Moving and packing items to be placed in storage can be both frustrating and time consuming if you lack a game plan. If you are considering using self storage, the first thing you should put into storage is some thought. You will need to understand available unit sizes so you don’t rent too much or not enough space. You will also need to know how to pack and store your items properly to prevent damage during the moving and storage process. Here are a few tricks to ensue your moving and storage experience is effective and stress free.

Pack & Store Items Well – Use sturdy boxes or plastic containers to prevent scratches and dings to your items during the moving and storage process. Wrapping fragile items in newsprint or bubble wrap will add additional protection. Seal all boxes with tape to prevent dust from affecting the contents. Place heavy items in small boxes so they don’t become too heavy to move. Lightweight items can be placed in larger boxes keeping the large boxes manageable. Place heavy items on the floor of your unit and stack lighter items on top.  

Use Protective Covers - Plastic wrap or covers are essential for protecting furniture, mattresses, and box springs from getting damp or dirty during the move. Furniture pads will also prevent items from getting scratched during the moving and storage process. 

Lawn and Garden Equipment - All fluids inside lawn and garden machinery should be drained prior to storing to avoid corrosive damage. Lawn tools such as rakes, shovels or hoes should be stored in trash cans to prevent them from damaging other items in the storage unit.

Use Your Head, Not Your Back – Be smart and use hand trucks or carts to move heavy items around. Our stores are equipped with flatbed carts for our customers use while on the property. Use our carts and your back will thank you in the morning.

Make The Most of Your Storage Space – Use the cubic footage in the storage unit to store more items. Long horizontal items should be stored vertically when possible to save on square footage. Store items inside of large appliances, dresser draws or on shelves to maximize the available space. Label all boxes so items are easy to find and place frequently used items in the front of the unit for easy access. If you have a lot of items that you access frequently you should create isles in the storage unit. This will ensure you can access all of these items quickly and easily. 

Utilizing self storage should help alleviate stress about where to store your items. Packing and storing your items correctly should eliminate all moving related anxiety. For more information regarding proper moving and self storage techniques contact your storage professional today.

Have you been considering self storage lately? That’s a good thing, because chances are you have been staring at a pile of stuff for a while. Self storage can give you piece of mind that your home is uncluttered and your things are being well maintained. But, before you go gung-ho and throw your stuff in the first storage unit available, you might want to consider these storage tips.

Convenience: There are a number of factors that make up convenience that you should consider: Location, the closer you live to your storage facility, the better. If you plan on making frequent visits, a location that is close, is ideal. Location amenities are also important, items such as flatbed carts to move your items from your car or truck to your unit are a huge help as are cargo elevators to move your items easily to upper floors. Does the facility have a drive in loading area to protect you and your items from inclement weather? Are the hallways wide enough to allow for easy passage to your unit?

Storage Hours: Check your storage facility’s office and access hours and make sure they work with your schedule. Some facilities require that you provide a day’s notice before entering your storage unit. If this doesn’t work, consider different self storage. You should be able to access your items at reasonable times seven days a week.

Security Features: One of the most important factors when deciding on a storage facility is the security system. These systems are designed to deter crime keeping you and your items safe. Does the storage facility have several deterrents in place? How are the individual units secured? Safeguard self storage provides state of the art security systems with computer-controlled access, individual door alarms, digital video recording and facility-wide intercom systems.

Trust and Confidence: Did you feel comfortable doing business with the storage company after visiting the location and discussing your storage needs with the store team? Did they provide you with exceptional customer service? Did they demonstrate to you that they want your business? Use your instincts to help you decide what storage company\location makes the most sense for you.

Special Storage: Do your items need a storage unit with a little more TLC? Air conditioned and heated storage units provide a friendly environment for delicate items. These storage units are designed to safeguard your items from the elements as if they were stored inside your home.

Size: As you probably can guess the size all depends on how much stuff you have to store. Do yourself a favor and go a bit bigger, because you might find more stuff to store along the way. A larger unit also makes it much easier to access your items when you have some additional room to move around in the unit. A larger space may also prevent damage to your items as you will not need to stack items on top of one another as much.

So now that you’ve considered moving that pile of items, it’s time to lock in on a storage facility. Safeguard Self Storage can help you every step of the way. We can reserve your storage unit in minutes, so contact us today!

Good news for all of you who need storage units in Thornwood, New York!

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Safeguard Self Storage, a provider of premium self-storage solutions, recently acquired its twenty-second operating location in the New York metropolitan self-storage market. This facility, conveniently located at 950 Broadway in Thornwood Village will continue to help provide this community's growing demand for high-quality storage units and self-storage space.

