Posts

Storing your Off Season Clothing

/in /by

Woman under a mountain of seasonal clothing

As winter crisp air signals the changing season, it’s time to lavish attention on your wardrobe. Safeguarding and storing your clothes properly in the off season extends their lifespan ensuring a seamless transition the next season.

Clean Before You Store:
Before tucking away summer clothes and unveiling winter coats, prioritize cleanliness. Lingering stains
attract moths, and spills can set over time. Launder or dry clean your clothes, paying special attention to
those in direct contact with your skin.

Invest in Quality Storage Containers:
Opt for storage containers that thwart moisture and mildew. Plastic bins with tight-fitting lids are
optimal for dust and pest prevention. Consider adding an extra layer of protection with garment bags
for delicate items.

Use Natural Repellents:

Shield your winter wardrobe from pests using natural repellents. Place cedar blocks or lavender sachets
in storage containers for effective deterrence without resorting to harsh chemicals found in traditional
mothballs.

Mind the Humidity:
Combat moisture, the nemesis of stored clothes. Ensure adequate ventilation in your storage space and
use moisture-absorbing products, such as silica gel packets, to maintain a dry environment—crucial for
preventing mold, especially in natural fibres like cotton and wool.

Fold, Don’t Hang:
Preserve the shape of your knitwear by resisting the temptation to hang everything. Fold heavy
sweaters, and other knit items to maintain their shape during storage.
Pro Tip: Still prefer to hang your clothing while it’s in storage? Use padded hangers or wrap the triangle
portion of your hangers with bubble wrap before hanging garments. This trick helps prevent clothing
from stretching out of shape at the corners of hangers.

Bubble Wrapped Hanger for Clothing Storage

Rotate Your Wardrobe:
Adopt the habit of seasonal wardrobe inspection and rotation. Rediscover forgotten gems while
ensuring all clothes receive equal attention. Inspect clothing for damage then store out-of-season items
at the back of the closet or in storage containers.

Pro Tip: Safeguard against colour fading and brittle fabric by choosing a cool, dark storage space. If your
storage area has windows, use curtains or blinds to prevent sunlight exposure.

Being Environmentally Conscious is Good for Clothing:
Ditch plastic dry cleaning bags: they trap moisture that leads to musty odours. Instead choose
breathable fabric garment bags or cotton pillowcases to protect your clothes.
Pro Tip: Simplify retrieval of seasonal clothing by labelling and organizing storage containers by
category. This approach makes locating specific items easy without having to go through every box in
your storage unit.
Taking care of your clothing while it’s tucked away in storage insures ensures that your favourite cozy
sweater or cotton sundress will stand will be ready when you reunite for a new season.

~Gillian Sumpay

Costume Storage

/in /by
Storing a costume

Costume Storage

Once the costume party or that cosplay event is over how do you store your costume? The $100 costumes you can just hang up or put in a box, others are a work of art that cost thousands of dollars. If you have put time and money into this specialty wear, consider storing it so it will continue to look great and last for years to come.

Get the most out of your costumes with these care and storage tips:

  • Never store a dirty costume. Whether you danced the night away or roamed the halls of a convention center cosplay event the oils from your skin have been absorbed by your costume. These oils will break down material. Follow the costume’s cleaning instructions. No instructions? Then, hand washing or using a professional cleaning service is best. Some costumes can be laundered in a washing machine, but only on the gentle/delicate cycle with a gentle laundry soap and a small amount of liquid fabric softener. Always hang dry a costume. The heat from a dryer will damage delicate fabrics. It’s important that the costume be completely dry before storing it away. Mold and mildew can destroy a costume in a few weeks and also make it unsafe to wear.

    Hand washing

    Hand washing a costume

 

  • Consider storing the costume in the original package. If you don’t have this package, avoid storing costumes in plastic bags or bins. Certain kinds of plastic have acids that can ruin fabrics. Many manufacturers now make acid-free plastic containers. Wedding dress boxes and acid free garment bags are an example of this. You can purchase acid-free containers through stores like Amazon and some big-box stores like Walmart.
Costume additions

Costume storage

  • Accessories such as masks, hats, boots, purses and props will require proper support so they don’t lose shape. Again, the original packaging can be helpful in storing these items. You can also fill the hollows of these items with acid free paper to help them keep shape and limit deterioration.
  • Once you have taken proper care of the costume you can consider placing it in storage if you do not have a safe space for it.

If you have an amazing costume that you have taken the time and money to put together it’s worth storing properly so your next costumed event has great memories like the one you just went to.

Should You Store It?

/in , /by
Can you store it?

Should You Store It?

