Hope you had a great Easter break

What do you do when you have four days off work and you're not going away? Well apart from the obligatory family get-together and too much chocolate I decided to clear out the spare room, I know, what was I thinking? I was already kicking myself for not organising an Easter escape to a beach-side location, so I had to distract myself.

What started out as a simple 'go through and toss' exercise, ended up more like an episode from 'This is your Life'. As I went through all the boxes I discovered long forgotten items that I once treasured, from a childhood doll, my first dog's worn out collar to forgotten Valentine's day cards that I may have actually sent to myself. I thought how handy they will come in though when I have dementia and will think how popular I must have been. As the tears began to well up and I dove further inside the labyrinth of boxes, filled with memories, I realised I couldn't just discard these treasures I had to preserve them.
Storage King to the rescue!
I sorted, cleaned, dusted, wrapped and packed in between a few coffees, more chocolate and half a box of tissues of course. At the end of the day as I stood back and surveyed my handywork, I felt a sense of achievement, like my Easter break wasn't wasted at all.

The Value Of Space

A few months ago we were wanting to sell our home that we’d lived in for twenty years, a nice sea change we thought.

The idea of getting our home ready for viewing though was daunting. Twenty years of accumulating ‘things’ left us with a full house.

Our Real Estate Agent gave us some invaluable advice that I just had to share. He said, ”People are buying space, not belongings, they want to be able to visualize their own things in the home”.

He told us to de-clutter and simplify.

Feeling even more overwhelmed with the task ahead, I called my local storage facility.  Within minutes of speaking with them I felt relieved and motivated.

This particular storage site had everything I required for a smooth transition, their expertise and experience was second to none.

I was supplied with boxes, packing tape, furniture blankets and bubble wrap. They even recommended a trusted Removalist for when we moved to our seashore home. I felt like our dearly loved belongings were in the hands of true professionals.

I must say, What a difference de-cluttering made. I loved this new look.

Our house sold quickly and the move went well.

Funnily enough, we decided to leave the majority of our ‘dearly loved’ things in storage and then have a  garage sale at the end of the month.

This sea change was just what we needed, but what we love best is our newly acquired Space!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR...time to de-clutter

It's Spring time again and this is the time which I look forward to the most... SPRING CLEANING or as others may say SPRING de-cluttering.

I begin at one end of the house and work my way through. My plan of attack is to have cardboard boxes on hand as it helps me realise that my house will look fantastic when it's de-cluttered and those items which I remove, I can still keep by utilising storage.

• To start, my personal style is to empty each cupboard and by doing this, it creates a clean empty space to work with.

• Next I sort through the items of what I no longer need or want and this is where I can utilise boxes and storage. My motto is “If I've not used it, touched it, worn it in 12 months but would like to keep it... then store It!”

My advice is have a plan of attack, great music on the stereo, a good week to go through each room and cupboard in the house, plenty of boxes and tape ready and if needed also a storage unit on hand as many people can’t part with their possessions straight away... and when I'm done, I relax by having a nice glass of red wine.

Boxes, tape and bags scattered everywhere, more mess than you can imagine but then the final product is rewarding.

Organising your home

Okay, so we all know what its like to work all day and come home in the evening to a house with washing piled up on the laundry floor, toys strewn from one end of the house to another, dishes in the sink that were not washed up after breakfast because you were running late, as usual! Then the kids are screaming at each other and refusing to do their homework!

You take a deep breath look around the room and notice that your once clean and tidy home that had a place for everything is filled with clutter and things you can’t even remember buying, draws overflowing and wardrobes bursting at the seams!

It’s time to ORGANISE YOUR HOME!!

Before you do this however you need to follow the 4 home organising rules, be prepared to be brutal.

Organise your belongings into the 3 categories

      1.      Rubbish

2.      Put away

3.     Put into storage

Rubbish includes any item that you do not need or want, but that is not donatable or sellable. Damaged and broken items should be included in the rubbish if they are not worth someone buying it and repairing it.

 
Put Away- This should be your smallest category. These are items that need to be out on a regular basis. Monitor yourself by determining if you have a place for each item. If the items in this box will not fit into your home without cluttering an area up, try to reassess if you really need them. If you do need these “essentials”, try to come up with a storage solution that fits into your home.

