Category Archives: Get Organized

Embrace the Cold & Protect Your Belongings!

Winter is here in Egg Harbor Township, NJ and it’s time to embrace the snow!  But with the change in temperature, it’s important to make sure your belongings are protected from the harsh weather conditions. That’s where self storage comes in! Our climate-controlled units ensure that your items stay safe and sound, no matter the weather outside. Plus, with easy access and flexible rental options, you can enjoy your winter wonderland without any worries. Don’t let the cold ruin your belongings – trust us to keep them in tip-top condition this winter! Stop in the office the next time you are in and leave a review with the managers in our testimonial book! Looking forward to seeing you out and about, in this chilly weather! Stay warm! Our office hours Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 8am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 3pm. Access hours remain Mon-Sunday 6am to 9pm.

Storage Inn Christmas Solutions

It’s that time of year again, and The Storage Inn is ready to help you make space for all your holiday cheer! Whether you need to store your Christmas tree and decorations, or just need some extra room for all those presents, we’ve got you covered. Our secure and climate-controlled units are perfect for keeping your belongings safe and sound during the hectic holiday season. And with our convenient location and friendly staff, you’ll be able to access your unit whenever you need to. So why not give yourself the gift of extra space this Christmas?

– sack full of toys and gifts

Some tips for the final pack up come next week! Proper storage can help extend the life of your holiday decor and make decorating next year a breeze. Here are some tips to help you store your holiday decorations like a pro. First, make sure to clean and dry all decorations before storing them. This will help prevent mold and mildew from forming. Next, invest in sturdy storage containers that are specifically designed for holiday decorations. These containers will protect your decorations from dust, moisture, and pests. Finally, label your containers so you know exactly what’s inside and where it belongs. Taking these steps will help ensure that your holiday decorations are ready to go when the next holiday season rolls around.

We want to thank our customers, new and established alike. Thank you for choosing our facility to store your belongings, we truly appreciate and value your business.

Time to Clean Up: 2023 Spring Cleaning

It is almost Springtime and we have been very busy here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township. It is time for Spring cleaning! Since we have such a great selection of storage unit sizes, we find our storage unit rental log of visitors a little more active than normal this time of year. Our smallest unit, a 5×5, will clear a little bit of that extra space in your garage. If you have a full garage of items needing storage, you will want to consider a larger unit, maybe an 8×8. This typically holds about 2 rooms worth of furniture and boxes.

Maybe this Spring clean is a bigger haul for you and you have plans to get through the basement AND the garage? We can accommodate that as well, perhaps a 10×10 or even a 10×15! These can hold 3-5 rooms worth of furniture and boxes.

WE HAVE MOVING TRUCKS AND VANS

We go above and beyond to keep the space ready for your storage needs. We have staff onsite who help keep the storage units clean before you move in. We also have a golf cart on site to help get around. If you don’t have a pickup truck to bring your items over, don’t worry! We even have moving vans and moving box trucks available to our renters. We offer specials to help you get the best rate on this service.

A FEW STORAGE PACKING IDEAS

Make sure when you pack your items, you pack them carefully in bubble wrap and use plastic storage totes for better keeping – I speak from experience. You can come and go as you need to during regular business hours and grab those items that you needed but packed away!  As we have found to be helpful in our own experience, storing items in clear totes can be helpful for you so you can easily find items without having to open each box to find the item you are hunting for. If you have the time, and are a “list” type person, you can make an inventory list for each box that can be slid inside the box so you can read it from outside.

If this isn’t your style, you can also store your seasonal decorations in colored storage boxes, that correspond with that holiday. Examples would be a pink box for Valentine’s Day, green boxes for St. Patrick’s Day, orange and black boxes for Halloween, or red and green for Christmas décor.  This can help you easily narrow down which box to grab when you need that item.

WE HAVE CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE UNITS

If anything you are storing needs to be kept safe from the bitter cold winter days or steamy hot summer days, ask our managers about the climate-controlled units. We are a proud family-owned and operated self-storage facility in Atlantic County, and we look forward to serving all of our new and seasoned customers this 2023 Spring Cleaning Season!

 

 

 

Prepping Your Storage for Summer!

Spring is here! Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, warm breezes are blowing, and the yard here at The Storage Inn Self Storage in Egg Harbor Township, NJ is a beehive of activity!

Why is our property suddenly full of customers you ask? Because now is the perfect time for new self storage customers to get that much needed extra storage space! And our current storage rental customers are swapping out their winter items for their spring gear.

Many of our Storage Inn customers use their storage unit to safely, store seasonal items. This helps them free up extra space in their home or office. And since our storage facility is monitored 24/7 for security, all of our storage tenants know the belongings they only use during certain parts of the year will be safe and secure until they are needed next year.

Out with the cold and in with the warm weather gear!

