Tag: Self Storage

Tired man sleeping on a packing box

Best storage for moving house

Now, where did I pack that kettle? Putting it on at times of stress is what we do, like when moving home.

Using Edinburgh Self Storage is far and away the best way not to misplace the kettle or anything else for that matter because you’ll be organised and streamlined.

Armoured against all the hold-ups and dramas and uncertainty, lack of communication lulls and shifting goalposts – all the fun of the often-unfair moving process.

Is self storage only for downsizing?

No, silly. Self storage for moving doesn’t only count when you’re downsizing.

While we totally get that even the thought of downsizing to a smaller home can create pre-separation anxiety – that stuff’s stuck with you through thick and thin and you don’t want to sling it out wholesale under pressure -there are lots of reasons to self-store when you’re moving.

It saves you preparing yourself a lasagna of worry, layer upon layer of thoughts about how you’re possibly going to juggle it all. They’ll all be offloaded the day you lock that secure storage unit behind you and know that you’re far more aerodynamic and ready to face any slings and arrows life decides to throw at you during this stressful time.

Let’s break down the reasons why home movers choose Edinburgh Self Storage…

Bridging the moving gap

Timings sometimes coincide for everybody in a chain but this is by no means a given. This is one of the tougher pills to swallow, not knowing when to book removals because you don’t know the exact completion date or time, or it might be things have slipped several times and your trust is shattered in the sale completing any time soon.

You’ll take it all more in your stride by keeping stuff in storage so that you don’t have to arrange the move in one day and at the last minute and risk stuff getting damaged, or hire someone eleventh-hour who’s looking to make a fast buck and not really invested in the interests of your belongings.

No place to go?

We’re the perfect safety net when you must be out of your old place with no place to go to. The apparent elastic goodwill of friends and family will snap at some point, and you don’t want to even start to become an imposition on their best of intentions.

Declutter to sell house

Forget baking bread. The one thing property experts agree on is that a declutter is the single best way to shift a stubborn property. You might love your quirky touches and colour drenches but 1000s won’t.

They want to see the wood for the trees and while you don’t want to bow to pressure and sell the offending items, bin them, or foist on friends and family, your non-judgy self storage unit is waiting to welcome it all with open arms.

Then you create a neutrality that never seems to go out of fashion in the world of selling UK property.

Plus, what better head start on packing is there? It’s like packing without feeling like you are. It’s more like tricking yourself into doing it without the dread.

Staging and selling a property

Let’s talk home staging. This is when you re-arrange furniture and add a few perhaps seasonal design touches to keep your four walls aligned with the tastes and moods and feelings that walk in.

You could even look into the art of feng shui for selling a house too. A simple Google search will bring you loads of ideas on how to harness good furniture positioning and lighting and de-personalising your home by removing photos, and perhaps even adding some water features.

All in the name of making it more appetising for potential buyers.

Bring order to chaos

In a flash a great big size nine can thrust through that canvas painting or bang, that vase is chipped you’ve loved for years and your mother before you. Stuff getting left behind in that overlooked bottom drawer in the kitchen that everybody assumed everybody else was dealing with. Yes, that’s also a thing.

Nobody but you has access to your storage unit, so you know that your stuff is safe from big feet and clumsy hands. Storing valuables during the hopefully not too dark days of the move is even more critical if there’s anything valuable or antique.

Why risk it going in 1000 pieces to the great big Antiques Roadshow in the sky?

Store stuff to clean a house

The first thing on many minds on moving day is a deep clean. Your stuff safely in storage means that the mop can get everywhere and no skirting board is safe rather than you having to dance around everything and miss bits. Or, again, you might break stuff by attempting acrobatics to get that grime gone.

Or you might consider storing even the furniture at the bulkier end of the spectrum so that you can decorate and do the DIY you know will annoy you even left a week or two. Too much stuff choking up the place is the enemy of new kitchens, bathrooms, tiling, and plastering.

Flexible self storage

We’re fully flexible here at Edinburgh Self Storage with deals to suit you at a time of flux when you might not know what you’re looking for long-term and don’t want the added pressure of thinking about right now either.

But with short-term peace of mind intact, you can perhaps better decide on what you want from self storage further down the line once you’ve removed your removals head and life’s back on track.

We’re also competitively priced and while we can help you not rush your move and pay extra for last-minute removals, reducing the risk of breakages, you might even sell your home quicker once you declutter.

Be in control

 Buffeted about by fate or the whims of others flies out the window as you take control and create your wee oasis of calm. You needn’t be fully at the mercy of the lawyer, removal company or the buyer who keeps going quiet on you.

