It's the same wonderful dilemma every year. The kids love their new Christmas toys. You wish Santa could stuff more floor space in your stocking. This season, handle Yuletide overload with ideas that include self storage for the kids in your Valley Stream, NY, home.

Tips for Taming Christmas Toys

The best way to organize their things is to reorganize their space. Get the kids on board before the holidays by getting them involved in the process. Ask them to help you set up play zones in their rooms.

Suggest different areas for favorite activities like playing games, sharing action figures and creating original art. Define the new layout with small tables and bookshelves. These kid-friendly storage tips make it easy.

• Get their things off the floor with bright hanging baskets, decorative wall hooks and over-the-door shoe racks.
• Slide stuff under the bed in low-profile wheeled bins with divided compartments.
• Design kid-sized storage units using folding hampers, corner bookshelves, and wall cubbies.
• Fill the cubbies with mini-storage options like mason jars, small baskets, and lidded plastic bins.

The Gift of Giving Things Away

As you work with the kids reorganizing their room, ask them where they'll put their new Christmas toys. Explain that they'll need a plan so that they don't run out of space for everything.

Help them sort and box items they don't mind giving up. Tell the kids they get to play Santa this year by donating their extras to local charities. They learn to appreciate helping others while you teach them how to declutter their rooms.

Storage Units Just for Kids

This Christmas, surprise the kids with their own corner in your storage unit. Introduce them to the idea of bringing one new toy home and moving two old things into their personal self storage space. It's a great way to keep them involved in turning their extras into donations.

Make your storage facility a year-round destination. Save space at home by filling up three or four bins with extra playthings and keeping them in the unit. Rotate one bin each month so that old favorites enjoy a fun reboot.

Sharing New Traditions

This year, give the kids the gift of handling Yuletide overload with room to spare. Put a big bow on your Safeguard storage unit door and make sharing it a new Christmas tradition. Self storage is a special kind of holiday present that everyone can enjoy year-round. Looking for more holiday storage? Reserve a unit today at Safeguard Self Storage in Valley Stream, NY.

You plan and enjoy different celebrations every season, but this one is extra special. New Year's Eve always brings out the resourceful side of your hospitality. This year in Edison Park, IL, keep everything fun, simple and safe. Join friends in retrieving seasonal supplies from storage units as you make your party plans.

Create Your Own Decorations

Why spend money on expensive New Year's decorations? Put your creative talents to work crafting originals that express your personal style. It's so much more fun to do it yourself when you start off with these ideas.

• Repurpose your Christmas wreath with tiny noisemakers and miniature New Year's hats.
• Decorate interiors with confetti by pinning the walls with brightly colored paper circles.
• Add excitement to every room with pretty string lights around mirror and picture frames.
• Put sparkle on champagne bottles with a light spray of gold glitter paint.

Build a Beautiful Buffet

An enticing New Year's Eve buffet encourages guests to mingle while they graze. It also helps balance cocktails with plenty of food. Get those chafing dishes out of self storage and put these ideas on your serving tables.

• Ask friends to help by bringing their favorite holiday appetizers and sweets.
• Save your time for your guests by keeping the buffet simple and easy to refill.
• Use tiered cake stands, napkin-lined baskets, and bright colanders as unique serving dishes.
• Avoid buffet bottlenecks by making sure each food item has easy-to-reach serving utensils.
• Stock your champagne cocktail bar with strawberry, lemon peel, and sugar cube garnishes.

Make It a Safe Celebration

Cocktails, wine, and beer help ring in New Year's Eve, but too many drinks can put a damper on the festivities. Don't try to manage it all by yourself. Discuss plans with several friends a few days before your celebration. As a group, you can agree on designated drivers in advance.

Keep rideshare numbers handy throughout the evening just in case. Encourage your guests to keep their plates full between cocktails. Offer them non-alcoholic beverages with lots of sparkle and taste. Stay upbeat, but don't let anyone get behind the wheel after too many drinks.

