Category: Storage Tips

There are many concerns to address if you will soon be moving to a new location. Whether you have recently purchased a second home or your business requires an upgrade, the fact of the matter is that the logistics can be challenging.

One of the most common issues involves the number of boxes that will be required to transport your possessions. Are there any ways in which you can take the guesswork out of this equation?

With a handful of tips and tricks, even the most complicated scenarios can be addressed. Let’s take a closer look.

Take the Number of Rooms Into Account

As a general rule of thumb, it is first wise to examine the number of rooms that will need to be packed. The type of room will also have an impact.

For example, bathrooms and kitchens will generally require fewer boxes when compared to locations such as living rooms and bedrooms (clothes and personal items can take up a significant amount of space).

De-Cluttering the Property

One of the best ways to enjoy a stress-free move is to de-clutter the location well in advance of your big day. You should begin by removing all non-essential items as well as objects which can be sorted at a later date.

In this case, smaller boxes may suffice; especially if you will be personally transporting their contents to a new location.

All About Storage Capacity

In terms of determining the appropriate number of boxes, it can be tough to make an exact calculation. For example, some items will require more space than others.

There can also be times when valuable objects (such as family heirlooms) must be protected from accidental damage between two locations. This is why it is generally better to choose larger dimensions.

For instance, the storage crates offered by Spaces and Places boast a capacity of 80 litres and they can handle an impressive 20 kilogrammes. These crates can likewise be sealed and labelled so that security is never an issue.

The presence of labels also signifies that sorting and categorisation are straightforward. Larger boxes will likewise allow you to transport more items from place to place at any given time. This is beneficial if you happen to be governed by a tight schedule.

What Items Can Be Discarded?

Sentimentality will also play a role when moving to a new location. The chances are high that some items are no longer needed and can be discarded.

Try to look at this situation from an objective point of view, as fewer trips will result in a more straightforward project. Speak with other family members to determine which objects they wish to eliminate.

All About Planning Ahead

These are some general guidelines to keep in mind when deciding upon the number of boxes needed for your move.

If you have additional questions or should you require a bit of extra guidance, feel free to contact the professionals at Spaces and Places.

Motorbike storage

Self storage is a cost-effective and convenient way to store your motorbike. But before you start packing up your bike, it’s important to have the right preparation done beforehand. In this article, we will go over some of the most important steps that need to be taken in order for you to safely store your motorcycle during its period in self storage.

Choosing the Correct Storage Unit Size

Before you start packing up your bike, it’s important to have the right preparation done beforehand. The size of the storage unit needed will depend on how many motorcycles are being stored and their sizes. For example, a small motorcycle would store in 50 sqft while large ones such as Harley Davidson, Ducati and sportbikes would require around 75 square feet.

It’s important to be aware of the size limits so that you end up with enough storage space while also not paying for too much.

The primary consideration in selecting a self-storage unit should always be how safe it will keep your bike from theft or vandalism.

Preparing the Unit For Your Motorcycle

Place a tarp over the floor of your self-storage unit and spread it out to ensure that all footprints are avoided.

Wipe down any surface in the storage space with a damp cloth and remove any dirt or dust from surfaces that might get scratched by wheel kick stands, cables or other hard items during transit.

Cover up anything you don’t want to be scratched by the frame of the bike.

Cover any painted surfaces with a tarp or other protective cloth.

If you intend on putting tools in your storage container for safety purposes, put them inside of bags so that they don’t scratch the unit.

Prepping the Engine for Long Winter Storage

When storing your motorcycle over long periods of time, it’s important to prep the engine.

Before storing your bike, drain all of the fuel from the tank and replace it with fresh petrol, additive or stabilizer.

Use an air compressor to blow out any water that may have collected in coolant hoses and radiator caps.

Check your air filter to ensure that it is clean before storing the bike as dirt will become permanently embedded in the surface if left unchecked.

When it comes to storing your motorcycle, a self storage unit can be the perfect solution. If you are in Nuneaton and want help finding the best storage for your bike, get in touch today!

