Category Archives: holiday storage

Tailgating Storage Tips

So, September is here, along with a brand-spanking-new football season – and what fun would football be without tailgating? There’s nothing like meeting up with your friends, firing up the grill, and getting pumped up before kickoff – but this yearly ritual also comes with a fair amount of work attached. The last thing you want, is to be running around scrambling to find your tailgating gear on game day. Here are some tips to help you stay organized, and make your tailgating  adventure a bit easier.

Keep it Clean

Whether you’re putting it away just until next week, or until next season or packing up for the season and placing your vacation stuff into a storage facility until next year, be sure to thoroughly clean all of your gear before you put it into storage – especially anything that might have food residue on it.The smallest amount of food residue can easily attract insects, and rodents. Consider pressure washing your grill at regular intervals throughout the football season, and especially at the end of the season, when you put it into your storage space.

Tailgating Storage Tips from The Storage Inn

Tailgating Storage Tips from The Storage Inn

Tote It

Typical tailgating gear can include everything from Team Flags, to plastic utensils, table cloths, cups, radios, and more!  This is where plastic tote bins become your best friend. Not only will they hold just about everything that you need, but they’ll also stack nicely in your game day vehicle –  just be sure to distribute the weight evenly so that they’re not too heavy to lift. This also makes for easy placement back into your garage or storage unit after the big game.

Be Safe

Do not store hazardous or flammable materials such as propane tanks, lighter fluid, or any other flammable materials in your garage or self storage unit. Propane tanks should be stored outdoors in an upright position. Other items such as lighter fluid or fire starters should be stored at home in a secure  temperature controlled area.  Also remember to remove batteries from radios, flashlights, etc., while in storage between seasons, to avoid leakage.

Make it Easy

Whether you’re a football-only Tailgater, or a year round Baseball, Soccer, NASCAR kind of crew, part of successful tailgating is having a system that makes it easy.  You will want to be sure that your tailgating items can be easily accessed. If you find that you’re having a hard time doing this at home, you may want to consider a small self storage unit. The ease of driving up, throwing open the door, and loading your vehicle, could make the small monthly investment well worth it! Stop in to your local self-storage facility like The Storage Inn and check it out – We’d be more than happy to help you. Happy Tailgating!

Un-Decking the Halls: 5 Tips for Holiday Decluttering

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Holiday woes

Holiday woes

Is your house overflowing with strands of lights, ugly Christmas sweaters and toys that bring no joy? Then consider a new holiday tradition: decluttering.

“The holiday season is a great time to develop a one-in, one-out mentality,” author and professional organizer Peter Walsh said. That’s because many seasonal celebrations center on receiving new gifts, but there’s no corresponding ritual for letting go of old possessions, he said.

However, it can be hard to find time in the midst of a flurry of decorating, parties and shopping. So, make lists of what needs to be done and set aside just 10 minutes a day or one hour each weekend, Walsh said.

“People often tend to get bogged down in the littlest, hardest things. So, start with things that are big and easy.”
— Professional organizer Lisa Zaslow

You can even use a time crunch as motivation, said productivity expert Rivka Caroline, who offers tips atSoBeOrganized.com. For example, your upcoming annual holiday soiree can spur you to get rid of the junk in the hall closet where you’ll want to hang guests’ coats, she said.

But don’t spend too much time trying to make your house look perfect. Your guests aren’t visiting a museum; they’re coming to see you and your family, Caroline said. “And every family has a little clutter,” she said.

’Tis the Season to Declutter: What to Toss

So, what should you get rid of during the holiday season? Stick to the big stuff and save the little stuff for 2015. For example, now is not the time to organize all of your family documents or photos, said Lisa Zaslow, founder and CEO ofGotham Organizers in New York City, NY.

“People often tend to get bogged down in the littlest, hardest things,” she said. “So, start with things that are big and easy.”

With that in mind, here’s what to pitch this season.

1. Seasonal Items That Add Stress.

The trappings of the holidays are supposed to make you feel happy—not, well, trapped. So if, for example, you fight with your spouse over hanging 50 strands of outdoor lights every year, you can let that ritual go.

“It doesn’t matter whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. If your decorations lead to losing sight of what the holidays are really about—peace, calm, friendship, harmony, family and love—then ditch the decorations,” Walsh said.