We're at Your Service Year-Round

Everyone at Safeguard Self Storage wishes you a safe and Happy New Year in Edison Park, IL. It's our pleasure to be at your service with the best storage units available. We're here for you year-round, and we thank you for your business.

After the holidays are over, there’s an inevitable mess caused by gifts, wrapping paper, and Christmas decorations. If you have houseguests such as family members, the additional clutter and trash exacerbates the problem. How can you dig yourself out of the clutter? How can you transition away from the holidays? How should you determine what to do about holiday storage? At Safeguard Self Storage, we’ve had experience with this. Here are some tips that we’ve learned.

Organize, Organize, Organize

There are an infinite amount of holiday life hacks and Christmas storage ideas floating around the internet, but nothing beats creating an old-fashioned organizing strategy and checklist. If you’ve got one of those, you’re well on your way to banishing the mess from your home.

Make a List and Label Your Boxes

When your Christmas or holiday decorations are up, it’s easy to see where your stuff is and just how much space it occupies. Take this time to make yourself your own personalized holiday storage list. Any list will help, even if it’s just a few scribbles on a page. A detailed list, however, won’t just help you now. It will also help in the future as you take your holiday decorations out year after year. If possible, include the following details:

• Item categories
• Quantity of decorations
• Item attributes (fragile, flammable, sturdy, etc.)
• Room placement

Once you have this list, whether it’s in a spreadsheet on your computer or a notebook, you can use it to label your boxes as accurately as possible. Don’t be afraid to buy new boxes if you think it will help you. They can always be reused later on.

Take Special Care for Special Items

Some holiday items, like Christmas linens, figurines, candy tins, and the like are relatively straightforward to store. Others are not. You’ll want to pay special attention to these and buy appropriate padding or protection.

How to Store Your Artificial Christmas Tree

Your Christmas tree is most likely your largest individual item to store. While it’s easier said than done to put it back in the box it came in, an outside-the-box idea—literally—is to get a large roll of plastic wrap and shrink wrap your tree. You can even do so with the ornaments and lights still on the tree, making your unpacking next year easy as Christmas pie.

How to Wrap Christmas Tree Lights for Storage

The hardest thing to put away are holiday lights because of their extreme propensity for tying themselves into an impressive bunch of complicated knots. There are a few Christmas storage ideas that prevent this. One of the simplest solutions is to cut out a small square of cardboard and wrap each string of lights around their own square. That prevents lights from tangling with each other, and it also helps you understand more visually how many strings of lights you have.

How to Store Your Ornaments

Ornaments can be easily broken or damaged, so it’s important you have ornament storage that works. One option is to buy a purpose-built ornament holder, which does a great job in keeping ornaments secure and is easy to transport. If you’re more interested in a DIY solution, egg cartons and cardboard drink containers are your friend for small and large round ornaments, respectively.

How Self Storage Can Help After the Holidays

Even the best Christmas storage ideas only help so much, because you still have to find a way to stow them away until the next year. Putting them in your basement takes up valuable space you could otherwise utilize for items that you might need throughout the year. Storing them in your garage prevents you from parking there, which you might regret during the dog days of summer or the coldest winter nights.

That’s why self storage is an ideal option for holiday storage. By putting your holiday decorations in self storage, you’ll be able to keep your home clean and uncluttered and store your items in a purpose-built space rather than stuffing it anywhere you can. Safeguard Self Storage also offers the following features:

• Heated and cooled units
• Packing supplies on site
• Flexible access hours
• Drive-in loading areas
• Digital video recording

Uncluttering your home can result in multiple psychological and physical health benefits, such as increased confidence, increased energy, lowered anxiety, and more. Self storage can help you do that.

