You're ready to string lights and turn on the glow around your South Side home, so it's time to sort through those boxes of strands in self storage. Your Chicago, IL neighbors are headed for the roof too. Everyone in Beverly brightens up at the thought of putting up lights for the holidays, so make these smart tips part of your decorating scheme this year.

Stay on the Safe Side

You turn your home into a wonderland of dazzling lights every holiday season. You also make sure to play it safe, so review your list of precautions, and then check it twice.

• Give the ladder a solid safety check before you head up to the roof.
• Inspect light strands, extension cords, and plugs for any signs of wear.
• Clear plenty of safe working space by moving outdoor furnishings to your storage unit.
• Take a look around for power lines that can pose a danger while you're on the ladder.

Streamline the Job

DIY efficiency is one of your hallmarks, and that talent extends to handling holiday lights. As you retrieve the old ones from self storage and add new sparkle to your collection, streamline the job by keeping everything in working order.

• Test each strand for dead bulbs with a light tester.
• Tape measure all the lengths you plan on spanning including window frames and porch rails.
• Replace retired strings and garlands with energy-efficient LED lights.
• When the strands come down, coil them in large plastic buckets, or around egg cartons for easy storage in your unit.

Create a Holiday Showcase

Traditional lighting around the eaves is just the beginning. Extend that brilliant illumination with outdoor light tricks that turn your Beverly homestead into a holiday showcase.

• Welcome guests to the house with pretty pathway lights.
• Make shrubs shimmer with sparkling net lights.
• Dress up the post mount lantern with strands of twinkling stars.
• Brighten up your front porch with big glass jars filled with colorful lights.

We Wish You the Best

Don't forget to turn off those beautiful holiday lights before you go to bed. We want you and your Beverly neighbors to stay safe and preserve energy efficiency, especially this time of year. When everything finally comes down, we're ready for you with 15 Safeguard Self Storage Chicagoland locations. Safeguard Self Storage wishes you the best during this special season, and all year long.

It's convenient and affordable, but how can you make self storage here in Baton Rouge, LA even better? When you know how to maximize your unit for easy access, anything is possible. Whether you're planning a first lease or looking for more room in existing space, these tips keep you organized while you’re coming and going.

Get Ready With a Plan

You're headed down to the Atchafalaya for some bass fishing. You can barely get the boat out of the crowded garage, and you lose time looking for your gear. Storage units solve these problems and more, when you start with a plan.

• Use a storage facility's online space estimator to determine the best unit size for your things.

• Choose self-storage facilities close to home or on the way to your favorite fishing spot.

• Consider leasing a drive-up unit for heavy things like furniture and appliances.

Get Set to Box

Once you've decided on a unit size and location, it's time to start boxing. Are you thinking about opening your own setup at the Deep South Flea Market? Do you need a place to store personal and business records? Whether you're stashing treasures or stockpiling books, these tips work for all your packed items.

• Choose boxes similar in size for easy stacking.

• Use big labels that give you room for a short list of contents.

• Discourage dust buildup in long-term storage by taping lids shut.

• Stuff bubble wrap or packing peanuts in partially filled boxes to keep tops from caving in.

Floor Plans Aren’t Only for Your Home

Streamline your self storage ins and outs with a smart unit floor plan. Do it right, and you’ll have parking space for your bike between cruises along Cypress Bayou, with room leftover for your favorite LSU cheer gear.

• Keep things you don't use often at the back of the unit.

• Stack boxes in rows to create aisles for easy access.

• Stabilize stacks by laying boards across grouped boxes.

• Use wood pallets to raise everything off the floor.

• Stay mobile with wheeled shelving units.

Come See Us Soon

Our teams are always glad to share insider knowledge, so come see us soon. We're here to serve with two Safeguard Self Storage locations in Baton Rouge, LA and six additional locations in the Metro New Orleans Area. It's our job to make sure you have the best storage experience possible, so let us help you make the most out of your unit.

You've never entertained the entire family before, but you're living in a city of firsts. If Philly could publish the nation's first daily paper and open the country's first zoo, you can make history too. Just take the time to do a little holiday planning, and give yourself plenty of room with extra space in self storage. No need to worry, your Philadelphia, PA festivities are going to run smoothly.

