We’ll take this one down in a month or two’s time – but won’t be posting any new content to it from now on.You can find the new one (which still has the same great content) hosted within the ABC Selfstore website – here.

Along with our latest entertaining take on a physical reshuffle of Westminster – following the general election.

There’s a whole heap of advice out there to take – from media personalities like Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsop of Location, Location, Location fame right through to consumer champions Which?

Close to the top of nearly every expert’s top-tips is de-cluttering – removing furniture and clearing away the personal effects to improve ‘space appeal’.That’s easier said than done. You need to find space somewhere else for all that stuff. What do you do if your parents loft is as good as 300 miles away and your local friends face the same challenges to you when it comes to being able to swing a cat in their ‘living’ room.

One answer is self storage.  Of course you don’t know if you’ll reach ‘sale agreed’  within a week, month or year so it’s worth finding a storage company that has a short minimum term agreement and most importantly ‘No notice on vacate’.  For most the minimum term of notice is a month –  if you’re one week into your third month when you complete you’ll be left paying for 3 weeks of storage you don’t need.

With ABC Selfstore in Camden, Wandsworth and Southwark we charge by the day, there’s no minimum term and you can move out whenever you want.   So if you get really lucky and sell your house in the first two months you won’t be end up being stung for more than the days you store.

Of course – it’s likely you’ll want to hang on to your storage until you complete and it’s time to move (why lug stuff back to the property only to have to move it out again) – and the same great value applies, however long your stay.

Priya Cinar, Store Manager at ABC Selfstore Camden in York Way explains, “We’re seeing more and more business customers looking for flexibility in the way they use physical space. Some want to be in a position where they can plan stock storage around demand, others to be ready to react – either way – to uncertain economic conditions. Flexibility is the key and being tied into a long-term lease doesn’t really allow that. Our business customers like the fact that they can rent the storage space they need by the day, without being tied into lengthy contracts.”

So if you’re about to take delivery of your summer colections, need to move clutter out of the office to make room for new staff or just need more storage space – self storage is well worth considering.

And if you’re new to it ABC Selfstore’s website – www.abcselfstore.co.uk/flexible – has a handy ‘Self storage for beginners’ guide.

Self storing almost always involves lifting, pushing and stacking – and there’s usually some sweating, grunting and “left-a-bit…hang-on…right-a-bit” that comes with it.

If you’re moving heavy items into store then it’s worth taking some time to prepare yourself. We’re not talking about a 3 month body building course at the local gym here – just a good look at some of the guidance that’s out there on manual handling (the proper name for lifting and moving things).

There’s a lot you can do to reduce the chances of causing yourself a mischief when manual handling and they’re largely a question of good technique.

Before we get to the technique though – the best advice is to err on the side of caution. If you think moving something is beyond your limits – it probably is. So our advice is to get some help if you need it.  That could be in the form of a professional moving service (and we can recommend one that shares our passion for great service and value), or it could be asking a mate or two to help you out.

Once you’ve worked out what you can and can’t manage make sure that you (and anyone else you’ve roped in) understand the basics of lifting and moving.  It’s a common response these days to take the view that Health and Safety has all gone a bit overboard – but for manual handling there’s some really good advice that makes a lot of sense.  It won’t stop you moving what you need to move, but it should help you do it with a greatly reduced chance of straining yourself (or worse).

That advice is from the experts – the Health and Safety executive no less. So rather than reproduce it here’s a link to their booklet ‘Getting to Grips with Manual Handling’. Pages 6 and 7 are the ones we think are most relevant.

Happy storing. You can find out more hints and tips for storing on our website in our Self-storage for beginners section on our website [link]

So you’ve planned your move-in with the precision of a special forces operation. You know what’s going in which box and the order they’ll go into your unit. Great, but it’s worth giving the layout of your unit and packaging of the stuff you want to store some thought as well.  There’s nothing worse than finding your back catalogue of first edition Beatles vinyl has been wrecked – because you boxed it vertically – and then stacked the last 10 years worth of subscriptions to Rolling Stone magazine on top.

Firstly – leave space for access to the rear of the unit and avoid leaning things against walls – it helps ventilation. Whilst professional storage units are warm and dry the things you are storing could need to breathe.

Secondly – protect fragile items with bubble wrap, mark the box ‘Fragile’ and avoid putting heavy items on top. You may of course get sidetracked by the therapeutic properties of bubble-wrap. This link might help you get that urge out of the way.

You can also make the most of your space by dismantling furniture where possible (you’ll fit more in). Detach legs from tables and beds to save space and wrap the legs in more of that bubble wrap to avoid damage. Likewise stacking chairs seat to seat can also help save space and putting cloth or bubble wrap in between will help protect them if they are valuable or antique.  In fact, covering the lot with dust sheets is a good idea to keep them protected from scratches or bumps.

If you are storing clothes then using wardrobe boxes to keep them on hangers is a must if you want to avoid them getting mis-shaped. Stand mattresses on end and avoid stacking heavy items on soft furnishings, besides laying them down might encourage you to take a nap and you’re not allowed to sleep in your storage unit.