Safeguard Your Items with Holiday Storage

When the holidays are over, and you’ve finally figured out how to wrap Christmas tree lights for storage, Safeguard Self Storage can help you. With dozens of locations across Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, we’ve got a location near you to help you through the post-holiday blues. Don’t be overwhelmed with holiday items filling your home. Contact us and reserve a unit today!

You're finally planning that well-deserved holiday vacation from Ozone Park, NY. You want to make sure things stay safe while you're gone. Storage units are perfect for securing valuables, but how do you winter-proof things back at the house?

10-Step Winter Proof Checklist

Start Inside

Have the furnace inspected by a certified HVAC technician. Change the filters and program the thermostat before you leave.

Use Surge Protectors

If winter weather knocks out your home's electricity, a power surge could damage your valuable gadgets. Use surge protectors to minimize the risk to TVs, computers, and stereos.

Close the Damper

Cold air seeping down the chimney chills the house and fires up the furnace. Keep out winter humidity and save money by closing the fireplace damper and doors.

Pull the Drapes

This is another easy way to keep freezing temperatures from creeping into your home. Close the window blinds and pull and secure the drapes.

Declutter Your Garage

If it's vulnerable to winter damp, it's not safe in the garage. Move boxed belongings and lawn equipment to secure, climate controlled self storage (heated and air conditioned).

Wrap Outdoor Pipes

Don't let frozen burst pipes ruin your holiday vacation homecoming. Keep exterior plumbing from freezing by wrapping it with foam insulation sealed with weather-proof tape.

Protect Hoses and Faucets

Disconnect and drain garden hoses. Use faucet cover protectors to shield the fixtures from snow and ice. You can also wrap them with the same insulation you use on the pipes.

Check the Gutters

Winter storms can overflow gutters and leave the roof edge covered with ice dams. A little time on the ladder now can save expensive damage to shingles and soffits while you're on vacation.

Keep Critters Out

Squirrels, roof rats, and opossums love to nest in warm attics. Keep them out of your house by making sure gables, vents, and flashing are secure.

Trim the Trees

High winds can snap bare branches and send them crashing through windows. Cut back limbs so that trees don't bang against walls or scrape the roof. This helps keeps critters at bay too.

You're Ready to Go

As you hit the holiday vacation road, enjoy taking peace of mind with you. It feels good to know your things are safe in self storage and your home can handle the coldest winter. Here at Safeguard, we're glad to do our part with secure storage units that always make it easy to head out the door. What are you waiting for? Rent a storage unit in Ozone Park, NY, today!

This is your year. Friends and family will always smile when they remember your New Orleans, LA, Thanksgiving celebration. Your warm hospitality and confidence in the kitchen are a winning combination. With a little pre-planning, smart self storage strategies and our handy checklist, this delicious holiday will be a piece of cake.

Get Ahead of Turkey Day

Your goals are simple. Be prepared, stay relaxed, and make sure everyone has a wonderful Turkey Day. Make it easy on yourself by getting ahead with these pre-planning tips.

✓ Rearrange furniture so that guests have room to circulate.
✓ Declutter kitchen counters and cabinets with a trip to self storage.
✓ Bring home holiday place settings, serving dishes, and decorations.
✓ Review recipes, and check supplies in the pantry and fridge.
✓ Beat long checkout lines by shopping for groceries early.

Embrace the Team Spirit

When family and friends offer to pitch in, say yes with a smile. They can help you get the house ready and streamline everything from guest foot traffic to cooking chores.

✓ Ask your home team to check their storage units for extra chairs.
✓ Enlist their muscle moving furniture and decorating the house.
✓ Designate a friendly crew to greet guests and hang up coats.
✓ Encourage everyone to bring favorite sides, desserts, wine, and beer.

Save Time With Pre-Prep

Don't put off anything you can take care of the day before the big day. You want to give yourself plenty of time to visit with guests, keep an eye on the turkey and tend to last-minute chores.