Styling it out is tempting when you’re mid-move, but it’s never too late to minimise stress and step away from the chaos. Be a smart mover and let your storage unit take some of the strain.

Allowing air to circulate through this time of your life gives you the breathing space you need as well as mental clarity, so please give Edinburgh Self Storage some serious thought.

Oh, and don’t pack the kettle at the bottom of a box.

Nice living room

How to make your rented accommodation homelier

Renting a house, flat, or student accommodation? Your hands aren’t as tied as you might think when it comes to transforming its interior so that it’s got more personality than a dentist’s waiting room because there are simple, non-permanent ways to add a little flair to make your rented accommodation homelier without busting your budget.

Before we dive in it’s worth mentioning that you should always check your contract to see what is and isn’t allowed, and ask your landlord’s permission if anything isn’t clear.

 

Use Edinburgh Self Storage for a de-clutter

If you have a smaller space than you’d like and very few cupboards for storage or you’re about to move into one a, give Edinburgh Self Storage a call and we’ll gladly help tailor a residential storage solution for you. A de-clutter is empowering.

Plants and flowers

Adding greenery is so effective and lovely. Plants and flowers beautify any living space and they can also help clean the air and hoover up toxins.

Many plants love the microclimate of a humid room and so these often-smaller ones are perfect additions to bathrooms. Don’t be shy about mixing things up with a kaleidoscope of different textured and coloured pots too.

Textile time

Scatter a few cushions and a throw and voila, you’ll transform what was a gloomy space into a homelier one instantly. Or you might want to find a funky upholstered stool or use some coloured towels in the bathroom if it’s just a bit boring

No holes barred art

Drilling holes in walls is often a big no-no in rented accommodation but there are ways around this. Why not prop oversized art against the wall at floor level or on existing shelves etc.?

Well chosen wall décor can really inject personality into your space and rented accommodation walls are usually a magnolia-fest so they need brightening and breaking up. You can use no-hole picture strips, or for a really cool on-trend look, how about Washi Tape? Originating from Japan, it’s like masking tape but way cooler and comes in a variety of colours and patterns. It’s really easy to peel off so can be used to tape it over corners of prints visibly so you can make a feature of it rather than it being an eyesore.

The bright lights

Maria Carey doesn’t do supermarkets because of the terrible lighting and she’s definitely onto something here because rubbish lighting makes for a rubbish interior. Heaven forbid you rely just on ceiling light anyway, as table lamps and floor lamps create atmosphere and change up the mood of a room magnificently, likewise candles.

Accessorise, accessorise, accessorise

It’s the little touches that take a room from something with all the allure of a bus depot to a homely interior and accessories are often your quickest route to add personality so accessorise, accessorise, accessorise. Books make you look more intelligent, soft furnishings make it feel cosy, like rugs, to cushions and blankets. You might want to do the charity shop circuit and see what treasures you can find.

Furniture

Switching up the furniture is one of the simplest and quickest ways to change the entire look of your rented accommodation and if you can’t paint the walls then you can always paint the furniture instead. This will go a long way in cheering up your space. If your place comes fully-furnished, something as simple as repositioning furniture or grouping pieces with particular accessories is one escape from the blandness.

Mirror, mirror on the wall..or floor

Dark and gloomy rooms are even more so on dull days, so why not bring in a couple of mirrors and completely change the light in the space? Lean them against the wall, style them on top of dressers or a mantelpiece and they’ll bounce plenty of light around the room, especially if hung opposite a window.

The final curtain

Curtains, window dressings and blinds are a bit overlooked in most rental properties, but these can add a lot of drama and comfort to a space and you can pick them up relatively cheaply these days, not to mention their insulation properties when it’s cold outside.

 

https://myurbanjungle.com/

https://www.yourhomestyle.uk/

Back to Basics with Edinburgh Self Storage

This month at Edinburgh Self Storage, we’re going back to basics with a look at the birth and growth of self storage facilities in the UK.

The UK is home to over 1,500 self storage facilities. To put that into context, there are more self storage sites in the UK than there are McDonalds. But self storage didn’t arrive in the UK until the early 1980s, having first appeared in the USA in about 1960.  It’s been a booming industry since its early days, and today there are more than 1500 facilities across the country, providing roughly 44.6 million square feet of rentable space.

Edinburgh Self Storage – the local flexible solution to your storage needs.

There are a number of reasons why both consumers and businesses are increasingly turning to self storage, but the main reasons are still for lifestyle and social reasons such as moving home, marriage, divorce and retirement. 

The term ‘self storage’ means different things to different people. To some, it represents a dumping ground for forgotten belongings, to others, it acts as a lifeline during periods of transition. 

