Out With the Old, in With the New: Planning for New Year’s Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions Ideas New year, new me! Well, at least that’s what many hope for. Of the millions who set New Year’s resolutions each year, only 9% of Americans follow through on their plans. As many as 43% even give up their goals by the end of January. Whether cleaning your home, beginning a fitness program, or prioritizing mental wellness, making a resolution and sticking to it can do wonders for leading a fulfilling lifestyle that pours back into you. FreeUp Storage has compiled a list of the most common New Year’s resolutions, in addition to concrete tips and tricks on how you can realistically develop habits and accomplish your set objectives. This New Year, take action to become the best version of yourself while prioritizing your well-being. Keeping a Clean Home When creating a baseline for the new year, the best place to begin is where you start and end your day: your home. Living in a messy space can heighten stress levels and make concentrating harder. It’s also linked to being less active. Starting the year in a clean and organized place can help improve your mood, energy, and overall well-being. A few steps for cleaning your home include: Plan a deep cleaning day. Choose a specific day to focus on a thorough clean-up of your home. Dedicate time slots for organizing, work on one room or area at a time, and divide tasks into smaller steps to keep it simple. You can also group your items by category for easy sorting. Donate what you no longer need. Sort through your belongings and decide what’s worth keeping. Old clothes, unused decor, and untouched gear can be donated or recycled to free up space for fresh memories. Remember to check your pantry and bathroom for items past their expiration date. Develop an organization system. Use bins, baskets, or carousels to arrange your belongings while improving your home’s look. Add shelves, wall hooks, or over-the-door organizers to maximize vertical space. Declutter ...

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December 20th, 2024

Preparing Your Items for Storage This Winter: Common Mistakes To Avoid

Storing your belongings through the winter can be problematic if you’re not mindful of how you’re treating your things. Without the proper care, items like clothing, furniture, and electronics can suffer significant damage as a result of cold temperatures, changes in conditions, and even pests. Taking the time to prepare your things for storage can make all the difference in keeping them in top condition until you need them again. This guide from the pros at FreeUp Storage will explain how you can invest in more storage space, including advice on how to prevent mold and more winter storage tips. 1. Starting Too Late One of the biggest storage mistakes people make is waiting until the last minute to act. Rushed packing leads to misplaced items, poorly packed boxes, and an overall lack of organization. By starting early, you can give yourself the time to sort through your items, clean them, and carefully pack them away. 2. Not Cleaning Your Stuff Another common mistake is neglecting to clean your belongings before they go into storage. Dirt, grime, and other residues left on belongings can worsen over time, especially when kept in storage during winter. Take the time to clean and air out everything you’re moving into your unit to ensure you exercise clean and dry storage habits. This will help keep your stuff in good condition until the next time you need to access it. 3. Not Knowing How To Prevent Mold Mold is one of the biggest threats to your stored items, especially in cold winter storage climates. If moisture is trapped in your storage containers, it can quickly lead to destructive mold growth, so learning how to prevent mold is essential. Always start by completely drying off your items, and consider placing moisture absorbers around your things to sustain a dry storage environment. 4. Overlooking Protective Covers Protective covers might seem like something you can do without, but they’re a crucial part of proper winter storage. Covers keep dust and dirt off your ...

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November 15th, 2024

How To Maximize Space in a Small Kitchen

Many homes revolve around the kitchen, where meals occur, memories form, and families spend time together. But only some have a big kitchen. If you have a small kitchen, finding enough storage and making it easy to use can be tricky. The good news is that simple small kitchen organization ideas and smart storage solutions make any space useful and stylish. At FreeUp Storage, we’ll provide helpful tips for organizing and working efficiently in a small kitchen. 1. Declutter To Create Space Before tackling kitchen storage solutions, decluttering small spaces is important. Small kitchens can easily become crowded, making them less functional and stressful. To get started, follow these steps: ● Purge what you don’t use. Begin by going through your cabinets and drawers, pulling out items you no longer use or need. Do you really need three pastel-colored spatulas or that unused Star Wars waffle maker? Donate or toss anything that hasn’t been used in the past year. ● Optimize your gadgets. While kitchen gadgets can be handy, they can also occupy valuable space. Instead of separate slicers and choppers, use multifunctional tools like a food processor that can handle multiple tasks. ● Limit countertop items. Countertop space is a precious commodity in small kitchens. Try to store appliances, like blenders or toasters, out of sight unless they’re used daily. 2. Maximize Cabinet Storage Vertical thinking can help you use your kitchen space more efficiently. Cabinets are great for storage, and you can make the most of every shelf with the right tricks. ● Install shelf risers. Using shelf risers can double the space in your cabinets. They help you stack things better, turning space above your items into additional storage. ● Use cabinet doors for storage. The backs of cabinet doors are often underutilized. Hang small racks or hooks to ...

