Canadian Self Storage

While browsing one of the many self storage sites I visit daily, I came across an interesting article on the storage industy in Canada. Apparently, despite a lot of challenges like a declining mortgage market affected by things here in the US economy, business is booming. By the end of 2008, self storage space in Vancouver alone will reach about 5.8 million square feet. That, my friends, is a lot of feet. The article itself is a little industry specific, but sometimes it's good for a consumer to get a feel for how the business works from the inside. Have a look for yourself.

http://www.insideselfstorage.com/articles/339/canada-self-storage-expansion-2007.html

A Few Packing Tips for Storage

I've mentioned this before, but one of the easiest ways to ensure that you get the most out of your storage space and that all of your belongings stay in tip-top shape is to pack everything correctly in the first place. Here are a few more helpful tips to consider when packing up your belongings to go to your self-storage space.

- Box anything and everything. Anything that's left outside a box or plastic covering will get dirty. This isn't because storage spaces aren't kept clean, it's just a fact of life that dust will settle in any closed room with little circulating air.

- If you're using plastic storage bags or ziplocks, don't seal them. Storing sealed plastic bags in a warm room can have the opposite effect you'd expect. If they're left for a long time, humidity builds up within the bag and can be a catalyst for mold and mildew. Think of it as a miniature greenhouse . . . same basic idea.

- Coat wooden furniture with a good furniture oil. If you plan to store any wooden furniture, or furniture with wooden parts - spray it down beforehand with a furniture spray. This protects against dust and physical damage.

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Planning for a Yard/Garage Sale

I grew up in a small town, and one of the things my father loved most was what he called "yard sale-ing." This consisted of waking up early on a weekend, driving around town, and finding all of the people in town who were having a good old fashioned yard sale to get rid of their extra junk. It was amazing the type of things you could find at these sales, records, clothing, baby toys, kitchen accesories . . . the list goes on and on. The idea might seem out dated and old fashioned, but the truth is, it's kind of a good idea. Most people in America have a bunch of extra stuff lying around, and even more of us want to take that stuff off of your hands.

Renting a self storage space is a fantastic way to prepare for a yard sale. Here's how it works. rent a storage space for a few weeks, then start combing through your belongings for stuff you'd like to get rid of. Once every few days, on your way to work or after dropping off the kids somewhere, deposit all of the collected items into the space. Post an ad in the paper with the last day of the two week rental (you'd be surprised how many people out there are interested), and at the end of the two weeks, bring everything back to the house, set it up, and watch it fly off of your lawn. It's a great way to make a little extra cash and reduce your home's clutter in one move.

Planning for a Visitor

Everyone has had a friend or family member come to stay with them. Some visits are long, some of them are short, but no matter what the duration . . . you want to make sure your guest feels welcome. One of the best ways to say mi casa is su casa is preparing the guest room to feel like a home away from home. Unfortunately, many of us (especially with kids) have our guest rooms filled to the brim with everything from extra sheets and clothes to sporting equipment and un-used furniture. When it comes time to prepare for your next visiter, think about renting out a storage space to help clean out the guest room. If you're planning on keeping a guest for a week or longer, a storage space is a simple and affordable way to guarantee that they feel as cozy and welcome as thy do in their own house.

Storage and Military Deployment

Unfortunately, the American military finds itself stretched pretty thin these days. More and more reserves and active military men and women are being called up for duty and shipped out . . . so what do you do with all of your stuff? If you're renting, it isn't sensible to keep a lease for your entire tour and unfortunately, not everyone has the option to re-locate their belongings to a family members house. If you find yourself in this situation, renting a self-strorage space for the time your away is a great (and affordable) solution for your problem. At a self storage space, you can be certain that your belongings will stay safe, clean and in tact for pick-up the minute you return to the country.

Planning for a new baby

Continuing on my theme of newlyweds from yesterday, I'd like to discuss another crazy time in a couples life when self storage can be a saving grace . . . planning for a new baby. Whether you're going to keep the little one in your bedroom for awhile or designating a nursery room right away, there's going to be a lot of furniture and other household items that have to be displaced. One solution is shifting everything to a seperate room, but this leads to cluttered space and safety hazards. The more reasonable solution is renting a storage space and temporarily moving your things out of the house completely. Not only will this free up the space the new baby needs, but also it will keep your old furniture out of your way and safe and sound.

