Welcome to the Easistore Self Storage Blog

For those of us who’ve experienced it, moving house can cause a whole array of feelings. You feel that thrill of a new start and change of scenery, combined with uncontrollable stress of planning a seamless transition.

At Easistore we help thousands of people each year with their big move, and although reliable storage solutions are an essential part of the moving process, we also appreciate that there a numerous factors you need to consider and prepare before even packing a box.

The key to a stress-free move is organisation, and your ‘moving calendar’ needs to be mapped out at least two month before the move. By following our simple but fundamental tips, you can be confident that your move will be straightforward – and maybe even enjoyable!

Two months before your move

1) Legal assistance – Ensure that you a reputable surveyor has done a full inventory of your new property, as well as appointing a solicitor to manage all conveyancing issues.
2) Explore – Thoroughly investigate the area you’re moving to. For example, check out the local schools, doctors, dentists and retail outlets to familiarise yourself.
3) Out with the old – By planning where your possessions can go in your new home, moving house is a great opportunity to get rid of any old items or junk, or use reliable storage solutions to look after excess items.

One month before your move:

1) This way up – In order to avoid tears on the day, make sure you separate and label valuable or essential items ready for removal.
2) Streets ahead – It would be sensible to find out whether you and the removals van can park for long periods outside or near your property.
3) Make the call – We strongly recommend booking your removals in advance. Surprisingly people leave it to the last minute and have to find alternate ways to transport their belongings.

One to two weeks before your move:

1) Food for thought – Pack all food items that have longevity, and in particular empty and defrost your freezer.
2) Bills, bills, bills – Contact your bank, building society, insurance companies, TV licence and council tax to notify them of the change of address. Also, all utilities will need to be consolidated ready for the new owners.
3) Reduce the load – If you have children or animals, you may wish to arrange for them to be looked after for the day.

Finally it’s here! The day of the move:

1) One last check – Inspect the house again to see whether you’ve got everything, and gather your essential items ready for transit.
2) Have the energy to read- So many people forget to take final meter readings for gas, electricity and water on the day, so don’t forget!
3) Goodbye – It’s time to say farewell to your home, but try to remember all the good times and look forward to a new, exciting beginning.
For a more detailed moving checklist – look at our guide to moving house want your next move to go according to plan, so why not see how Easistore Self Storage can help you.

How to: make a stool from cardboard

Every now and then we stumble across some fun and inventive ways to make the most out of cardboard. On this occasion we found a great website by the name of dangerouslyfun.com that showed you how to make a stool out of cardboard. We loved the concept and execution so much that we just had to feature it on our blog. This exercise is certainly for adults only, but is a great hands-on task for all the family.

You will need:
Three pieces of cardboard, 1) 3/8″ cardboard, 30″ x 40″, 2) 3/8″ cardboard, 23.5″ x 48″, 3) 3/8″ cardboard, 24″ x 72″, white glue, compass, straight edge and a box cutter.

Follow these steps:

1. Cut and fold part A, which will form the seat. It is made of multiple 11.5″ diameter circles folded over each other to make a strong sitting surface. The narrow strip is folded around the circumference of all of the circles to hide the edges.
2. Cut and fold part B, which is the weight-bearing element in the stool. It is just a large sheet that is rolled into a tight cylinder. You can make folding easier and more precise by using a straight edge and a blunt instrument to score parallel lines into one side of the cardboard. The cardboard will then fold nicely along these lines.
3. Cut and fold part C, which is mainly decorative. This piece has thin diamonds cut out of it, allowing the middle to be pressed in when it is rolled up. The result is an hour glass shape.
4. Fit the all parts and then begin gluing things together. It will look even more impressive if none of the glue is visible.
5. Let the glue dry fully before you sit on the stool. If you have built the stool well it will be quite sturdy, but you should sit fairly still. Here’s the finished article… Roll on your next dinner party!

Check out our vast range of packing supplies including cardboard boxes, tape and bubble wrap, to help make your move even more seamless and durable.