Prepare for House Guests

Party planning doesn't take practice, but it does take an eye for detail. Clean house like a pro by dusting often-missed baseboards, air vents, and light fixtures. Freshen bathrooms with scented soaps and extra guest towels. Let climate-controlled storage units help you get your home ready for company. Give them closet space for coats and hats by hanging some of your things in your storage unit. It's the perfect place to park extra furniture so that everybody has room to enjoy the party. You can even use storage to hide holiday presents.

Make Them Part of Your Plans

Making your guest list is easy because it's family and close friends, but stay in touch with everyone through social media. This lets you update the gang on any changes in plans, and it gives you a way to reach out for a little help. Streamline cooking by asking several guests to bring different dishes. Are youngsters part of the party? Ask for volunteers to take turns keeping an eye on little ones during the celebrations. Be sure to kid-proof the house by moving breakables to self storage.

Keep It Fun and Drama-Free

Make everyone feel welcome by making them all a part of the festivities. Organize drama-free fun like playing old parlor games or singing seasonal carols. Get the grownups busy baking desserts, and let the kids decorate cookies. And keep backup ice in a cooler so that holiday cocktails stay fresh. Offer a variety of music so that everyone gets to hear their favorite tunes. Encourage turning off the smartphones and turning on conversations. It's your party, so you get to set the rules. Just do it with a big smile and a warm hug.

You're Making History

We want to add one more very important tip: Relax, and have fun. You're starting new family traditions with this first celebration, and you can always count on Safeguard Self Storage for help. We like making history easy with convenient storage units in Philadelphia, PA.

Moms are always right: We should've been better about picking up our rooms, but it's never too late to become organized adults. If a tight bedroom puts the squeeze on your stuff, just combine our Chicago, IL self storage with these 10 super-smart hacks.

Your Bedroom, Organized

1. Expand Your Headboard: Replace the headboard with a floor-to-ceiling bookcase that matches your bed's width. This creates an airy, artistic space for storing and decorating.

2. Slide and Hide: Tell friends you borrowed this trick from Uptown's Chicago Magic Lounge. Slip roller trays under the bed, and make clutter disappear. Now you see it, now you don't.

3. Pegboard a Wall Turn this traditional garage storage system into a wall of space-saving wonder by painting it to match the room. Unleash its storage power with hooks, pegs, and shelves.

4. Hang Fruit Baskets Move these tiered metal contraptions from the kitchen to your bedroom, and repurpose their potential. Inexpensive hanging fruit baskets redefine overhead storage.

5. Fill Up Corners Create a cache for stuff by installing corner shelves from floor to ceiling. Congratulate yourself on converting wasted space into room accents with purpose.

6. Assign Double Duty Write the next Uptown blockbuster while you're sitting at the bedside table. Double the function of its limited tabletop by using it as a desk.

7. Stack for Self Storage Keep a stack of lidded plastic bins in the closet. Fill them up with things headed for storage, and make one easy trip to your unit when they're full.

8. Double-Rack Closets Arrange clothes rods as upper and lower storage. Hang your tops on the top rack and your bottoms on the lower rack.

9. Stash a Chest of Drawers Enlarge the closet by moving a clothes rod up 6 inches. Just fill in the space below with a roomy chest of drawers.

10. Roll With Cool Wheels Put a retro bar cart to work as portable storage around the bedroom. Check out local vintage flea markets for cool ideas on wheels.

[H3] We're Happy to Help

Now that you're organized, treat yourself to a stroll along Montrose Beach. Our Safeguard Self Storage facility is located less than a mile northwest on Sheridan Road, so stop by, and say hello to the Uptown Store Team. We're happy to help you finally get that room picked up with the best storage units in Chicago, IL.

The back of your closet can be very scary. Your favorite costumes collect cobwebs and gather dust while they wait for another Halloween here in Baton Rouge, LA. Self storage can save the spookiest wardrobe from wasting away by treating it to these easy tricks.