Storage- Put items in here that you cannot part with but do not need on a regular basis. Make an inventory of the items as you box them. Group similar items together! Remember one good way to clean out closets is to store out of season clothing.

Shipping Container vs Self Storage Facility

Today’s blog is about storing goods in shipping containers. 

On the weekend my husband and I had shipping container delivered to our farm to store unused furniture etc… to de-clutter our farm house. 

Once the container was delivered my husband began making a roof over the container. I was baffled!

 

Why would we need to put a roof over the container made of steel? He said metal containers are not designed for long term storage!  They designed for long haul shipping. When the container is closed its airtight. Temperatures rise rapidly inside. Goods stored in the container that are exposed to these temperature fluctuations will most likely be damaged, was the reply.  

• Did you know that most household and personal items that you store will contain moisture ie; linen, towels, clothes, shoes and furniture. 
•  Matresses, for example, contain several litres of fluid absorbed from the bodies that slept on it, horrid thought I know!!
• Even the air trapped inside a metal container contains water!!
•  Temperature fluctuations cause condensation that eventually drips onto the goods inside.

We decided on a storage container as our farm is a long way out of town. Putting a roofing cover over the top is the only way to be certain that our goods are not damaged by constant exposure to weather.


When considering what type of storage is best for you, I think it is very important to consider the ramifications of temperature. Self storage facilities are built specifically to store household goods in an environment that is not detrimental to the longevity of our goods. 

There are many different types of storage facilities and units to select from.  Discuss your needs with a reputable company; they will be able to advise you of the best option for your needs. Make sure you consider all your needs and remember to always insure you belongings

Getting the most out of your Self Storage Unit - Seasonal Changes

One can only imagine how people have stuff stored in their self storage units! My Guess is that it is full of stuff piled up in no particular manner.

I read an article recently with some fabulous ideas on how to make your storage unit work for you all year round. The main idea was to make your Self Storage unit a seasonal storage unit.  The one requirement for this idea though is a drive up unit, so some investigation may be required to see if your local facility has this option.

The best way you can do this, and with the least amount of effort and time is to store seasonal garden tools, such as leaf blowers and lawn mowers, etc… on a utility trailer. Investing in a utility trailer, and loading it with all the heavy, bulky garden tools etc.. that are not used for the duration of the season is well worth it. Sometimes there may even be room left on the trailer to add the seasonal clothes or decorations that  are not needed and can be  put in storage as well, like Christmas tree, pool equipment and toys, camping gear etc... Then simply roll the entire trailer into the storage unit and leave it there. Then bring it home at the beginning of the next season, roll  all the items and other equipment off the trailer, then load all the past seasons equipment or other items on, and then drive the trailer back to the storage unit. With good planning, the whole changeover for the seasons can take an hour or less.

I am sure we are all for de clutter and seasonal de cluttering is a fabulous opportunity to use your home the way it is meant to be,  that is no tripping over things and shoving things into every nook and cranny in your home.

If your unit is not a drive up unit you may need to re think the transport strategy. You may need to load and unload the items individually into your storage unit. It is still a great way to store goods and requires a visit to the storage unit only once per season. A lot of facilities have forklifts, trolleys etc. that can help with the moving of your items.

So seasonal use of your unit may be an option to consider and one very important piece of advice would be to ensure that any goods you do intend using throughout each season should be stored at the front of the unit and easily accessed.

Happy Storing

Young Care Helping Townsville

How good are Universal?! A lovely chap called Jack is designing custom-made t-shirts, with $15 from every t-shirt sold being donated to Youngcare. Jack will be at CastleTown Shopping Town (in Townsville) this Saturday if you are keen to get your very own shirt in support of Youngcare

http://www.facebook.com/#!/YoungcareOz 

Top 10 reasons for using self storage

Top Ten Reasons you should use self storage

• 1.    You need more room
• 2.    Family heirlooms and hand me downs can be stored out of the way
• 3.    You are downsizing to a smaller home
• 4.    You’re travelling
• 5.    Have time between moves
• 6.    More room for your adventure toys
• 7.    Selling a home and need to de-clutter
• 8.    Seasonal storage eg: Christmas trees and lights
• 9.    Off site security
• 10. Run a business from home and need a small space to store the goods you sell/supply