tips Archives | Spaces & Places

At the hottest time of the year, as you might expect, the use of storage units and general moving is reduced while we all try to stay cool and out of the baking outside air. But in fact, storage units can be at their most popular in summer – for good reason. Here are our summer storage tips for how hiring a storage unit can improve the season.

1. Safe for the holidays

A storage unit doesn’t just prove its use for long-term containment; if you’re planning on jetting off on holiday, you might want a safe and secure place to keep those valuables, to ensure they are safe while you’re sunning it up on some beach abroad. With school holidays and sunny weather, we travel more in summer – and storage is what you need to ensure our valuable possessions are safe when you’re away from home.

2. Put away your winter wardrobe

Step away from the skis – if your wardrobe or hall cupboard is taken over with thick winter coats and boots that you couldn’t even imagine wearing in the summer, especially with these heatwaves, then away they must go. Save storage space by opting for a separate unit to keep those winter staples safe and sound, without you tripping over them every time you reach for the flip-flops.

3. The summer clean

Forget spring cleaning – summer cleaning is just as big when it comes to making your home cleaner, fresher and airier. Whether it’s removing that heavy furniture or replacing a stifling leather couch with a sofa that’s a bit more seasonally appropriate, cleaning out your home is one of the things that summer is great for. After all, when else can you use your outside space for room shuffling without risk of rain?

4. Keeping your possessions cool

A house full of people and even simply a tumble dryer running in a home in the middle of summer can mean the difference between your valuable items being safe and cool or ending up with damage. This is especially the case with antique furniture or old paintings, where a cooler climate is needed. Often, a storage unit can provide that neutral space, ensuring your favourite items are safe from the weather

5. Moving dates

From University students heading home to those embarking on their new adventure in home ownership, summer is a popular time to move. You’re less likely to get rained or snowed on, so even if you get too hot it’s better for your furniture and moving boxes, after all. A storage unit is a perfect place to keep furniture and items you’re in the process of moving, or that need to be stored temporarily til next term.

If you’re looking for a storage unit of your own this summer, Spaces & Places has room for you. Contact us today to find out more about our units, and to get a free quote on our services.

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

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. 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. 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. Label all the boxes with a list of their contents, to make it easy to find items when you need them.
4. Place boxes on pallets to allow air to pass around and under items.
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. 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. 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. Make boxes too heavy. No box should weigh more than 30 lbs.
2. Use plastic or newspaper to cover items. Plastic will encourage mildew and newsprint can mark and permanently damage items.
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!

Over the years, you will have gathered a lot of items, some of these may be memorable or have a sentimental meaning attached to them, and others you have stored because you do not want to throw away/ have not had time to throw away.

If you, or somebody you know has a clutter problem, here’s why…

Busy

When you lead an active life, you cherish the few moments you are allowed to relax. Very rarely you will spend your free time sorting out your wardrobe or cleaning your room and it will instead continue to be put on a ‘to-do list’ that never gets done.

Comfortable

If you are used to always having a cluttered area, it will feel familiar, safe and normal to you as it is something you have lived with for a long time. In a sense, you feel at home with this clutter and you become in no rush to change your ways.

Impulse Purchases

Something may pop up that you have an interest in at that moment in time. Whether it is buying a DVD, gathering recipes or purchasing a board game, you feel the need to buy these items, yet you are in no rush to use them. Similarly, you may watch the movie or play a board game once and then place it back in a pile to never watch/play again.

Health

You may have suffered an illness or a bereavement which means you have put your life on hold. It can be hard to come to terms with these changes, however life does not stop. The post continues to come, dust continues to gather and plants keep growing.

Depression or illness

When caring for someone or helping somebody tackle ill-health, your energy levels can decrease, meaning your surroundings are not a priority on your list. Understandably, you will put off your cleaning to-do list until you feel ready.

For many of the reasons listed above, self-storage becomes a necessity for many homes. You avoid making tough decisions on whether to throw items away, while allowing your home to become clutter free. A win-win situation.

Avoid putting off decluttering your home and get in touch today.

Many people use storage units as a place to store items they don’t use very often or don’t have space or a use for in their own home. However after a few years the unit may become disorganised or cluttered.

Here are some tips on how to organise a storage unit and make the most of the space available.

Firstly, start with a good search through all the boxes and stuff you have and decide if there are things you no longer want to keep. This will take time but be determined to have a proper clear out. Remove the unwanted items from the unit and take to the skip or charity shop straight away. If there are items you now want to sell get them on to eBay sooner rather than later to free up space in the unit.
Now all the surplus items are removed you can organise your storage unit correctly to protect your possessions from damage, and maximise space.
Protect large items from dirt and damage with a plastic sheet, leaving a small gap in-between items to allow air to circulate
Store smaller items in boxes. Use plastic boxes that are the same size so you can stack the boxes safely, and save space .Wrap fragile items up in bubble-wrap and seal boxes with tape. Avoid using sealed plastic bags as they produce humidity which can cause a build-up of mould inside the bag.
Label your boxes stating specifically what is in them and number them. This will make it easier to find things when you want them. To stack the boxes safely, place the heaviest and tallest boxes at the bottom and work your way up to the lightest and smallest.
Make an inventory of all the items in your unit and how much it is worth, this will make it easier to assess your insurance requirements.
Organising the layout of the unit is important. Always leave a walkway so you can access boxes. The best place for storing valuables is hidden at the back of your unit, and items that you are most likely to use keep at the front. If possible make a plan of where your numbered boxes are within the unit so it is easier to find things.