Here are a few tips to make the swap go more smoothly. Follow these guidelines and enjoy the best spring season ever!

Deciding what to store for the summer

Make a list of items that you will use only during the cold weather months. Obvious contenders for self-storage include holiday decorations, sleds, snow shovels, space heaters, heavy blankets, and winter apparel such as gloves, boots, and hats.

 

Time to remove your warm-weather gear

Hopefully you created a list of all the things you put in your storage unit, so it’s easy to jog your memory and remember what’s in there. Items that you’ll want to remove may include lawn and garden tools, bicycles, beach chairs, patio furniture, and sports equipment.

You’ll probably want to pull outdoor toys, such as bicycles and roller-skates. Gardening equipment will come in handy, as will portable fire pits, beach supplies, and other sports gear.

Clean as you work

Take the time to do some spring cleaning in your storage unit. While our Storage Inn units are protected, they still accumulate dust just like any other space. Wipe things down, sweep the floors, and check boxes to make sure they’re still strong and sturdy. This yearly maintenance will keep your unit neat and secure!

I hope these tips help you make the most of your self-storage unit…. I have to go now – I think I just saw one of our tenants roller skating around the facility in a bathing suit and Hawaiian shirt – Happy Spring!

November is Military Family Month

Military Families on the Move

Do you know the entire month of November is designated as “Military Family Month”? Moving is part of everyday life for military personnel. Soldiers and their families may be asked to relocate every 2 to 4 years. These moves often take place with short notice, requiring quick planning.

Military personnel who are about to deploy have a lot of choices to make regarding what items to take with them, and what to place into storage.

self storage unit can be a great option for furniture, electronics, and appliances, as well as storing a vehicle such as a car, truck, motorcycle, or boat.

The Storage Inn of Egg Harbor Township, NJ , and The Storage Inn II of Ocean City NJ offer military discounts for storage units as well as packing supplies, like boxes, tape, and bubble wrap.

Many military bases have self storage facilities located near to them and often offer secure gated storage, resident security managers and climate controlled storage units. Many storage facilities also offer your choice of affordable indoor space for vehicle storage.

Surface Deployment and Distribution Command are part of relocation departments designed to help military families with their moves. These departments also offer moving check lists like the one below.

Moving Tips for Military Families

Military families are expert movers! Here are some tips for moving with the military that should help make the moving process as smooth as possible!

1. Have a playbook with the moving orders, important dates and other documentation. Create a detailed list of everything that is to be moved.

2. Begin “decluttering” as soon as possible. Sort through items and designate them as sell, donate, or store – having less items to pack and move helps reduce stress on moving day.

3. Have family and friends help with cleaning the old home when it is empty. It is also recommended to pre-clean the bathroom and kitchen in your new home.

4. Pack a “Go” bag for the first day at your new home with items such as sheets, towels, shower curtains and soap. Military families may not be able to control what goes where on their moving trucks, making it difficult to find items like laundry soap, brooms, mops, and household cleaners until the truck is completely unpacked. Quick and efficient planning is the key, but then, being quick and efficient is probably second nature to most military family members!

If you’re a member of a military family, the folks at The Storage Inn would love to help. Stop in and see us, and Thank You for your service! Happy Veterans Day!

Top 5 Reason We Keep So Much Stuff

Americans love to keep “stuff”. As the manager at The Storage Inn of Egg Harbor Township New Jersey this is something that I can attest to firsthand!

Our self-storage customers love to keep their “stuff”. Many items definitely get used again, but some will not be — so why do we keep these extra items? 

A recent survey asked that question and 94% of the people had surprisingly similar answers. The top 5 reasons that people say they keep too much extra stuff are.

1. “I might need it sometime”

I have a friend who has a storage unit that includes a box of size 30 jeans. He is currently a 36 inch waist. He is in his 50’s, and does not exercise.  He will never need those jeans again!

2. “Sentimental Value”

I can certainly understand storing items of sentimental value — photos, awards, family heirlooms, etc. Sometimes we feel that we are discarding our fond memories of the past and don’t want to let them go.

3. “I’m going to sell it “

A friend of mine has a pile of stuff stored in one corner of his garage that he has kept for years with the intention of selling it. These items include a punch bowl set,  a VHS tape rewinder, and a rooftop TV antenna. The best salesman in the world could not sell these items!

4. “Feeling guilty”

Even though they’ll never use it, some people feel guilty discarding items that might be best thrown away. We’ve all seen the tv shows highlighting extreme cases of hoarders keeping too much stuff. Sometimes, it can be liberating to detach yourself from items that you no longer need.

5. “I can use it as a gift “

This is a great one — re-gifting! New or unopened items that you have no desire to keep for yourself, but somehow think that a friend or family member would be thrilled to receive as a gift.