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The first day of spring has hit which means it’s traditionally the time of year when our homes have a thorough deep clean. However the spring clean shouldn’t just stop at your home, as your office also needs to be rid of clutter and clean and tidy in order for your productivity at work to remain high. Spring cleaning is an excellent opportunity to have a good sort out and get rid of all those unwanted items that have you’ve been hoarding over the years.

Obviously not all the items you sort when decluttering should be thrown away, some could be put in storage! Check out our reasons below as to how decluttering and investing in a self-storage unit can benefit you.

Your Physical Health is Improved

Injury is a big issue in the workplace and so not only will de-cluttering reduce the risk of this, it also means that your employees are more comfortable when moving around in their working environment. Did you know that the average keyboard contains up to 7,500 bacteria? Office furniture is a breeding ground for any germs and bacteria that are spreading through the office and so getting rid of any unused large furnishings and tackling down on the spring cleaning can help reduce that.

Your Mental Health is Improved

Not only is your physical health affected by clutter, but your mental health too. The common phrase ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ has never been more true as having lots of clutter amongst your office space can leave employees with a cluttered mind which will affect their productivity when in the workplace. No mess also means that you have a clear an organised space to work in which will alleviate stress and tension in the workplace.

Improved Efficiency

Having large amounts of clutter can slow down decision making, stopping people from being as efficient as usual which is something no business needs. It is incredibly easy to lose things amongst the mess surrounding you and this could begin to affect your workplace by costing time and money as you frantically search for a particular item.

Personal Image

First impressions count and what your visitors see when entering your business can reflect on you positively or negatively. Having a clean and tidy office will immediately give a good impression to a visitor that you are organised and care about your workplace.

If now is the time to make your office more organised, but you have too many belongings to keep, then get in touch with your nearest Spaces and Places to discuss investing in a self-storage unit.

Most of us think of storage units as just four walls and a roof to keep our possessions safe when we move but, depending on your storage company, they can be used for far more than that.

Each space is self-contained, lockable, well-lit and usually has power, so there’s far more to be done than simply storing boxes and furniture.

Read on for some rather creative self-storage uses:

1. Yarn and yet more yarn

If you like to knit, crochet and craft, chances are you’ve got an ever-growing stash of wool, needles, felts, buttons, cotton and remainders that you might use one day, so you just have to keep them!

If your home isn’t exactly overflowing with storage space and there isn’t room for a proper craft area, a storage unit could be just the thing both to store your craft items and to use as a crafting room away from the house.

Imagine peace and quiet while you work, and the space to spread out, with a cutting table, plenty of room to put everything neatly away, and where you can leave your current project out ready for the next time without creating clutter at home.

The other good thing about storage units is that if your yarn addiction is really that bad (obviously we mean your perfectly reasonable need to own ALL THE YARN), you can always upgrade to a larger unit, whenever you like!

2. Gym bunny bolt hole

Not everyone has space at home for tons of gym equipment and not everyone likes going to the gym and working out in front of other people, but a good-sized storage unit could be just the thing for your own personal gym space.

Set up all of your equipment spaced out perfectly for your workout and maybe add a locker with spare clothing and toiletries and a mini fridge for iced water and juice.

And you don’t even need to tell anybody you’re working out if you don’t want to. Let them wonder how you’ve achieved that perfectly toned body!

3. Gamer’s paradise

Hire a unit and add your game consoles, an array of snacks and drinks, and of course, the ultimate, high-tech, comfortable gamer’s chair, with adjustability, space for your drink, and more monitors than NASA.

Just don’t forget that you might occasionally need to sleep and have a life!

4. Practice space

In a band? Or just started out with an instrument? Instead of driving the whole house made with constant scales and practising, why not hire a storage unit and play away to your heart’s content without disturbing anyone else?

5. DIY nut home from home

If you love your DIY but you don’t have a lot of space at home, you could build the perfect man (or woman) cave in a storage unit with all your tools and benches laid out to hand, instead of having to get them out every time you need them.

Imagine the bliss of getting straight to a job and finishing it, not taking three hours – two hours of which were hunting for the right parts and tools!

Been inspired by our creative storage unit uses? Why not get in touch?