Having reorganised your storage unit you may find you have more space than you thought!

Working from home has increasingly become much more common. However it can be difficult to stay focused on your work and not become distracted by friends dropping in for a coffee or household chores, like popping the washing on. So to help ensure you are as productive as possible we have put together a few tips to create the perfect work environment within your own home.

Location

Not matter whether you are working in an office or at home your work area should be comfortable, quiet and have lots of natural light. It is important to be away from distractions so you can get on with work but try to pick a room or area in the house where you can ‘shut work away’ at the end of the day. It should also be spacious enough to accommodate all your work requirements.

Organisation

Keep all your documents and stationery in drawers or cupboards and have an ‘in tray’ on your desk to store documents you are currently working on. A clutter free space will help you keep calm and concentrate on the task at hand; essential for when you’re on a deadline for work.

Get creative

Make your work space somewhere that will stimulate and inspire you to be more productive. Personalize the area with posters, pictures or plants to make your home office a space you want to spend time in.

As your business grows and develops you may require extra space for storing products or documents, but it may not be practical to allocate more space in your home. A self-storage unit could be the perfect solution. At Spaces and Places, we offer affordable, flexible and practical solutions for any business; – choosing and using a self-storage facility with us couldn’t be easier.

So, if you work from home and are looking for extra space, get in touch with Spaces and Places.

April is known as home improvement month, because it is a time of year when many people start jobs to spruce up their home. Research indicates that in Britain one in three households spend £2,000 a year on home improvements. However, 43% of jobs are left unfinished because people lose interest or give up because the job was too large or difficult, but a DIY job does not have to be a big project to make a difference.

Here are some suggestions of smaller projects for those who are less confident about their DIY skills that can really enhance your home:-

Create an illusion of space in a narrow hallway by painting the end wall a darker shade than the side walls.
Update the kitchen or bathroom by changing the taps.
Paint the front door to make a great first impression.
Update old furniture by painting it or put on new handles.
Spring clean the lamp shades and windows, inside and outside, to improve the quality of the light in your home.
Create a new look by adding new soft furnishing e.g. new cushion covers, throws and table runners.
Add new plants for extra colour and interest.
Make a herb garden for the kitchen.
Get creative using cheap materials like crates and pallets to make bookshelves or a coffee table.
Give the tops of tables and dressers a quick makeover by adding a decorative liner.

We all tend of have more stuff than space, so a useful project for April could be to sort out the garage, loft and the cupboard under the stairs to get rid of all those items we no longer want, need or use.

If, after the sort out, there are somethings you simply cannot bring yourself to throw out but haven’t the space to keep them in your home why not consider hiring a self-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.

It’s that time of year again! Once the harshest weather of the winter is over, the days are getting longer and the sun is brightening the sky, many of us start to feel the urge to give our homes a ‘spring clean.’ Traditionally spring cleaning was a way of getting rid of all the soot and dirt that had built up over the winter from open fires but today it tends to refer to sorting out the house, getting rid of unwanted items and giving our home a deep clean.

Listed below are some great tips to help you spring clean your home:-

1. Declutter: start by getting rid of unwanted items. There is absolutely no point cleaning things you no longer want or need. Either take them to the tip, to the charity shop or store them to sell at a later date.
2. Tidy up: find a home for everything (there should be more room in the cupboards now you have decluttered). It is much easier to clean if you don’t have to keep moving things.
3. Pace yourself: Take one room or area at a time to avoid running out of time and energy, leaving you with unfinished jobs. You have greater satisfaction and will feel more motivated to continue if you complete cleaning one room rather than if you have several rooms partially cleaned.
4. Start at the top: when cleaning it is always best to start at the top of a room and work down, and similarly clean inside a cupboard before the outside. This will help to avoid things you have just cleaned getting dirty again. Also work round a room in one direction to avoid missing areas out.
5. Be prepared: have all your cleaning products together in a caddy to carry around with you as you clean.
6. Hand protection: invest in a good pair of rubber gloves to protect your skin and nails from harsh chemicals.
7. Freshen up: get the windows open and let fresh air circulate in the room.
8. Multitask: when spring cleaning a room, first take down curtains, remove cushion covers and other soft furnishings and get them into the washing machine so they can be washing while you are cleaning.
9. Repairs: carry out any repairs that need to be done as you come across them.
10. Look after yourself: wear comfy clothes and shoes when cleaning and give yourself a reward for all your hard work!

When you have finished your spring cleaning if you have items of furniture, household goods or clothes you do not want to throw away but need to store, why not think about using a self-storage unit. Get in touch with Spaces and Places for a secure and convenient way of storing these items.