There you have it, the top 5 reasons people say they keep too much stuff. So then, if you’re like 94% of everyone else out there, who loves to keep extra stuff, just because, stop by The Storage Inn because we would be more than happy to help you with all your storage needs!

CDC Cleaning and Disinfecting Tips

The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey is allowing access to current self storage tenants to retrieve essential items that may be needed during this uncertain time of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, we’ve found that most of our storage rental customers are opting to follow the “stay at home” and “social distancing” parameters issued by the state and federal governments . 

Due to the virus outbreak and the resulting shutdown of many public places, people are getting restless and looking for things to do around their homes. Given the circumstances, one of the biggest no-brainers is spring cleaning and disinfecting.

Here are a few tips from the Centers for Disease Control on how to disinfect your home. Cleaning and disinfecting are two very different things.

The CDC recommends we all do a bit of both, even if nobody in your home is sick.

Cleaning is about removing contaminants from a surface.

Disinfecting is about killing pathogens.

Do both daily if anything or anyone has entered or exited your home.

Person-to-person transmission is a much greater risk than transmission via surfaces, but the CDC recommends we clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in our homes at least once daily.

Target Your Home’s High-Touch Surfaces

COVID-19  is capable of living on surfaces such as cardboard for 24 hours, but up to two or three days on plastic and stainless steel. So cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces is a step we should all take.

High-Touch Surfaces to Clean and Disinfect Daily:

Doorknobs, table surfaces, hard dining chairs (seat, back, and arms), kitchen counters, bathroom counters, faucets and faucet knobs, toilets (seat and handle), light switches, TV remote controls, game controllers, and any other surfaces that you come in contact with frequently.

First Clean, Then Disinfect:

First, clean the surfaces, removing any contaminants, dust, or debris with soapy water (or a cleaning spray) and a hand towel.

Then apply a surface-appropriate disinfectant using disinfecting wipes or disinfectant spray.

If a disinfectant product has an indication for killing influenza, RSB, SARS virus, or other coronaviruses, then it should work against COVID19.

Disinfectants:

Disinfecting wipes (Clorox, Lysol, or store brand will do)

Disinfectant spray (Purell, Clorox, Lysol, all make sprays that will work)

Isopropyl alcohol

Hydrogen peroxide

Does the Laundry Machine Work on Clothes?

Yes – Wash your clothing with regular laundry soap and drying them at a higher temperature than you might have otherwise is all you have to do to disinfect your clothes.

Be sure to disinfect surfaces the laundry comes in contact with, including the hamper and your hands—especially if you have a sick person in the house.

Don’t forget to clean your coat and backpack. Wiping the inside off with a disinfectant wipe should do the trick unless your jacket is machine washable.

Should You Disinfect Packages and Mail?

According to the USPS, mail and packages are relatively low-risk for transmitting the coronavirus, and packages from China pose no special risk compared to packages from anywhere else. That said, researchers have found that it can live on cardboard for around 24 hours, so giving packages a once over with a disinfecting wipe isn’t a bad idea.

How to Disinfect Your Devices

Your devices might be all that’s keeping you sane during your self-isolation but, as we all know, they’re magnets for germs. Disinfecting wipes are the best way to clean your devices, hands down. But some devices have special considerations.

How to Disinfect Your Phone or Tablet

Disinfect an iPhone or Android phone with a disinfecting wipe or alcohol solution (at least 70 percent). Make sure you pay special attention to the screen, the buttons, and anywhere dust and pocket lint tend to get trapped. Remove any case that’s on your phone or tablet, clean underneath, put it back on, and clean the outside. A once-daily disinfecting isn’t going to hurt your devices.

How to Disinfect Your Computer

Laptop displays aren’t always made of glass (matte displays are plastic) so avoid using a disinfecting wipe on the screen. Instead use isopropyl alcohol (70 percent) solution and a soft towel. Make sure you wipe down the keyboard, the trackpad, the exterior, and where your wrists rest on the laptop.

Most desktop computers are already in sore need for a cleaning. The best way to do that is with a disinfecting wipe or isopropyl alcohol solution and a soft towel. Again, avoid disinfecting wipes on the monitor. Make sure that you wipe down the mouse, keyboard, and mousepad.

Stay Home, Stay Safe

There’s a lot going on right now. It’s stressful. It’s scary. It can be hard to know what you should do or what’s going on. The staff here at The Storage Inn hopes that these tips may help you get through this trying time. Stay safe out there, and please, if you can, stay home.

Getting Organized in 2020

Storage Inn National Get Organized Day

January is national “Get Organized Month” and the New Year is the perfect time to stop procrastinating and start organizing your home. More than likely you are not being courted by the producers of “Hoarders” to be their next featured story, but most people could use a bit of help getting organized!! The goal should be to create a place for everything, and have everything in its place.

Below are a few tips to help you get started and a special offer from The Storage Inn…

The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township New Jersey is doing its part to help, by offering a $1 move in on all storage units, along with a free moving truck rental to help you get started!