There’s no denying that we all love to shop. From toys and clothes to furniture and electronics, we’ve got, by weight six times as much stuff as the previous generation. 

Whether you’re a collector, a minimalist, or somewhere in between, self storage is there for you during periods of transition. What do you do with your things when you want to move house, redecorate or make room for a new or visiting family member? Introducing your “new spare room”: a self storage unit.

Build your business with Edinburgh Self Storage

And self storage isn’t just for the consumer. From online retailers to SMEs, over a third of the self storage space in the UK is used by businesses in some capacity – according to the UK Self Storage Association that’s a whopping 150,000 business customers. 

Look behind the doors of any self storage unit, and you’re likely to find a budding entrepreneur, busily building their business empire, either as a side hustle or a change of career. For businesses, self storage is a cost-effective, flexible option for things like storing archive documents, storing stock or office equipment. 

If you’re bursting at the seams or have dreams of running your own business, Edinburgh Self Storage is the place to start.

Hibernating Your Summer Wardrobe

Summer officially ends on Sunday 23rd September in the northern hemisphere and autumn begins. The turn of the season is always a good time to review your wardrobe so we’ve rounded up some tips for you in this month’s blog post.

There are many suggestions on how to organise and optimise your wardrobe – from the minimalist ‘capsule wardrobe’ idea (which I personally find too limiting) to the ‘if you haven’t worn it in a year do you really need it?’ rule of thumb.  If neither of these appeal, then arm yourself with some vacuum bags, sewing kit and perhaps some boxes from our online box shop and get ready put that summer wardrobe into hybernation.

Wardrobe Hibernation Tips

First – identify items that definitely won’t transition from summer to winter and separate into those that will definitely make an appearance again next spring/summer and those that won’t survive the hibernation – for whatever reason. Carry out necessary repairs now rather than unpack them again next summer and find that there’s a missing button or a hem needs some attention.

Decide what to do with the non-survivors. Are they recyclable or upcyclable? Look out for some local clothes banks and take them along – and don’t leave them in the back of the car for a month – take them today.

It’s worth cannibalising clothing that can’t be worn again for the buttons – every home should have a button box!

Look out for Clothes Swap parties – or arrange one of your own with friends. It’s a great way to refresh a tired wardrobe – a clothes transfusion! You could also raise money for a local charity like Maggie’s Centre Edinburgh by charging an entrance fee.

Raise some cash for the festive season by listing your unwanted items on auction or sales sites. As well as Facebook Marketplace pages, you could also try DePop or eBay.

Right – time to take stock of what’s left – the keepers. A good selection of different sized vacuum bags is your friend here. They’re a great space saver if used correctly. Don’t overfill the bags – and make sure you fold the items in neatly first to maximise the space.

Don’t forget footwear – storing summer footwear can be bulky but opaque stackable plastic boxes make identification easier and can be purchased from local DIY stores or supermarkets.

If you complete this wardrobe task for the whole family and don’t have space at home to store the clothing going into hibernation – give Edinburgh Self Storage a call on 0131 377 7277. Or check out our Room Size Helper find out how flexible and affordable our self-storage options are.

Self Storage and your Side Hustle

Ever considered a side hustle? In these days of financial uncertainty, it’s increasingly less likely that we’ll have a reliable pension when the time comes. That’s why more and more people are starting a ‘side hustle’ – a part time business that can fulfil many functions. Saving for kids’ university days, retirement, paying off mortgage early, reducing debt, or just building a nest egg.

Join the gig economy

If you’re wondering what that has to do with self-storage, read on. Many side hustles utilise offsite, safe, secure storage. Self-storage can be a viable option for part time entrepreneurs. More and more people taking part in the gig economy – better known as a blended career – combining either full time or part time employment with a combination of either freelance or entrepreneurship as a side hustle.

Offsite storage that expands with your needs

While some side hustles can be operated from home – think digital for example; technology based freelancers can operate from literally anywhere – many requires offsite storage. Separating your home and work life is healthy, no more messy paperwork and boxes piled high in the spare room or garage. The right self-storage solution can give you the freedom you need to operate a successful business that can be expanded when the time comes.

If that’s piqued your interest, and you’re now thinking about starting your own side hustle, here’s some inspiration.

    • Let’s start with the obvious: there’s an increasing number of online trading using platforms like eBay, Amazon, Etsy, DePop Amazon also now have Amazon Handmade, which is ideal for makers and producers of, for example, craft items.
    • Handyman – storage units make a safe, secure location for tools and equipment – safer than storing in a van for example
    • Upcycling – scouring charity shops for items of furniture that have seen better days is a great way to start an upcycling business. Adding value to old furniture by refurbishing it and selling it on can be relatively cheap and easy and can breathe new life into a home.