Of course, if you need real bubble wrap – or any packaging items for storing for that matter – you can get them from our shop in store, or from boxes to move.

Happy storing – and don’t forget you can find out more hints and tips for storing on our website in our Self-storage for beginners section on the ABC Selfstore website.

If you want to avoid having to search for a needle in a haystack, a share certificate in a ‘piling system’ or a gold bracelet in a strong box you need to plan your move in from the point you pack – at home or office.

Knowing what is in which box is the first step. Now you could number your boxes, boot up the computer and record a complete inventory  - with all the precision of an international shipping company – or you could just scrawl a list of what’s inside on the side of your boxes in marker pen.  Whichever technique you choose it means you’ll at least have some idea of what’s where once it is all packed into your storage unit.

It’s also well worth planning the layout of your storage unit – especially if you want to avoid that ‘I’m-going-to-be-here-all-day’ sinking feeling. Like when you realise box 4 (buried behind boxes 5 to 20) is where you put that pair of diamond earrings you had an inkling might be worth something – and you just saw them on Antiques roadshow valued at £3,000.

A simple rule – last in/first out – is worth remembering when you pack your storage unit (just to make life more complicated the opposite is true when you pack to bring your stuff to the store – first into your van or car will be last out).

It might all seem obvious – but a little time now will almost certainly save you load of re-stacking, along with a stack load of time later.

Well let’s talk about dust for a second. We’re not talking the kind of house dust that a handy can of Mr Pledge and a quick wipe over with a yellow duster can easily remedy. We’re talking building dust. A fine grey powder so hard to shift that in 2012 you‘ll still be drawing smiley faces and writing ‘459’ messages to your other half in it.

Now you could cover everything in dust-sheets and hope for the best – that the tradesman’s size 13’s don’t leave any boot shaped modifications. You could be planning to move it all to another room in the house – assuming you’re lucky enough to have a spare room (especially if you’re in London). Regardless of whether your furniture is more Chippendale than Ikea or the artwork hanging your walls more  Athena than Michael Angelo – you might want to consider moving it all somewhere safe – like into self-storage.

If you do decide short-term storage is the solution it’s worth checking the small print. Building work has a nasty habit of overrunning – so you could find yourself needing a few extra days or even a week or two. Most self-storage companies charge by the month – so a building overrun of a week will cost you an extra month of storage – whether you need it or not. Of course – at ABC Selfstore you only pay for the days you stay.

If on the other hand you decide dustsheets are the only way forward well pop in and see us – we sell them too – and here’s a link that might help with those messages in the dust.

But it is still well worth a read….

Rodney Walker, CEO of SSA UK said, “The slow-down in the housing market has led consumers to turn to self storage to securely hold their items until the housing market picks up when they are able to take advantage of cheaper prices.”

The SSA also points to a second emerging trend: the use of self storage to generate income through the letting of a spare room – which it calculates could generate an UK average extra income of £4500 per year for home owners.

You can read the full Press release here

Planning a student summer is a complicated task these days. There’s a lot to get sorted. Chances are – in amongst it all – you’ll be taking a trip on the accommodation merry-go-round, riding the carousel of lodgings. You could be heading home to your parents, trying to nab that spectacular new student pad before anyone else does, or saying ‘cheerio blighty, Sawadeeka (that’s hello) Thailand’.

Wherever it is you are going you need to think about your stuff. If you’re hot footing it back to Mum and Dad’s – can you cram it all in the Daewoo Matiz, or will there be space in train’s luggage rack for two super-sized suitcases – is it worth the hassle? If you’re lucky enough to be heading overseas you’ll need to travel light – which means finding a home for everything else while you’re gone. And however fancy that new pad, most student budgets dictate that swinging a rat will never be an option, let alone a cat.

One solution to managing your ‘stuff mountain’ is self-storage. Renting a private self-contained room – with your own padlock – that only you have access to. It’s like having your very own spare store cupboard with the added security features of a celebrity mansion.

Priya Cinar, ABC Selfstore Manager in Camden gives the following advice to students when choosing a company to store with, “Students are normally on a tight budget. So firstly, I’d say shop around – seek out the best deals – it’s a competitive market out there at the moment and there are some great deals to be found.”

“One word of caution though – beware dazzling introductory offers – check behind the small print as many operators tie you into minimum rental periods. Most storage companies have a minimum of 7 days notice – so if you’re 2 days into your 8^th week when you want to move you stuff out you’ll end up paying for 9.  That might sound like a small amount, but it could be the next round in the student bar. Some operators even require a month’s notice – so you could end up paying for your storage long after you really need it  - that would be a whole night out!”

Storage units come in a range of of sizes – so it helps to have a good idea of how much stuff you have. Any Self Storage staff worth their salt will be able to help you estimate the size room you need.  From a locker to a larger room self storage can help cut your clutter this summer.