We all enjoy summer weather until the heat invades our personal home space. Scorching temperatures outside can make an apartment feel like an oven. It can even affect some of your favorite belongings.

When the AC struggles to keep up, you need a few easy hacks to help bring back the chill. Fortunately, climate controlled storage units at Safeguard in Valley Stream, NY, can keep your stuff protected while you focus on how to stay cool in your apartment the summer.

Five Cool Things You Really Need This Summer

1. Serious Seals

Put your DIY talents to work by sealing windows and doors with rope caulk or felt strips. Make sure exterior door sweeps are in good shape. Colorful draft blockers on windowsills also help beat the heat and brighten up the apartment.

2. Better Curtains

If you have extra curtains stashed away in self storage, bring them home. Layered window coverings block summer heat and help hold down utility bills. Think about buying thermal curtains made with acrylic foam linings.

3. Cooler Lights

Figuring out how to stay cool in the summer can be good for the planet. Reduce heat inside by replacing lights with eco-friendly LED bulbs. Energy-efficient LEDs generate less heat and last longer than traditional lights.

4. Frosty Bowls

It is too hot to cook, so fill those big metal and ceramic mixing bowls with ice cubes. Set them in front of fans around the apartment and hit the switch. Relax as you bask in steady, chilly breezes.

5. Personal Coolers

Wrap yourself up in personal cooling systems that do not cost a dime. Place wet bandanas or cloths in the freezer for half an hour. Slip one around your neck, another around a wrist, and one on top of your head. Trade out as needed for a chill you can enjoy over and over.

Items That Deserve Climate-Controlled Storage Units

As hard as the heat can be on you, think about how it affects some of your belongings. Check around the apartment and gather up items that need summertime protection in self storage. Don't overlook these valuables:

• Expensive electronics
• Older media such as DVDs
• Artwork and photographs
• Sensitive musical instruments
• Antique furnishings and collectibles
• Comic book and stamp collections

Staying Cool and Secure With Safeguard

Knowing how to stay cool in the summer makes life a little easier. Knowing your favorite things are in a new storage facility designed to keep them safe and secure, climate-controlled storage makes it even better. Give us a call here at Safeguard Self Storage in Valley Stream, NY, today and let us help you weather the seasons all year-round.

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.

It's not the most expensive model on the street, but it's yours. You ride that faithful bicycle through Valley Stream, NY, every day. Whether it gets you to work or around Hendrickson Park, it's a target for thieves.

Three Tips to Protect Your Bike from the Worst

Keep It Secure

It's not enough to just lock up the bike. Public parking puts it out in the open where it's vulnerable to bike thieves.

These strategies can upgrade your bike protection:

• Double your bike's security with a cable and a U-lock.
• Lock the frame and one wheel to something immovable.
• Avoid smash-and-grab thefts by keeping locks off the ground.

Make the Most of Your Locks

Quality bicycle locks give you extra peace of mind. Better equipment also holds up longer to daily use.

Make the most of your locks with simple security tactics:

• Key holes facing down discourage lock tampering.
• Position a U-lock so that its open area is difficult to access.
• Run a cable from the frame through the front wheel and back.
• Secure the rear wheel triangle to a stand with a U-lock.

Look Before You Leave

Look at where you're parking the bike. If you wanted to steal it, would the location make your job easier? Moving it down the block to a busier spot can make a big difference. Most commercial store fronts have outside security cameras. Take advantage of that public surveillance.

Don't leave the bike outside a place that advertises your absence. Thieves notice wheels parked in front of movie theaters. Do lock up your ride in the middle of a crowded rack. It's harder to access, but that works for you because it works against bicycle theft.

Use Our Bonus Power Tip

Our three tips help keep your bike safe while you're out, but we have one more bonus power tip: Give your ride a secure home in self storage.

A storage unit allows you 24/7 access to the bike. Climate control helps it weather our New York winters. High-tech surveillance ensures your bike's security. You have extra room for riding gear and affordable unit space for sharing.

Keep It Secure with Us

You and your wheels deserve a long future together. Keep it secure with storage solutions here in Valley Stream, NY, and multiple locations across the city. When you want the best for your bike, you can count on Safeguard Self Storage!

There's barely room in your garage for the car. You have more seasonal clothes than closets. You might be a student who needs to pack things away over summer break. The reasons for leasing storage space in Valley Stream, NY quickly add up. But if you don’t think you need to rent a unit all by yourself, a storage roommate is a great option.

Sharing Makes It Easier

When you share self storage, you share more than the cost. It's an arrangement that fits your budget, and it gives you storage flexibility. You don't have to worry about getting everything into one small space. Sharing lets you upgrade to a larger unit with room to spare.

You don't have to do all the heavy lifting by yourself either. Two sets of hands get everything moved in faster. Free access to on-site carts and dollies make the job even easier. Once you're settled, it only takes one visit to retrieve things for both you and your storage roomie.

Planning Makes It Work

Go online with your soon-to-be unit roommate and explore storage options. Look for locations close to both home bases. The best self storage facilities provide online tools that let you calculate how much space you need. Review leasing arrangements together and settle on a price that works with both your budgets.

Once you've leased a unit, divide the floor space in half. Check with on-site management for a free or discounted moving truck to handle the first load. You can probably move in with just one trip. Keep keypad access and security information on your smartphones for easy reference.

Roommate Rules Are a Must

Whether you're family or best friends, roomie rules keep you on the same page. Keep the peace by following these simple guidelines for sharing storage space.

• Decide on whose name will appear on the lease.
• Agree on how to pool resources and make monthly payments.
• Consider purchasing additional insurance to cover everything in storage.
• Share housekeeping duties in the unit several times a year.
• Always respect each other's belongings and stay in touch about future plans.

Let Us Bring You Together

If you're still not sure about pairing up, our Valley Stream, NY storage experts stand ready to help. We can answer your questions, show you around, and share tips that keep self storage affordable and simple. When you're ready to team up, you can count on our teams here at Safeguard.