If you need self-storage in the Manchester area, you couldn’t do better than with Spaces and Places. Whatever your requirements, Spaces and Places offer a storage service designed to meet your needs.

Moving house is an incredibly stressful thing to do and, if you don’t have a place to store everything while you’re doing it, your stress levels can go through the roof. Luckily, we have years of experience in helping people to find a new home and we’ve picked up our fair share of moving house packing tips along the way. Read on, and we’ll share some of the secrets that could help to make your moving process just that little bit easier.

1. Get new stuff delivered to storage

There’s no point in cluttering up your existing home with stuff that’s intended for your new place. You’ll just have to pack it all up again anyway. Instead, get any new furniture delivered to a storage location and move it into your new property once you’ve arrived. Adding new objects you won’t be using will only make the process of packing up your old house even more stressful.

2. Take photos of your plugs

This may sound boring but if you’re likely to forget just how everything connects to your TV or how you managed to plug your laptop, phone and iPad into one powerstrip, then take a photo before you move. This is one of our top moving house tips. Trust us, it could save you several unhappy hours messing around with plugs once you’ve arrived in your new place.

3. Don’t lose small stuff

Odds are, you’ll have a few small but valuable things that you definitely don’t want to lose during your move. Instead of shoving them at the bottom of a big box, use egg cartons to keep them safe. They’re perfect for rings, watches, small gadgets and other things that could otherwise fall out and be forgotten.

4. Have one box that you open first

Unpacking all of your boxes after you move can take weeks or even months. If you don’t know where everything is, you may find yourself spending the first few days in your new house rooting through endless boxes in search of that one vital thing you need right now. That’s why one of our top moving house tips is to create an ‘open me first’ box that contains all of the stuff that you’ll need right away after moving. We’re talking cutlery, plates, dishwasher tablets and all of the little things that will make life in your new place that bit easier.

5. Don’t cook on day one

You’ve arrived in your new place, exhausted from the stresses of moving. The odds are that the last thing you want to do is spend all evening cooking. Get the number of a good local takeaway before moving day and be ready to call as soon as moving is over. Trust us, it’ll make your first evening in your new home so much more relaxed.

We hope our moving house packing tips make your next move go smoothly. A little bit of pre-planning can save you from many of the stresses that are commonly associated with moving into a new home. Contact us at Spaces & Places for more tips and advice.

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Whatever the nature or size of your business, you’ll inevitably need to store things like equipment, supplies and files.

How and where you store the things you need to run your business can make a big difference to your overall efficiency. A crowded, disorganised work space can slow you down, demotivate you or even present a health and safety hazard.

Here’s how to organise and free up storage space for better business efficiency.

Storage tips for business premises 

From new startups to SMEs, most businesses will face storage challenges at one time or another. If you’re starting to outgrow your premises, here’s what you can do to get organised and free up space:

– Walk around the premises and identify things which are in the way, such as boxes stacked up in corners or corridors and paperwork piled up on desks.
– Move everything to one place (e.g. a breakout area) so you can see at a glance what you need to store before you start trying to fit it all into cupboards or storerooms.
– Put the things you use regularly into your cupboards or storerooms (labelling items clearly and creating rows of boxes for easy access) and consider using self-storage for things you only need occasionally.

Hiring a self-storage unit is a great alternative to renting warehouse space or moving into larger premises; it’s less expensive (as you don’t have to pay for business rates and utilities) and completely flexible, as you can increase or decrease the space as your needs change.

Storage tips for home working

Whether you work at your kitchen table or in a spare room, it’s likely that your work space is confined to a small area of the house – so it’s important to make sure you have room to think instead of being crowded by files and supplies.

– Put up sturdy, wall-mounted shelves or use a tall drawer unit/bookcase to store items vertically rather than taking up valuable floor space.
– Digitise your files and use cloud storage to reduce the amount of paperwork you need to keep in filing boxes and cabinets.
– Put old but important paperwork into cardboard archive boxes to prevent fading/yellowing, and consider moving the boxes into self-storage to free up space.
– Putting items into self-storage can help to free up working space in your home, or even to  create a dedicated work space – for example by clearing out a large cupboard or boxroom which can then be fitted with a desk and chair.

