Top Tips for Organizing Your Storage Space

It's an inevitability, that the day will come when the item you need the most is in a box, beneath a box, in a wardrobe...at the back of your storage unit. Organizing your belongings within your storage unit is an important step to help you locate items within your unit but also ensure you are using your storage space efficiently, therefore, potentially saving you money. 

Take a look at these 5 simple steps to ensure your storage unit is organised for the weeks, months and years you may be storing your belongings.

Step 1: It's all about size.

Assemble a list of the items that you need to store, have you anything particularly large or of an awkward size? Do all of your items need to be stored together? It may be beneficial to have two smaller units, one for furniture and one for boxes and items you may access regularly. Speak to the team at your storage facility, they are experienced and well trained and know what sizes and what options suit your specific requirements. 

Step 2: Perfect Planning.

Consider what items you will need to access frequently, every so often or you will not need during your stay and pack them respectively. It may be worth investigating what racking options your storage facility can offer you, should you require shelving for boxes etc. 

Store larger and bulky items at the back of the unit and dismantle any flat-pack furniture you may have. To maximize space, you can store sofas on their side. To protect sofas and mattresses from dust and any damage whilst in transit, cover with plastic furniture sheets. 

Step 3: And Perfect Packing.

If you require packing boxes, use double walled boxes that are strong and sturdy, they can also be reused. Pack books and heavy items in small boxes to ensure you can lift them when required. Medium boxes suit everyday household items and utilise large boxes for curtains, duvets and clothing. 

Stick to your plan and pack items in boxes related to how often you will need to access them. For those are meticulous, you can create a box inventory with details of what each box contains. You can colour code, number code or simply write on each box it's contents. Wrap valuable and fragile items in bubble wrap or packing paper to keep them safe whilst moving. 

Pack your moving van in the opposite way to your storage unit, you then can pack your storage unit from the van rather than unloading everything out of the van at the facility to then pack into your unit. 

Step 4: Moving In.

Once again, stick to your plan and arrange the items as you have decided. As items are being moved in, double check the labels and/or inventory to your plan.

Large, bulky items should be arranged at the back and sides. Place heavier boxes on the floor and you can then easily stack lighter items and boxes on top. 

You can create an aisle in your unit if you have available space which can help access all areas of the unit. 

Step 5: Maximise and Maintain

Make the most of void space inside wardrobes, draws and even your fridge. Once again, label the doors to itemize what is inside. 

Maintain the organisation of your unit by keeping your inventory within the unit. Alternatively, draw a diagram to easily find your way around your unit. 

We hope these steps help you towards organising your unit! 

A quick insight into Beehive Self Storage

After first entering the self storage industry over ten years ago, Beehive Self Storage has developed from just one self storage facility to three individual storage facilites with sites across Somerset and Dorset.  We have hundreds of individual, private units in over thirty different sizes.

The first and oldest of our three sites is located in Lopen, just a few minutes away from the A303.  In addition to our Beehive storage facility, Lopen Business Park also provides working space such as factories and offices for many local businesses.  Lopen is ideally located for customers from Chard, Crewkerne, Yeovil and surrounding areads.

Our next site is located in Child Okeford, North Dorset. This rural site offers secure and safe storage in a clean and dry purpose built facilty that you may struggle to find locally in Dorset. The site also has fantastic views of the ancient hill fort of Hambledon Hill.

Our newest site and storage facility is The Beehive Building on Priorswood Road, Taunton. This site was completed in 2013 and is due for further expansion in the future with the addition of another level of storage units. Similar to our Lopen site, The Beehive Building also offers serviced offices to local businesses.

Watch this space – our aim is to continue to grow our Beehive!

Work Hard, Play Hard, Store Easy.

Self storage is often just thought of as a place where individuals store their household items when they are moving house or just need a general sort out and declutter. However, there is an increasing interest for a different type of customer: businesses.

Whether it’s for businesses who just want to store their many archiving boxes or businesses looking for a depot, here at Beehive Self Storage, we may just have the perfect solution for your own organisation.

