Friday, August 12th, 2011
On the 19th of August at 7am four of our staff members will be taking on an amazing feat for charity. The Big Yellow Fellows (Mike FitzGerald (the team leader), Richard Shubrook, Paul Holmes and Luke McLaughlin) will, along with badminton coach Stephanie Cartwright, be riding 191 miles visting 34 Big Yellow Self Storage stores within the M25. All this is in aid of national charity Get The Kids Going!
Get Kids Going! works to enable disabled young people to get involved in all kinds of sports, anything from powerlifting to tennis. They’re currently preparing for the London paralympic games in 2012.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Jane Emmerson, loves the idea. “It’s absolutely fantastic to see what the Big Yellow Fellow boys are doing – they are certainly putting themselves to the test! We receive no funding from the Government or the Lottery and rely solely on donations from public so the money that Mike and the team raise will directly boost GB medal hopes at next year’s Paralympics helping to buy much needed equipment and sports grants.”
The Big Yellow Fellows endurance cycle is one of six Olympic events they’ll be recreating this year. This is all part of the Gold Challenge. This initiative challenges the public to take part in Olympic and Paralympic events to raise money for sports charities and promote sports among young people.
Good luck to everyone on the Big Yellow Fellows team!
If you’d like to get involved in the cause then you can visit their donation page. All contributions, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. (If they reach £1000 then Mike will be having a leg wax. Just a little extra incentive for you there).
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, byss, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, News, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, storage solution, student storage, UK storage, Yellow Fellows
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Friday, August 5th, 2011
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.
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK
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Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011
Just like cleaning the bathroom – isn’t there always something else that’s more important to do rather than de-cluttering? As you squeeze another t-shirt into your already stuffed drawers, why not take the plunge and seriously deal with your personal storage?
Keep yourself entertained – Turn on your favourite tracks, switch on the radio and get busy with clearing up. Tackle the floor and surfaces first, then open up some cupboards and do a proper review. Starting with clothes in the bedroom should be easy… Just remember the six-month rule! You can keep special items with real, sentimental value in self storage units, see www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal.
Grab a regular cuppa – After the initial blitz, make yourself a cup of tea. Looking around with fresh eyes can often make all the difference. Personal storage at Big Yellow is ideal for all those things that you simply can’t bring yourself to throw away. Like your Mum’s old china? If you’re not using it for tea and cake, donate it to Charity or put it in storage for your own children.
Get your friends involved – to help and to donate to. Everyone knows that ‘Many hands make light work’. You’ll find that the things stored and cluttering up your rooms may be real treasures to someone else, and you can have a good catch up at the same time.
Change rooms regularly – by switching from room to room you can keep busy and cover the whole house. The home office can be the most difficult job. Visit www.bigyellow.co.uk as we can help with personal and business storage needs.
De-cluttering isn’t easy, but if you can keep your precious items safe in Big Yellow storage, there is real satisfaction and positivity created in having clean lines and empty surfaces in the home.
Image via shino 誌野 on Flickr
Tags: armadillo self storage, at home, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, book storage, boxes, byss, clean, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, home, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, tips and tricks, UK storage
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Thursday, July 28th, 2011
The garage is the go-to place for clutter in the average modern household. So much so that many people can hardly squeeze out of their cars due to the mountains of unwanted garden furniture and outgrown toys rest in the garage safe from the cold.
The garage can be a great place to store items but it has become a regular dumping ground to the average household and it is essential that space is made to enable vehicles to be stored in their rightful spaces instead.
With the help of Big Yellow Self Storage, you can sort through items in your garage and keep those that may not be needed at present, but will be used at some point, away from a space you are likely to access on a daily basis. Once you have cleared your garage of those items that are no longer needed, you can begin to arrange and organise the space so that you and your motor can fit in as well!
Use plastic crates and bins for large items which should be grouped according to type. This kind of storage is ideal for sports equipment as it provides protection as well as giving you easy access to what is inside.
If you don’t already have some, install shelving units in your garage. Either purpose build or DIY shelving works if you consider the following things: the size and the weight of what it is you’re storing. Remember smaller items can be placed within baskets and then onto shelves to reduce the space they take up. Also consider the amount of floor space you will need to access the car once it is in place.
Install cabinets and peg boards to house dangerous objects securely or use ceiling storage (pre-made or large S hooks) to keep heavy items out of the way. Again, carefully consider the weight of what you’re storing to ensure that it is safe, secure and unlikely to fall onto the vehicle you’re planning to protect in your garage.
Please keep checking this blog for more facts, tips and tricks on storage, and the website at http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal to get a free, personalised quote.