✓ Write up a detailed schedule and post it in the kitchen.
✓ Cook appetizers, sides, and desserts a day early if possible.
✓ Set out place settings and arrange table centerpieces.

Keep Things Simple and Fun

No one expects a gourmet meal for Thanksgiving. Everyone wants to pitch in and be a part of the holiday. Build on those two simple principles with easy ideas that create festive fun.

✓ Set out your feast on a self-serve side buffet.
✓ Let the kids have fun at their own T-Day table.
✓ As dishes are cleared, temporarily park them in ice chests in the kitchen.
✓ Relax and enjoy everyone's company before asking for cleanup duty volunteers.

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving

All of us here at Safeguard Self Storage wish you a wonderful start to the holidays. Count on us through the season and into the New Year. And if you’re looking for storage units in the New Orleans metro area, look no further. Reserve a unit online today!

When winter weather hits Germantown, PA, seasoned locals hit their storage units. It's time to bring home snow shovels and ice hockey gear. As you get ready for our next freeze, make sure your house is ready too with these smart tips for winterizing the homestead.

How to Prep Your Home for Winter Weather

Protect Patio Furniture

Don't let freezing rain and snow damage outdoor furniture. Move patio chairs, tables, umbrellas and grills to self storage. Save unit space by stacking the chairs.

Park Lawn Equipment

Lawn mowers and edgers don't winter well out in the garage. Climate controlled storage units (heated and air conditioned) keep lawn equipment safe until spring. Be sure to properly prep and drain motors before storing.

Secure the Shingles

A little handyman work on the roof can stop rainy weather from leaking into the attic. Secure loose shingles and check flashing around the chimney and vents.

Seal Doors and Windows

Upgrade the weather stripping around all exterior doors. Use your hands to detect drafts around windows and frames. A quick touch-up with the caulking gun keeps winter weather outside.

Don't Forget the Garage

The garage is great for stashing things, but it's not winter-proof like climate controlled self storage. Make sure garage doors close tightly and replace worn-out weather seals at the bottom of the doors.

Check Concrete Surfaces

A tiny crack in concrete can turn into a big problem when it repeatedly absorbs water, freezes and thaws. Seal cracks in your driveway, sidewalks, patio, and porch steps with masonry caulk.

Winterize Wood Decks

Test your deck's seal against the elements by dousing it with water. If a splash beads up, the wood can handle bad weather. If the water soaks in, winterize the deck by cleaning it and sealing it against snow and ice.

Inspect Foundation Drainage

Walk the ground close to your home's foundation. Look for areas that don't drain properly. Adjusting the grade helps prevent water accumulation that exerts pressure on concrete walls.

Check Snow-Busting Supplies

Check your DIY snow removal equipment to make sure everything's in good shape. Stock up on rock salt so that you're ready to break the ice on driveways and sidewalks.

Stay Secure Inside

One you've secured the outside of your home, stay secure inside by testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you need extra room for winterizing supplies, Safeguard Self Storage has space to spare. We're here for you year-round with the best storage units in Germantown, PA, and six more locations across Philadelphia.

The environment you work in can have a big impact on your job performance and productivity, and the same goes for homeschooling and your child’s ability to learn. A messy homeschool space in NYC can lead to a distracted educational experience. From Brooklyn, NY, to the other New York City boroughs, your kid’s homeschool classroom can be organized and distraction-free, no matter what size of space you have to work with. Follow these five tips to keep your homeschooler’s classroom organized!

1. Look to Pinterest for Homeschool Classroom Organization Ideas

If your homeschool classroom needs a complete makeover, look no further than Pinterest for inspiration. You’ll find a plethora of ideas for organizing and decorating your at-home classrooms so they’re clutter free while being a fun environment to learn in. Begin your design journey by building your own Pinterest board of ideas. Once you have a solid start, take notice of any overarching themes in your pins—maybe a certain color scheme, storage system, or desk type. Make a list of all those similarities and use that list as a jumping-off point for reorganizing and redecorating the space where your kids spend most of their learning days.