When moving house, we don’t often plan it to fall during the winter months, but sometimes it really can’t wait. Bad weather conditions and the shorter day’s mean that the whole process can become a lot more stressful compared to moving in the summer months. Don’t be put off though, follow our tips for moving in the winter for a seamless transition to your new house!

Plan early

It’s important to plan early for any move, but in winter it becomes even more so. Take into consideration any bank holidays which may fall at an inconvenient time for your move. As part of your home moving plan, consider removal companies, what items you are taking to your new home, if any items could be put into storage and finally, if there is anything that could be recycled or taken to a charity shop.

Plan your moving day

Shorter days and a greater chance of bad weather conditions makes planning your day crucial. Keep an eye on the weather forecast for the day of the move and stay in communication with your removals company to make sure they are still willing to move if the weather does take a turn for the worse. Shorter daylight hours will make it more challenging to move things to and from vans or storage containers.

Cover carpets/ floors

Moving house in wet or snowy weather can mean your new property may get very dirty, very quickly. People will constantly be moving from outside to in, resulting in mud trailed through your new home. Avoid taking the shine off this exciting day by preparing covers like cardboard or large rags for carpets and floors so that your second day in your new house isn’t spent cleaning!

Prepare for delays

Even the best laid plans can sometimes fall foul of the weather. Give yourself extra time between your new house and old so that if the weather does turn for the worse and you are unable to move on the date planned, you aren’t under pressure to be out of your old house. Moving can be stressful enough without having to be rushed.

Food and drinks for helpers

Make sure a kettle, tea bags and some mugs are easily accessible during your move. Throughout a cold and busy day of moving, nothing will help you and your helpers feel better than taking a few minutes break for a well earned cup of tea!

If you are looking to store your belongings in a storage unit, get in touch with Spaces and Places to ensure your items are kept in a reliable, secure and safe place.

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!

Believe it or not, the purpose of a garage is to protect your vehicle from the British weather. However, the majority of Brits that own a garage use it to hide belongings such as unwanted furniture, clothes, toys, bicycles and much more.

Even though most garages do not offer top of the range security, people are still drawn to placing items they do not want to throw away in there. Yes, your items are finally out of the way, but you are cluttering a space that can no longer be used for its main purpose; to protect your car.

Follow these five simple steps and thanks to storage units, you will soon have your garage back!

1. Do not overwhelm yourself. Set yourself an hour each day to complete a job. If you try and clean your garage in one day, you may be tempted to give up!
2. Boxes, boxes and more boxes. Place clothes, books, CD’s etc. in each box. When the box is full, place it straight into your car and drive to the storage facility.
3. You will not be mowing your lawn and completing gardening work often during winter. Place all gardening equipment in your vehicle to take to storage. If there are a few sunny days and you want to complete some gardening, Spaces and Places offer 24/7 access to all units for your convenience.
4. Once your garage is empty, now is the time to clean! Throw out any rubbish, power wash the floor and even paint the walls. Make your garage look attractive in order to prevent you repeatedly cluttering the space.
5. If you do have items that need to stay in your garage, create an entire storage wall system. As long as the floor is free and your car can fit comfortably in the garage, you have succeeded!

Now your garage is free, you are able to protect your car through these months. You no longer need to leave for work 10 minutes early so you have time to defrost your car and you can also have peace of mind that hailstone will not damage your vehicle.

Help liberate your garage by getting in touch with Spaces and Places. Our safe, secure and convenient storage units will protect your possessions and your car will finally get its home back!

The colder months are here and even though the warm weather seems a distant memory, it is now the perfect time to prepare and protect all your outdoor equipment before the frost, ice and snow hit!

If you are unsure which items you should be storing through the winter months, have a look through our tips and suggestions below.

Outdoor Equipment

During the summer months your garage will be filled with many items ranging from lawnmowers to sun loungers which will not be needed through winter. By storing all items in self storage, you will be able to make room for necessities such as snow shovels, grit and sledges!

In the UK, we also experience heavy downpours of rain which can become disastrous to households. Last winter, many parts of the country experienced flooding and to this day, people are still recovering and replacing damaged items. This is another important reason to store your valuable items in storage to prevent damages occurring.

Tip – When storing a lawnmower in storage, ensure the gas tank is empty and if you are storing garden equipment, to prevent rust, make sure all items are dirt-free!

Patio Furniture

If you prefer to keep your patio furniture outside through winter, you will have to invest in water tight coverings. We also recommend placing any cushions inside to prevent water stains, discolouration and damage to the fabric. It is unlikely that you will be using the furniture for many months, and in order to keep your outdoor items looking new and keep for longer, self storage is the answer.

Tip – After cleaning and drying all items thoroughly, you are able to stack patio chairs on top of one another. This will allow more space to store other items.

By being prepared through the colder months, you will be able to use all items with no surprises once spring arrives. Also, if you suddenly need an item, all our units are accessible 24/7 for your convenience. Get in touch with Spaces and Places to learn more about our storage solutions.

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