Self-Storage and Getting Married

One of the hardest parts about getting married or moving in with your significant other is figuring out how to merge all of your belongings into one space. What goes and what stays? What in the world do you do with two coffee tables? All of these questions can lead to stress during what should be one of the happiest periods of your relationship. One of the easiest ways to solve the problem (or at least put off dealing with it for a little while) is to rent a storage space. You'll still have to make decisions about what goes and what stays, but knowing that some of your old things aren't headed straight for the dumpster makes parting with them sting just a little less.

Packing Tips

Today I thought I'd share a few more simple packing tips to help moving into your storage space go smoothly. Packing correctly is the number one way to ensure that you maximize your space and keep everything safe while in storage.

- Use larger boxes for light objects and smaller boxes for heavier items like books. This guarantees that you won't over-pack and strain your back on moving day.

- If you're storing larger items like dressers or refrigerators . . . don't forget to utilize the space inside. Filling the drawers with smaller items is a great way to save boxes and space.

- Place a tarp or some large sheets on the floor before moving everything in. The extra cushioning protects against broken dropped items and keeps the floor a few degrees warmer.

- If you absolutely have to store valuable items, keep them in the back of your storage unit, in an unmarked box.

Document Storage

A facet of off-site storage I haven't really discussed yet is document storage. Typically, this is a field dominated by businesses rather than individual customers, but it's worth knowing about. The document storage industry has grown and changed quite a bit in the last ten years, most notably the inclusion of a ton of new digital technologies. Automatic retrieval systems and barcoding are no longer an exception, but the rule. Thanks to all of these advances, document storage companies are expanding their services and now labeling themselves "document management services." This umbrella covers everything from old-fashioned paper document storage to certified destruction of old computer hard drives. As these services become more common, they also become more affordable. If you own a small business or plan on starting one, have a look around the internet for services near you offering good rates or special promotions.

Storage in the UK

Finding safe and affordable storage space is important for everyone, even if you're located outside of the US. The Self Storage Association of the UK is a great resource for folks living across the pond. They offer a variety of helpful pages, including links to useful articles and a referral service for trustworthy storage providers within the UK. Have a look at their website.

http://www.ssauk.com/

Costs to Consider

Prices vary from one self-storage space to another. The size of the space you're renting obviously plays an important factor in how to choose which facility offers the best deal, but there are other factors that you may not think to consider. Below I've provided a list of "additional" costs that may or may not be included in the quoted rental fee. Be sure to ask your potential storage provider what the fee includes, and how much extra you'll end up paying.

1. Insurance. Some facilities include insurance costs in their rent. Others require you to purchase it through an outside provider. Ask for a quote on how much extra insurance will run you.

2. Climate Control. Renting a space where the environment is kept at a regular temperature and humidity isn't neccesarily standard. If you need a climate controlled space, make sure you mention it to see if it will add to rental costs.

3. Transport. Many storage centers offer vehicles for free to assist in transporting belongings to your space . . . but some don't. Always ask if transport is provided and if it's included in the rent.

Self-Storage Center in Hawaii Lends a Helping Hand

I just read a nice article about a self-storage center in Hawaii whose going above and beyond the call of duty. It's been all over the news the past year that airlines are having a rough time of it, and apparently Aloha & ATA Air had to lay off a bunch of their employees based in Hawaii. In order to try to help a little, Waikele Self Storage is offering all the people who lost their jobs 50% off storage at their facilities for the next six months. Sure, it's not free storage, but it's pretty close. It's nice to see that the industry isn't always 100% about profit.

Another Great Storage Website

I found a great and informative site on all things self-storage related. It's geared mostly towards storage facility owners, but there's also a lot of useful information and news links. Check this out.

www.insideselfstorage.com

Tips for Deciding How Much Space You Need

One of the most difficult parts about renting storage space is deciding just how much room you need. Too much space and you're paying more than you need to . . . but not enough space and you can't fit everything that you need to put into storage. Here are a few helpful things to consider before making the final decision on how much room you need.