2. Move to Digital Homeschool Programs

The fastest way to clean the homeschool clutter is to move to digital homeschool programs in lieu of traditional textbooks and curriculum. From i-Ready to Kahoot!, a quick online search will pull up a plethora of results to research and compare. These digital curriculums are powerful learning tools, and some are even used by teachers in traditional classrooms. Most programs are easily accessible from a tablet or desktop computer, which means you can pass along those space-eating textbooks to another homeschooling family or donate them to your local library. Freeing up that bookshelf space can leave room for a storage system for tools, crafts, and other supplies.

3. Reuse Organizational Tools You Already Have

If you find too many learning tools and craft supplies are left scattered throughout your homeschooling room without a place to call home, look around your home or apartment for baskets, mason jars, and buckets. Baskets are a great way to corral flashcards, DVDs, and CDs. Mason jars are perfect for keeping colorful craft supplies and learning tools like beads, marbles, and dice, while buckets make the perfect place to store scissors, stencils, pencils, and other creative materials.

4. Keep the Clutter at Bay Daily

Use each day as a learning opportunity to show your homeschoolers the importance of keeping their learning spaces clean and free of clutter. If you’ve already spent time and worked hard to pare down what’s in the room, encourage your homeschoolers to help keep the room clean by putting everything back in its place before they leave the room for the day. Getting them into this habit not only instills the importance of organization in them for the rest of their lives, but it also saves you from having to clean up at the end of a long learning day.

5. Create a Storage System for Extra Homeschool Supplies

If you can’t go fully digital or need to stash textbooks until your youngest child reaches a different grade level, the easiest solution to creating a more organized space is to rent a storage unit near you in New York City. Being able to store those out-of-season supplies can keep your child’s learning atmosphere clean and free of distractions. Our guide to keeping your storage unit organized is the perfect starting point for creating a functional storage system for those extra homeschool books, décor, and supplies.

Follow These Five Tips for an Organized Homeschooling Space

To provide your homeschoolers the best learning environment, the space in which you homeschool should be organized and functional. By searching Pinterest for organizational inspiration, moving learning to digital programs, reusing organizational items you already have, cleaning your homeschool space at the end of each day, and creating a practical storage system, you can have your homeschoolers’ classroom space in tip-top shape in no time.

Need additional space in Brooklyn, NY, to make room for a homeschool classroom makeover? Find the nearest storage unit near you and reserve online to take advantage of our internet specials!

The weather isn't always predictable in Metairie, LA. One minute it's sunny; the next it's raining. The seasons change and bring cold temperatures deep into the South. If you keep your valuables outdoors, it's important to protect them from the elements. Safeguard Self Storage has a few tips on how to prevent unnecessary damage during the colder months.

3 Ways to Protect Your Things in Bad Weather

Invest in a portable shed.

Portable sheds are the ideal option for those who have enough space in their backyards and need to keep their items protected from the elements. They come in many different sizes to shield everything from a lawnmower to a truck. You can select from easy-up sheds with plastic coverings or invest in a metal or resin shed if you have the budget. A shed will keep everything protected from heavy winds, rain and other inclement weather situations.

Use weatherproof tarps.

If you don't have the budget for a shed, nothing beats a tarp for protecting your valuables outdoors. Weatherproof tarps keep the rain off your mower, gardening equipment, and vehicles while allowing the air to flow beneath, preventing mold and mildew from growing on your items. They come in different colors and sizes and sometimes include eyeholes to keep them tied down when the wind picks up speed.

Make temporary space in the garage.

Sometimes you have to bring your items indoors when bad weather strikes. Maybe a hurricane has targeted the area or a cold front has dipped and brought frigid temperatures. You'll want to move things aside in the garage to make room for your outdoor items. You don't want hurricane-force winds to blow away your things or the cold to damage temperature-sensitive equipment. Bring them all inside until the weather gets back to normal in your area.

