. It sounds dull, but it will truly save time and money in the long run. This also helps you to think about what you really want to do, make the decisions about colour and style – then ensure that you buy all of the materials you’ll need throughout the project.

As part of this stage, work out your budget. Are you just going to paint walls or the ceiling and skirting boards as well? Do you need to make any structural changes? Do you need to hire in help – or are you just going to change the carpet? You’ll only be able to work these things out if you know your budget from the start. Be realistic, as planning a dream bedroom you can’t afford to buy will only become a stressful weight on your shoulders.

Create a folder or box to keep all of your paint pots and wallpaper samples, interior magazine pages and plans in – this will help you to keep everything organised and easy to find when you come to put everything into action.

Finally, plan your time and most importantly – don’t under estimate how long each task can take. Remember that clearing a room, packing it up and storing it away can take a day at least. Put specific times in your diary to work on the project, and allow yourself a break. All work and no play makes for a very stressful environment, when redecorating should be a fun thing to do.

While redecorating your home, extra storage space can be invaluable whether you require a small closet or you need to find enough space to fill the entire contents of a room. We offer self storage while you’re redecorating for as little as a week, month, year or as long as you like. We only ask for seven days notice when you want to leave.

To find out how you can benefit from self storage, visit our Quote and reserve online page to get started.

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Added Inspiration for Redecorating Your Home

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Following on from our Redecorating Your Home – The Best Online Resources blog post, we thought we would give you added inspiration while you’re redecorating your house. If you’ve had a clear out and decided to store some belongings while you refresh the house, or even re-do the place entirely, look to the design blogs below to tickle the right side of your brain.

decor8 – Holly Becker, a freelance journalist and design consultant launched decor8 in January 2006 long before design blogs became a trusted and popular source of information on the web. An established site known as a reliable design resource to over 35,000 daily readers, decor8 (a creative play on the word decorate) is dedicated to sharing honest opinions, fresh decorating ideas, beautiful interior spaces, independent art and design, products and services, and articles meant to inspire readers to live a more fulfilling, authentic and creative life.

Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge was declared a “Martha Stewart Living for the Millennials” by the NYTimes in 2008 and features store and product reviews, city, product, and gift guides, DIY projects, before & after furniture and home makeovers, hometours, recipes, videos and podcasts, and trend forecasting. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers.

Made in England is written by Cookie – a designer, illustrator and occasional adventurer. His goal is to make things visually interesting and generally creative, and the blog is where the best of what he finds is showcased.

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