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October 1st, 2024

Stress-Free Traveling: How Self Storage Simplifies Traveling Between Destinations

Whether you travel for work or are an avid vacation lover, anything that can be done to simplify the traveling process is a huge win. Loading up every nook and cranny of the car and exceeding the 50-pound checked luggage limit gets old fast. But with some help from self storage, your frequent trips to lake houses and out-of-state offices don’t have to be so burdensome. Explore how using storage units as convenient travel storage solutions can help you more easily navigate the distance between destinations. Benefits of Self Storage for Travelers Renting a self storage space at your travel destination may seem like an odd step to add to your itinerary, but for frequent visitors, your journeys can be greatly simplified at an affordable price. Read on for some of the key ways storing belongings between destinations can help you maintain peace of mind while avoiding lugging loads of luggage through the airport. Traveling Lighter With Self Storage Have you ever gone on a road trip where you can’t see out of the rearview mirror because bags block your view? Or have you incurred unexpected costs at baggage check due to your belongings weighing more than the allotted amount? If you are heading to a destination for a long period or are the sort of person who needs to travel with their whole closet, then having a dedicated space to keep excess belongings at your journey’s end will certainly spare you some stress. With a dedicated self storage unit, you can secure a dependable space to store coolers, lawn chairs, bedding, and whatever else you’d hate to haul to and from your home over and over. And if you’re a traveling professional who finds themselves in Dallas time and time again, creating a destination spot for business storage will help open up room in your workspace and back home. Self Storage for Belongings You Leave Behind While having belongings in order at your destination is a must, ...

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September 2nd, 2024

The Benefits of Self Storage During Renovations

The Benefits of Self Storage During Renovations The rush of beautifying a bedroom or color-coordinating your kitchen is exciting, but don’t forget about protecting your belongings during home renovations. You can cover your furniture with plastic, but there’s a better option that shields your couch from paint and creates more space: self storage. With self storage, you can put worries of construction dust or wood varnish stains on your favorite armchair to rest and create a clutter-free work space for yourself or contractors. Learn more about the benefits of renovation storage solutions with our team today! How Self Storage Supports Your Renovation Plan Self storage gives you more space to work in, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you have family members helping out or contractors bustling around, you need to create a safety zone where children, pets, or other vulnerable individuals aren’t allowed to enter. If you don’t have a designated safety zone–or zones–your renovation project could be put on hold for an emergency room visit. In 2020, researchers noted a spike in emergency room visits related to DIY home improvement projects, with more than 24,000 injuries requiring a hospital stay. With self storage, you can use the space your belongings take up to create a safety zone with clear exits and walking routes without cramming and potentially damaging furniture. Self Storage Can Ease Your Renovation Stress Renovations can be stressful, especially when it comes to keeping track of your belongings. Self storage offers peace of mind because it gives you peace of mind that your belongings are tucked away from dust, paint, and other potentially damaging aspects of a renovation. When you proactively remove your furniture, clothes, and other property from the workspace, you can focus on renovation tasks. Renovation Storage Solutions Are Accessible and Convenient Self storage facilities cater to convenience, offering flexible rental options and seamless access to your belongings. If you have a renovation project you’re breaking into phases, you can even store tools and supplies in your storage unit ...