No Space? Try Climate Controlled Storage Units

If you don't have the space or your budget doesn't allow it, consider keeping your stuff nice and dry in our climate-controlled storage units. Safeguard Self Storage has indoor units that are air conditioned and heated to keep your items at a consistent temperature and protect them year-round no matter what Mother Nature has in store for Metairie, LA.

Are you moving but don't have any cardboard boxes? Don't worry. There are plenty of ways to pack up all your belongings even if you only have a box or two. Whether you're moving out of town or to a new place in Massapequa, NY, Safeguard Self Storage has some tips on how to handle your moving with ease.

How to Pack Without Cardboard Boxes

Use your dresser drawers.

Don't just put the dresser on the moving truck. Take out all the drawers beforehand and fill them with your belongings. Obviously, you can store your clothes in the drawers, but you can also store various kitchen supplies, knickknacks, and more. Once the dresser is on the truck, put the drawers back in place and head out on the road.

Plastic tubs come in handy.

Plastic tubs are available in many different sizes and come with lids to help keep your belongings in place. They're also easy to stack in storage and can hold a lot of items without buckling or breaking. If you purchase a few when you move, make sure to buy the clear bins. You'll be able to see your belongings inside, which makes it easy to find what you're looking for if they're kept in storage units for a while.

A pillowcase will hold a lot.

Don't laugh, but pillowcases can be great go-to moving supplies for a lot of people. They're useful for packing up clothes, kids' toys, throw pillows, and other items. Of course, you'll need a lot of pillowcases if that's all you're planning to use. If you've run out of boxes, don't hesitate to strip your pillows of the cases and use them for a few of your belongings.

Still need boxes? Buy them from Safeguard

If you're still having trouble packing up your belongings, you can handle all your moving needs in one fell swoop at Safeguard Self Storage in Massapequa, NY. We have a variety of moving supplies available on-site as well as affordable storage units if you need to store some things for a while. You can buy moving boxes and use our carts and dollies to help make your life easier. Packing Supply Special: Purchase 10 items or more and receive a 10% discount on your merchandise.

It's fall again in East Tremont, NY, and that can means that it's time to winterize your motorcycle. You don't want it to rust over when it sits for months on end. Before you follow our tips for prepping your bike, make sure to take a few bike rides this fall. It's a lovely time of year for riding. Once you're ready to park it, check out Safeguard Self Storage for competitively priced motorcycle storage.

3 Tips for Winterizing Your Motorcycle

Fill the tank with treated fuel.

There are two types of winterizers: People who fill their tanks and those who empty them. We recommend filling your tanks with treated fuel if it's going to sit all winter long. Although a full tank can put stress on the petcock, an empty tank causes dry seals. Fill it up, and have a full tank to hit the road in the spring.

Cover it with the appropriate tarp.

Even if you park your bike inside for the winter, it's a good idea to cover it with a tarp or other breathable sheet. After all, you don't want dust or other debris to build up on your investment. Covering it will also protect the paint and exposed parts from scratches if you have kids playing near the bike or if it's parked near tools or the car.

Plug up the pipes and holes.

You know what else likes to hunker down for the winter? Mice. You don't want your bike to become a haven for mice when it's parked for several months. Make sure to plug up areas like the exhaust pipes and the air intakes to keep mice from building nests inside. If you're worried about rodents, our storage units keep out unwanted pests while protecting your bike until spring.

Motorcycle Storage at Safeguard Self Storage

Self storage is the perfect option for keeping your bike protected during the winter. It'll stay inside where it's protected from the snow and bitter elements. Our storage units in East Tremont, NY, are easy on your wallet and come in handy if you lack the space for storing your bike at home.

NOTICE: Motor bikes may not be run at any time while inside of the storage facility. In addition, motor bikes must be free of any leaks before they can be stored inside of a storage unit.