Preparing Items For Storage In Self-Storage Facilities

Customers have the freedom to arrange their stored possessions in their rented facility whichever they choose. However, the responsibility for ensuring that these items are properly packed and protected from environmental elements falls on the customers themselves. It would be best to do some research on protecting important and precious items especially if they are to be stored for quite some time. Some items may require a climate-controlled environment while others may not. Owners should check what would work best since a storage facility with special features such as climate-control will cost more than those without.

In packing, customers should make sure to have the suitable packing materials such as boxes, bubble wraps, packing tapes, and marker pens. For storing needs that may require additional supplies such as racks, furniture covers, dust sheets, and floor boarding; most self-storage facilities will be able to assist in getting them either as rental or direct purchase although it comes with cost.

Storing furniture for example may require a certain way of packing to ensure their complete protection. Before packing however, furniture with fabric should be professionally cleaned to ensure that mold growth during storage will not happen. Those with glass components will have to be especially marked to prevent breakage as long-term storage usually dims the memory of which contains what.

Electronic items such as computers and television sets should be stored using their original boxes complete with all their accessories. Light bulbs should be removed and wrapped in towel or newspaper and placed in a separate box marked for fragile items. Metal items can benefit from a light coat of lacquer to prevent oxidation.

There should be extra care in storing books. Being made of paper, they are especially susceptible to mildew and staining. Depending on the condition of a book, cleaning may require the use of a simple magnetic dry cloth or a vacuum. Look for items in between pages such as paper clips and scraps of paper that may cause damage to the books while in storage and remove them.

It is not advisable to use large boxes for packing books because of the tendency to over pack a box which may not be able to withstand the weight. Choose the best quality cardboard box which will not expose the books to damage. Boxes that are chemically-purified usually do the job quite perfectly.

Business documents also require care in storing. It would be an advantage to have access to shelving supplies so that getting stored documents in the future will not present a problem. Big-sized items such as recreational vehicles can be safely stored in covered units that offer protection against the weather. Those types of items may require some special covering depending on the care needed.

Owners should take the time to check the structure of the self-storage facility itself. Clues that would reveal water leakage should be a major cause of alarm since water can destroy even the most carefully packed possessions. When in doubt, find a self-storage facility that provides more reason for customers to trust them.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7559194

You Can Not Store Everything In Self Storage

Self storage provides convenient storage option to store many items thus freeing up space in your home or office. Self storage is very useful when you are moving home. People opt for self storage for  different reasons. Self storage is the best choice when you are renovating your home.

You can usually keep almost everything in a self storage unit but you can not keep everything in it. You need to be aware that there are certain items that are strictly not allowed to be stored in a self storage unit. You need to know this if you are planning to use self storage. You can not think that it is your space and you can store everything you want. These rules are made for the safety of the items stored in the self storage. You can easily find the reason behind restricting some items. Some items are not allowed due to legal reasons.

You can not keep your pets and animals alive or dead in a self storage unit. It is cruel and inhuman to leave your pet in the storage unit. And this is illegal also. You can not also store animal products in it. It is because animal products may attract vermin, unwanted insects and mold. If you are going away and can not carry your pet with you, seek the help of your relatives or friends to take care of it.

You can not store perishable goods in a self storage. Items like flour, cheese, cereals, meat, vegetables, rice, cat litter etc are also not allowed. These items perish so fast and give pungent smells thus attracting bugs, insects and rodents. However, you may store tinned goods.

Plants are also not allowed in a self storage unit for the similar reasons. As these are also living things they too can not be stored here.

Inflammable materials are not allowed in a self storage unit. The reason for this is simple and obvious. These things are dangerous not just to your items in the storage unit. They could damage the entire storage facility. Items like gasoline, cleaning solvents, fireworks, alcohol, paints, motor oil, corrosives, chemicals etc come under this category.

Some medical equipment and medical supplies contain radioactive materials. Generally hospitals and medical professionals own such equipment. Medical supplies without such radio active materials are very much allowed while the items which contain radioactive materials are strictly not accepted in the storage unit.

When it comes to firearms, some storage units accept them while some do not. They include antique firearms, weapons that are used for hunting. Sometimes, you may be allowed to keep your firearms without ammunition. So, you need to check with the staff at the self storage facility in this regard.

Another item that is not allowed is jewelry. Jewelry and other valuables are accepted by some facilities while some strictly say no to them. You may have to agree certain conditions even if they allow jewelry.

Obviously, you are not allowed to store stolen goods or items. If you are not the owner of it, you do not have rights to store it. It applies to your space at the self storage unit as well.

