You're so good at organizing that your walk-in closet has room to spare. Why fill up that space with seasonal clothes and boxed belongings? Park those extras in self storage here in Elmsford, NY, and convert your walk-in into something special. Try one of these six closet-expanding ideas. 

Unique Ways to Use a Closet

1. Set Up a Sports Locker 

Lock in on extra walk-in space by making it your at-home sports locker. Divide overhead shelves into cubicles for organizing your gear. Keep jogging essentials ready to run by converting extra bookshelves into closet storage. 

2. Create a Craft Room 

Round up crafting supplies, and corral them in the walk-in. Set up your work area with a small table and chair just inside the door. Keep craft necessities within easy reach with hanging bag shoe organizers. 

3. Give the Kids a Playroom 

Put a bright, non-slip rug on the floor and drawer bins in the corner. Add a kid-sized table and chair set and a blackboard on the back of the closet door. Have fun knowing how much the kids enjoy their new playroom. 

4. Make Space for Wine Tasting 

Most walk-ins stay cool enough for storing wine, so become a stay-at-home sommelier. Set up a bar with built-in wine racks to hold your favorites and overhead tracks for hanging stemmed glasses. Upgrade your wine room's atmosphere by installing floor-to-ceiling mirrors behind the bar. 

5. Relax With a Reading Nook 

Turn that spare walk-in space into your very own reading nook. All you need are a few wall-mounted bookshelves and comfy bench seating with plenty of pillows. Brighten up your private library with battery-powered LED lighting. 

6. Add an Extra Laundry Room 

If your home's plumbing runs behind a closet wall, tap the system, and hook up a washing machine. Don't try to install a washer and dryer by yourself. Hire a licensed plumber and electrician to make the connections. That's all it takes to convert extra closet space into an extra laundry room. 

The Storage Units You Need 

We know you never waste space, so get creative with our ideas for locking in on your walk-in's potential. Our Safeguard teams are always happy to help make life at home a little easier and a lot roomier. We're at your service with the best storage units in Elmsford, NY and other self storage facilities across the New York metropolitan area.

It's heavy and fragile, but you need to relocate it for just a little while. Break it, and you’ll miss the next Yankees game, as well as the premiere of your favorite show. How do you get your TV ready for a safe move to self storage in Elmsford, NY? It's not as hard as it sounds, but it does take smart pre-planning, smart packing, and a climate-controlled storage unit.

1. Take Time to Get Ready

• Snap a picture of the TV's back so you have a digital diagram before disconnecting everything.
• Label wires and cables with colored tape, and pack them in a separate box with remotes and any other hardware.
• Clean the TV with a microfiber cloth to eliminate dust that can scratch its screen and compromise its electronics.

2. Pack With the Right Box

• Use the original box if possible, if not, buy one that fits from a moving supply store.
• Protect the screen with a piece of heavy, clean cardboard cut to fit and secured with a blanket of bubble wrap.
• Reinforce storage box seams with packing tape, and cushion the bottom with a layer of Styrofoam peanuts.
• Slide the TV upright into the box, finish packing with bubble wrap or Styrofoam, and add a few pouches of a drying agent product.
• Seal with packing tape, label the box "fragile," and also clearly label it "this end up" on all sides.

3. Store With Care and Climate Control

Electronics are sensitive to our Westchester County temperature swings, so even the oldest TV sets deserve climate-controlled storage units. They're also prone to tipping over, so protect your boxed TV with large, sturdy items already in your unit. Sandwich it between sofa backs, headboards, or bookshelves so that it stays upright and secure. Don't put the TV in danger by trying this trick next to a dresser full of drawers.

Our Smart Storage Tips Are at Your Service

Whenever you need smart storage advice, you can visit our self storage tips webpage or check in with our Safeguard Store Teams. Our Elmsford, NY storage units are located east of Saw Mill River Parkway on Valley Avenue, and we have three more facilities across the area. Whether you need help with a TV or an entire home entertainment center, we're always at your service.

Are those spirited stories true? Did the original Happy Hour start right here during the Revolutionary War? The answers remain as elusive and intriguing as ghosts from the past, but it's fun to speculate. Liberate your vintage highball glasses from self storage here in Elmsford NY, and prepare to toast the truth about the birthplace of cocktails.

Stirred, Not Shaken

The truth is simple in this case: No one really knows. However, the best story probably comes closest to historical fact. If you were a solider fighting for American independence back in the late 1700s, you knew the nearest taverns for enjoying favorite drinks. One of the most popular libations was a concoction of spirits, bitters, sugar and water. It wasn't shaken. It was stirred with a feathery quill plucked from the tail of a rooster. It was called a cocktail.

Based on True Tales

Some early references to the original highball credit a shortage of wooden spoons for this mixology innovation. However, author James Fenimore Cooper laid out an intriguing hypothesis in his 1821 novel "The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground." He drew his characters from true tales told by Revolutionary War veterans and referenced the Ledger House tavern. Betty Flanagan owned and operated this well-known watering hole where she served up classic cocktails stirred with rooster tail feathers.

Located at a Familiar Intersection

Betty's tavern was the place to unwind in the village of Elmsford. Local mythology notes Betty's habit of pilfering her British neighbor's chickens to feed her fellow patriots. After plucking and baking dinner, she used tail feathers to stir and garnish the drinks that roused revolutionary spirits. Oral histories placed Betty's bar at the corners of Saw Mill River Road and Tarrytown Road. Today, Tarrytown Road becomes Main Street as it travels northwest across town, but it still intersects Saw Mill at the location of what may have been Betty's place. That's part of the lore that you can explore at the Westchester County Historical Society, which just happens to be located on Saw Mill River Road.

Like fine wine, some mysteries become better with age. Betty's cocktail legacy will always hold a place in our hearts if not our history books. When you need a place for extra Happy Hour tools and supplies, put everything away in a nearby climate-controlled storage facility. Safeguard Self Storage always has room for spirited organizing here in Elmsford and all across Westchester County.