Business startup support

Although some businesses are relatively straightforward to get going, some need a bit of help and forward planning. There are business support agencies to help you kick start your idea – try your local Business Gateway office for example. They can help you put your business idea into words and give you loads of resources to help with, for example, sales and marketing, or getting your business online. Local Chambers of Commerce are also great places to get business support and usually offer networking opportunities to make those vital business connections.

Call us today on 0131 337 7277 to find out how we can help with your side hustle storage needs.

How to Declutter Your Life

It’s hard to ignore the omnipresent chatter recommending that we declutter, downsize, detox, diet, organise and optimise our lives and our homes. Apparently there are, according to science, some real mental health benefits to decluttering – so maybe there is some truth in the saying that a tidy house leads to a tidy mind.

The mental health benefits of decluttering

  1. Improved concentration
  2. Feeling more creative
  3. Better sleep pattern
  4. Letting go of the past
  5. Better ability to focus on your goals

Here’s a little test:

  1. Can you sleep well knowing that there are unwashed dishes in the sink?
  2. At the end of the day, do you leave your discarded clothing to the mercy of the “floordrobe”?
  3. Is your wardrobe one big messy jumble of winter and summer clothing?
  4. If you need a recipe, do you Google it instead of consulting your groaning shelf of cookery books?
  5. Do you struggle to shut the door on your linen cupboard, and have sheets and towels that are threadbare but you’re keeping them ‘just in case’?

Are you drowning in a sea of life admin?

If you nodded yes to even one of these statements, you’re probably the kind of person who needs a bit of decluttering. If you don’t know where to start, maybe the UK based Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers (APDO) can help. APDO is a professional body of accredited organisers who can help declutter your home, office or life.

(That said, a friend of mine is quite proud of her ‘floordrobe’ and claims that she knows exactly where everything is if she needs it. It takes all sorts…)

But when you’ve decluttered, downsized, organised and optimised your home, what do you do with the precious belongings you don’t need every day but can’t bear to part with? Storing your belongings with us here at Edinburgh Self Storage is a safe, secure and affordable option.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Organising guru Marie Kondo, author of worldwide best-selling books including The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, offers these three top tips to help de-clutter your home or office:

  1. Before deciding what to get rid of and what to keep, hold the item in your hands and consider whether the item sparks any joy in you. Sounds strange but if it doesn’t – it’s time to part ways.
  2. Store by category – pretty self-explanatory. Shoes go with shoes, books go with books, electrical appliances go with…well you get the drift.
  3. Store things vertically so you can see at a glance what’s there. Think of book spines in a library but without having to tilt your head.

Purpose built storage facility for your belongings

Edinburgh Self Storage gives you the option to store the items you don’t need every day – or even every year – together with peace of mind that you’ve not only freed up space at home, but you can get to your precious belongings any time you like. Our Edinburgh based purpose built storage facility provides the ideal solution for all personal and household self-storage.

If you’re a collector (books, records, designer clothing – anything) and your home is bursting at the seams we can help. We take great care to tailor your storage to suit your needs, ensuring you receive the most competitive, value for money deal possible. You’ll have your own private storage unit with free access during our long opening hours, and round the clock security and CCTV systems give you peace of mind that you’re in safe hands. Contact us on 0131 337 7277 to discuss your storage needs today and free up your life of clutter.

References:

Edinburgh On A Bank Holiday Monday

Revised May 2019

What did you get up to for the late Bank Holiday Monday?

What do you think of when you think about Bank Holidays – wet weather, traffic jams, crowded beauty spots?

The story goes that bank holidays were introduced by a banker in Victorian times who wanted days off to go and watch cricket.

We prefer the great British tradition of a bit of DIY over a long weekend. Those three letters do seem to spark joy or induce dread in equal measure but we’re all about the positives at Edinburgh Self Storage!

Four seasons in one day?

Of course, one of the other great British traditions is talking about the weather. We’ve seen all sorts of headlines about the forecast for the bank holiday.

Hotter than Ibiza!

Thunder and lightning to hit the UK!

Scotland set for a wet weekend!

A quick look online at our favourite DIY stores reassures us that there’s plenty to do at home whatever the weather.

You could choose a whole lot of new plants and flowers to brighten up the garden before setting up your new garden furniture and firing up the BBQ.

Keep, donate, store

Or if you do find yourself stuck indoors, you could always start that clear-out you’ve been putting off since Christmas. It can seem like a really big job until you think about it bit by bit.