Keep It Clean

Take an important tip from our very own Theatre Baton Rouge, and always clean your costumes at the end of each season. Here's how our local thespians do it before they transfer stage-worn items to their storage units:

• Launder linen and cotton items in the gentle cycle with cold water.
• Save delicate detailing by turning things inside out before washing.
• Let costumes air-dry to avoid any chance of shrinkage and discoloration in a hot dryer.
• If you're not sure about how to treat costume fabric, ask a dry cleaning professional for advice.

Hang It with Care

Whether it's your costume for Evil Dead cosplay or ghostly garb for the downtown Halloween Parade, it deserves a proper hanging in self storage. You can invest in wardrobe bags or conjure up your own inexpensive covers in these ways:

• Pad hangers with generous layers of muslin or quilt batting to support fabric.
• Make garment bags from twin or queen sheets folded in half and sewn up one side.
• Increase your handmade covers' protection factor by adding drawstrings to tops and bottoms.
• Don't smother hanging costumes with plastic bags that seal out fresh air.
• Store your wardrobe on wheeled racks draped with sheets to ward off dust.

Watch the Devil in the Details

When the kids' outfits from their first Boo at the Zoo Day turn into precious keepsakes, archive those memories along with other costume treasures. Protect their little masks and your witches' hats with these storage strategies:

• Transform old pillow cases into costume catch-all bags with drawstring closers.
• Cushion small items by wrapping them in acid-free tissue paper, and store them in lidded plastic bins.
• Save hats and accessories from getting crushed by stuffing them with bubble wrap.
• Keep your costume collection refreshed by refolding and rotating things several times a year. 

We Make Magic Happen

Imagine never being afraid of beloved disguises falling prey to spider webs and hungry moths. Picture your finest getups stashed in the climate-controlled environment of our storage units. Let Safeguard Self Storage make the magic happen with our Baton Rouge, LA locations. Store with us, and save your costumes from the scariest depths of your dark closets.

Whether you're expanding the office, opening a new storefront, or launching an online startup, you need space to grow. Established brick and mortar giants like Walgreen’s and online innovators like Groupon thrive here in Chicago, IL. Affordable storage units help cultivate our strong commercial growth in so many smart ways. Here’s how self storage can help with your business’ growth.

You Have Room to Move Furniture

Why pass up a great deal on office furniture? With convenient self storage, you don't have to miss out on savings. When it's time to expand operations, you're ready to furnish extra office space with new desks and chairs. They’re just waiting to take their place in your rapidly developing business plans.

Bulk Supplies Hold Down Costs

Hold down the bottom line with bulk buying strategies. Everything from printing paper to cleaning supplies costs less at the big box store, and you have space to keep it all handy in your nearby storage unit. Buying bulk saves money and time that you can reinvest in growing your business.

Inventory Forecasts Stay Manageable

It's easier to increase upscale retail sales in Lincolnshire when you have plenty of available inventory at your storage facility. Quick access lets you stock according to your schedule, and you do it from a unit that costs a fraction of what you pay for showroom square footage.

Office Floor Space Stays Flexible

While building your business means adding new employees, business self storage gives you flexible floor space. Rearrange the workplace with those discounted desks and chairs stored off-site. Expand room for a growing staff without knocking down walls to expand existing office space.

You Always Have Options

With climate-controlled storage, you lease as little or as much square footage as you need. Drive-up units make heavy on- and off-loading easy, and all of our facilities in Chicago, IL handle customer package acceptance and deliveries. You can manage your account online so that it always fits your plans for growth. Whether you're staking out new territory inside the Loop or branching out in the suburbs, modern business storage expands your options for success.

We Back You All the Way

The sky doesn't have to be the limit when you're spreading your entrepreneurial wings in Chicagoland. You might not outgrow Boeing just yet, but you're perfectly positioned to make a lasting mark on Lake Michigan's shores. You can count on us here at Safeguard Self Storage to back you all the way, as we offer an array of business storage units in Chicago, IL.

As a medical supply or pharmaceutical rep, you spend so much time on the road. In between calling on clients and setting up the next stop, you pack and unpack samples and materials. You appreciate the value of staying organized and working as efficiently as possible. Here in Massapequa, NY, medical storage solutions can streamline your schedule, protect your products, and simplify your day.

