The bedroom should be a place of sanctuary and relaxation where we recharge for the busy week ahead. But with many of us being time poor and juggling a hundred jobs at once, it can be hard to keep order and make sure your room doesn’t feel like it’s a storage area for clothes, rather than somewhere to sleep.

There is nothing relaxing about being surrounded by yesterday’s outfits, that pile of unsorted clean washing, or mounds of throws and pillows that only have a home once you have made the bed.

Getting your bedroom decluttered and organised doesn’t need to cost the earth. Try some of these simple life hacks to make sure you can retreat to your room for that well-earned rest.

The bedside basket

If you like to dress your bed each morning, then you’ll have a throw and plenty of cushions for a beautiful finish. But at nighttime when your headed to bed, these somehow go from pride of place on the bed, directly to the bedroom floor. There is, however, a simple solution.

A bedside basket will give you somewhere to place them neatly in the evening, and also save valuable minutes in the morning hunting for them before work.

The storage bed

If you are thinking of changing your bed and are short of space, an Ottoman bed maybe the answer to your prayers. Not only can it craftily hide a whole seasons worth of clothes, but it adds another sneaky layer of storage to your room, especially if you are short of space.

If you aren’t planning on changing your bed anytime soon, then make the most of the space underneath. There are plenty of options available, but woven baskets add a little more style than the plastic versions. Make sure you don’t forget where everything goes by attaching a brown string tag to each one. Then, even if you aren’t someone who folds their laundry, at least it’s in some order for when you are hunting for it!

Space saver bags

Space saver bags may remind you of advertisements from the 1990s but they are genuinely a great way to store bulkier items, from the winter duvet to your collection of thick woollen jumpers that you won’t be touching through the summer months. They are relatively cheap to buy, save space, light to pack away and keep everything clean and dust free without the need to re-wash once you get them out again.

Practice the art of Feng Shui

While this may not seem like the easiest way for many of us to get organised, it is a valuable way to declutter your space, and your mind.

The key is to clear away items that serve no purpose – which can be difficult as we  attach memories to different things. However, consider whether you have used the item in the last 12 months. Does it remind you of a person you no longer see or care about, or is it just some family ‘heirloom’ that none of you like, keeping only out of obligation? It’s time to get strict with yourself, realign your energy and make that important trip to the charity shop so someone else can enjoy it. You’ll end up with a beautiful new space where you can relax.

Sharing a house with another person can be exciting, but leaves plenty of room for tension as well. Whether you’re leaving home for the first time, sharing with friends or moving in with a partner, there’s a few tips to making sure your new home doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

Sharing money

Money is always a source of arguments, even between long term couples. It’s important to work out, probably even before you move in, how you will share the bills and shopping. You might choose to keep separate food cupboards, or to create a kitty for essentials such as bread, teabags and washing up liquid.

Keep track of any furniture or decorations you buy for the house as well, so that if you do move out you know who owns what.

Sharing space

Even if you have your own bedrooms, you and your new housemate will be sharing living space, so start by making each room into a place you both enjoy.

Enjoy picking out pieces of furniture together and discuss where you’ll put them. You may have pieces from home, and you will most likely end up with duplicates of some things, such as pots and pans and other kitchen utensils. If you do, consider putting them in storage until you move into your next home and need them.

Sharing jobs

No one likes clearing out the bins or cleaning the bathroom, but if these jobs don’t get done regularly and equally, tensions will rise. So it’s worth making a rota from the very beginning for the worst jobs and make sure you do your share.

Sharing things

Eating each other’s food isn’t the only way to cause friction. Helping yourself to shampoo, clothes or other personal items will just irritate your housemate. Remember as well that the furniture might belong to one of the others, even though it’s for everyone to use. So take care of it, just as you would your own.

Sharing issues

No matter how well you plan or what good friends you are, there will be times when you get irritated. It’s important to discuss issues and be open with each other.

Spend time together to build strong bonds and – importantly – to have fun. Why not make it a habit to watch a favourite soap, share a meal or have a film night with popcorn once a week. That helps keep communication open and build shared bonds.

House sharing can be great fun, and create friends for life. It’s all about showing each other some respect, and getting through each issue together.

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered how secure your home is? With rising concerns over burglaries, homeowners need to be a little more savvy in taking care these days. The police say that homes with no security measures are five times more likely to be targeted than those with some simple security in place security.

At Cookes we take security very seriously – each locker is individually alarmed, with PIN code entry on the entrance and 24 hour CCTV. However, we know that keeping your home secure without feeling you are under lock and key, can be a little more involved.

The point, it seems, is not to make your home a Fortress of Impenetrability, but to make of a Domicile of Difficulty – that is to say, make it look like so much hard work to get in, that the thieves go for an easier target.

Home Security From the outside

Go outside, and look at your home compared to others on the street.

• Have you got ladders lying in the grass or tools in view? Valuable tools can attract a thief to your house, while leaving hammers, ladders and other items around may be providing easy access to an opportunist thief.
• While you are out, even in the garden, have you left doors and windows open? Or, is the shed or garage visible and open from the road – particularly of note if your garage has a connecting (hopefully locked) door into your home?
• Do you have a visible alarm box? Even a dummy box can act as a deterrent, so consider placing one high up on your home.
• Install security lighting and movement sensors on the outside of the house.
• Have you got secure fencing and a locked gate? Everything that slows a thief down in getting into and away from your home will encourage them to move elsewhere.

Home Security From the inside

An unoccupied home is more appealing than one where confrontation could happen. So, make your home look occupied, even when you are out.

• Put some lamps and a radio on timers inside. That way, even while you are out the lights and noise are on at home.
• Close your curtains. Nothing says empty house more than open curtains throughout the night.
• Check your doors and windows. Are they all locked securely?
• Thieves have been known to access homes using the door key, by hooking it through a letterbox. Make sure you don’t leave keys in the door or within easy reach.
• Better yet, keep all keys out of sight. Thieves may not be after the contents of your home – not if you have an expensive car sitting on the driveway. Most homeowners place keys in a drawer or on a hook nearest the door – so make it harder for thieves by moving things about.

While you are in, and when you go out

Sadly, you can’t always prevent a very determined thief. However, you can do more to ensure that there is nothing inviting them to your home. We also recommend that you keep valuables locked away in a hidden home safe.

Please don’t advertise that you are away on social media. Telling everyone you are away for a week not only makes your home vulnerable, it could invalidate your home insurance.

However, do tell your neighbours. They can watch over your home, and collect any parcels left out on the doorstep, making it clear that the house is under a watchful eye.

If you plan to leave your home unattended for any length of time, such as going abroad, you might want to consider putting anything valuable into storage. Cookes Storage Service can provide secure storage.

Click Here to Get a Quote.

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.