You've jotted down your resolutions, rung in the new year and made your toasts. Now, learn how to store your extra bubbly so it will taste great when you pop the cork this year or beyond. Good storage practices will help your champagne stand the test of time, says...
Every year, the Atlantic hurricane season in the U.S. runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. And during every hurricane season, people who live in hurricane-prone places like Florida and Louisiana worry about how to keep their belongings safe. By taking...
During hurricane season, it’s critical to know your rights as a self-storage consumer in case a storm hits. In hurricane-prone states, laws are in place to protect consumers from price gouging during emergency situations like hurricanes. These laws specifically apply...
From records to cassette tapes, VHS cassettes, CDs and laserdiscs, the history of media is rich with a variety of forms used to produce music and videos. And some of those early forms are actually increasing in popularity. In 2015, nearly 12 million vinyl albums were...
Tenants nationwide use their storage units for the intended purpose: to store their excess belongings. But the rules breakers that ignore their lease agreements and operate businesses from their units provide the best stories in the industry. About 1 out of 5 storage...
They’re often dirty, they’re all different sizes and you keep tripping over them. No, we’re not talking about your children – we’re talking about yard tools. And whether they’re piled in a messy corner of the garage, strewn across the back porch or stuffed in a shed,...
If it takes you several minutes—and maybe several expletives—to find the right pill to alleviate your ailment, it’s probably time to cut the clutter in your medicine cabinet. “When you aren’t feeling well, the last thing you should have to do is dig around for the...
In her song “Cherry,” the late Amy Winehouse paid homage to the love that many musicians feel for their guitars. While every musician may not be as eloquent as Winehouse was, most would do whatever it takes to keep their instruments in the best shape...
Around the Fourth of July, we get a big bang out of fireworks. But without proper storage and handling of fireworks, your Independence Day fun could fizzle. In 2013, eight people died and an estimated 11,400 people were injured in fireworks-related incidents around...
Whether you’re prepping for an emergency or simply want to avoid a last-minute, pre-dinner trip to the store, the idea of a brimming pantry holds a great deal of appeal. It also can cut costs. “Proper food storage prevents waste and thereby saves money,” said Teri...
When it comes to your belongings, not every item can take a licking and keep on ticking. Some of your possessions, such as dishes, mirrors, pictures, vases and antiques, easily can be broken when you’re moving or storing them if you don’t take special precautions. To...
When it comes to storage, some things are more fragile than others. One of the most delicate—and sometimes valuable—objects you can store is glassware, which can easily crack, become scratched or even lose its color. Finding a safe place to store glassware that’s not...
Drummer Patrick Drohan and his four mates that make up a fast-rising Southern rock band liked honing their skills in a 10x15 storage unit in Columbia, SC so much, that they named their band after the street where they jammed: Atlas Road Crew. “It was an awesome...
Whether you’re being audited, applying for a loan or simply looking to get a better handle on your day-to-day finances, you need an effective way to store financial documents so that you can achieve financial success. “If you don’t have a system, you become...
When you’re shopping for a self-storage facility, you want to make sure your belongings will be in good hands. However, every self-storage costumer has his or her own list of priorities when it comes to renting a storage unit. Here are four factors you should weigh...
Have you ever gotten on a health kick and bought a ton of exercise equipment, only to find that you had no place to put it? If so, there’s no need to choose between your fitness routine and your space. Instead, consider these storage solutions that you can use both...
Whether it’s a set you received when you got married or a set you inherited from Grandma Lucy, china is precious and fragile. So, how do you store the dishes to ensure they don’t wind up in bits and pieces? First you want to place china in a protective wrap, ideally...
Admit it: You love how your home looks when it’s decked out for the holidays, but you dread putting away the decorations. To make the job easier, we combed the Internet and found nine crafty ways to store your holiday decorations. Water Bottles Tip Junkie offers this...
Let’s face it: We live in a packrat nation. According to a study by market research firm NPD Group, the average American home contains $7,000 worth of unused items. Multiply that by a storage unit or two, and you could be sitting on a first car for your teenager, a...