Whether your storage is in a basement, an attic, a garage or a storage unit don’t fill it with things you don’t really want or need. While we’re not going to tackle cleaning out your storage here (a topic for another day), ask yourself these questions before packing things away.

1) Do you need it? This sounds like a simple enough question, but how each of us answers this is highly individual. If you are making an effort to cut back on clutter, try to get real about what “need” means. Defining what is important to you is the first step to efficient storage.

2) Does it work? Don’t let your storage space become the place where broken things go to die! Stop telling yourself, “I’ll fix it one of these days”. If you don’t care enough about the item in question to get it fixed right away, it’s probably not worth keeping.

Broken Watch

Broken pocket watch

3) Is it clean? Storing clothing and other textile items without having them cleaned first can spell trouble. Moths and other critters are attracted to the dirt on textiles. And body oils will cause fabric to break down over time. Your best defense is to put only clean items into storage. Tools and outdoor equipment, including patio furniture, should also be cleaned before storing to avoid deterioration. If you are in need for a good cleaning place check it out.

4) Is it yours? It’s amazing how much stuff we can accumulate from others. If you are storing the item in question for a relative or child, consider setting a limit and giving the item back rather than continuing to let it take up valuable storage space.

5) Are you saving it for family? When you save things for family like children or grandchildren, making decisions about what to keep can be a challenge. Often a small amount of carefully chosen and properly stored items can be far more meaningful (and welcome) than an attic’s worth of stuff. Tuck a note about where each piece came from or why it is important to help pass along the stories to the next generation.

6) Will it create a problem if stored? Perishables like food, pet food, plants and potting soils shouldn’t be put into storage as they can create problems by attracting bugs, mice and other pests. Ammunition, chemicals, fertilizers, fireworks and fuels also shouldn’t be stored as they will deteriorate, become unstable and create a fire hazard. Most storage offices will have a list of what is not accepted.

7) Is it irreplaceable? One-of-a-kind items, collectables, jewelry, family photos, and documents like birth certificates and passports should be kept in a safety deposit box or a safe in your home. While storage companies take every precaution to keep things safe and secure break-ins and violent weather can still impact these facilities.

Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa should you store it

Storage Tetris – How to Pack A Storage Unit

/in /by
Tetris is great for storage

Tetris – How to Pack a Storage Unit

How do you play? you ask. Well, we’re going to try to explain the best we can.

First rule in this game: When you rent a storage unit remember to get the right size. Too small or too large will mean your belongings don’t fit or you will wind up paying for empty space. A quick tip hear is to use our storage calculator.

Pro tip: Once you have rented the right sized storage unit put a plastic drop sheet on the floor to protect your belongings from moisture that can come up through concrete floors or underneath the roll up door.

Now it’s time to start packing your unit: Placing items like furniture and appliances should be considered first. The best way to play Storage Tetris is to put appliances and large furniture like couches against the far back wall first. Take the backs off loveseats and chairs (if they are designed to do so). This makes it so these furnishings can be stacked.

Once you have those heavier items along the back wall of your storage unit it’s now time to place things like mattresses along the side walls.

Pro tip: put your mattress in mattress bags to protect them from damage during storage.

Place bigger heavier totes or boxes just inside where the mattresses are leaning against the wall. Next stack lighter weighted boxes onto of the larger ones. A nice blog we found explains more do’s and don’ts of Self Storage.

Pro tip: to keep everyone accessing the storage unit safe only stack things as high as the shortest person can safely reach.

Work toward the center of the unit flowing forward. Remember to put items you will not be needing toward the back and items you will frequently need toward the front of the storage unit. As in the game of Tetris, fill gaps with similar shaped items to create tight stacks that maximize the space. Shelving units can be used to store boxes.  This also helps free up the floor space for more awkward shaped items. We found a moving company named “You Move Me’ and found a great blog for you.

Pro tip: make sure to leave yourself a center isle.

Pro tip: Try not to place cardboard boxes near the front of the unit as rain and/or snow can leak in.  Once you’ve got the unit loaded cover as much as you can with a dust cover to keep it clean and ready to use.

Now you are ready to pack and store your belongings successfully. Remember heavy items at the back along with items you won’t need any time soon and lighter or frequently needed items at the front. Final step is to move in. We made it easy for you.

Preparing Belongings For Storage

/in /by
Getting yourself prepared for self storage

Preparing Your Belongings For Storage

Before you pack your belongings into storage, you need to get them ready. From cleaning to taking inventory, here’s how to best prepare.

Purge

If you haven’t used something in a while or no longer want an item don’t waste money storing it. Sell it or donate it to someone who will make better use of the item.

