NEWS AND TIPS

Organizing Your West Valley Storage Unit for Frequent Access

Having a self-storage unit can be a lifesaver when you need extra space for your belongings. However, the last thing you want is to spend hours digging through boxes of stuff to find your winter boots or camping gear. With a little foresight and a simple strategy, you can organize your West Valley storage unit for maximum efficiency and make it easy to find the items you need, when you need them. Here are a few tips to help you transform your storage unit into a well-structured space that saves you time and headaches later on. 1. Plan and Prepare Before you begin organizing your self-storage unit, take some time to plan and prepare. Start by assessing the items you'll be storing and categorize them based on their frequency of use or similarity. This first step will help you determine the best layout and storage solutions for your unit. Consider investing in high-quality storage containers, boxes, and shelving units. Clear plastic containers are ideal because they allow you to see the contents without opening each one. Labeling each container with its contents will also save time later on when you need to access an item. 2. Maximize Vertical Space To make the most of your storage unit's available space, think vertically. Utilize sturdy shelves to create additional storage levels. Be sure to anchor the shelves securely to prevent accidents. When arranging your items, place the ones you use most frequently at eye level or within easy reach. Rarely used items can be placed on higher shelves or towards the back. This approach ensures that you can quickly access what you need without having to dig through other items. 3. Create Zones and Pathways Establishing distinct zones within your storage units in West Valley will enhance organization and efficiency. Allocate areas for specific categories such as household items, sporting equipment, or personal documents. Mark each zone with clear labels or signs to facilitate quick identification. Create clear pathways between the different zones to ensure easy navigation. Leave ...

April R.
July 6th, 2023

How to Properly Store Antiques and Family Heirlooms

Moving Tips

From your grandma’s beloved piano to your father’s pocket watch, antiques, and family heirlooms are items you want to keep around for generations to come. As they age, these items become more fragile and need special care to keep them in good condition. If you have antiques and heirloom items you need to pack away in a self-storage unit, you’ll want to know how to store them properly so they don’t become damaged. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to wrap furniture and prepare them for storage. We’ll also explain how a temperature-controlled storage unit at Granite Mountain Storage can help protect your treasured items. Preparing Items for Storage The way you prepare items for storage is just as important as where you store them. If you are storing items made from fabric, you’ll want to wrap them in acid-free paper. Most types of paper break down over time and will cause the items to react with the paper itself. In other words, it can actually change the color tone of your fabric items. Acid-free paper ensures that dyes don’t transfer from your special item to the paper. You can also find acid-free boxes for safely storing clothing, pillows, and other special items made of fabric. Give wood furniture a good wipe-down with gentle soap and water on a sponge to remove dirt and dust. Once your wood furniture is completely dry, wrap it up to protect it from getting damaged in the move and breaking down over time. Wrapping Furniture for Storage Properly wrapping your antiques before storing them will help protect them from damage over time. Begin by removing legs, drawers, and any other removable pieces. Then, carefully wrap each piece individually in bubble wrap. Keep like pieces near to each other to avoid misplacement. For larger pieces, you can use a moving blanket or heavy cloth to wrap them in. Pro-tip: If you have removable hardware like screws and hinges to pack away, put them in a Zip-loc ...

April R.
April 17th, 2023

How to Have the Perfect Garage Sale

Moving Tips

One person’s trash is another’s treasure, and that’s why garage sales have become a popular weekend pass time. Garage sales are a great way to declutter your home while reducing waste and environmental impact. Follow these simple tips to make your next garage sale a success. Setting Up Garage sale hunters make fast decisions on which sales to stop for. That’s why your setup should look neat and organized with the most interesting, and well-maintained items upfront. Display your items neatly without piling them up, or placing them too close to one another. Leave plenty of space between displays so shoppers can easily move from one area to the next. No one wants to rummage through boxes of old clothes or shoes. Borrow or rent simple tables, or benches to display your items on. Hang clothing on portable racks or fold them neatly on a clean surface. You can find plenty of resources for building your own clothing racks online or on YouTube. Arrange furniture as if they are in a living room, with knick-knacks displayed on end tables. Show your garage sale guests how great these old items will look in their own homes. Make sure all items are clean. No one wants to buy a dusty old laptop or grubby toys. Give your old things a good wipe-down before setting them out for people to see. Rather than spending a lot of time writing out price tags for each item, group similar items together on a table or shelf with a price for each group. For example, you could display all books on a shelf with a sign that reads, “all books $2.” Advertising Your Garage Sale Shoppers like to plan their weekends early, so begin advertising your garage sale a few days before. Social media and apps like Nextdoor are great ways to get noticed. Post ads with pictures of your best items, and be sure to call out any antiques or vintage items they can expect ...