A 25 sq ft unit can fit around one hundred standard archive boxes. These units cost around £14.00 per week making it the ideal solution for businesses that just do not have the space to store one hundred boxes, and could be using the space in other worthwhile ways.

Other businesses may be looking to use a storage unit as a solution for a depot. Here at Beehive Self Storage, we are proud to offer free, unlimited access to our facilities with no appointments, meaning that goods can be delivered and collected from your unit as many times you need. This means that businesses can store their tools or goods in their unit, and collect them when they are required, whilst keeping them safe and secure.

A storage unit can also be set up as a warehouse for your stock. We are also able to provide the racking needed to set up your unit, so that your business can get back on its feet as soon as possible. Your deliveries can not only be sent to us, but we are happy for you to organise for any of your customers’ orders to be picked up from your unit or our secure reception by a courier.

Whatever you are planning to use your storage unit for, here at Beehive, we understand that operating a business can be stressful and complex at the best of times, therefore we are here to find a solution that is straightforward and simple for your unique needs. We are completely flexible in allowing organisations to change their unit size, depending on the changing demands of your business on a long or short term basis, we can accept or dispatch any of your deliveries, and finally our facilities are purpose built, clean and dry, with 24/7 security and CCTV so you can ensure that your goods are safe and secure when you are away from work.  

So why not speak with a member of our Beehive team to discuss your unique business storage requirements today? Call us on 08456 436 100 or email us at enquiries@beehiveselfstorage.co.uk. 

Our Smallest Storage Solution: Mini-Store

Most people when they are looking to store items are looking for units which can accommodate for furniture and larger household items. However, what about the people who are just looking to store a few boxes?

Well, that’s where our mini-store lockers come in handy. You can fit 12 small packing boxes into one of our Mini-Store lockers, with a bit of space for some other smaller bits and bobs.

Picture this, you’re decorating your lounge and need somewhere to put the boxes filled with small items. You put them in another room, but they keep getting in the way, you keep tripping over them, and they keep falling over. This is where our Mini-Store lockers come in handy – for just £6 a week, you can put these boxes in to a mini store locker. This way, the boxes are out of the way, in a safe, secure place. And if you’re looking to only store the boxes for a few days or weeks, we can offer a 7-day contract on our Mini-Store lockers, which means that you are not obligated to pay for our usual four-week period. 

Another issue that you  may have is that you have some items which are sentimental and precious to you. They may be hidden away, so that they can’t be broken or taken, or you may just be continuously worried about the safety of these items.  Here at Beehive Self Storage, we pride ourselves with having high quality facilities which are temperature controlled and completely safe and secure. A Mini-Store locker may well be the perfect solution for you, allowing you to store smaller items in the same quality and with the same security of our larger units.  

At the end of the day, at Beehive Self Storage our aim is to make sure that you have complete peace of mind when storing your goods. Whether you’re looking to store a few boxes for a couple of weeks or something sentimental to you for a longer period of time, we’re here to make your life easier. 

Moving House with Self Storage

Albert Einstein once said “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”. Now we are aware that the topic of self storage or moving house is not the most poetic, but Einstein’s thoughts make some sense and also when the statement is reversed. Moving house can be an extremely stressful time. Whether you’re just starting to sell your house or you’re deep into the process of moving, it’s a well known fact that moving house can be demanding and sometimes even traumatic. At Beehive Self Storage, we try to keep the easy balance that customers may be looking for when they are moving home.

Some customers use our storage facilities in order to declutter their homes to make their house look more appealing to viewers.  At Beehive Self Storage, we have smaller locker units which are useful for storing a few boxes that contain ‘bits and bobs’ which may be cluttering up your home.

 Some customers also use our storage facilities as a middle ground between their old home and their new home. Storing at Beehive Self Storage allows customers the opportunity to move out any items in their previous home, without the worry of then having to rush them in to their new home. This way, moving home can be a gradual and easy process without the pressures that come with the final moving day.