When it comes to vehicles, they need to be registered and should be strictly in your name. This applies to car, boat, truck, RV etc.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8647492

How To Pack Glasses For Moving

Learn a quick, easy way to pack your glasses so they can withstand the rigor of moving

Storage - What The Benefits Mean For You

They say all you have to do to make a collection is to have two or more of the same things. This can be two blue bottles or two seashells, or even two thimbles. Look around your home, your car, your office, do you see two or more of the same thing? If you do congratulations, you have a collection. The nice thing about collections is it makes it easy for people to know what to buy you for gifts at Christmas and your birthday. I suspect that some people merely end up with collections to make gift buying easier for their loved ones. However it happened to you, whether it was a sudden on slaughter or a slow and steady build, you realize you have a collection that has taken over your space. Now you're asking yourself- what can I possibly do with fifty three Nome statues? Where do I store one hundred and one collector plates of dog breeds of America?

If you're ready to gain some much needed space but don't want to sacrifice your much beloved collection of troll dolls of the eighties, the answer is a storage unit.

Storage units allow you the luxury of keeping your property someplace safe from the elements and at the same time not taking up room in your home. When you look for a storage unit there are some things to keep in mind. Not all storage units are created equal. Depending on what you are looking for you can find a unit that has little to no security measures in place or units that emphasize security as a selling point to their rentals.

Most self storage rental units are accessed by their tenants through a locked gate that opens with a password that you either pick or is assigned to you by storage unit and is changed monthly. This is a good security measure to look for to keep people out who don't belong in the compound and are looking for the opportunity to steal.

Another good security measure is the use of cameras throughout the facility. Cameras should record who comes and goes and who is near the units so if something does happen to your property there is a chance that it was captured on digital for the police to review.

Of course your biggest source of security is going to be your lock. This is not the area to go cheap, get a good quality pick proof lock that can't be opened or cut off easily, especially if you don't want to find your rare collection of European clowns, missing from your storage unit, only to turn up a little worse for wear being sold on eBay by MoonDogPie67.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4702700

Self Storage Fast Facts

Self storage is a basic need for many people these days. They are families who live in small homes or apartments, those moving to a new home, single people moving to a new place of work or students who are moving to new school away from home.

There's no denying that the demand for this kind of facility continues to remain high. This fact has led investors to build more structures to keep up with the demand. Today, self storage is considered the fastest growing commercial real estate industry in the U.S. and growth is seen to continue moving forward.

Global trend

As of 2009, there were 58,000 self storage facilities around the world. Of this figure, 46,000 were in the U.S. covering a rental space of approximately 2.35 billion square feet. Statistics also show that some 3,000 new storage facilities were constructed every year for a five year period from 2000 to 2005.

Data from 2006 revealed that compared to the U.S., Australia has 22 million of rentable square feet while the U.K. had 20 million.

Self storage is in high demand in the U.S. In fact, revenue from this industry is said to be more than what Hollywood earns. In addition, one in 10 Americans were found to be renting a unit.

Popularity

Originally, these rental units were meant to provide storage space only for the short term. These days, however, more than 96 percent of tenants stay for more than a year with some renting space for even several years.

The popularity of this facility continues right now and showing no signs of waning in the coming years. A 2011 survey by SelfStorage.com reported that 73 percent of facility owners claimed steady revenue or revenue growth from the previous year.

An interesting fact you might want to know is that owing to self storage's popularity, it has inspired two new television programs that first aired in 2010. These are the Storage Wars and Auction Hunters that focus on storage auctions. These auctions are conducted to sell the item at self storage units abandoned or not paid by the tenants. The hosts of the shows are given a challenge each time which is to find rare items that can sell for a high amount when auctioned. They should then be able to profit well from the items.

Business

On the business side, many companies are looking into purchasing properties notably high-quality ones. Merchant builders are also building, leasing and selling self storage properties targeted at cash flow investors. Meanwhile, owners continue to enjoy strong cash flows although some are experiencing less activity.

On the other hand, property buyers are given increased access to capital these days. This development allows them to grow their portfolios through acquisition of existing storage facility.

There are also zoning-driven buyers who are in the business of seeking locations for other businesses. Reports have it that they have become more aggressive compared to the traditional buyers.

All these facts only show that the self storage industry remains strong in the face of issues.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7342039

Why All Students Should Be Using Self Storage

Being a student naturally means you have to move house fairly often. In their first year, the majority of residential students are placed into University Halls of Residence, but come the summertime, they are often not allowed to stay. Universities often use the halls for accommodation for their own conferences or events over the summer break, meaning most students will be asked to move out as soon as the term is over.

Moving everything back to Moms can be a drag. Undoubtedly you will have collected a number of things over the course of your first year, and that car load you came down with has probably expanded into two or even three loads by the time you have to move out. Not only that, but moving from halls is just the start of it. Eight to ten weeks later and you'll just have to move it all back again.