Safeguard has a deeply established presence in the New York market, now with 22 open locations. Less than three weeks ago, Safeguard Self Storage opened its 21st operating location on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, New York and will open its 23rd location on Bronx Boulevard late next month. As is typical of Safeguard's 62 stores nationwide, the Thornwood self-storage facility is designed with security, convenience and customer service in mind. Amenities at this location include: heated and air conditioned space, a convenient drive-up loading area, computer-controlled access to the building and digital\video recording of the property.

"Because of Safeguard's strong capital position, we were able to complete the acquisition in just 47 days from execution of the contract to closing. This new store complements the company's aggressive development of new locations from new construction – the company owns five other properties, three of which are in New York and two of which are in South Florida in various stages of development.", reported Allen Sweet, Chief Executive Officer of Safeguard Self Storage. "This second acquisition of a single operating store (the first being the company’s acquisition of the McCook, Illinois store about 18 months ago) has solidified the Safeguard management team’s skills required to complete larger acquisitions. It is clear to me that this team is now poised to be able to conduct multiple store acquisitions simultaneously", said Mark B. Rinder, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

"The Thornwood location, like all of our New York facilities, is designed to provide an exceptional customer experience. The high quality of this store, matching Safeguard's superior portfolio, made completion of the acquisition easier than expected," said Michael Frosaker, Senior Vice President of Asset Management who, together with James Goonan, Senior Vice President of Development, led the effort to acquire this store for the Safeguard portfolio.

"This new facility complements our product offering there and provides Safeguard Self Storage with deepening critical mass in this market," explained Goonan.

Ken Finlay, Senior Vice President of Operations added, "Its convenient location (right in the center of the town), the plethora of amenities and the company’s dedication to providing outstanding customer service, makes renting with Safeguard the best storage option in Thornwood and the surrounding area. What makes Safeguard unique is the relationship that we develop with our customers--they are very important to us. We look forward to getting to know and serve the residents and business people of Thornwood. It's a great community and we're proud to be part of it."

Thornwood, NY Self Storage in brief:

• Safeguard acquired the Thornwood, NY self-storage location on June 10th, 2013.
• This facility has 358 storage units in 32,760 leasable square feet with a variety of unit sizes currently available.
• The Thornwood store team is led by Georgi Turer, Facility Manager and Daniel Dorado, Assistant Manager (transferring from the Elmsford, NY store effective today).

Visit us today!

950 Broadway
Thornwood, NY 10594
Phone: 914-295-2124
Fax: 914-769-6970

With 50% of all self storage customers being first time users one may ask how does air conditioned and heated storage make a difference? This is an important question, as many factors play into the decision to store in a climate controlled environment. Air conditioned and heated storage, simply put, makes a world of difference and here’s how: 

Elemental Protection – Standard, non-climate controlled storage units are usually found in buildings constructed of metal or tin. These building are generally susceptible to the elements as wind, rain and humidity find ways to penetrate the outer seams and openings. These types of buildings are also affected by major temperature swings as they tend to heat up rapidly during summer days and then cool down at night causing condensation. This moisture can cause warping of wood, yellowing of paper and mildew to grow on stored item.  During the winter months these buildings can become extremely cold causing stored goods to crack or chip. Temperature controlled storage units are designed to protect stored items from large temperature variations preventing moisture and mildew from forming which help items maintain their stored condition.

Sensitive Belongings – documents, photos, antiques, family heirlooms, and other valuables may not survive long term in regular outdoor storage. Choosing a climate controlled storage unit could save you from experiencing significant damage to weather sensitive items. 

Peace of Mind – Knowing that your items are stored in a climate controlled environment, protected from the elements just like your home or office will provide great comfort.  Air conditioned and heated storage units were designed so your items come out of storage in the same condition as when you put them in. What a concept!  

Making the right decision about self storage types is just as important as the decision to store. Making the wrong decision, in the long run, could cause more harm than good. To fully understand what self storage unit type and size is right for you, contact a storage professional today.

The Village of Lombard, Illinois experienced heavy rain and flooding last month accumulating up to six inches in some areas. While the sewage drains and pumps remained fully operational throughout the storm the quality design of our Lombard Storage Facility kept our building and property out of harm’s way.

At our facility in Lombard, 5.8” of rain was funneled from our roof, away from our storage building and deposited into drains around the perimeter of the property. The retention pond filled to capacity, but receded nicely the next morning.

Although the Village President had declared a state of emergency due to flooding of homes and businesses, our facility remained an island amid the rising water. All day our dedicated staff took calls from concerned customers worried about their stored belongings.

It was a pleasure to notify them that our facility was perfectly safe and dry. If you are considering storing your belongings, chose Safeguard Self Storage and discover why we say; don’t Just Store It, Safeguard It!

