Category: Decluttering
Moving house is a momentous occasion that we all face at some point in life, whether that is to head off to university or to leaving home to live with friends or partners. As exciting as it seems starting out, merging the possessions of two or more people can prove to be more than a little problematic. When faced with a choice of three sofas to sit on or duplicate dining sets, new cohabitants may feel pressed to part with their treasured possessions, so to avoid any awkward moments and make moving house hassle-free, simply use self-storage
Get Organised
It sounds so simple, but making a plan and getting organised early will help you immensely on your moving day. Keep a few essentials such a your kettle, mugs, tea bags and a spoon in a box on the front passenger seat of your moving vehicle (trust us you will thank us later!)
Have a system of what you need to move first and what can come later; bed first, bag of clothes you haven’t warm in a year… that can come last!
Give yourself space
Using self-storage simplifies a house move as it means that you don’t have to make any rash decisions about what to keep straight away. Perhaps more importantly, however, it gives you time to get a feel for the style that you want in your new pad, not to mention an idea on the best layout to maximise the space in your home.
Yes, you may be utterly convinced that your three-piece leather suite and chaise longue are perfect for parties, however if your goods are going to monopolise the room, then it is better to consider the home without them in it. Furthermore, you will avoid an unnecessary 22-point turn to get the furniture in through the front door.
Give yourself time
By storing your items in a secure self-storage unit, you remove the time constraints of trying to exchange and complete in a day whilst carting your worldly goods across the town. Few house sales complete at a weekend, meaning that you will need to take time off work to pack, ship and unpack your belongings within a very short time frame. By using flexible self-storage, you will be able to move in to your new home at a time and pace that is convenient to you.
Give yourself a good talking to
If there is one thing we all know, it is that as we travel along the journey called life we accumulate more than a few souvenirs along the way. Gathering together your belongings to move house can be a wake-up call as to just how much stuff you have, and now is the time to give yourself a good talking to about what needs to stay and what needs to go.
Rather than transfer all these items into your new abode or make any on the spot decisions that you later regret, use self-storage to filter these items gradually, and get rid of anything non-sentimental that hasn’t been used in 6 months.
This really simple lesson, saves many moving day tears! Your new home is going to be filled with new memories and sometimes, you just need that little bit of help to let go of items that you really don’t need anymore.
Enjoy the day
It is going to be hard work and there are most probably going to be some bumps along the way, but when you can sit back at the end of the day and look at your new home you will find that all those worries you have 6 months ago are totally irrelevant now!
For more help, head over to our page to see how we can help you with your move.
Happy moving Everyone!
Even the most organised of households will need to de-clutter once in a while, whether it be once a year or every couple of months. Everybody builds up a collection of things that they don’t need; from clothes that don’t fit any more to unopened birthday presents. If you want to de-clutter your home then here are our top 10 solutions to make it easier, quicker and less of a chore.
1. Do I really need it?
This is a question that needs to be asked for every single item you pick up, whilst de-cluttering. Do I really need to keep those cinema tickets from last year? Do I really need to hold onto that dress that I only wore once? It can be easy to convince ourselves we need to keep something, but asking yourself this question should help you think twice.
2. Make some extra cash
This is a great de-cluttering tip that everyone should use; sell the things you don’t need! If you’ve got a pile of old clothes, shoes, DVDs, books, pretty much anything you don’t want to keep any more, then sell it! You can use online auction sites such as eBay or organise a Sunday morning trip to a car boot fair. The extra cash can be put towards better storage solutions or just a treat for the family.
3. Put it into storage
Sometimes there are things that we don’t necessarily need to keep hold of right now, but we don’t want to get rid of them altogether. If this is the case then it may be worth considering putting those things into storage. Boxes of books, family heirlooms, pieces of furniture and even baby clothes can be put into storage for a time when you will need them again.
4. Double Purpose Furniture
As you have started to get rid of the things you don’t need, it’s important to find a place for the things that you do need. Double purpose furniture is a great way to de-clutter, without having to find somewhere for storage boxes to go. You can use old trunks for decorative purposes and to hide the clutter, or a window seat that lifts to reveal a secret storage compartment.
