Month: February 2016

How To Prepare For The Arrival Of A Baby

You may have been planning for a baby or it might have taken you a bit by surprise – either way the arrival of a baby will mean an adjustment not just to lifestyle but also the home.

First of all there is the nursery to think about. While the baby should be in a cot in next to its parents in those first months of life, eventually he or she will need to be moved to another bedroom so that they and you can get some much needed sleep without getting woken up on a regular basis.

The chances are that by the time you are having a baby, you will already have a house or somewhere to live in presumably with a spare room that can be transformed into a child’s bedroom. This room will probably have been used as guest bedroom or storage space for a while so now the challenge will be to move all that stuff out so that you can redecorate.

This can be a challenge if your house or apartment is small, so an ideal solution is to use self-storage if you want to hang on to furniture and other items rather than sell them on ebay or give them away to friends.

Getting rid of the clutter means you can make a fresh start and decorate the room as you want it ready for your new arrival.

How to Co-Habit in Harmony

One of the biggest threats to the happiness of co-habiting couples is clutter. Too much clutter can play its part in ruining a relationship because it often leads to arguments about who should be storing what and what does and doesn’t belong in the house or flat.

Living together for the first time can be hard enough as it is without clutter. Some partners have been know to take devious steps to get rid of their partners stuff. Breaking things on purpose that may have some sentimental value can lead to mistrust and anger.

Then there are the compromises that must be made. You may discover that your taste for minimalism is not shared with your partner who is happiest in a cluttered, busier environment. So compromises will need to be made to maintain harmony.

One solution is to use self-storage to store away some of the more annoying items that may not be used very often such as surfboards or bicycles in the winter.

If you both have furniture and need to decide which to use, then you can always keep the items you don’t use in storage as spares or if you decide to sell they may come in handy in the future.

Get Ready For National Spring Cleaning Week

Don’t panic it’s still a few weeks away – the 16th until the 23rd March to be precise. At this time of year it is well worth looking at what you can do to have a big tidy up ready for when the days get longer and, hopefully, brighter! To help you celebrate national cleaning week, we have come up with the following cleaning tips you may not be aware of.

How to clean your windows the natural way
You might think that the only way to clean your windows properly is to go and buy some window cleaner and a chamois leather but you would be wrong. Windows can be cleaned just as well with white vinegar and newspaper. Simply add your white vinegar to some warm water and use a sponge to apply it. Then dry off with some old newspaper to get a wonderful shine.

The answer to clean carpets may be lurking in the kitchen
Baking soda is considered a great alternative to using carpet cleaner. Simply sprinkle it on as you would conventional carpet cleaner and vacuum. See how you carpet will instantly come up clean and smelling great.

Make better use of your space
Moving items you don’t use into our self-storage facility will not only save you money because you won’t be forced to buy a bigger house, it will also help you with your spring cleaning if you can organise your stuff better.

5 Ways To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Opportunist Burglars

Nobody can stop a determined thief, but there is a lot you can do to stop the less determined ones if you are planning to spend some time away from home this month.

Move your large valuable items into self storage
Putting items you would normally store in the shed or garage into storage is a sensible precaution if you are going to be spending a long time away from home. There are countless stories of bikes being stolen from sheds and so on, so why give those opportunist thieves the opportunity?

Leave lights on or have them come on periodically
While you might not want to waste energy, the technology exists to control the lighting in your home much like the heating if you are away.

Make your fences harder to climb
Burglars are unlikely to use the front door to get into your house, it’s easier for them to just climb a fence around the back. Adding trellis to the top will make the fence a lot less stable to climb and even if they try to remove it, is it really worth the hassle?

Don’t leave valuables on display
If the burglar can see valuables through the window, then they will have more encouragement to break in.

Make sure the house looks lived in
Tidying up the garden right before you go can give the impression that you haven’t been away long and could be back at any time.