Whether you’re storing a few items of precious china or the dresser which holds the precious china, we have the facilities for you. With our units ranging from 10 sq ft to 175 sq ft, nothing is too small or big to store. You are welcome to visit the storage facilities at any time during opening hours without needing to book an appointment. We don’t charge entrance fees which means that you can visit us as little or as often as you like. At Beehive Self Storage we offer complete flexibility, we don’t see the point of making you pay for space that you are not utilising and if you need to transfer from your larger unit to a smaller unit while you gradually move into your house, we are more than happy for you to do this. Our aim at Beehive Self Storage is to make your stay with us as stress-free and as calm as possible whilst you’re moving. 

Keep Calm...It's Only A Blog Post!

Wednesday the 18^th of June will also be known as International Panic Day this year. We have all been there – your son returns home from University in his VW camper full to the roof and grunts that he must leave it ‘wherever’ in your house so he can still take his camper to Glastonbury Festival this year, just as your perfectionist mother-in-law comes to stay for a week.  That panicky feeling starts at the bottom of your stomach.  You begin to think of a solution to this problem and decide that self storage might be worth investigating. You speak with an advisor at Beehive Self Storage and that very same day your son is on his way to one of our branches to unload his belongings into a unit. You even persuade him to move some of those bits of clutter you’ve been meaning to sort out for a while. His belongings are kept safe and dry, plus out of the house, until the end of the summer until he heads back to University for another year.

Although this may seem like a humorous and trivial situation, we like to think that we are quite experienced in helping customers who are going through quite possibly the most stressful time of their lives. Whether it is a house move collapsing or the death of a loved one, we are here to ensure that your time at Beehive Self Storage is as easy and trouble free as possible. We aim to relieve at least some of the panic that you may be experiencing to make things simply easier for you. Whether you need long or short term storage space, from 10 sq ft to 175 sq ft, we offer a personal, friendly and confidential service whatever the situation.

International Panic Day also raises awareness of Panic Disorder which is a debilitating disorder for many sufferers. For more information please visit: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/panic-disorder/index.shtml

The Chamber of Secrets

Individuals from all walks of life use self storage, from normal families to the world’s most famous celebrities; many people are intrigued by the mystery of what is behind each door. Obviously we like to keep our customers' storage confidential here at Beehive Self Storage, so we have decided to share some of the strangest things found in storage units from around the world:

Rare Cars

In 2009, at a storage garage in the UK a Bugatti 57S was found by the nephew of a reclusive doctor. The car was one of just seventeen made and later sold at auction in Paris for £6 million. Also stored in the UK, was a copy of the famous K.I.T.T, the famous Knight Rider car.

The Million-Dollar Comic Book

After a break in at his home, Nicholas Cage filed a police report that his Action Comic #1 was missing from his home. Over ten years later, it was discovered in an abandoned storage unit and Cage was finally reunited with his prized comic book valued at over a million dollars.

A Treasure Chest

At a storage auction in San Jose, a man paid $1,100 dollars for what he thought was a storage unit full of furniture and boxes. After sorting through his new purchase he found a blue container filled with rare coins plus gold and silver ingots. He made a great return on his investment as his treasure was valued at over half a million dollars.

Michael Jackson’s Unreleased Songs

After purchasing the contents of Michael’s father, Joe Jackson’s storage unit, one lucky buyer found over 250 unreleased songs by the singer some of which were recorded with Tina Turner. As the singer was between contracts when the songs were recorded, no record company had legal claim to the songs which were worth millions of dollars.

Aretha Franklin’s Wardrobe

After a fire in her own home, Franklin apparently began using a storage unit to keep her clothes and hats safe. However, she stopped paying for the unit and her fabulous and famous wardrobe was placed under the hammer for the highest bidder.

As you can see self storage is used for all kinds of items, units have been used as offices, party venues and even used as a home for a woman and her young child for five years. This shows just how imaginative people can be with their own storage and how flexible and adaptable self storage can be for anyone! What is the strangest thing you have ever heard of being placed into storage?

For details of what items are prohibited from storage, speak to one of our advisors at each of our branches or visit our website: www.beehiveselfstorage.co.uk