Tidying Up Your New Home After Moving in

When you first move into your new home, you want to take the opportunity to set the stage for how tidy and organised it will be in the future. Being organized means you can be a lot more productive in life and have more time for doing the things that you enjoy.

Before you move make sure to purchase some storage boxes, ideally with separate compartments, to put all of your electronics and loose odds and ends in. Plastic storage boxes are stackable and inexpensive, so you can always buy more as you need them, and they come in all shapes and sizes and can be used to store all kinds of things. The best way to organize efficiently is to have a place for everything, this way you never have a growing pile of items that you will ‘sort out later’ but never do.

Keep instruction manuals and warranties stored away with your other paperwork, in a filing cabinet or even in a magazine box. The kitchen is always a good place to keep guarantees, etc. as many of them will be for the electrical appliances you use here, so keep them together in a particular drawer or box on a high shelf where they can easily be found when need be.

Ensure kitchen and laundry storage solutions are functional and easily accessible. Get someone in to fix shelving on the walls and hang hooks under them or on the backs of the doors so things can be hung up and stored out of the way but are still in your vision.

Hooks are great little inventions as they can be placed anywhere and everywhere, including the pantry. Organise the pantry according to different types of foods and keep unused cutlery, plates and other dishware stored away from your everyday use items.

Once you’ve moved in, regular spring cleans can help to avoid the inevitable build up of clutter and ensure your self storage solutions continue to fit your changing lifestyle needs. Make yourself a promise to spring clean every 3 months or so and stick to it.

One common time-waster is looking for the household or car keys, ‘Now, where did I put them?’ This is easily solved by having some hooks right next to the front door or a small basket in the hallway where they are always placed when not in use.

Consider the function each item has, if it is pens and pencils then why would you keep them in the hallway? The best place is the home office so make a place for them there. Get the whole family involved when organizing as otherwise you will be wasting your time trying to do it all yourself. Once they get the idea and know the places of things your home should be well-organised and run more efficiently as well as look nice and tidy!

Security Features in Self Storage Units

One of the key benefits of having your belongings stored in a managed or self storage service is the added security it offers. While you may think your garden shed or garage is secure enough it will be limited in space and will never be as secure as a managed facility with 24 hour surveillance. 

Security is one of the top priorities for a storage company as their clients are putting their trust in them to take good care of their personal, valuable and private possessions. These could be family heirlooms, client’s records, personal letters, or childhood memories.

Any modern storage facility near Brookvale business should use sophisticated surveillance equipment as well as security guards at vulnerable times, this includes throughout the night when break-ins are more likely to happen and there is not so many people around. They offer a level of security that is difficult to match if you store your goods elsewhere. Most storage units are located in either fenced-off premises with CCTV cameras positioned around the perimeter and then also in alarmed buildings.

For a thief to gain access to your belongings they would have to first gain access to the facility, then to the building, and eventually into your actual unit which is fitted with a strong padlock. Storage facilities are designed with this in mind and deterrents such as lighting, visible security patrols and staff presence are often used to deter intruders.

Some facilities offer alarms within the building and even individual door alarms for each unit, these are the kinds of things you can ask about before deciding where to store your possessions. Electronic pass-code gates are also becoming more common as a security measure and clients are asked for ID either at the entrance barrier or they are given a special card that allows them access to the premises.

You can also further protect yourself by organizing insurance cover for stored items, ask the storage provider if they offer their own insurance protection and if so what it covers. If you feel this isn’t sufficient for what you are storing then organize a further plan.

You should be able to buy your own strong lock and lock up the unit yourself, most facilities will also have a supply that are guaranteed to be extra strong and will be available at discounted prices.

Don’t be afraid to ask the self storage facility manager questions about their level of security, after all this is your lifetime items you are intending to leave in their care, and that is his job. Some things you might want to know are if they have CCTV, how many do they have, and if they have it who monitors it and at what times, and if the alarm is triggered who is alerted?

Declutter Your Home And You’ll Also Be Decluttering Your Life

Living in the same house for years can lead to a lot of clutter, and the odds are that a lot of it you never use, never look at and will never need again. Perhaps it’s time for a good clear out, set aside some time to organise yourself and your home and at the end of the decluttering project you’ll be amazed at the difference it can make to the house and your mood.

Is your home full of belongings and furniture collected and acquired over the years? If the house is starting to feel too small for the family and all their stuff, but you don’t have the money or the inclination to move into a larger property, then there is another solution. It’s time to declutter your home!

Most people have far too many bits and pieces and the key to a calm life and a calm home is to minimise how much of that stuff stays around. Now there’s no reason to start hyperventilating at the thought that you have to throw out treasured objects, sort through photos and other memorabilia and discard items that might seem old and worn to others but are precious to you. 

There is another option that can free up a lot of space in your home but still means you can hold on to everything you want to.

Self-storage units give you a place to store all those items not required on a daily basis, and they come in different sizes from smaller options that are suitable for documents or pieces of furniture to larger ones that can fit the contents of a 4 bedroom house in very easily. These are really great for those that have far too many belongings at home but don’t have the heart to throw, sell, or give it away. Accessible every day of the year they can be the solution to your storage problems and charges are very reasonable.

It can help to make a plan as this gives you a schedule to keep to and a system so you don’t get fazed when faced with a whole room that needs a lot of organization. Some people like to start from the top of the house and make their way down, whilst others will want to get cracking on the rooms they live in the most, generally the kitchen or living room, and worry about the rest later.

In your plan choose the room order you intend to sort out first and try to put some kind of time frame to it, it can be a fast process with a room completed every 3 days, or taken at a slower pace with a week allocated to each room. Then make a task list for each room and what needs to go where. Lists can help you stay focused and keep on track.

Consider what items you really don’t have a need for any longer, this could include toys that have been outgrown, clothes from the 70’s that are well out of fashion, mis-matched furniture that’s far too bulky for the room it’s in, and more, more, more! Once you have selected those things get rid of them straight away – give them to the needy or a local charity, give them away to family or friends, or have a car boot sale, whatever it is just get rid of them.

Now you already have some space and you’ve only accomplished the first step. Aren’t you feeling better already? The next part is to have an idea of what you want to achieve in terms of how your home will look. Are you after a minimalist look or something a bit cosier? Get some packing boxes sorted out and start going through all your possessions, this includes opening up drawers and wardrobes, cleaning out closets and tidying bookcases.

You have to be really motivated to go through with this process, there’s no point starting it with good intentions getting it half done and then abandoning the project from lack of motivation. We never said this was going to be easy but the end result will definitely be worth all the hard work involved.

Cameron Robertson writes about self storage solutions for Dee Why