What should students do?

There are really only three options available to the student who has been given notice on their rooms for the summer.

Move straight to the accommodation they will be using next term

Sounds like a good idea; simply hire a van and move straight into your new student house - right? However, if you are not planning to stay in your University town for the summer holiday, then you face the prospect of paying full rent on your room while you are living somewhere else. Some landlords offer a 'retainer', which is basically reduced rent, but even this can work out very expensive compared to some other options. Not only that, but you are leaving your worldly possessions in an empty house for several weeks, leaving it open to theft and damage.

Move everything back to Moms

If you are going back to your parents' home over the summer, you could consider moving all your stuff back with you too. But what if it doesn't all fit in your car? Or if you don't have a car, what about the things Dad can't fit in his? Not only that, but in a few weeks' time you'll be faced with the prospect of moving it all back again, which seems a bit daft to say the least!

Put things in self storage

Self storage is an often overlooked facility in the student world. Storage units can be as small as a locker or as big as a warehouse, and are generally a lot cheaper than you might think. You can choose to just store your textbooks in the unit, or you can store everything for your room.. Many companies who have storage facilities in university towns already realise the benefits storage can bring to a student's summer, and therefore offer discounted rates for them around this time of year.

If you're a student faced with the prospect of clearing out of your accommodation for the summer, and don't know what to do, then do investigate the self-storage options around your university. Storing your stuff makes sense financially, practically and will keep everything safe for the summer. If you don't have access to a car or van to move your belongings remember that some storage companies do collection and delivery for you.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8474302

4 Questions To Help You Decide: Chuck Or Store?

Very often during spring cleaning, we tend to find items that we hardly see or have even forgotten about them. This through clean up of the home allows us to discover many different things but truthfully, most of us have no idea what to do with them. Do we keep them in the storeroom or do we chuck them? If we need them in the future and we chuck them, it will cost us quite a fair bit of money. If we do not ever need them and decide to still keep them, it will take up a lot of precious space. Fret not! Below are some questions to ask yourself that might be able to help you make the right decision.

Question 1: Will I ever use it again?

This is the most important question and should always be asked first. Will I ever use it again? If you had no recollection of the items until only now, there is a high chance that you will never need it again. Naturally, if you need it, you will definitely be seeing it very often. As a rule of thumb, if you did not use the item for more than half a year, you probably won't use it again.

Question 2: Can it be replaced by something else?

Another question you should ask yourself is whether the item can be replaced by something else. Take for example a huge radio set that is kept in storage. Can the radio be replaced by another item such as a smaller multi function dock mp3 player? If yes, you should be chucking the old huge radio away since there is something that is smaller which can easily replace the old one.

Question 3: How often will I use it in the future?

If your answer to the 1st question is yes, then you will need to answer this question. How often will you use it in the future? If it is something that you only need to use once yearly, you might want to reconsider your decision. Keeping something that is hardly used and allowing it to take up space is a huge mistake.

Question 4: Why am I keeping it?

Why are you keeping it? This question applies to all of the items. Are you keeping it because it is useful or are you keeping it purely for sentimental reasons? You may have discovered a large glass bottle filled with hand folded stars from your secret admirer back in school. However, there is no other purpose of it other than sentimental value.

Above are 4 questions that you should ask yourself to decide whether to keep or chuck items. Improper planning and packing can lead to inefficient usage of space and this can cause you to spend unnecessary money to obtain extra space.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7453360

Self Storage: A Practical De-Cluttering Option

The emotional attachment of many people with their personal belongings is quite common on this day and age. Even with personal and business lives all cluttered up by a preponderance of possessions, most are not willing to give them up. The next best alternative to a fully-packed home or office which leaves nothing much to do but wonder where everything is, is the self-storage option that can store possessions that are rarely used but owners are unwilling to give up.

For anyone to succeed in de-cluttering themselves of material possessions, a designated time to segregate between what is to remain in the home or office from those which can be sent for storage should be given. Depending on the amount of possessions to handle, this time can range from a half a day to a certain number of days. The good news here is that the segregation part is the hardest part. All the rest that has to be done are comparatively easy.

Unless owners can trust someone else to do the segregating, they should take an effort to sit down and accomplish the task themselves. Designating someone else to do it always present the possibility that possessions intended to be kept in the home or office end up in storage and vice versa. After all, if such possessions were that important, they should have the time to make sure that each one ends up exactly where they should be.

Once this step is over and done with, owners have the luxury of having more space at the home or office as well as the peace of mind of knowing that stored possessions are safe and can be accessed at any time. This is one remarkable advantage of the self-storage option. This is the very reason why more and more people are considering this storage option compared to the traditional one.

