If you plan to start the year with a fresh outlook, one great way to begin is to remove some of the clutter from your life. Our homes, workplace, and lives in general are filled with excesses of goods that we could honestly do without – and may be adding to the stress in our lives.

We know that the busier our lives, and the more we try to fit in, the more stressed and anxious we feel. The same applies to the space we live in. If you are surrounded by clutter, with overflowing wardrobes, piles of toys or bursting cupboards, your home is likely to be over stimulating, rather than the place of restful tranquillity you can escape to at the end of the day.

Here are some top tips to decluttering your home – and restoring some calm and control in your life.

Clear your wardrobes

We all keep items of clothing because we love them, or they were expensive, or they hold special memories – even when they no longer fit. You may be planning on a new year diet and aim to get into your designer jeans once more, but now is the time to be honest. Ask yourself, have you worn it in the last year? If not, it’s time to put it aside.

Go through your cupboards

Cupboards and drawers are a great place to dump things throughout the year that have no obvious home. Everyone has a drawer in the kitchen full of screws, keys, and ‘might be useful’ items. Speaking of kitchens, what about the spiralizer, the egg cooker or the doughnut maker. There’s a variety of must-have gadgets we buy but rarely use. Now’s the time to have a sort out and make some room.

An ornament free zone

Whether it’s candles, collectibles or home-made art, every surface in your office or lounge probably holds some sort of dust-collecting ornament that you rarely look at and likely don’t need. Be brutal – is it a special piece, or is it adding to your distraction and stress?

The difference between unnecessary and unwanted

Sometimes it’s hard to see past the piles. You don’t need to throw away special memories or give all of your children’s favourite toys to charity. The aim is to declutter your home, not break your heart.

Put everything you feel you may want to keep into storage and see how often you need to go and get it. It’s a great solution for those designer jeans – if you are going to stick to your diet, you don’t want to bin your entire wardrobe, only to replace it later when you succeed. But you also don’t want piles of too tight clothing taking up space and nagging you every day. Move everything into self storage and it’s there when you need it, without taking over your bedroom.

The same principle applies to your kitchen gadgets. Self storage companies allow you to rent as much or as little space as you require, and to visit your unit whenever you want to get something out. That means your doughnut maker is on hand when you are feeling adventurous, but out of sight while you work on your new year diet.

As the clutter leaves, your home will start to feel like a restful haven, somewhere to relax and enjoy yourself again. With the new year ahead, there’s no better time to get started.

The Cookes Storage Service opening hours during the Christmas and New Year break are as follows:

• 23rd December – 9.00am to 5.00pm
• 24th December – 9.00am to 2.00pm
• 25th to 27th December – CLOSED
• 28th December – 10.00am to 3.00pm (Existing Customer Access Only)
• 29th December – 10.00am to 4.00pm (Existing Customer Access Only)
• 30th December – 10.00am to 4.00pm
• 31st December – 10.00am to 4.00pm
• 1st January 2017  – CLOSED
• 2nd January 2017 – 9.00am to 5.00pm
• 3rd January – Normal Opening Hours

If you require access outside of these core Christmas operating hours please give us a call on 0121 2505055 or email info@cookesstorage.co.uk.

Business Self Storage

December has arrived, and most businesses are gearing up for the busiest few weeks of the year. The 5 weeks of the festive season can account for up to half a year’s revenue for many small retailers. With every retailer – on and offline – in competition for consumers, it’s vital that business owners have prepared in advance.

Small businesses in particular have to juggle a variety of factors over the festive season that can impact on their ability to meet customer needs – staff holidays and sickness, cash flow and holiday pay, delivery demands and increases in theft. And there’s still the Christmas party to organise.

One aspect that’s vital to your sales this December is having enough of every product in place, particularly popular items that make up a large part of your profits. With online shopping, next day deliveries and plenty of options, consumers are not likely to hang around long if you hang up the ‘out of stock’ sign.

The issue many small businesses face is a lack of space. Whether you have a physical shop or sell entirely online, all the additional stock has to be put somewhere while you wait for the orders to flood in.

Stacking haphazardly in corridors and backrooms will likely result in items being damaged or lost, while the time taken to hunt down each order for wrapping and stamping all adds to delays in sending items out and meeting customer demands.

The advantages of offsite business storage

There’s an easy solution to toppling box piles though, and that’s taking advantage of short term business self-storage units. Off-site storage has a lot of benefits for smaller businesses – in fact more and more retailers are using them on a regular basis, or running their business from their storage site entirely.

Here’s why inventory storage could be the solution – and bring you a big increase in profits this Christmas.

1. Rental agreements are on a short term or monthly basis – no year-long contracts and huge overheads here.
2. The size of the unit you take is also flexible, so you don’t need to pay for a mass of empty space – just take the unit that meets your needs.
3. Indoor off-site storage is dry and clean. There’s no need to worry about stock getting dirty or damaged. An indoor business storage facility is often temperature controlled as well – so even food and drink can be stored safely.
4. With CCTV and often PIN access controls in place, your stock is safe and secure. Some stock storage facilities even offer a reception service, accepting deliveries so that you don’t need to worry about time spent waiting while you could be out working.
5. If your business is already overflowing with boxes, crates and festive chaos, but you don’t have time to move it all, then the right self-storage providers can even solve that problem. Cookes Storage in Sutton Coldfield will even come and collect your goods for you – so that all you need to do is make sales and see your profits soar.
6. Once you’ve organised your stock in your unit, you’ll be able to locate individual items with ease and get everything packed and ready for shipping in no time at all – meaning you can pack and shift more in one day and meet more customer demands.

