Tag: organising tips

Moving house is always a difficult and stressful time but is even more demanding if you have children.

The key to moving successfully with children is to get them on board with the planning and preparation.

Here are our top tips

    • Talk to the children about the move and include them in discussions about moving day so they are prepared for the event
    • Visit the new house and in particular show them their bedroom and discuss how their things will be arranged in the room
    • Visit the local area to make everywhere more familiar
    • Go through their current bedroom with them and get rid of toys, books and games they no longer use and give to a charity shop.
    • Encourage the children, with your help, to pack up their own things, selecting just a few items to go in a special essentials box that can be kept handy to give them on removal day when you arrive at the new house.
    • Pack up an essentials kit for all the family to have easy access to on moving day. The essentials box should contain- snacks, drinks, spare clothes and toiletries.
    • On the day, arrange for the children to be looked after for at least part of the day so you can get on with the move more swiftly and efficiently.
    • To encourage the children to settle in their new home let them arrange and unpack their things in their bedroom. It maybe things are moved round at a later stage but it is important that the children feel safe and are surrounded by the things they treasure that first night.
    • When you introduce yourselves to the neighbours, take the children with you so they can meet other children.
    • Once you are settled, invite a few of the neighbour’s children round to play.

Of course, if you have the time and somewhere to stay temporarily, you could consider putting your belongings into storage for a few days following completion: this would give you time to clean, child-proof and even decorate your new home before moving in properly.

If you require storage during a move, get in touch with you nearest Spaces and Places today

If you are a small growing business, increasing and maintaining high levels of productivity is essential to your development.

Research has shown that a brighter, neater and more flexible office increases employee engagement and productivity.

Here are a few top tips for organising your office to encourage your team to go that ‘extra mile’

Space – an office with high ceilings creates a feeling of space, making it light and airy. Circulation of air is important to keep the team alert and focused. The presence of plants in the office also helps to keep oxygen levels in the room high as well as adding a calming atmosphere.

Design – choose furniture carefully and arrange it in a way that encourages collaboration. Rounded and curved furniture is more inviting rather than rectangular tables in rows.

Get creative – studies have shown that productivity increases when employees have ownership of their own work area. Encourage your staff to personalise their own area with posters, pictures or plants to make it a space that inspires them and that they want to spend time in.

Organisation – encourage everyone in the office to keep all documents and stationery in drawers or cupboards and have an ‘in tray’ on their desk to store documents they are currently working on. A clutter free space will help to keep everyone calm and focused on the task at hand.

As a business grows and develops it may require extra space for storing products or documents, but it may not be practical to allocate more space in the office.

A self-storage unit could be the perfect solution. At Spaces and Places, we offer affordable, flexible and practical solutions for any business. Keep your office organised and tidy by storing documents in self-storage. With 24/7 access and CCTV surveillance, you can have peace of mind that your documents are safe and secure.

So, if your business is looking for extra space, get in touch with Spaces and Places.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by all the ‘stuff’ in your home it is probably time to have a good sort out and declutter. Process of decluttering is not only beneficial for your wellbeing but it can also be financially beneficial too.

As the May bank holiday approaches that extra day off could be the perfect time to start decluttering and making some extra cash.

The best way to declutter is to take one room at a time and sort things into four piles: to keep, to sell, to donate, and to bin.

If there are items you are  not sure about getting rid of, just consider whether you have used it in the last 12 months , if you haven’t you probably won’t use in the future, so get rid of it.

Once you have your piles you then need to work out the best ways to make money from your ‘sell’ pile.

  • Go to a car boot sale or nearly new sale with your items. There is usually a fixed price charged for hiring the pitch but if you have a lot of items to sell it is could be a cost effective option and it can be fun too
  • Use a second hand shop to sell your items for you. They will take a commission charge but if don’t’ like the idea of selling items yourself or are short on time it could a good solution to get some cash for your unwanted items
  • Selling online. Ebay is the most commonly used site but they will take 10% and you need to factor in things like postage. The royal mail can work out expensive so consider couriers like Hermes as an alternative or include the postage in the cost in the purchase price. Gumtree is an alternative on line site which is free and operates on a more local basis. Selling via Facebook is also becoming more popular
  • Recycling clothes for cash with stores like H&M
  • Selling unwanted items to online sites – Fatbrain will give you cash for your unwanted books, MusicMagpie will buy unwanted CD’s, DVD’s and games and Envirofone will give you cash for your old mobile phones.