Whether you’ve been tailgating veteran or a newcomer, it’s hard to deny the appeal of meeting up with friends, firing up the grill and getting psyched for the big game. As relaxing and exciting as tailgating is, it involves a fair amount of work—especially when it...
When the renter of a storage unit dies, the aftermath can be almost as messy as a Tom Cruise divorce. What happens to the contents of that storage unit depends on an array of factors. Typically, the contents of a dead tenant’s storage unit become part of the tenant’s...
Think your belongings will be protected during a tornado just because they’re locked up in a self-storage unit? Few buildings can withstand the 200 mph winds of an F4 tornado, but even lower-category tornado blasts can twist off roofs and blow your stuff around in...
Flag Day is celebrated each June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the U.S. flag in 1777 and to remember the sacrifices that have been made to preserve the nation. Aging flags often become heirlooms and keepsakes that need to be stored carefully, said Richard R....
The proper care and storage of cigars is important, whether you like to puff on premium Montecristos or simply enjoy inexpensive stogies. “Cigars are living and breathing organisms,” said Patrick Ashby, editor in chief of StogieGuys.com, a website for cigar lovers....
Self-storage has been taking it on the chin recently, and now it’s time to fight back. At the recent SXSW Eco conference in Austin, TX, environmentalist Adam Werbach, former president of the Sierra Club, was quoted on Twitter as proclaiming that self-storage “is a...
[ by Nannette Richford, Next Door Storage ] Attics are notorious for being cluttered with half-filled boxes and piles of unused items that are simply too good to throw away, but still get in the way. Sometimes this includes family heirlooms or old documents that,...
There are a lot of reasons a bike gets put away for months or years--off-seasons, injuries, spare bikes that go unused. And whether you’re throwing the bike in a shed, garage, storage unit or spare bedroom, there’s a right way and a wrong way to store a bike. Ralph...
Buying a new home is daunting enough as it is, what with securing a mortgage, vacating your old place and moving your belongings. So it’s understandable if organizing your new home isn’t on the top of your mind. Yet experts say it’s the perfect time to organize—when...
[ Tiana Bodine, StorageAuctionForums.com ] Like any job or hobby, auction-hunting takes practice. Some things can be learned only through experience; practice really can make perfect. Still, you can give yourself an advantage by avoiding some of the most obvious...
Updated December 9, 2022 That self-storage rent seemed so affordable when you signed the lease. But now, past-due notices are stacking up, and the storage facility is threatening to auction off your belongings. Can a self-storage business really sell your stuff when...
Everyone loves a treasure hunt, and a storage auction is a modern-day equivalent of that age-old pursuit of buried fortunes. Vying for the contents of an abandoned storage unit is an exciting concept, but prospective buyers always should learn the right strategies...
Negotiation is a skill that Americans rarely get to utilize. Try as you might, haggling doesn’t really work in retail stores— prices are fixed and the employee taking payment typically has no control over those prices. The primary negotiating experience we deal with...
When it comes to dress wear, we men seem to be starved of options. While women have an ostensibly infinite variety of dresses and gowns available for formal occasions, men have the suit. With such a constrained closet, how does a man express himself and differentiate...
Our customers know that when it’s time to find storage, plugging SpareFoot.com into your address bar will let you compare facilities in your area in the blink of an eye and shave hours off of your storage search. In addition, we’ve written numerous times on...
[ by Brian Spero, MoneyCrashers.com ] While extra storage space appeals to millions of Americans for a variety of reasons, it's an expense that needs to be justified, especially for people on tight budgets. To ensure you’re getting the biggest bang for the buck, try...
The SpareFoot blog is full of tips and tricks for getting the most out of your self-storage experience, from how to store furniture to how to avoid unexpected moving expenses. But being as close to the subject as we are, it’s not always possible for us to anticipate...
The task of cleaning out a storage unit you haven’t visited in awhile can be overwhelming, but experts have strategies in mind to help you attack the job. Professional organizer Julie Naylon of Los Angeles said many people rent units, fill them up with possessions and...