Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
We’re proud to have achieved a position in The Sunday Times Green List, which awards the top 60 UK companies who act in the most environmentally responsible manner.
The “Best Green Companies” listing, now in its fourth year, has become the standard against which companies can measure their environmental performance and they must also demonstrate that their employees are engaged and committed to protecting the environment.
Big Yellow was the only self storage company to appear in the list as we’ve always operated in a responsible way by investing in green buildings and operations. Over one third of our stores have onsite renewable technology such as solar panel roofs which has increased our renewable energy generation by 11.5% in the past year alone.
Other ‘green’ initiatives such as motion sensor lighting, rain water harvesting and green roof insulation also feature in some Big Yellow stores, helping us reduce our carbon emissions.
Most of the packing material we sell is made from a high recycled content and we encourage staff and customers to recycle wherever possible.
Big Yellow will continue to introduce and promote green initiatives throughout its stores as we are deeply committed to acting responsibly in 2011 and beyond.
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, Environmental responsibility, green, recycle, recycling, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, UK storage
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Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
It’s now that time of the year, when you begin to realise that those January Sale purchases were unnecessary and you need to decide what needs to go. Using self storage is a useful solution for those items you don’t want to throw away but you can’t find a home for. In order to help you decide what should stay and what should go, follow this simple rule – six months and you’re out!
This golden rule can be used when managing other areas of the home, whether you’re updating your wardrobe, clearing the garage, emptying the garden shed or even moving your office. However, getting rid of some objects may be harder than you imagined and thankfully for those things that really have to stay there are other options. Consider storing items in a secure environment away from the home or multi-functional furniture that may provide not only storage compartments for those precious items but also additional seating.
The majority of our unused items tend to get stored on the unreachable shelves or in the dark corners of the house we steer clear of, knowing what mess lies there. It is these areas that should be targeted first when de-cluttering your home and organising your life. Ask yourself, when was the last time you used the item? If it has been longer than six months then the chances are you won’t be needing it any time soon.
Tackle the clutter in a systematic way, working from one room to the next and keep high traffic areas of your home clear of clutter. This ensures that you will be able to monitor your progress and if a break is needed, you can come back to the same point. It is advised that in order to successfully complete the task of de-cluttering your home, a full day is taken but with busy lives getting busier and time getting shorter, this is not always an option.
To find out how you can benefit from self storage, visit our Quote and Reserve Online page to get started.
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, business storage, byss, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, home, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, storage, storage solution
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Monday, June 13th, 2011
De-cluttering your home should not just be a one off occurance. Being able to welcome visitors into a tidy home fulfills a home-owners sense of pride and allows visitors, both planned and spontaneous to enter into a calm and social sanctuary.
Regularly completing simple tasks such as sorting through mail, wiping services and making your bed as well as hoovering and dusting on a weekly basis enables you to keep on top of the clutter eliminating the need for a one day a year hardcore clear out.
The most important area to tackle when preparing your home for spontaneous visitors is the bathroom. The next is the lounge, vacuuming will make a dramatic improvement on the appearance of your home.
Wipe your kitchen surfaces, discarding any crumbs you may have picked up into the sink and rinse. Don’t spoil your hard work by wiping them onto the floor. Finally, pile up any papers or magazines in one pile. Although they may not be in their rightful home, piling them up will make it look as though they’ve been there for years.
These simple ideas can be completed within half an hour’s notice but making time to do these few things before you leave the house in the morning will allow you to return home to a stress-free environment with whatever company you may chose.
Tags: at home, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, business storage, byss, clean, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, tips and tricks
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Thursday, June 9th, 2011
Decluttering your home is extremely useful but it only works if you go the whole way and don’t miss out the small yet often highly stressful areas of your life. Here are three handy ways you can de-clutter your online life.
If you spend a lot of time on social networks you can be forever inundated with notifications and requests. Using Tweetdeck is the simplest way to monitor and manage your online social activites. Tweetdeck allows users to collect their Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIN, Myspace and Google Buzz updates all in one place. To reduce the amount of online clutter users can even opt out of recieving specific updates making this customisable application perfect for your needs.
Instapaper is a personalised online article storage system. By simply installing a “Read Later” bookmark, once signed up, users of Instapaper can save multiple articles in one place which can be accessed at a later date. Gone are the days when you spend 3 hours of your afternoon browsing the web and its many stories, eventually forgetting the original location you began your search.
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, UK storage
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Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
We’ve been working with READ International, a network of students who volunteer at 45 universities across Britain. We’ve been able to provide storage for thousands of books, getting them ready for shipping to Tanzania and Uganda.
The latest shipment was loaded up on 9th May from Norwich and other Big Yellow stores with a staggering 296,965 books which volunteers had been collecting over the past year. These books are now on the way for educational use in deprived schools in East Africa.
To find out how you can get active with READ International or donate books to the project please visit their Facebook group.
Tags: armadillo self storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, Charity, READ International, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, UK storage
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Friday, June 3rd, 2011
Our Armadillo Hull store has come to the aid of local charity ‘Life For A Kid’ which was formed earlier this year. Their goal is to make a difference to the lives of young children in the area with critical illnesses and disabilities. The charity founder, Dean Hoggard, is from the area and is working with the Great Britain ALL STARS who are a team of ex-Rugby League internationals.
A small charity shop has opened to raise extra money and we’ve been able to donate one of our storage rooms to help the cause. The Great Britain ALL STARS travel the nation playing charity matches in front of thousands of rugby league fans and the whole team in Hull are very proud to be part of a great local charity.
Tags: armadillo self storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, Charity, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog
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Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
We’re giving you another chance to win the latest iPad 2 in our new prize giveaway on our Facebook Page. The new edition of the iPad includes front and rear facing cameras that can record in HD and support ‘FaceTime’. With an increase in battery life it will allow you to watch movies, play games and talk to friends online for even longer!
To be in with a chance of winning this great prize all you need to do is answer the following question on the Big Yellow Facebook Page.
When was Apple founded?
a. 1976
b. 1986
c. 1996
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, Competition, Competitions, ipad, ipad 2, personal storage, prizes, self storage, self storage blog
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Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
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!
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, storage, UK storage
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Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
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.
Tags: armadillo self storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, DIY, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, UK storage
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Monday, May 23rd, 2011
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.
Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, home, Newlywed, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, Self Storage UK, storage, storage solution
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