If you are left with clutter that you don’t want to sell or throw away, why not keep it in self-storage to free up space in your home.

At Spaces and Places we have storage units of varying sizes and we offer safe, clean and highly affordable flexible storage options, with 24/7 access.  For more information, get in touch with one of our team.

Call: 0800 124 4363 or Email: hello@spaces-and-places.co.uk

As the seasons change from winter into spring, more people may be thinking about putting their bulky winter clothing into storage instead of having it clog up their wardrobes.

Unlike some parts of the world where the climate remains fairly constant, in the UK we definitely have 4 seasons – sometimes in one day! This means that in the autumn and winter we wear thicker heavier clothes and in the spring and summer our clothes are generally lighter and thinner. Having all these clothes in our wardrobe and drawers can lead to overcrowding and difficulty finding the things we want to wear, plus there is a danger that the clothes can get damaged and spoilt if they are crammed into wardrobes and drawers ‘fit to burst’!

The best way to overcome these problems is to store the bulky autumn/winter clothes during the spring/summer months and the skimpy shorts, tops and dresses worn in the spring /summer should be packed away over the autumn /winter months.

Here are a few tips on the best way to store clothing to ensure it stays in perfect condition until you need it next.

  1. 1. Sort out clothes and accessories – Before storing clothes, shoes and accessories it is always a good idea to have a good sort through. There is no point in storing clothes you have not worn for the last twelve months. There is probably a good reason why you have not worn them- too small, too big, the fit is wrong, they are out of fashion or they are showing signs of wear. Be ruthless – get rid of worn out clothes –even if it is a favourite shirt and send items in good condition to the charity shop.

2. Clean /polish -Wash or dry clean all clothes before storing them. The clothes do not need to be ironed but it is essential to clean them properly to remove marks and stains. Similarly clean and polish leather goods like boots and shoes before storing. Keep boots and shoes separate from clothes and stuff tissue paper into them to help keep their shape.

3. Repair – Carry out minor repairs on clothes before storing them for example sewing on buttons, or repairing seams or hems.

4. Storage containers – Invest in good quality plastic containers with airtight lids to store your clothes. They will keep your clothes dry and free of mildew/mould plus mice and other small creepy crawlies will not get to your clothes. Avoid vacuum packing clothes – it may save you space but clothes made of natural fibres like wool can be damaged if crushed in a vacuum bag for a long period of time.  Contains should then be stored in a warm, dry place.

5. Packing – Although clothes don’t need to be ironed before packing, they should be packed carefully either by folding neatly or rolling. Heaviest items should be packed first and the lighter more delicate items should be at the top and whatever you do, don’t over pack the container!  

If you find that you’re struggling for space to store all your clothes, why not think about renting a self-storage unit.  We offer clean secure storage with 24/7 access.

Get in touch with Spaces and Places and get your wardrobe under control!

The 1st National Clear Your Clutter Day was on Saturday 19th March 2016.

It was set up by Jasmine Birtles, the consumer champion and founder of MoneyMagpie.com.

The day was designed to encourage and help people all over the UK to declutter their homes and lives.

This year National Clear Your Clutter Day takes place on Saturday 11th March 2017.

So now is the time to declutter your homes and dig out all those unused items to sell, swap, upcycle, recycle or donate.

It is the perfect opportunity to raise some extra cash or to feel good about clearing out your home and giving items you no longer want to someone else.

Jasmine’s top tips for decluttering include:

  • 1. Consider decluttering in a positive way – think of it as gaining space and freedom rather than getting rid of things
  • 2. Take a room at a time – clear one room before you start with the next and go for the easiest room first. This will help to spur you on to declutter in other rooms
  • 3. Enlist help – it is always more fun sorting things out with a friend or a member of the family. It will also encourage you to be more ruthless and avoid hanging onto things.
  • 4. Use the 4 box rule – have 4 boxes marked ‘throw away’, ‘charity shop’, ‘sell’, ‘recycle’. Everything you decide not to keep should go into one of those boxes.

The ‘throw away’ one is easy just put it in your bin or take to the tip.

The ‘charity shop’ one take to your favourite charity shop, remembering to give them your name and postcode so that they can gift aid it.