5. Vacuum Storage Bags
These clever inventions are perfect for keeping seasonal clothes out of the way, without taking up too much space. Simply pile in the clothes you want to keep, but aren’t going to wear for a few months, then zip it up and attach the hoover to the air hole. The vacuum will suck out all of the air, making a compact bag that can be stored away.
6. Bespoke Storage
If you’re serious about de-cluttering then why not have some bespoke furniture made? Everything from bookcases to chests can be made by a carpenter to suit your home, style and the amount of clutter you have to hide!
7. One Room at a Time
The problem many of us will have when de-cluttering is that we just get overwhelmed by the amount of work to do. We’ll try to get it all done in one day or we’ll get distracted halfway through one room by finding clutter in another. If you want a clutter free home without the stress, then make sure you only tackle one room at a time.
8. Avoid Distractions
It’s so difficult, when getting rid of clutter, not to go through it all and get distracted. You may stumble across an old diary or photo album that you just want to go through and reminisce. Distracting yourself with these things is only going to prolong the process, so put them in a pile away from the rest and have a look through once you’ve finished de-cluttering.
9. Memories Box
You’re bound to discover a lot of things along the way, that just simply don’t have a place in the house. These tend to be sentimental objects such as old photographs, event tickets and birth or marriage certificates. Create a memory box to store all these things in, so that they don’t get lost or damaged.
10. Get Everyone Involved
Finally, make sure you get everyone involved when you start to de-clutter the house; the children and the partner included! By doing this not only will it take less time, but it will be easier for everyone to learn the new organisation systems you have in place. Hopefully then, it will be much simpler for everyone to keep clutter free. Hopefully!
We’ve covered 10 of our favourite de-cluttering solutions for the home, although there are plenty more. What do you find to be the best way to keep a clutter free house?
Have you ever thought about what you would do if you had a little more space in your home? How about if you had a whole extra room?
A traditional spare bedroom
The first use that springs to mind is an extra bedroom – the traditional meaning of a spare room. If you have regular visitors staying overnight, grandparents stopping by to look after the children perhaps, then having an extra bedroom prepared is obviously useful.
But if it’s only used occasionally, then handing over an entire room in your house to an empty bed seems a bit wasted when there are plenty of day bed or inflatable options that mean when they aren’t needed, you can hide them out of sight. So, what could you do with that spare room?
A home office
As many of us have found in the last few months, when you are working from home you need a little peaceful space. Imagine having a little den of your own, a place where you can pile up the paperwork, printer and boxes of stock and keep them away from the rest of the house.
Your home gym
When you have a gym in your home, just think of the advantages. You can get straight out of bed and start your day with a workout, without having to travel anywhere. No more queuing for machines. Straight upstairs to your very own shower, with all your preferred toiletries to hand. Having a gym in your home means you can fit in small amounts of exercise daily around your own routine, rather than having to schedule slots into an already busy day.
A personal library
Wall to wall bookshelves, a cosy armchair, and a standing reading lamp. Turn your spare room into your own hiding space and enjoy the peace and quiet. We’d have to put a coffee machine in there too.
A walk-in wardrobe
If you love fashion, you’ve probably got a large pile of clothes and a wardrobe that’s just so full you can’t see one shirt from another. Imagine walking into a room lined with clothes rails, a large full-length mirror, wonderful lighting, and a rack just for shoes. If that’s your dream, then all you need is to make some space in your home to bring it to life.
A games room
Not all playrooms have to be for children. In fact, if you are going to put a pool table in yours, you should probably keep them out. With some thought into how to make the most of your space, you could create a fantastic place to entertain friends. Pool might not be your thing, so how about table football or a dartboard?
Your own bar
When you enjoy socialising but want control of the music, then having your own bar is a great idea. If you have a spare room downstairs or can convert your garage, you’ve got the perfect space to set up a mini-bar and wine rack. Invite friends round and enjoy karaoke nights – it might be best to invite the neighbours.
A craft studio
Whether you enjoy sewing or jewellery making, crafting usually requires a fair amount of space. You need to store your sewing machine, beads, fabrics, materials, and books. Having your own craft room means you can keep the mess in one place, and you don’t have to clear up partway through a project so that the table can be used at mealtimes.
If you do decide to make more use of the spare room in your home, the first thing to do is declutter. If you need to store anything with us, we’ve on hand to talk about storage units. Just give us a call on 0121 250 5055.