Visit www.dangerouslyfun.com for even more inspirational, creative ideas!

Every student looks forward to their holidays. It’s a time when you can momentarily switch off from learning (and partying!), visit family and friends and the opportunity to really cleanse your mind of demanding academic life.

What requires your attention, however, before embarking on your journey home, are the contents of your house. Naturally you can’t feasibly carry all of your worldly possessions on your back – you wouldn’t even make it on the train anyway – and equally you’d be reluctant to leave everything unattended for weeks on end. Plus, imagine what state your furniture and kitchen appliances would be in after perpetual partying by your beloved housemates?

Here at Easistore we like helping students with their storage issues, mainly because we want you to relax during your time off, but we also offer affordable prices to make the process even more stress-free. But, before we get to the storage stage, we wanted to impart some tips on what you should ask yourself when considering making that transition.

How much stuff do I have?
This may be an obvious question, but you’ll be surprised how easy it is to underestimate how much you actually own. The best thing to do is start organising items into specific groups, for example, appliances, dry foods, clothes, etc, to visualise everything. You can then determine how much, but more importantly, which items have the most value or are fragile.

What will I put it all in?
Once you’ve worked out how much you have you can then decide what will need to be placed in either cardboard boxes, bags or more robust containers. We provide a variety of plastic boxes, cardboard boxes, jumbo utility bags and even a queen mattress bag!

How will I get it to storage?
If you can’t rely on family or friends to collect your belongings, you can use one of our vans completely free of charge. And, when you arrive at one of our storage facilities, our friendly team will be waiting to help you unload and store.

How long can I need to store it for?
Often you’re not exactly sure how long you need to store your possessions for, but don’t panic, we offer short and long term solutions for students.

Will my possessions be safe?
Absolutely. Every one of our storage facilities are monitored by digital CCTV, 24/7 heat and smoke sensitive alarm systems, as well as regulated ventilation. We even provide specialist Comprehensive Storage Insurance as well as swipe card entry, so you’ll certainly sleep well at night.

How much will it cost me?
Our renowned Price Match Guarantee means that we are adamant about not getting beaten on price. If you find a lower quotation, bring it to us and we’ll promise to beat it!

See how our safe and affordable Student Storage can make your move just that little bit easier – and cheaper!

For those of you who appreciate a fine bottle of wine, it’s the age as well as the taste you want to savour. That means you need a suitable environment to store you collection, big or small, as good wine is very sensitive.

Not all of us have the luxury of a cavernous wine cellar to accommodate our top tipple (we wish), however here at Easistore we do have that space. Here are our top tips and suggestions to help ensure your wine is well looked after.

One of the key factors in ensuring your wine is stored in perfect conditions is temperature. There is a very thin line between an atmosphere being too cold and too warm, as over chilled causes the cork to shrink and too humid means the wine will age a lot quicker than it should.

As much as the actual temperature is integral to wine preservation, the rate of temperature change is equally as important. For example, a 10 degree drop during seasons is fine, but regular and significant changes can ruin your wine permanently. If you’re fortunate enough to have a wine cellar that regulates the climate, then you don’t have to worry about external temperature shifts, however small collectors often don’t have the facilities or technology to provide this strict balance.

Easistore wine cellar storage

You may never have even thought about storing your wine with us, but we understand that you need the peace of mind your wine is safe, matures naturally and is accessible at all times. Seeing as the right temperature is so crucial, we use computerised climate control with our wine cellar storage is maintained at 15oC (+/-1°C), and climate control which ensures humidity is kept high enough to stop the cork from drying out but low enough to prevent mould or case and label decay. Our wine storage humidity is kept at 67% (+/- 8%).

So, once your collection is comfortable and stable, we then want to make sure it’s protected. Not only does our unprecedented security system provide coded access control, we have 24/7 monitored smoke detection and intruder alarms.

We love quality wine as much as you do, so let us look after it in the best and safest possible environment, all with competitive prices too.

See how Easistore’s Wine Cellar Storage can conserve your collection today!