~Courtesy of Gil Beres

Safeguard is proud to team up with Mayor Bloomberg and the city of New York to establish the first Self-Storage Operator Code of Best Practices. The new codes will ensure self-storage facilities follow best practices to help prevent against the storage of counterfeit items in storage units.

The “Code of Best Practices” Includes the Following Items:

- Manager walkthroughs will be performed daily and a record keeping system establish where, upon unusually activity, further investigational measures will take place.

- Video recording system to be enhanced to sufficiently monitor the property.

- Tenant record system will require photo ID’s of tenants to remain on file for a year after they move out.

- Rental agreements forbid storage or sale of counterfeit items in storage facilities.

Kathleen McGee, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement issued this statement, “We welcome Safeguard Self Storage as a partner in reducing the proliferation of illegal goods and look forward to working with other storage operators in our continued efforts against counterfeiting”.

Safeguard’s mission is to lead the self-storage industry in product quality, service and value. And, as always, Safeguard will strive for continuous improvement in all that we do. Our goal is to provide high-quality products and services that customers can trust and that distinguish Safeguard in the marketplace.

(Early profile rendering of the Safeguard Self Storage Albany Avenue location in Brooklyn)

We just closed on the purchase of land on Albany Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Many New Yorkers probably know us already, as 21 of our 60 open storage facilities are in the New York metro area. Why wouldn’t we build a 22nd location in the area? We love it here.

This new facility, which doesn’t have a firm completion date yet (but fear not, we have plenty of other facilities in the New York area to tide you over until then), will have 786 individual units in a variety of sizes. That’s 50,000 square feet of space for all your storage needs.

As is typical of a Safeguard self storage facility, the Albany Avenue location will be designed with security, convenience and customer service in mind. Amenities at this location will include:

• heated and air conditioned space
• a convenient drive-up loading area
• computer-controlled access to the building
• digital/video recording of the property

(That’s a lot of amenities. If there were any more I’d have to rent a unit just to store the remaining bullet-points in that list…ahem…is this thing on?)

Jim Goonan, Senior Vice President of Development, says about this Albany Avenue location:

"The Albany Avenue location, like all of our New York facilities, will be designed to provide an exceptional customer experience. This new facility will complement our product offering in New York and demonstrates our commitment to, and confidence in, this market. As many already know, we have two other stores under construction at this time, one of which will open later this month at Utica Avenue not far from this Albany Avenue site."

Be sure to Like us on Facebook to find out when our new Albany Avenue location will open and to stay updated on everything Safeguard Self Storage.

This Albany Avenue building in New York will soon be a brand new Safeguard Self Storage facility. See below for an artist’s rendering of the finished facility…yes, we’re between artists at the moment.

Welcome to the brand new Safeguard Self Storage blog! Consider this your go-to resource not only for Safeguard Self Storage news, events, and information, but for the world of self-storage at large.

At Safeguard Self Storage, we are passionate about storage and exceeding our customers' expectations. One of our goals with this new blog is to make a bit of our passion rub off on you, the reader and valued self-storage customer. With this goal in mind you can expect the information we bring to this blog will be informative, topical, and perhaps most importantly, entertaining.

Expect to find a wide range of storage advice and insight from our professional Safeguard Self Storage employees, including:

• Responses to questions from our customers: If one of our customers has a question about self-storage, chances are many others do as well. We want to answer them right here, for you!
• How-tos and Tutorials: Packing and storing your belongings isn’t always as straightforward as you may think. We want to help you benefit from our years of storage experience.
• Local events: We understand that storing your belongings with Safeguard Self Storage isn’t just about having confidence in the quality of our storage facilities—including our computer-controlled access, individual unit door alarms, digital video recording, and store-wide intercom systems—it’s also about our people and the communities that we serve. We want to provide you with information about the local events that are important to you and our employees.
• What’s happening in the world of self-storage: We are here to guide you through the world of self-storage. From the many annual self-storage conferences, such as SSA and Inside Self Storage Expo, to the uncontrollable events of our lives—weather catastrophes such as snowstorms and hurricanes or personal life changes such as career and other life changes or cross-country moves—Safeguard Self Storage is here to make sure you understand how self-storage is here when you need help.

We want the information in this blog to be engaging and entertaining, even if you have absolutely no interest in self-storage (Gasp!). That’s why feedback from our customers—YOU—is extremely important. Please, leave a comment below if you have any suggestions or/questions about this blog or Safeguard Self Storage in general. Also be sure to Like our Facebook page as an additional way to stay engaged.

At Safeguard Self Storage our mission is to lead the self storage industry in product quality, service and value.

The photo included in this blog post is of Barbara Drozdowska, Manager of the Safeguard Self Storage located in McCook, IL. Barbara is dedicated to helping Safeguard customers find the ideal storage solution and delivering an impeccable customer experience.