Make Your Job Easier

If you're still shifting inventory from your home to the car and back again, consider the convenience of keeping supplies at one central site. If your territory covers all of Long Island and up into New York, think about the improved logistics of operating with several storage units in strategic locations.

Some pharmaceutical product sales are seasonal, and a modern storage facility makes it easier to accommodate those changes. Your samples sometimes become outdated. Replacing them does not need to be complicated when you have quick access to new products in a self storage unit.

Maximize Storage Options

Temperature control and high-tech security features combine to make a storage unit a smart, affordable solution for pharmaceutical and medical storage. Different organizing setups easily maximize your storage options.

• Keep products and supplies off the floor with shelving arranged to allow for plenty of walking room.
• Consider wheeled shelf setups that let you rotate and organize inventory as needed.
• Label boxes and equipment, and transfer the information to your smartphone for instant reference.
• Set up a worktable in the middle of the unit that serves as both a desk and packing station.

Add Up the Benefits

The benefits of leasing storage far outweigh juggling inventory between home and the road. They quickly add up to time saved that you spend connecting with new clients and increasing sales.

• You can arrange to have deliveries made to your storage facility.
• Account management and payments are available online.
• On-site security features include keypad entry access, digital video cameras and individual door alarms.
• Multiple facility locations let you cover more territory more efficiently.

Self storage keeps you organized as you make sales calls all day, and it protects your pharmaceutical products and medical equipment year-round.

We're Your Home Base

Wherever you need to be in Nassau County or beyond, you can count on our Safeguard Self Storage facility here in Massapequa, NY as home base. Our modern storage units are available all across Long Island and the mainland too. It's our job to make yours a little easier, so stop by and visit with our on-site storage consultants soon.

Hurricane Irma affected everyone from the Keys up through the Panhandle and beyond. Cleanup and recovery efforts will go on for a very long time. We know how badly the storm impacted so many lives, especially here in Miami, FL. We’d like to offer these self storage tips to help you as you get back on your feet.

Saving the Important Things

Remediation after a catastrophic hurricane like Irma generally applies to rebuilding our homes. We're pulling up wet carpets, tearing out soaked sheetrock, and throwing away ruined insulation. Part of our successful recovery depends on saving our belongings too.

Unfortunately, big stuff doesn't weather a hurricane very well. It's hard to salvage furnishings and appliances. Fortunately, the little things can often be rescued. When we gather family heirlooms, important documents and some of the kids' toys into secure storage units, we know we haven't lost everything.

As you work through the process of making things right again, use these quick tips as a reference for keeping belongings safe after the storm:

• Clean Before Storing: Wash and thoroughly dry clothes and bedding before packing up for storage. This helps prevent mold and mildew.
• Fan Important Papers: Dry photos, books, and important paper records by spreading them out and securing them in front of fans for several days.
• Double Check Furnishings: Pull back upholstery, and inspect padding and frames. Damp furniture will mildew even in climate-controlled storage units.
• Make an Inventory: Synchronize an inventory list with numbered boxes in storage. Keep the information on your smartphone for quick access.
• Don't Haul Off Everything: Document what you can't save by taking pictures. Pile it outside your home so that it can be assessed by your insurance adjuster.

Rebuilding with Extra Room

Rebuilding doesn't happen overnight, but we're all in this for the long haul. Putting everything back together takes time, and nearby self storage can be a big help with extra holding room for replacement furnishings and appliances. It gives you space to spare in uncertain times, and that gives you much-needed peace of mind.

Standing Strong and Moving Forward

We know from past experiences with destructive storms that we'll dig out and rebuild. Irma knocked us down, but we're already getting back up and moving forward. Safeguard Self Storage pledges our commitment to the community's recovery here in Miami, FL and all across our great state. We're proud to stand strong beside you.

The end of summer means our Chicagoland sizzle is almost over, but it also means our seasonal snows are just a few calendar pages away. Start thinking about winterizing your favorite rides now, and you'll be ready to roll everything into self storage before Bridgeview, IL freezes over.