April R.
April 17th, 2023

What Not to Store in Your Storage Unit

Moving Tips

What Not to Store in Your West Valley Storage Units It's easy to think of storage units as catch-all spaces where you can stash away any item you’re not currently using. This leaves a lot of options on the table, and a lot of room for mistakes to be made. So, before you shove everything in and dust off your hands, read this list of ten items not to store in your West Valley storage units to avoid bigger problems down the road. #1 Live Plants or Animals Storage units aren’t built to house plants, animals or humans. Many of our storage units are temperature controlled which means they provide shelter from extreme temperatures. However, living organisms need fresh air and sunlight to thrive. Storage units are not suitable or safe for any living thing. #2 Perishables Foods with expiration dates, no matter how far in the future, should not be stored in your storage units in West Valley. This can attract bugs or vermin to your unit, and to neighboring spaces. Furthermore, perishables will often mold or rot, leaving a big stinky mess that will cost hours of clean-up later. #3 Candles This is one that gets overlooked a lot because it’s not so obvious at first. But, think of candles in the same context as perishables. The wax is soft and malleable, and subject to melt in hot climates. Imagine your grandmother’s couch covered in candle wax! #4 Cash Although Granite Mountain Storage offers top-notch security, there are safer places for stashing cash and other currency. Keep monetary items in a safety deposit box or safe. #5 Batteries Batteries are full of liquid toxins that are prone to leaking through the casing when exposed to hot or cold temperatures. No one wants to be the cause of toxic chemicals floating around the environment. #6 FireWorks Let’s be real, anything that has the potential to explode, probably shouldn’t go unattended. Try buying only what you need for every celebration and enjoy them ...

April R.
February 7th, 2023

6 Tips for Managing Stress During Big Life Changes

Moving Tips

Life is an ever-shifting landscape of change. It can happen suddenly like with a death of a family member, or gradually like with the birth of a baby or moving to a new city. Whether expected or not, change is stressful. Knowing how to cope can make a difference in both the present moment and the future. Here are a few tried-and-true strategies for managing your stress during big life changes. #1 Maintain Some Sense of Structure As humans, we’re most comfortable with consistency. We like to know what to expect from one moment to the next. So, when life becomes unpredictable, it make us feel anxious and insecure. One thing you can do to reduce anxiety is to maintain some sense of structure to your life. Whether it’s a simple morning routine or going to bed at the same time every night, keeping a routine during highly stressful times can help you feel grounded. #2 Practice Self-Care During big life changes, it’s easy to neglect your own needs. Depending on the situation you’re going through, you may even feel guilty about taking care of yourself. But, these are the times when self-care will benefit you and those around you the most. Set aside time every day to do something relaxing. Read a book, take a bath, or watch your favorite show. An hour of self-care per day is optimal, but even fifteen minutes is better than nothing. If you feel like that’s too much, take five minutes to breathe and stretch. #3 Reach Out to Friends or a Therapist Let’s face it, we’re social creatures. Even the most introverted among us needs connection with other people from time to time. During unpredictable times, we need connection even more. Talking on the phone with a trusted friend can reduce stress and lower your heart rate. Hugging someone for twenty seconds lowers blood pressure and soothes frazzled nerves. Don’t feel like you have to shoulder problems on your own. Reach out and ...

April R.
February 7th, 2023