2. Decorations You Don’t Use.

Do you have boxes full of ornaments that aren’t your style, wreaths you never get around to putting up or snow globes that don’t fit on your mantel? Here’s a simple rule of thumb: if you didn’t use it last holiday season and you’re not using it this year, say goodbye for good, said professional organizer Julie Bestry, president of Best Results Organizing in Chattanooga, TN.

3. Dusty Greeting Cards.

christmas-cards

Got a stack of greeting cards from last year or even 10 years ago? If they’re simply signed by whoever sent them, toss them, Bestry said. Just keep the ones that contain long, heartfelt messages, she said.

4. Holiday Multiples.

Do you have three tree toppers, five holiday platters and six garlands? Since you use holiday items only once a year, having multiples doesn’t make sense. “Pick the one you love best and use it every year,” Zaslow said.

5. Old Seasonal Clothing.

Is your hall closet crammed with coats and boots your kids outgrew two seasons ago and gloves that long ago lost their mates? Pull that stuff out quickly, without taking everything else out of the closet, Zaslow said. Then donate or toss it.

After the Holidays, Get Ready for Next Year

If you don’t have time to declutter before the holidays, you can do it afterward. In fact, Bestry suggests throwing a decoration takedown party. Make brunch, have your family join you in their jammies, and play some fun, upbeat music.

Pack up all your décor and get rid of stuff that’s broken, like strands of lights with burnt-out bulbs, Bestry said. In fact, you should jot down a list of items that need replaced, and do so now when holiday stuff is on sale, she said.

Also, toss, donate, or pass on to a friend or family member anything you don’t use or love, she said. If you need extra help, Walsh runs a 31-day organizing challenge in January and posts a one-minute video each day.

“When you’re breaking down the holidays, that’s a good time to let go of stuff,” Bestry said. “Think about how you can clear things out to embrace the new year.”

Source – www.sparefoot.com

 

Storage Rentals Become `Santa Closets ‘

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By ROSE FRENCH
The Associated Press

stock-photo-santa-s-full-closet-229451347

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Missy Phillips knew she had a big problem on her hands when her boyfriend’s 18-year-old son ransacked their house looking for the stash of unwrapped Christmas presents.

To keep the nosy teenager from finding the stereo, video games and hunting bow she and her boyfriend bought him, Phillips had to go out of the house _ and into a self-storage unit _ to hide the gifts until Christmas Eve.

Around the holidays, the units typically used to store furniture and household items are becoming temporary outposts for adults to hide and wrap gifts for kids and big-ticket items like televisions or bicycles for spouses. In Nashville, one storage service bills their smaller units as “Santa Closets.”

“It’s a great concept because it takes away that worry that they’re going to find them,” said Phillips, who lives in the St. Louis suburb of Alton, Ill.“Therefore you have the element of surprise on Christmas.”

Jane Davies, who manages Abbott Self-Storage in Nashville, said several wives this year have rented the facility’s “Santa Closets” to house large presents like big-screen TVs and recliners for their husbands.

Absolute Storage Management in Memphis, which operates Abbott and other storage facilities in the Southeast, offers 4- by 4-foot units from early November through Christmas for a $1 a day.

“It’s a little hard to hide a big-screen TV, recliners, bicycles,” Davies said. “A lot of houses, condos and apartments don’t have the storage space.

“It becomes a convenience because if you do have snoopy kids _ like I used to be _ it works out perfect.”

Mike Scanlon, president of the Self Storage Association, said the storage industry’s busiest time is from spring through fall when people are most likely to be moving, though there is a bump in business around the holiday season.

“There’s not many places to hide that stuff around the house if it’s a bike or some kind of sporting good item, things you just can’t hide in the back of a closet,” Scanlon said.

“Businesses also store extra inventory. They’re gearing up for the shopping season and they may only have room for so much.”

Even storage facilities that don’t offer Santa specials are pretty sure their customers have figured out the holiday angle.

Joanne Fried, spokeswoman for one of the largest storage companies in the U.S. with more than 357,000 units, said customers already renting units also stow their Christmas gifts there.

“I’m sure some people who are already in the units use it for that purpose,” Fried said. “It just makes it easier on them.”

The storage unit industry has nearly doubled in size over the past decade, with close to 40,000 storage unit facilities nationwide.

Hide Your Christmas Gifts in Self Storage!

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Hide Your Christmas Gifts in Self Storage!

gifts

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, which means one thing—it’s time to figure out what gifts to give!