Finally, once the festive season is over you’ll be able to see at a glance what, if any, stock is left over and get it all marked down in time for the January sales before leaving your temporary business premises – until the next seasons demand begin.

Lifestyle Storage

If you are one of the millions in the UK living in apartments or city centres, you’ll be fully aware of how important your space is. With little or no garden and likely no garage, how can you manage all of your belongings? And let’s face it, as a population we are gathering more and more belongings in every generation. Lifestyle Storage can make your life easier.

If you are a family that loves the outdoors, just where do you keep all of your extra equipment? A 2-parent, 2-child family means 4 bikes. Keen campers require tents, sleeping bags, gas cookers and canisters, cooking utensils, chairs, camping beds . . . the list goes on.

Then there’s the sports gear – hockey sticks, tennis rackets, footballs – or for the more serious outdoor enthusiasts – canoes, surfboards, climbing gear and so on.

That’s where offsite lifestyle storage options really do make all the difference. With your own personal storage unit you effectively have your very own garden shed – but with many added benefits.

Damp and rodent free storage

There’s nothing worse than arriving on your campsite after a fraught 4 hours in the car with shrieking children, traffic jams, diversions and torrential rain, than putting up your family tent and discovering it’s covered in mildew. Or worse – full of tiny but well-chewed holes from the resident family of mice.

With an indoor self-storage space like Cookes Storage in the West Midlands, you know that your precious canvas is protected from rain and wildlife – at least until your next camping trip.

Mess free solutions

If you do live in an apartment, then the last thing you want is to be bringing the great outdoors back into your home. So, if you are a keen mountain biker, after a full day shooting through muddy ravines and down dirt tracks, it’s far better to take that bike back to your lifestyle storage unit than to trek it into your hallway.

Especially if, as any biking enthusiast knows, your collection of bikes expands to provide options for every terrain.

Wet canoes, wetsuits, muddy waders or fishy jackets – keep the mess and smells of your outdoor hobbies away from the inside of your home.

Out of sight – until you need it

Many of our extra curricula activities are seasonal, and that means that the gear we need spends a good portion of the year taking up precious space. The great thing about your storage unit is the flexibility it gives you to prioritise your belongings, so you don’t have to choose between sports.

Take out your skis for the winter, bring home the sled, and get all the tobogganing in you can for the few days a year that we have snow. And don’t forget your hockey sticks and rugby balls.

Once the seasons change, you can deposit all your winter gear back into your lifestyle storage room – and get out the tennis racket and surfboard, ready for the summer sports season.

Live without limits

Your home space may be limited, but your lifestyle doesn’t have to be. The great thing about storage is that it gives you space to expand your horizons and enjoy all of the sports you love, without compromising on your equipment.

For more information on the self storage services offered by Cookes Storage please call 0121 250 5055 or Get a Quote.

Homeowners Storage

Throughout our lifetimes we build up a surprising amount of belongings. Research shows that we also move an average of 8 times during the same period – meaning that every possession needs packing up and carrying with us. Or does it?

The United States have been making use of Self Storage for years, with over 50,000 storage facilities in use. The UK may be slower to use offsite storage, but we are rapidly finding more uses for storage facilities, and gaining an appreciation for the versatility and convenience on offer.

So, here are some of the top reasons for homeowners to use Self Storage in the West Midlands.

1. Dressing your house sale

If you are planning on selling your home, you want to be sure it’s looking it’s best. It’s time to clear out your prized collection of figurines, take down the family photos and pack away the children’s toys. Put it all out of sight into a temporary storage room, and once your house is all dressed up it’ll soon sell.

2. During your house move

It’s becoming more common in today’s housing market that sellers have to move into temporary accommodation as one house sale completes before the other. Keeping your furniture safe, clean and dry while you rent takes some of the stress out of moving, and gives you peace of mind.

3. Settling into your new home

Deciding who has which room, and where to put your sofa and bookshelves – it all takes time as you settle into your new space and discover just where everything fits. So keeping the unnecessary clothing and boxes from the attic in low-cost, safe storage means you can relax and forget your boxes until you need them.

4. De-cluttering

With so many belongings it’s no wonder our homes start to feel full. But rather than throw out bikes and ski’s, winter coats and summer camping gear, it’s better to store it away safely until it’s needed. After all, there’s no need to be wasteful when there are a variety of personal storage options available providing just the amount of space you need to de-clutter your home.

5. Home office solutions

More and more of us are working for ourselves, using a room in the house as a home office or buying tools and equipment for a manual job. Storage provides different sized spaces to suit your needs, whether it’s a secure space for your expensive tools or somewhere to keep confidential documents completely safe.

6. DIY

After moving home, DIY and redecorating must be close on the list as one of the more stressful events in our lives. Save your stress levels by temporarily moving furniture and treasured heirlooms into short-term storage while renovations are carried out.

7. Downsizing

Whatever the reasons you are moving to a smaller home, it’s difficult to decide what you want to keep. Years of memories and keepsakes war with favourite armchairs and accumulated hobby equipment. Move it all into storage and you can sort through everything in your own time.

More homeowners are turning to offsite storage as a way of keeping their possessions safe. Try Cookes Storage. Dry and secure, they are the preferred option to a garden shed or garage if you have the need for more room at home. They’ll even collect your personal belongings for you, the perfect solution for those larger items.

This Sunday at 11am see’s the annual Great Midlands Fun Run which started in September 2003. Last year saw a capacity field of 7000 runners (and 87 dogs) take part raising £347,024 for charity.

Cookes Furniture, our parent company, has been a longstanding key sponsor of the event and will be taking along a team of 70 runners to support their own 70th anniversary!

Good luck to everybody taking part! It’s going to be a great day, whatever the British weather decides to throw at us!