Move the Motorcycle Inside

The Veteran's Run from our Bridgeview Courthouse doesn't signal the end of summer, but plenty of area cycles will head for nearby storage units over the next few months. Don't put your bike at risk by leaving it outside all winter.

• Get the bike ready for storage by removing oil, brake fluid and antifreeze.
• Disconnect the battery, and store it on shelving in your storage unit.
• Keep motorcycle wheels off concrete flooring with a wooden pallet.
• Invest in a quality cover to protect engine components from dust.

Secure the Boat From Snow

When the chill off Lake Michigan chases you in for the winter, say goodbye to stalking largemouth bass. Say hello to staking out self storage that keeps your boat shipshape until spring.

• Clean your watercraft inside and out, and make sure everything's dry to prevent mold and mildew.
• Change out antifreeze and oil, and use fogging oil to protect engine components.
• Remove the battery, and keep it dry and off the ground.
• Support the hull with a cradle, jack stands or blocks.
• Pamper your boat with a final waxing and a ventilated canvas cover.

Keep the Car Warm This Winter

If you have an extra car that needs to hibernate away from home, you can go with outdoor parking options at a fully gated storage facility. If the city turns into Chiberia (Chicago + Siberia) again this winter, you might prefer a drive-up indoor unit. In or out, give your wheels a little love and attention before long-term storage.

• Change the oil, top off the tank, and add fuel stabilizer. (Outdoor Storage Only)
• Flush and replace brake fluid with a silicone-based fluid.
• Inflate tires to maximum PSI, and disconnect the battery.
• Clean and detail the car from roof to undercarriage.
• Protect it with a quality car cover that breathes.

Stay Ready to Roll

It doesn't take a snowpocalypse to make storage units your best choice for protecting vehicles from winter weather. Safeguard Self Storage offers harbor for boats, cycles, and wheels with drive-up units and outdoor parking in Bridgeview, IL. Store your favorite rides with us, and you'll be ready to roll come spring.

The city is finally starting to cool down, so join your West Rogers Park neighbors in saying goodbye to summer heat. As you make plans for enjoying the fall days, make extra room around the house, too. Start shifting your summer things into self storage where Chicago, IL residents hibernate all their warm-weather stuff.

Clean Out Crowded Closets

If you aren't going to wear it or use it come fall, put it on your list of belongings that belong in winter storage. Clean out crowded closets and clear cluttered shelves with these self storage strategies.

• Keep summer clothes wrinkle-free in storage with wheeled hanger units.
• Lightweight bedding stays fresh in plastic bins with snug-fitting lids.
• Shuffle sandals, flip-flops and slip-ons off to storage in summer canvas totes.

Reclaim Lost Garage Space

When it's time to break out home snow shoveling equipment, you want plenty of garage space. Don't let these summer things crowd you or the car after winter sets in.

• Store fishing rods in your unit until the next spring trip to West Ridge Preserve.
• Pitch your tent in with that fishing gear to free up even more room in the garage.
• Stash seasonal lawn equipment out of the way in your unit.
• Roll the family bike collection on over to cold-weather storage.

Save Backyard Stuff from Impending Snow

When it's too cold to shoot hoops at Warren Park, you'll be glad your outdoor toys are spending winter in storage. Look around the backyard for other stuff that needs protection from Chicago's freezing temperatures.

• The inflatable pool will last longer if it gets to spend winter in your storage unit.
• Make sure the grill fires up next spring by storing it away now.
• Keep outdoor furniture safely sheltered inside a climate-controlled unit.

Stay Smart with Fall Storage

Once you get the drift of fall storage, it's a great seasonal routine for keeping everything organized. Switching out summer stuff and winter gear frees up space all around your home. It's a smart storage strategy that leaves you with more room around the house year-round.

Shift into Fall With Us

We're looking forward to cooler weather too, and we're ready to take care of your summer things with the best storage solutions in Chicago, IL. Our West Rogers Park facility is located on North California Avenue just north of Mather Park. Let Safeguard Self Storage help you shift your summer stuff into safe storage before winter blows in.