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August 3rd, 2024

How To Store Your Tools and Equipment

Organization plays a fundamental role in ensuring operational efficiency, safety, and the longevity of valuable assets in maintenance and repair services. Proper tool storage practices are crucial for smooth operations, impacting seasoned professionals and beginners alike. Embrace organization and efficiency by prioritizing tool storage to maintain a seamless workflow. Importance of Storing Tools and Equipment A well-organized tool and equipment storage system goes beyond simple workspace tidiness. Organizing tools is essential for the following reasons: 1. Maximizing Workspace To optimize workspace efficiency, efficient storage of tools and equipment is essential. This approach facilitates more effortless movement within the workspace and enables quick access to necessary tools. Embracing effective storage practices leads to a well-preserved tool inventory and streamlined operations, ultimately cultivating a more productive workspace environment. 2. Preventing Damage Properly storing tools prevents damage and reduces repair and replacement requirements. By ensuring correct storage practices for tools and equipment, businesses can safeguard them from wear and tear and prolong their life span, minimizing the frequency of replacements. Investing in proper storage techniques ultimately leads to prolonged tool usability and cost savings for businesses. 3. Enhancing Safety Proper tool and equipment storage is essential in a work environment to prevent accidents. By storing tools in designated areas with secure placements and clear labels, businesses can mitigate potential hazards and enhance workplace safety. Effective storage practices play a key role in fostering a workplace safety culture and significantly reducing the likelihood of accidents. 4. Improving Efficiency Storing tools logically and within easy reach enhances task efficiency, saving time and effort. Beyond just streamlining workflow processes, well-organized storage systems minimize downtime typically spent searching for tools. Investing in effective storage practices ensures tools are easily accessible, promoting seamless operations and fostering a highly efficient work environment. Tool Storage Tips for Maintenance and Repair Workers Implementing efficient storage solutions is essential for maintenance and repair professionals who rely on their tools daily. The following storage tips will help you organize tools effectively, resulting in improved efficiency, safety, and overall workflow optimization: 1. Invest in Quality Toolboxes ...

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July 1st, 2024

Using Self Storage for Overflow Inventory and Expansion Plans

Self Storage

Expanding your business is easier said than done. For greener companies that aren’t yet Fortune 500s, you may lack the resources to lease a warehouse or custom-build a commercial space. While this may seem like a roadblock to growth, the solution is simple and likely right down the street from you. With over 52,000 storage facilities nationwide, self storage for businesses and inventory can be a handy resource when seeking support for expansion initiatives. But how can you benefit from the commercial storage solutions offered at these facilities? Read on as we dive into how business self storage can be a flexible, cost-effective solution for managing overflow inventory and accommodating growth for your business. Storage Shouldn’t Be Set in Stone It may seem odd at first to entrust an external company with storage for business equipment. Why not allocate your resources to acquire a warehouse instead? For starters, expanding business storage is just that—expanding. It can be difficult to project just how much your company will grow and how much more storage capacity you will need down the road. While whatever facility you custom build may seem huge initially, outgrowing it before you have the resources to find more room would be a costly mistake. Not only are self storage facilities affordable, but they are notoriously non-committal. Many self storage companies rent their units on a month-to-month basis so their clients aren’t tied down to lengthy leases if they need to move or gain additional space. The national average monthly cost for storage unit rentals is around $185, which includes units of all sizes and climate-controlled storage. Because you’d only be paying for the space you need, your growing business can dodge having to worry about any long-term costs that come with property management, maintenance, and taxes. An Airtight Spot for Overflow Inventory When it comes to overflow inventory storage, you want something that will ebb with the industry's tides. It is essential to your growing business that your expanding capacity meets demand, and ...

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June 1st, 2024

Spin It Right: How To Store Your Vinyl Records

Self Storage

Vinyl records have returned to popularity, and collectors are trying to find the best way to preserve these cherished items. Records represent an investment and a deep personal connection to music and artists. Proper vinyl record storage is crucial to maintaining your vinyl's integrity and sound quality. By taking the appropriate steps to preserve vinyl records, you can continue to listen to your collection forever. Dive into the world of vinyl record storage with expert tips on properly maintaining and storing your cherished collection. From climate-controlled information to storage solutions, this blog offers essential guidance to ensure your vinyl records remain pristine for years. Vinyl Record Care Before considering storage solutions, it's essential to understand the basics of vinyl record care and maintenance. Vinyl is susceptible to damage, heat, and pressure, which can all degrade its quality. Care tips include handling vinyl with clean hands, playing it on a well-maintained turntable, and keeping it away from direct sunlight. Each time you play a vinyl, the record wears down slightly. Ensuring the player's needle is clean and sharp minimizes this effect. Vinyl Record Organization Tips Ensuring the safety of your vinyl record collection through proper organization is essential to keeping your prized possessions in good condition. Categorizing The first step to organizing your vinyl collection is categorizing each album. You can categorize your collection based on genre, artist, or era. Try the system that works best for your personal preferences. This type of organizing can make finding and enjoying your records easier. Cataloging If you have an extensive collection, consider cataloging your vinyl using a website or a phone app like Discogs. A digital record can help you keep track of what you own, its condition, and its value. This can be invaluable if you sell your collection or individual records. Vinyl Record Maintenance Tips Regularly maintaining your vinyl can keep them in good condition for years. Without vinyl record maintenance, your records could sustain damage more quickly and develop wear and tear over time. Regular Cleaning Cleaning your vinyls ...