Between Black Friday bargains and always-open online retailers, it’s easy to get your hands on the items your loved ones have put on their lists. But as the bags and boxes pile up, you might be caught wondering where on Earth you can stash all the stuff. The answer? Hide Your Christmas Gifts in Self Storage!

Every family has their own holiday traditions that make celebrating special for them, but one of the most common is keeping presents tucked away until Christmas Eve. Still, it can be difficult to find space to hide presents from prying eyes in a season that’s already rife with clutter.

“Christmas is indeed a space hog,” says Jeff Westover, Editor of My Merry Christmas, an online community for Christmas enthusiasts. “In my house, where space is limited, putting up the tree means losing some of the furniture…I think that’s a reality for a lot of people.”‘

“Kids anticipate Christmas not because of what they know they will receive, but because they know they will be surprised.”
Jeff Westover, Editor of My Merry Christmas

Westover is a parent of seven children, so he understands the joy that Christmas gifts bring to families, particularly for little ones. “Kids anticipate Christmas not because of what they know they will receive, but because they know they will be surprised. They love that delicious anticipation, kind of like seeing a horror movie. They love what they are going to feel, and they love being a part of that.”

“I think every parent is concerned about storing gifts before the holidays,” says Laurie Hyman, co-founder of Green Toys, which sells toys made of recycled and environmentally-friendly materials. “Maintaining the mystery and surprise is part of the fun…many parents [go] to great lengths to keep that surprise.”

Hyman says she knows parents who will hide gifts in dog houses, under beds, in their offices, and even in their neighbors’s homes just to keep kids from spoiling the holiday surprise. “Parents get creative when it means keeping gifts away from their little ones.”

“I think every parent is concerned about storing gifts before the holidays…Maintaining the mystery and surprise is part of the fun.”
Laurie Hyman, co-founder of Green Toys

If your home is already tight on space, and you don’t want the spirit of the season to be ruined, you can use a storage unit to hide your Christmas gifts from your loved ones.

Christian Marcen, manager at Affordable Storage Solutions in Pueblo, Colo., says she sees tenants every year storing Christmas gifts in units. “Customers really enjoy the convenience.”

WHAT KIND OF STORAGE UNIT SHOULD I RENT?

Since hiding Christmas gifts in a storage unit will be a short-term affair, there’s no reason not to rent a unit that comes with all of the trappings for safe storage. As far as gifts are concerned, the most important things to look for are security, climate control, and convenience.

Security

It’s always important to feel that your items are safe in storage, but that’s especially true when storing items that are both monetarily and emotionally valuable, like Christmas gifts.

“Visit the facility before [renting],” Marcen advises. “Make sure the facility has a gate system, cameras, and [takes] every precaution possible make sure customers’s items are safe.”

Facilities offer different security options, so you can always ask the facility manager to elaborate on their security measures, procedures, and history with any breaches.

“At the end of the day, all things stored are someone’s investments,” Marcen adds. “We want to make sure we do everything in our power to take every precaution to make sure their items are not vulnerable.”

Climate Control

In cold and wet winter months, climate-controlled storage is an important amenity to consider, particularly if you’re storing fragile gifts or gifts that have already been wrapped. Moisture inside a unit can spell mold or mildew that will leave gifts with an unpleasant odor and sometimes irreversible damage.

“Storing items in an environment similar to the environment in which the products are intended to be used is always best,” says Hyman. “Nobody likes to experience extreme temperatures or moisture shifts—and I’m guessing most toys don’t either.”

Convenience

“Storage, like anything else associated with Christmas, has to be done well, and it has to be thought out, planned, and executed,” says Westover. “I think a lot of people tend to think of storage as costing money, not realizing that doing it right means also saving a lot of time, which is always at a premium at Christmas.”

To maximize your time spent with the very people you’re shopping for, look for a storage unit that’s located near your home. The shorter the drive between your home and self storage, the quicker you can get everything assembled and under the tree when the time comes! If you’re looking to be truly covert, seek out a facility that offers 24-hour-access. That way, you can sneak off to your unit at a moment’s notice.

Using self storage to hide Christmas gifts is a great option for anyone—okay, except for the people who are surprising their families with a new puppy or kitten. A storage unit has room for just about any gift, big or small. Not to mention, self storage can help minimize stress and maximize joy for people looking to create those special memories with family. So get storing, and Happy Holidays!
Source – www.Storage.com