Find out about self-storage for businesses

Proper storage solutions can save you valuable space and time, leaving you free to focus on growing your business.

Our range of self-storage units are affordable and flexible; you can hire as much or little space as you need, even if it’s just for a short period of time (e.g. while relocating or decorating your current premises), and change your storage space according to your needs.

Why not contact us to find out more?

Office storage solutions

Whether you are a large or a small business, using self-storage can provide the perfect solution for additional storage space. Financially using self-storage makes good business sense – rather than moving to larger premises as the business expands it is more cost effective to use a storage unit to store old archived files, additional office supplies, excess and seasonal inventory, holiday decorations for the office and other seasonal items, and even office furniture.

Your office space is expensive and should be filled with the essentials for the daily running of your business- primarily your staff and any necessary equipment they require on a daily basis. Anything else should be off site in a self-storage unit not piled up in a corner gathering dust or in a cupboard taking up valuable office space.

At Spaces and Places we have low cost units of varying sizes, with a flexible option to hire as you require. Our units are clean, dry spaces with lighting and there is 24/7 access and CCTV security to ensure all items are safe and secure

We will help you determine the size of the unit to suit your business requirements but here are some tips to follow to keep accessing your items quick and easy:

Place large and bulky items at the back of the storage unit, or along one side wall.

Make sure all of your boxes are clearly labelled and numbered

Stack the boxes neatly keeping the larger ones on the bottom and smaller ones on top.

Items that you need to get to more frequently should be kept near the door and on top.

Keep a record of everything you place inside your storage unit.

Draw a plan of where the numbered boxes are placed in the unit

If you are looking to have a more organised and spacious business, get in touch with Spaces and Places –your local self-storage destination.

Every year we take out our Christmas decorations and spend ages unravelling strings of lights and beads, getting dust of wreaths and checking how many smashed baubles we will need to replace. If only we spent a little more time storing everything carefully at the end of Christmas, life would be less stressful at the beginning of the next Christmas season. The key to storing the decorations carefully is ensuring they stay dry, dust free and are not crushed.

Here are a few tips and tricks on how to pack away your decorations with care, to ensure they are not ruined for Christmas next year!

  • Christmas lights – wrap around a piece of card or an old coffee canister to prevent them getting all tangled up
  • Strings of beads – store in water bottles will help to prevent them from getting tangled
  • Christmas baubles – use egg boxes for small baubles or plastic apple trays for larger ones, then store the trays in a large storage box to prevent them being crushed or covered in dust.
  • Wreaths – hang on coat hangers and cover in dry cleaning plastic covers to prevent them being crushed or covered in dust.
  • Artificial trees – wrap in cling film or make a bag using an old sheet
  • Christmas candles – protect special candles by covering them with old hosiery stockings and storing in a box.

Having packed all the Christmas decorations away safely, storing them securely in your own home can require a lot of storage space! However, a self- storage unit will provide a clean, dry place without you having to sacrifice lots of space in your home.

Keep your Christmas decorations safe and secure until you need them again in one of Spaces and Places storage units. For more information, get in touch with your local storage site today.

As the temperature drops and winter approaches many people are preparing to store items that go unused during the colder months of the year.  However if your home or garage is already full, storing these things can be a problem. Using a self-storage unit is an easy way to save on space in your home.

Here are a few seasonal belongings commonly stored in units during the winter.

  • Summer clothing – In a small living space, it can make a big difference to put out-of-season clothing in a storage unit.
  • Garden furniture – more and more people are using their garden as another room with dining tables, sofas, heaters, parasols and soft furnishing, but all this furniture need to be stored in a dry place over the winter.
  • Lawn equipment – once the lawn has had its final cut of the season the lawn mower, grass clippers and other garden tools require storing in a dry place.
  • Recreational gear – Put away sporting equipment, such as skateboards, hiking boots, wet suits and life jackets, until the warm weather returns.
  • Small engine vehicles – if you only ride your motorcycle during the summer months, put it away in storage to gain more space at home.
  • Holiday home – if you have a static caravan which can’t be used during the winter month there may be many items like TV’s, bedding, soft furnishing, beach gear that you want to store safely until you start using your caravan again
  • Camping Gear – while camping is great in the summer, all the gear can take up a lot of storage space over the winter.