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May 1st, 2024

Practical Downsizing Tips for Seniors: Simplifying the Transition to a Smaller Space

Moving

For many retirees, seniors, and empty nesters, downsizing from a beloved family home to a smaller, more manageable space can be daunting. Sifting through decades of memories and possessions can present emotional and logistical challenges. However, downsizing your home can also be a liberating step that enhances one's quality of life, safety, and financial well-being. This comprehensive guide is designed to help seniors, retirees, and empty nesters transition smoothly to a more compact living situation by providing downsizing advice and effective downsizing strategies. Crafting Your Downsizing Plan A smooth transition when downsizing your home hinges on detailed planning and a systematic strategy, making these steps essential. Still, it can sometimes be challenging to know where to begin. But don’t worry. With careful preparation and an organized process, you can learn how to create the ideal foundation for stress-free downsizing. The Early Stages of Downsizing Begin by creating a timeline that provides ample time to sort through belongings, repair your current home, and find the ideal new abode. Starting early ensures the process is gradual and less overwhelming. Building a Support System Enlist the help of family members, friends, or professional organizers who can offer emotional support and practical assistance throughout the downsizing process. Consider this an opportunity to bond over family heirlooms and shared memories. Financial Considerations Analyze the costs associated with your current home and the projected expenses of alternative living arrangements. Downsizing can be a smart financial move, freeing up equity for retirement or other investments. Room-by-Room Downsizing Guide Navigating every room of your home efficiently with clear intention and purpose is vital for streamlining the downsizing process and ensuring a smooth shift to your new living space. Bedroom Conversion Select a few favorite pieces of furniture and decorations that represent the essence of your style. Luxuries such as an adjustable bed or a cozy reading nook can be implemented in your new space, while the rest can be thoughtfully repurposed or passed on. Kitchen Elegance In the kitchen, selectively pare down belongings to essentials, opting for versatile items serving multiple functions. This ...

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April 3rd, 2024

What Is Included With My Storage Rental?

Self Storage

For many people, including small business owners and homeowners, renting a storage unit can be the ideal solution to the ongoing battle against clutter, enabling a more organized and spacious living or work environment. But beyond a room with four walls, do you know what you're getting when renting a storage unit? This comprehensive guide breaks down the hidden perks and essential offerings you should expect with your storage rental. What Amenities Are Included With My Storage Unit? You might be surprised to learn that your storage unit is more than just a place to stash your belongings. Modern storage facilities offer a range of amenities, like easy online payment options, to make your storage experience efficient, comfortable, and secure. Climate-Controlled Storage One of the most significant amenities for any storage renter is climate control. Whether you're storing sensitive documents, antique electronics, leather goods, or wood furniture, a stable environment with controlled temperature and humidity can protect your items from damage caused by extreme weather conditions and temperature fluctuations. Climate-controlled storage units maintain a consistent internal environment, minimizing the risk of mold, mildew, rust, and other forms of deterioration. Carts and Dollies Provided at the Facility Moving heavy or bulky items on your own can feel daunting. Fortunately, FreeUp Storage offers complimentary carts and dollies to help you transport your items from your vehicle to your unit. These tools can save time and prevent physical strain, especially when navigating an extensive storage facility. Drive-Up Access Storage Units For the ultimate convenience, FreeUp Storage offers drive-up storage units. These units allow you to access your items without entering the facility, which is incredibly useful while moving homes. It's your own personal loading dock, making the storage process more straightforward and less labor-intensive. What Size Storage Unit Do I Need? When deciding on the storage unit size you need, you must know the number and nature of the items you need to store. Here are general guidelines for different unit sizes and what they can accommodate. 5x5 Storage Units Roughly the size of a small ...

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March 1st, 2024