A fresh new year stretches ahead, full of possibility. Are you looking at the next 12 months with excitement – or are you still in recovery from a very festive end to 2019?
We love the start of a new year. It’s the time for fresh starts, setting goals and making plans. But first, we do have to get through the frosty cold winds of January. So what can you do to make the winter whistle by?
One of the best ways to lift your mood in the winter is to make the space around you as inviting as possible. There’s nothing more depressing than spending your working day in a dirty, cluttered space. So, here are some top tips for making more of your work environment.
Growing your business
Now is the time for many business owners to start thinking about their business plans for the next quarter at least – and most likely that will involve some sort of expansion. Are you taking on new staff, planning to open a second office or looking at a new approach to marketing?
One thing all businesses need is a bit of space. If you had a bit more room in your office, what could you do with it? Add a few more desks for another desk, or create a vibrant meeting space to wow your clients? It’s time for a bit of a clear out, and to consider whether you are really making the best use of your floor space.
Declutter your mind, and your space
A tidy work environment can help your creativity. Over time we collect plenty of excess clutter – on our desks and around the edges of the office. Have you still got promotional material lying about from last year’s offers, or old and broken computers piled up in the corner, waiting for someone to do something with them.
A nice clean workspace is not only inviting, but it can lift our mood. Clear out the debris from last year and be ruthless with the paperwork piling up. If you really need to keep old files, but don’t need them to hand, then consider archiving storage solutions. Our own units come prepared with racking and collection options, so all you need to do is fill your boxes.
Redecorate and revitalise your mind
If you want to go all the way, how about a completely fresh look in your office. There is a lot said about the way colour affects mood. Blue colours promote concentration, while yellow will create positivity and happiness. Green is a calming, balanced colour, great for an office where you work long hours, while red is an exciting colour to use in a busy, more physical workplace.
The easiest way to get your new look is to move all the furniture out of the way and into a temporary self-storage unit. Then the decorators can get in quickly, and give the whole space a fresh lick of paint.
When you bring the desks back into the space, consider rearranging things so that you have a nice view out of the window, or make the most of the natural light. Bring in some greenery in with lovely plants; not only do they brighten the room, they add oxygen to the air, helping to keep your teams alert.
Create a fun space
All work and no rest makes all your staff a little grumpy. A great way to boost morale in your office is to show them how much you value them. A new coffee machine may be a good start, but how about creating a cheerful and relaxing corner where they can take a break, have a gossip and bond a little. Not every office has space for a pool table – but some comfy sofas make a great start.
If you want some help in revitalising your work place, we are on hand to share our space with you. From short-term storage for your redecoration to secure storage for your business archiving, we have plenty of ways to help. Call today on 0121 250 5055 to see how much space you need.
Losing a family member is a deeply emotional time. Sadly, we often don’t get a chance to really grieve before we’re plunged into dealing with the necessary paperwork and organising that comes with it.
If you’ve inherited a house full of stuff, you’ve got even more to sort out. However, this is one place where you feel under pressure to get things done, while what you really want to do is slow down.
Your inheritance might be the home you grew up in or of someone you were particularly close to, and it’s important to give yourself time to decide what to do with their belongings, and the property itself.
Bringing in some outside help
There are businesses who can help you empty and sort through the things in your inherited home. But you don’t have to bring in strangers. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend to come along and help you get started, even if that’s removing the everyday items such as toothbrushes, medicines, food from the kitchen and calendars from the wall.
Pick out sentimental items
More than likely there will be particular items that have sentimental meaning to you. Take a box to put these in, and put it aside so that it doesn’t accidentally end up in the wrong pile. Don’t forget to ask family members if there is anything they want to keep as well.
Priority paperwork
There are some things that need sorting sooner rather than later. You’ll need to find and prioritise the important paperwork – bills, bank accounts, insurance and so on. Gather together everything you’ll need, and make a list of the people you need to contact. It may be that bank accounts and financial documents can be passed on to the deceased persons accountant.
Donate, Sell and Recycle
After the initial burst of organising is over, you’ll be left with a house full of things to sort out. There is no right or wrong way to go about this, but you may find it easier to work room by room, as otherwise the size of the job can become overwhelming.
Sort everything into piles – things to keep, things to donate, items that you can sell and those that need to be recycled or binned.