Clean everything that’s going into storage

Before you put things into storage make sure they are clean. Why is this important? If you store something while it’s dirty, it’s only going to be worse for wear when you unpack it two, four, or twelve months later. Over time things that are stored dirty can acquire a musty smell, and stains can damage fabrics. A thorough cleaning will ensure that items don’t deteriorate while in storage.

Pro tips:

  • Wash clothes and linens then store them in plastic bags to prevent mold and mildew.
  • Vacuum out the crevasses and wipe all furnishings then use an appropriate protective spray on leather and fabric upholstery. Wax wood furniture.
  • Wipe the inside and outside of appliances. If applicable, run a final wash cycle with vinegar. If you are storing a washer, make sure all tanks and hoses are drained. For fridges and freezers add a moisture absorbent substance like charcoal to help prevent odors. You can reach out to local appliance companies as well for info. https://www.bc-appliance.ca/
  • Wipe all sporting goods and kids’ toys including plush toys. Store plush toys in plastic bags.

 

Inventory what you’re storing

Person taking inventory for self storage

Be prepared by doing an inventory first

While you are cleaning your belongings, write down what’s going to be stored. Why is this important? An inventory will help you determine what size storage unit you need and how to organize that storage unit.

Pro tips:

  • Our storage calculator web page allows you to enter an inventory of your belongings and calculates what size storage unit you need. You can also email this list to yourself right from our storage calculator page.
  • Add a brief description including the item’s brand, serial number, model number, and if there is any damage to your inventory list.
  • Email a copy of your inventory list to your property insurance agent and advise them that you are putting these items into storage. This will help ensure that you have coverage for these possession’s and speed up the claims process should disaster make this necessary.

 

Make sure you get the right size of storage unit

Our easy-to-use storage calculator does the math for you. Once you’ve entered an inventory of your possessions into the calculator the graph on the right side of this web page tells you what size storage unit you need. You can then go ahead and book your storage unit either by clicking on the Rent Now button on our website, or if you need help you can call us and talk to someone in our office.

Screen shot of calculator page

Using our self storage calculator

Pro tip:

  • Right now, we are experiencing high demand for storage units and have a waiting list for many sizes. Renting online allows you to quickly see and rent any size that is available. This is kind of like a gamer’s cheat code for self-storage. If the size you want isn’t available don’t give up. People come and go from self-storage units daily. So, call our office and get on the waitlist right away.

Now you will need to pack your belongings. How you pack an item determines how well it survives a move, storage and then being unpacked. Watch for our next blog — How to pack your belongings like a pro so they are in good condition when you take them out of storage.

Feeling Overwhelmed While You Work From Home?

/in /by

Feeling overwhelmed while you work at home? Getting organized can help you take back some control and get clear on what work tasks should take priority. Not all of us have Marie Kondo’s instinct for organization, so where should you start?

  • First, find a separate space in you home for your home office. If you have no space choose a corner in the living room or take over the dining room. If you are considering making a work space in your bedroom, I recommend getting a room divider of some sort to separate the work area from the sleep area. Seeing your place of work while you are trying to wind down and trying to sleep is not good for you psychologically.

Read more

Prepping Your Motorbike for the First Ride of Spring

/in /by

Author’s Note: In light of our current situation surrounding self-isolation and social-distancing, we ask that you ride responsibly – please ride alone, and avoid large groups.

Everyone knows January 1st is the beginning of the New Year, but for me the year really doesn’t get underway until the snow melts and the open road beckons. When I feel that urge to pull my motorbike from its winter slumber, here is my checklist to make that first run of the year a little more enjoyable: Read more

Seller’s Remorse

/in /by

Kids, grandma is moving in. It will be so great to have her living here.

Jill speaking to husband – John: What are we going to do with all of mom’s belongings? It won’t fit in the house and she has so much.

John speaking to Mother-in-law – Ethel: Why don’t we have a garage sale before you move. Jill and I can help, and of course Cathy and Cindy being teenagers can also help. This will teach them how to negotiate. Read more

Wrapping, Joyful Or Not

/in /by

With Christmas so close, the wrapping paper starts coming out. Who does the work making these boxes with ribbons and bows look so beautiful? We asked our management team who gets wrapping detail at their home.  Read more

Making Halloween Crafts on a Budget

/in /by

I have a daughter in her early teaching years and I seem to find myself always looking for things she can make with her students on a budget. Here’s my adventure.

My plan this Halloween season was to find different ways to make ghosts. Pinterest is still new and scary for me, but after a little research, there are a few ghosts I think would go over well. They all look so easy when you see the finished project online but I already had my doubts as I began.

Read more