Tags: at home, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, clean, clutter, declutter, garage, garage space, garage storage, home, self storage, self storage blog, tips and tricks
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Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Sports equipment is traditionally one of the most difficult things to store, as it tends to be rigid, and usually takes up a lot of space. For those with smaller sports equipment, just dumping balls, rackets, or a boxing kit into a bin or bucket is unsightly and not good for the equipment either.
In order to make full use of the space and equipment you have available to you, create an area in your garage or basement that can be used as a sports centre. You may even think about investing in a well-built storage system which you can use to store your sports equipment, as well as other clutter.
If you do not wish to splash out on a full storage system, there are alternative ways of storing different types of sports equipment. For example, ball claws are a clever, modern invention that you can attach to your walls, to hold onto footballs and basketballs, or for cricket bats, you could use a bat storage systems that usually rest over fence tops, making use of handy areas you would not usually consider for storage.
The list is endless including racket racks, and weight, rope and matt storage extensions or cages. Using these can help de-clutter your home or garage space as well as protect your expensive sports equipment from unnecessary damage in the long term.
If you need to store large sporting items such as children’s bicycles they have grown out of, goal posts, or even tennis nets you could benefit from investing in a Big Yellow Self Storage room of your own. Other cumbersome equipment such as skis, snowboards, surfboards and even yachting equipment could also benefit from a dedicated storage space.
We offer special deals at the moment for new customers of 50% off the first eight weeks. Do not let sporting clutter take over your life; please visit our website at www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal for further details.
Tags: at home, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, clutter, de-clutter, garage space, self storage, self storage blog, sports equipment, tips and tricks
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Monday, July 25th, 2011
Every parent has the same problem with young children getting sick of their toys, or simply growing out of them. The problem is that the house ends covered in toys rendered useless, and simply gathering dust. If this sounds familiar, and you cannot bear to just throw these expensive toys away then Big Yellow Self Storage are here to help.
We offer units in a range of sizes, starting from just ten square foot, so if you plan to have more children you can store these toys for them, instead of shelling out more money in the future. As well as saving you money, this can also help to reduce dust which clutter, such as toys, tends to gather.
Cleaning your home can become quite a chore when you have to do it on your own. Working with other people to clean and organise your home makes the bain of your life suddenly become a more manageable task, and with a few minutes of planning also a great family activity.
While children are on holiday for the summer, getting them to help with fun cleaning games, such as using sock puppets to make dusting fun. You could also incorporate cleaning into play by allocating time to create the sock puppets before the cleaning begins.
Racing is another engaging way to get family members on board. For this you will need to plan and prepare- set a task, establish your expectations and introduce any rewards and forfeits before the game begins so that everyone involved knows the rules and plays by them. A great example of this is to set the task of collecting 5 items from one room each and racing to be the first to put them back in their rightful place. Within 10 minutes the whole room will be clean. You could also incorporate relay style races and team races to vary the games week by week.
Musical cleaning is an excellent way to make chores entertaining and enjoyable. Create a circuit or running order of chores and establish individual starting points for each participant. Begin the music and explain that when the track changes you move on to the next chore.
A combined effort not only allows cleaning to be completed more quickly but it also means that you have combined two of what should be daily tasks into one. Keep checking back to our Big Yellow Blog for more tips and tricks on cleaning and de cluttering during the summer months. For self storage solutions that match all your needs, check out http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal.
Sock puppet via Pinprick on flickr
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, byss, childhood memories, clean, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, family clutter, home, kids, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, storage, storage solution, tips and tricks, UK storage
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Friday, July 8th, 2011
It only seems like yesterday that your children left for their first term of the year for university, but it’s already that time again when they are bringing back all the clutter they initially took with them.
For those who have finished their degrees completely, most parents will be dreading the returning clutter, which may have doubled in size over the past three years with added University books, notes, sports equipment, DVDs and household items. When your family home is already short of space, this can be a frightening thought for most parents. If you are one of these parents, fret not, as Big Yellow Self Storage is here to help.
Big Yellow’s rooms are available in a range of sizes, access to which is available seven days a week. If you are unsure how long you will need self storage for, you can rent a room for as little as seven days, or as long as you may need.
It is even possible to down or upgrade your room size whenever required, so you could even rent a room whilst you sort out what to do with the clutter, and whether or not your children are set to go back to University in September, we have terms which are adept to anyone’s Self Storage needs.
If your children are worried about you having access to their belongings, you can reassure them with the fact that the space is locked with their own padlocks, so, if desired, only they have access to their prized possessions.
Big Yellow Self Storage realize that moving and packing can be one of the most stressful things to deal with, especially with young adults eager to hold on to memories of their University life. However, we are here to make the process as manageable as possible. We even deliver boxes to your home, ready for packing.