The kitchen may be one of the easiest rooms to start in. A lot of the items will be less personal and duplicate of those you have at home – cutlery, cooking bowls and mixers. Pick out anything you might want to replace those you have at home, and place the rest for donation.
As you sort through the house you will likely come across items that may be of value. If you don’t know how to price them, then put these aside until you have time to investigate further. Many local auction houses will provide a free valuation and, if you have a sizeable amount of items, the auctioneer will visit the house to give you an overall opinion. It is also possible to email pictures of larger items to them, such as furniture, for an idea of whether auction is the best route.
Items you want to keep
Finally, consider the items you would like to keep. There can be practical reasons to keep extra furniture and household items. If you have children that will soon be moving into their own homes they will need beds, sofas and so on to get started, while if you plan to let the house to tenants, you may keep some furnishings.
Some items, furniture in particular, can be hard to get rid of, especially if it’s a larger piece or out of fashion. You might not want it in your own home, but feel reluctant to part with it. You may also have a pile of belongings that you just aren’t ready to part with for sentimental reasons, or want to leave for a while before you tackle them.
Giving yourself time to grieve is perfectly understandable and necessary, rather than making rushed decisions that you later regret. Unfortunately, we often don’t have the luxury of time to deal with a loved one’s belongings, as we need to deal with the property itself.
Placing these items into a self-storage unit is a cost-effective way to keep them safe and dry. You’ll have time to decide what you want to do with them, or until you need them. Meanwhile the property will be empty, and you can decide whether to sell it or keep it on.
If you need help moving your furniture or boxes into storage, please ask us about our free collections service. Our experienced in house team can help collect your items and place them inside your self-storage unit, giving you one less thing to worry about at a difficult time.
The sun is shining, spring is in the air – and it’s house moving season. This is the time of year we start to see more houses for sale. If you are planning on moving house this year, you’ll want to have your home looking it’s very best for a fast and easy sale.
No doubt you’ve heard that you should fill your home with the smell of baking bread, but if cooking is not your best skill, what else can you do?
First impressions matter
It’s hard to see your home through a stranger’s eyes, but to really see where to start, you need to take a step back. If you can, ask a friend to come over and help.
First impressions count, so take a good look at your home from the outside. Do you have kerb appeal? Is the lawn mown, or are the weeds overgrowing the pathways? A quick touch of paint to the front door and clean windows can make all the difference, turning your home from shabby to welcoming.
A lick of paint
The same applies to the inside of your home. You might love the wall murals, and be so used to the rip in the wallpaper you don’t even notice it anymore, but to a prospective buyer it means decorating and work.
Changing lightbulbs, mending dripping taps and fixing the broken step – all of these minor DIY tasks that you’ve been putting off for years now have to be done.
De-personalise the rooms
A prospective buyer needs to be able to see the space
Have a look at all the stuff that you can live without for a few weeks. Your family photographs, football trophies and CD collection, books and ornaments all make your house your home, but will be very distracting to viewers.
While you’re clearing out the house it’s a great time to sort and pack for your own move. Sort your items into things you can sell, or give to charity. Box up everything else and place it into short term storage units, to keep it safe and dry until you move into your new home.
Make more space
If you do use a storage unit, move some of your extra furniture into it as well. If you can reduce the amount of chairs and tables taking up space in your home, the rooms will look larger, and buyers will be able to visualise their own furniture in place instead.
Garages and sheds often become hoarding places, filled to the brim with bikes, sledges, old toys, lawn mowers, boxes of clutter and so on. If you are taking it all with you, placing this in self-storage will help make your outbuildings look tidier and more welcoming as well.
Make sure everything is gleaming
No matter how house proud you are, every home builds up dirt and dust in the corners. Wipe down the skirting boards, clean the lampshades and wash out the oven. Check every corner for cobwebs and make sure the windows are sparkling to really show off your views.
Not only will your house sparkle, it will smell fresh, a far more inviting scent than last night’s dinner and the dubious odour of pets – who, by the way, should be kept out of the way while viewers are looking round.
Let them relax and enjoy your home
On the day you have viewers coming, open the windows for a bit to let some fresh air in, particularly if you have the heating on so it’s not too warm. Open all the curtains wide to let in the sunshine – and if you want to, get that loaf in the bread maker for a delicious, homely smell.