You could tackle a room at a time and get the rest of the family involved. Are the kids’ bedrooms full of clothes and toys they’ve grown out of and could be enjoyed by someone else? Or is there out-of-date food at the back of the kitchen cupboard that needs to go?

Maybe you could choose one thing to focus on like gathering all the out-of-date magazines in every room and popping them in the recycling bin. Or finding all the mugs that have got chips and cracks in them and wrapping them safely for the bin.

But we don’t want you to put everything into self storage! There will be lots of things that are just right where they are and you can keep using them and loving them every day.

We can store all sorts of things for you after a clear-out that you still love but you don’t need right now. You might just not have room or they might not fit your new colour scheme. Or you might want to keep them for the next rainy bank holiday!

10 Tips for Decluttering This Spring

Today, we’re bombarded with ‘life-hacks’ and ‘handy tips’ to help us feel, work and live – better. So, if you’re still battling with a cluttered home, you may well be running out of excuses!

You don’t have to be a minimalist to benefit from a cleaner and clearer living space and if you’re not quite ready to let go, you can always create space by moving seasonal goods and valuables into personal self storage.

Top 10 Ways To Declutter Your Home This Spring

To save you time, stress and floor space we’ve put together our 10 most useful tips for decluttering your home this Spring.

Clear Out Your Medicine Cabinet

It’s important to always be prepared but an overflowing medicine stash can be a huge drain on your cupboard or drawer space. And out of date medicines are no good to anyone! Go through all of your medicines and throw away everything that has passed its use by date. You can also use this as an opportunity to make a shopping list and restock the essentials.

Throw Away Old Magazines

Are you a serial mag-hoarder? There really is no reason to stash all of your old issues. You can still keep any useful articles, recipes or coupons, too. Just go through and cut out anything you want to keep and consolidate everything into one, handy folder or scrapbook.

Get Hooked

Struggling for extra household storage space? Adding hooks to the backs of doors, hallway walls or to the insides of cupboards is an ingenious space-saving tip that’s as old as time.

Store Your Winter Wardrobe

Out of season clothes like heavy woollens and Christmas jumpers will just take up unnecessary wardrobe space in Spring and Summer. Pack your winter woollies away and seal them in vacuum packed bags for easy storage. Taking out a household and personal self-storage unit can be handy for stowing away winter clothes along with other seasonal items like sledges, skis, heavy coats and winter boots.

Utilise Under Bed Space

If you have a traditional bed frame (not a divan or storage style bed) then you have empty space under your bed that’s going to waste. Invest in some plastic storage boxes (you can get these with handy wheels on for easy access) or sturdy baskets to slide under your bed. It’s the perfect place for shoes, toys or bulky clothes!

Declutter Your Desktop

Is clutter in your digital life dragging you down? Burdening your tablet, smartphone or computer with unnecessary photos and files can slow it down and make daily tasks like shopping and surfing the web become a drag. Invest in an external hard-drive to store your photos and files or transfer them to a cloud-based storage facility like iCloud or Dropbox. This will also help you to keep your files safe and secure. Don’t forget to always keep backups in a different format.

Switch To Paperless

In this day and age, paper statements and bills are no longer a necessary evil. If you’re still receiving hard copy statements from places like your bank or energy supplier then give them a ring and request to make the switch to paperless billing. It’s better for the environment and will help keep your hall table clutter-free.

Plan Weekly Meals

Food can become clutter just as easily as non-perishable items. Plan your weekly menus to reduce food wastage and streamline your shopping routine. If you already know what you’ll be eating for the week, you can free up brainpower for more important things – like eating or socialising – too!

Clear Out Your Record Collection

Do you really need to keep your CD or vinyl collection, now that all of your music is stored digitally? Sometimes it’s difficult to get rid of things even when they become obsolete. You can rent a household and personal self-storage unit for the items you really want to keep and the rest can be donated to charity or offered to an avid collector. Sites like Preloved and Freecycle are good places to advertise retro items and you might be able to help someone else grow their collection (even if you’ve had enough of yours!).

Don’t Beat Yourself Up!

It’s okay to keep some sentimental items. In fact, we definitely encourage you to keep a box of keepsakes and special momentos because some things can never be replaced. Don’t feel pressured when decluttering to throw away anything that’s really special to you. Just don’t get carried away!

Want to create space in your home or keep your valuables safe? Our personal and household self-storage units in Edinburgh are available in a range of sizes and benefit from 24HR monitored CCTV and security. Get in touch with us today for the best deal on our personal storage units.