If you can identify with any of the above please visit www.bigyellow.co.uk to get a personalized quote and find out more about how you can use Self Storage units to eliminate your childs’ hoarding tendencies.
Tags: at home, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, book storage, boxes, childhood memories, clutter, personal storage, self storage blog, student, student storage, tips and tricks
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Monday, July 4th, 2011
The rise of the eBay auction site has been incredible. Set up in the 1980s, today eBay has over 100 million users, both buying and selling, and the opportunities to make money keep on growing. To become a successful eBay entrepreneur however takes coordination, planning and a lot of storage space. Platinum sellers can make sales of up to £15,000 per month – that’s a lot of material to turn around and store in your living room!
Maintain stock control – as a first time eBay seller, don’t feel overwhelmed if your product range gets out of control. Anyone can end up simply surrounded by ‘stuff’. After de-cluttering your own home and selling unwanted goods online, friends and family may start to offload their items to you as well. Personal storage can help if you are suddenly faced with wardrobes full of clothing, piles of books and CDs, together with the odd lamp or two. Decide which items you want to sell, and stick to them.
Develop a niche – used designer items, especially shoes and bags, are guaranteed sales on eBay. Selling quirky items such as decorative teaspoons, Victorian walking sticks, or even giant French chandeliers, can set you up as a specialist seller with a niche market. Visit car boot sales and charity shops to help source your products. Once you have developed your online ‘shop’, you can store bulky items in a self-storage room at Big Yellow, leaving your house or business free from clutter. Self-storage rooms are accessible seven days a week, so there will be no delay in sending items out to winning bidders.
Use trade sellers to maximize profits –the best source for your merchandise after exhausting your own unwanted items and charity shops will come from the wholesale market place. Here you can buy in bulk at a lower cost, sell for a bigger profit margin, and thus really boost your income. When dealing with large quantities however, storage will become a priority. Avoid overcrowding your home and visit bigyellow.co.uk/business for ways to help with this.
Divide and sort stock – once you have a range of items to sell, you will need to organise your stock so it can be stored safely and found easily when needed. Using different coloured or odd sized boxes could help distinguish where different items are kept. Visit bigyellow.co.uk/boxshop to see our full range of storage boxes. When you need to clear out your inventory and re assess your possessions, put sale items into dust and water-proof boxes or temporary storage for a few months before starting again.
Use good quality recycled boxes to store clothing – children’s clothes and vintage items are some of the best sellers on eBay. However, clothing can become very dusty and tends to absorb smells easily. Big Yellow self-storage rooms are guaranteed to be free from cigarette smoke, damp, and pet smells.
Storing stock at Big Yellow gives you the flexibility to store as little or as much as you need from as little as £6 per week. With staff that are happy to accept deliveries for you and no complicated long term contracts, Big Yellow Self Storage may be the ideal place to store your eBay items.
For more information about how Big Yellow can help your eBay business visit www.bigyellow.co.uk/business for a personal quotation.
Tags: at home, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, business storage, Charity, Did you know?, ebay, eBay top seller, profit, self storage blog, stock
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Monday, June 27th, 2011
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/
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, business storage, de-clutter, decoration and renovation, seasonal variation, self storage blog, space
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Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
Kirsty from Big Yellow Self Storage together with Trina and Kirstie from our Armadillo Stores watched UK medal hopefuls in action during a tour of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) in Sheffield.
The impressive lottery funded facility is big enough to cater for a wide variety of sports and features state of the art equipment. As well as being a tremendous asset for elite athletes, the Institute works on projects to bring sport into the community.
There were several presentations from the organizers of Team 2012, which gave an insight into the funding operation. The goal is to raise £25 million and £14 million has already been raised. The money raised will help fund equipment for over 1200 athletes across 47 sports.
Our Big Yellow and Armadillo staff were told about two key projects the Institute is promoting: table tennis and boxing. The Institute is funding a table tennis coach from world leaders China. Kirsty from Big Yellow got to see the coach in action and even play a game against medal hopeful Kelly Sibley.
Inside the boxing halls, they saw Natasha Jonas, reigning European champion, together with Luke Campbell and Anthony Ogogo practicing their style and technique. Boxing is a very well funded and popular sport. As part of the outreach project, mobile boxing rings are being used in communities with impressive results.
The day was a fantastic insight into the development of English sporting talent and a great way of seeing the Big Yellow sponsorship of Team 2012 in action. To find out more about our medal hopefuls and work at the Institute please visit their website.
Tags: armadillo self storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, Boxing, business storage, Charity, Olympics, Paralympics, self storage, self storage blog, Table Tennis, Team 2012, UK storage
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