 

To protect items that you are not using during the winter, store them with Spaces and Places. It makes the ideal solution to save you space at home while keeping all your possessions safe and secure.

Self-storage with Spaces and Places is easy to use. They offer flexible, short term contracts that are affordable. You have access to your unit 24/7 and your belongings are protected by top of the range security, get in touch with your local storage site today.

More and more people are using self-storage units to keep items that are seasonal or only used occasionally safe and their homes free of clutter. However using a self-storage unit should be simple and hassle-free.

The following helpful tips should take the stress out of packing your self-storage unit so you can enjoy a clutter free home and know your belongings are safe.

Do:

  1. 1. Make a list of everything you need to store and collect together all the packing materials you require e.g. boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, tape and marker pens.
  2. 2. Pack each box according to its contents; wrap fragile items individually in bubble wrap, pack books flat and clothes, bedding or curtains are best protected in vacuum bags. Photos and pictures should be placed between two pieces of card and then taped together to stop them curling.
  3. 3. Label all the boxes with a list of their contents, to make it easy to find items when you need them.
  4. 4. Place boxes on pallets to allow air to pass around and under items.
  5. 5. Larger items can be packed individually but to maximise the space in the unit remove legs from furniture and place tables and chests of drawers top-to-top. To protect and keep these items clean, cover with packing paper or dust sheets.
  6. 6. Clean and dry appliances like BBQ’s, lawn mowers and garden tools. Before storing wipe metal surfaces with a few drops of oil to prevent rust.
  7. 7. In the unit, position items you will use frequently at the front of the unit, and make a central aisle between all items for easy access to the rest.

Don’t:

  1. 1. Make boxes too heavy. No box should weigh more than 30 lbs.
  2. 2. Use plastic or newspaper to cover items. Plastic will encourage mildew and newsprint can mark and permanently damage items.
  3. 3. Store toxic or flammable substances like paint, oil or petrol as they are a fire hazard. Also ensure that petrol is drained from all small appliances like lawn mowers.

If you have any questions about using a storage unit, get in touch with your local Spaces and Places, where our friendly team will answer all your enquiries!

Last month we covered a few of the reasons why we are drawn to storing clutter and why we continue to do so.

If you missed part I, check it out here.

Read on for part II….

Parents Influence

Many children follow in their parent’s footsteps, with or without realising. If your home was always neat and tidy then you subconsciously adopt similar behaviours. However, if your parents were collectors, workaholics or had a creative flare then your home would be more busy and unorganised.

You may have adopted your parent’s habits or rebelled against then, either way, they have had an influence on how you choose to fill the space in your home.

Life changes

You may have moved into a smaller place than what you were used to or even used the spare room you once had to start a business; life changes affect the way we use our space. If you feel all your items are crowding your room and suffocating the way you live, it is time to make some changes.

Loneliness

When you are lonely, you tend to try and fill a void. Many people turn to food or shopping to keep themselves entertained. However, overconsumption can have consequences and before you know it, the space you once had is now full of new purchases.

Personality

If you are a creative person you may make a lot of impulsive buys. Coming across items you feel you can restore and sell due to the potential you see in them or even purchasing unique items as nobody else will have them will be a regular occurrence!

Letting go

Having emotional attachment to items makes them harder to throw away. You will feel guilty and suddenly miss the item once you make the decision to say goodbye. The same goes for items that you feel may come in handy one day. Old jeans that are too big/ too small, an outfit you have worn once and even magazines/books that you will not read again suddenly pile up and you have no intention of throwing away.

Whether you are looking for extra space to work on a project or you would like a safe and secure place to store your items, a storage unit is the answer. Business storage and personal storage are options available at Spaces and Places.

Get in touch and start making your home a peaceful and relaxing place to live in today.