The storage rental office store also carries a full line of moving and packing supplies such as boxes, tape, bubble wrap and more.

Baby Steps

Solving problem areas separately is much more doable mentally and physically than trying to take it all on at once.

Focusing on one room, or area at a time breaks organizing your household into much more manageable chunks of tasks. Pick a room a day or a room a week to focus on. Those small accomplishments will do a lot to keep motivating you for the next room.

Time to Purge

This is a great opportunity to really go through items that have accumulated over the years and decide their importance and usefulness.

The three bin method can help to sort through these items – one bin for trash, one bin for donating, and one bin for items to keep. Once items have been sorted, you can decide where your “keep” items fit into your plan.

Making Space

Having plenty of space to keep items is important – Add storage space by installing shelves, filing cabinets, bins, and baskets. The extra space will allow you to not only store items, but give you space to sort through items when needed.

If you just don’t have enough space, you can always call your local self storage facility. A self storage unit is an extension of your home and can be used as a place to store seldom used items such as seasonal decorations, sports equipment, files, etc. This just might free up enough garage space so that you can actually park your car in it again!

Call a Pro

If you’re in over your head and don’t even know where to start, consider hiring a professional. The National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) can help you overcome a variety of organization challenges. They provide services ranging from organization and time management strategies to blending households and estate sales. Hire the right professional organizer for your needs and be well on your way to an organized 2020.

Happy New Year and Happy Organizing from The Storage Inn!

College Student Self Storage 101

Summer is winding down here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. This is right about the time of year our local college students start moving back into their dorms or apartments. If you’ve got a lot of extra stuff and just don’t have the room, consider putting items into a safe and secure self storage facility. Extra space storage can be very helpful. 

Renting a storage unit is easy. And it’s a great option when you’re living in a small, cluttered dorm room or moving out of your apartment between semesters.

Storage Inn units provide college students a safe place to keep their possessions while they’re in school too. Below are ways you can make your college experience better with a self-storage unit.

Buddy up!
If you don’t have enough stuff to fill an entire storage unit, consider sharing with a friend to help split the cost.

Store clothes seasonally
This will help you gain space in your dorm closet.

Store your sports
Keep large and randomly used items like sports equipment in your storage unit nearby. Store your snowboard, surfboard, skis and bikes so you’ll always be prepared for your favorite outdoor activity.

Keep it close
Find a self-storage unit near your dorm or campus so it’s easier to get your personal belongings moved into your dorm or apartment when you come back at the start of the next year.

Leave it local
Keep items that you will use from year to year in your storage unit, rather than lugging them all home between semesters. 

College can be a little hectic at times, but it’s a great experience. So save yourself some unneeded stress and enjoy a little extra space by using a self-storage unit in college. Trust me, your dorm and closet will thank us later. Happy back to school from The Storage Inn! 

 

Military Families on the Move

Moving is part of everyday life for military personnel. Soldiers and their families may be asked to relocate every 2 to 4 years. These moves often take place with short notice, requiring quick planning.

Military personnel who are about to deploy have a lot of choices to make regarding what items to take with them, and what to place into storage. A self storage unit can be a great option, not only for furniture, electronics, and appliances, but also storing a vehicle such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, and boats. Your local self storage facility will likely offer military self storage discounts for storage units as well as packing supplies, and possibly even the free use of a moving truck or moving van like we offer at The Storage Inn of Egg Harbor Township, NJ , and The Storage Inn II of Ocean City NJ. Most military bases have self storage facilities located near to them that offer secure gated storage – some even have resident security managers and climate controlled storage units. Many storage facilities also offer your choice of affordable indoor or outdoor space for vehicle storage.

Surface Deployment and Distribution Command are part of relocation departments designed to help military families with their moves. These departments also offer moving check lists like the one below.

Moving Tips for Military Families

Military families are expert movers! Here are some tips for moving with the military that should help make the moving process as smooth as possible!

1. Have a playbook with the moving orders, important dates and other documentation. Create a detailed list of everything that is to be moved.

2. Begin “decluttering” as soon as possible. Sort through items and designate them as sell, donate, or store – having less items to pack and move helps reduce stress on moving day

3. Have family and friends help with cleaning the old home when it is empty. It is also recommended to pre-clean the bathroom and kitchen in your new home.

4. Pack a “Go” bag for the first day at your new home with items such as sheets, towels, shower curtains and soap. Military families may not be able to control what goes where on their moving trucks, making it difficult to find items like laundry soap, brooms, mops, and household cleaners until the truck is completely unpacked. Quick and efficient planning is the key, but then, being quick and efficient is probably second nature to most military family members!

If you’re a member of a military family, The folks at The Storage Inn would love to help. Stop in and see us, and Thank You for your service! Happy Veterans Day!