The traditional storage option was quite inflexible. Removal companies and other large storage companies used to be the only entities that offered the service. This means however, having to abide with their regulations which usually comprise of long-term contracts, limited access, and high charges. Self-storage is a more customer-friendly option because it seeks to sidestep the existing issues against traditional storage.

Self-storage is a practical de-cluttering option even for the busiest people. It only requires a one-time segregation process to put everything on order. Of course, all additional possessions will have to be swiftly classified as for frequent use or for storage so another pile-up will not result. Since customers provide their own lock and key, they are free to come and go to their rented storage space whenever they want. It actually does not feel like putting precious possessions beyond the owner's reach. It is simply providing owners the luxury of enjoying added space. There is one primary beneficiary of a de-cluttered life and that is the owner himself. By putting all things in their proper place, owners can live a more orderly life and focus on other important details that need their attention.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7559173

Top 5 Breakdown Of Items Stored In Self Storage Facilities

Self storage is essentially DIY storage which you yourself have to plan and manage your own storage space. You have full control over how you want to store and using what tools to. Self storage is also very flexible, allowing customers to access their items whenever they need to and have a short rental package that are renewed periodically. Let's take a look at the breakdown of items commonly stored in self storage facilities.

Documents

Self storage is used not only for personal items but also for office documents. Office rental rates are soaring and it does not make sense financially to rent additional space in a prime area just for the storage of archive documents. Therefore, more and more small-medium enterprises (SME) are moving their documents to be stored in self storage facilities which offer exactly the same storage flexibility as that of their own office but at a much lower rate.

Clothes

A house is only so big and storage space for clothes is limited. One popular item stored in self storage is clothes such as thick winter fur coats which are only used occasionally in a year. This is especially so for customers who are living just next to the storage facility, providing those with extreme ease when they need to remove clothes for their own usage.

Cars

Cars are another hot item that is stored in self storage facilities. Due to reluctance of exposing your "wife" out to the natural elements, most people choose to store them in a sheltered area that offers security features so that they do not have to worry about break-ins. Without any restrictions to access the car, owners do not need to plan in advance when to use their own cars.

Seasonal decorations

Seasonal decorations such as Christmas trees or Chinese New Year greetings are only used once a year and keeping them in the storeroom for the other 11 months simply does not make sense. Therefore, many people prefer to keep them in self storage facilities together with the rest of their excess items, accessing them only when needed.

Emergency supplies

We can never predict when the next emergency will occur, be it an earthquake, hurricane or even the ongoing haze. Did you manage to get your N95 mask from the retailers during this haze period? How nice it would be if you had your own masks and eye drops stored in a self storage unit. Self storage units are excellent to store emergency supplies and you can immediately access it when something happens.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7905920

5 Things You Didn't Know About Self Storage Space

Self storage is not only about finding a good storage company that is not only easily accessible but also reasonably priced. Those are only the surface nitty gritty that you need to sort out. There are actually a lot more things that you may not yet know about self storage space.

Keep the expensive ones out of reach and sight

A rule of thumb is that you should keep all your expensive things in your self storage unit out of reach so as to avoid damaging them accidentally. Always try to store your expensive items at the back of the self storage unit. Not only will you reduce the chances of damaging them, you also minimise their exposure to others when they happen to pass by your storage unit and peep in. Although most self storage units are rather secured and have privacy shields, it makes no harm to play safe.

Use clear storage containers and bags

Many of us simply use the cheap and widely available black trash bags to dump all of the things we seldom use and store them in self storage units. When the time comes for us to retrieve something, we often will go bonkers when trying to find the item. Consider using the slightly more expensive but transparent storage bags that are by the way thicker and more durable. When the time comes to get something out, you'll be smirking and giving yourself a pat in the back.

Take them apart

Furniture is a common item found in many self storage units and one common mistake is that people simply store an entire dining table for example without taking them apart. This not only take up excess space but also increase the storage cost. Many furniture can actually be taken apart such as bed frames, closets and tables. You are then able to pack them tightly together and free up excess space and lower storage cost.

Dehumidifier

Prolonged storage of items inside a self storage unit can lead to unwanted odour and damages to your items due to moisture. One simple tip is to purchase dehumidifier made of charcoal. They not only absorb moisture in the air to keep your things nice and dry, they also remove unwanted odour from the surroundings.

Moth balls

Moth balls are dreaded by many mainly due to its unpleasant smell. However, they are a saviour to you when you want to prevent insects from going near your items. They are especially useful in preventing moths from damaging your apparels.

When you are using self storage, you need to consider both internal and external factors for the most ideal storage experience. Self storage is not simply about getting a space and dumping all your unwanted things there.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7254047