- Measure the dimensions of the largest item you plan to store. This gives you the base dimensions of the absolute smallest space you will need.

- Tell the storage provider how many rooms worth of belongings you plan to place in storage. Generally, they can make a fairly accurate estimate as to how much space you will need.

- If you've already boxed all the items you plan to store, tell the storage provider how many boxes you have and what size they are.

- If you're items were already in storage, measure the space they're currently in and look for a comparable sized self-storage space.

Storage Insurance

Are the items in your storage space safe? Are you covered in the event that something damaged or destroyed your belongings in storage? The fact is: most homeowners and/or renters insurance policies just don’t cover items storage. When it comes to your belongings, don’t leave their safety up to chance. Many insurance companies offer easy and affordable insurance for all your household and professional items while stored in a self storage facility. Ask the owner of your storage facility if they work with an insurance provider. If they don't have a look around online to find a company that offers certified insurance for all of your items in storage.

Saving Time and Energy at Your Storage Space

You would be amazed by how much energy is wasted at any given storage space in a day. Each seperate space has at least one, if not two or three, light bulbs . . . and most people keep them switched on. Bringing your own energy efficient light bulb(s) is a great way to save a lot of energy. If you're using your space for long-term storage, it will also save you the trouble of having to buy and replace traditional bulbs.

Decluttering Your Home For Sale

One of the first things a real estate agent will tell you when you're trying to sell your home is "We need to open up the space." Terms like de-clutter have become a main stay in the re-sale business, but when you're de-clutterin, where do you put all of your stuff?

Self-storage facilities are a valuable resource for making a very lived in home look larger and more presentable when you're getting it ready for a sale. Real estate agent's will tell you that almost half of your furniture or knick-knacks in a given room are cluttering up the space. Instead of getting rid of everything, selling it, or finding a basement or closet to cram it into - consider renting a self-storage space nearby to keep them in. To start, rent a space for the minimum amount of required time. The process of selling your home varies from one home to another, but the open-ended nature of renting a storage space means that whether it takes you two weeks, two months, or a year, all the belongings you've removed to de-clutter stay save and accesible when you need them.

Loading Your Storage Space

Today I'd like to share a few helpful things to keep in mind when you're actually loading your belongings into a new storage space. Like a game of Tetris, where and how you place things will have an effect on the overall efficiency of the space.

- Packing larger and heavier boxes on the floor. The extra width and weight makes them better-suited to be stacked upon.

- Create an aisle. Be sure to stack all your boxes in a way that gives you access to each box.

- Place all boxes so the label or color coding faces outward. This way, when you need a specific item you can simply check your packing key, rather than opening 25 different boxes.

Storing Without Boxes

Plastic storage containers are easily one of the greatest inventions of the last 50 years. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes, many are made from recyclable plastic that is better for the environment than traditional cardboard boxes. Also, since they're sturdier than boxes, they allow you to stack your belongings higher inside your storage unit, creating more space without spending more money. They are available in dozens of stores, but my personal favorite is The Container Store. They offer a wider selection of plastic storage bins, some of which are even collapsable.

Storage Tip for the Day - Make More Closet Room

A great way to save on closet space is putting your piles of off-season clothing into storage. Keeping a smaller storage space is a great way to get rid of bulky coats in the summer and sundresses in the winter, without shelling out a ton of cash to add-on to your bedroom.

Storage and Spring Cleaning

Happy April Fools Day! Seeing that Spring is upon us and the weather in New York is finally a little warmer, I'd like to talk about how self-storage can make annual spring cleaning a whole lot easier. Whether you rent out a self-storage space somewhere close to your home or a portable storage unit that you keep in the drive, a storage space is a great way to clear out clutter for serious spring-cleaning action. Rent out a space for at least a few weeks. This should give you enough time to clear out each room individually and get all that dirt accumulating under the couches and in even the deepeset, darkest corners.