The stuff to recycle could be decorated or re-packaging to use as Christmas or birthday presents. Or if it is clothing re vamped, to make it wearable again.

The items to sell, should be photographed and the details uploaded on to an internet sales site such as eBay, Preloved or a local community Facebook group

  • 5. One item at a time- if the thought of decluttering overwhelms you, just get into the habit of sorting one item a day. Put the item in the bin, drop it in at the charity shop or put it on line to sell. It’s amazing how much you will clear month by month and this habit will give you freedom from clutter and financial rewards over time.

If, despite all your best efforts to declutter there are some things you really can’t let go, why not consider using a storage unit.

Spaces and Places is the perfect place to store items you do not want to throw away and furniture you wish to sell at a future date.

Get in touch with Spaces and Places, a secure, convenient and trustworthy storage company.

You may be shocked to learn, a clean home not only reduces stress levels, it also makes you less prone to becoming unwell.

Asthma, allergies and irritated eyes are a few symptoms that occur when your home is untidy and if you have been suffering with a cold lately, the first thing to do is to create a healthy home.

Step One – Tidy Up

First things first, decide which items you want to keep in your home and which items can be thrown away, kept safe in storage or donated to charity.

Items such as extra chairs, seasonal clothing, keepsake items etc. are best kept in a safe and secure area such as self storage.

Clothes which you have not worn for numerous years, have little sentiment attached to them and are in good condition can be donated to charity.

Once you have decided which items you are keeping and which items you are throwing away, it is time to clean!

Step Two – Clean

Now your home is organised, start thoroughly cleaning each room. If you notice mould or water damage, this needs to be checked asap, especially if you or a person living in your home suffers from asthma or has allergies.

If redecorating your home has crossed your mind, then there is no time like the present! Your hard work has allowed you to have a clean and tidy home and a fresh coat of paint can work wonders in brightening up your home.

Step Three – Do not slack

Even though your home at this moment is clean, tidy and organised, remember to keep on top of your cleaning tasks.

While it is easy to go back to old ways, don’t let your hard work become undone as a safe and healthy home will help prevent illnesses occurring!

Self storage helps you maintain a tidy and healthy home and your prized possessions are only a car journey away. Spaces and Places have secure units through the North West, get in touch to learn more!

Over Christmas, there’s no doubt you’ll have received an abundance of new items for your home that are currently sat waiting to be put away.

Many of us use January as a good excuse to have a relook at our lives, make important changes and try to better ourselves; both in terms of our health or our life objectives. Sometimes these life changes can seem a little daunting to say the least.

Our top tips to organising your home, room by room provides realistic changes that will have an immediate impact on your home life; saving you time and unnecessary stress.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart and soul of the house; a space for cooking, eating, entertaining and socialising. Keeping this area organised is essential for maximising the space.

  • 1. Go through the cupboards and throw out anything that’s out of date
  • 2. Buy storage containers to help organise your cupboards/ pantry
  • 3. Have a look through your utensils and throw out anything that has been in the cupboards for years. If you haven’t used it in the last year, the chances are you won’t. If throwing things out doesn’t feel right, take it to a local charity shop.

 

Office

Has your office become a dumping ground for piles of paperwork? Is there an old printer sat in the corner gathering dust?  A decluttered, and organised office can actually give you that motivational push you need to get on with any new projects, starting the year as you mean to go on. So why not:

  • 1. Throw out any old unused office equipment
  • 2. Go through any piles of paperwork, throwing and shredding any that you don’t need.
  • 3. File all other documents in a filing cabinet ensuring any that you need access to are easy to find.

 

Garage

It’s common knowledge that very few garages are used for the storage of the car. Most people either renovate it to provide more living space, or use it as an area for storage or workshop. As a multipurpose space it’s essential that it’s well thought out and organised.

  • 1. Use a slat wall to hang and organise smaller accessories.
  • 2. Install a set of old school lockers and assign one to each member of your family.
  • 3. Create extra space and store bikes vertically.

By following these simple changes, your stress levels will be reduced and you’ll find that you have more time to enjoy the things you love to do.

If you find that once your home is reorganised you’re still struggling for space, why not think about self a self-storage unit. Get in touch with Spaces and Places and start 2017 on a positive note!