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Five Low-Cost Ideas for Memorial Day

Memorial day is the day we honor the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice—their lives—protecting the Freedom and liberty of this great nation. There have been many wars over the years, including the great World Wars I and II, and the soldiers who lost their lives from each war is commemorated on this day every passing year. One unique fact about Memorial Day include that it was once called “Decoration Day” because on this day they would honor deceased soldiers by decorating their graves with flowers and American flags. Another unique fact is that Red Poppies are the symbol of remembrance on this day and it is a tradition to wear them.

Enjoying the freedoms of this great nation while remembering the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers on this day can be low-cost! Here are five low-cost ideas to celebrate Memorial Day:

1. Picnic at the local park— The parks will be filled with families enjoying the day outdoors. Some local parks will have activities lined up such as parades and carnival-type of games so check your local city’s plans for the day in the parks and take your family and friends out for the day.

2. BBQ at home— This is the go-to on Memorial Day, BBQ some hotdogs and hamburgers at home and you can put the varying news channels on in the background as you BBQ so you can watch the varying Memorial Day special programs that they air. Usually the President will commemorate Memorial Day and the news channels will cover the ceremony.

3. Celebrate at the Local beach, lake, or River—If you are near any bodies of water, you can stay cool in the heat by celebrating in the local body of water while celebrating aside others who are thinking the same and staying cool in the heat. Going to a beach, lake or river is generally free and if not, cities generally have Memorial Day discounts for entrance. Contact your local parks and recreation department to find out the specials for the day!

4.  Celebrate at the Mall— A lot of malls will have special memorial day celebrations and concert performances from local performers. Checking out what the local malls have planned is low-cost as many of the public performances are free or donations-based.

5. Find a Parade—Many cities and towns host a memorial day parade to honor the fallen soldiers. They are typically free to attend and it is great to support the locals marching in the parade, as well as see the marching bands play live music.

For the best storage in San Diego, CA, SuperStorage San Diego is the perfect location to store all your belongings in self storage in 92105. Staff is friendly and helpful, and they offer all important amenities needed for safe and secure storage. Call Super Storage San Diego today for more information at (619) 262-2828. Or visit the website at (http://www.superstoragesandiego.com/).

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10 EASY WAYS TO REDUCE AND RECYCLE

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Earth Day is Friday April 22, 2016, and in lieu of this green day here are 10 easy ways to reduce, recycle, and reuse:

1. Reusable bags and containers – Use these every chance you can! Shopping, traveling, lunches, picnics, even around the house! The less you use plastic bags, the better it is for the environment.

2. Avoid Single-Serve Items – Many items in the grocery stores are packaged with snack packs or single serve items which leads to excess garbage. Try buying these items in bulk and packaging them in recyclable containers to alleviate excess and unnecessary garbage.

3. Compost Food & Yard Waste— If you don’t have a compost bin, we highly recommend you get one! Many food scraps and yard waste can be tossed into a compost bin in the backyard. This reduces waste in the landfill and yields free, nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden.

4. Go Paperless – There are a lot of options nowadays to go paperless, such as bank statements and other bills. This helps reduce the amount of paper used and ultimately saves our trees.

5. Buy Rechargeable Batteries – The lifespan of one rechargeable battery can equal that of countless regular batteries, and it is better for the environment. When you can, be sure to use rechargeable batteries. Don’t forget, once a battery is no longer working, you can recycle them!

6. Place Recycle Bins Everywhere!— When recycle bins aren’t accessible, people will often toss recyclable items in the trash. Take a few minutes to add a recycling bin where they are most likely to be used. A paper bin in the office, for example, will help recycling efforts tremendously.

7.  Buy Recycled-Content Items— Many food items are packaged with recycled content so that you can use and re-use them. Similar, many consumer items are made of recycled content such as green toys products and moving comfort active wear. Wherever you can, buy items that incorporate recycled materials into their packaging.

8.  Re-use the used—Used items can be re-used or donated. You can re-use empty boxes and containers for storage and unwanted items such as books, clothing, accessories, technology, can be donated to charity or local library.

9. Borrow and Share from Family and Friends— Sometimes if we just reach out to others, we can collectively share items such as tools, sports equipment, tables and chairs, or other items that would need to be rented. Communal sharing helps the environment in the long run.

10. Avoid using Disposable Items—Avoid using disposable items such as plastic and paper plates and instead use regular plates and utensils. The disposable items are manufactured in ways that increase unneeded trash!

For the best storage in San Diego, CA, SuperStorage San Diego is the perfect location to store all your belongings in self storage. Staff is friendly and helpful, and they offer all important amenities needed for safe and secure storage. Call SuperStorage San Diego today for more information at (619) 262-2828. Or visit the website at (http://www.superstoragesandiego.com/).

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Top 10 Spring Cleaning tips for 2016  

Spring is at our doorstep and that means the time has come for Spring Cleaning! Spring Cleaning is that tradition we’ve all grown up with where we spend a week or two extensively cleaning out our homes: pulling everything out of our drawers and tossing what we don’t need, dusting every nook and cranny, shampooing our furniture and carpets, extensively organizing our closets, we’ve all been there! It can be daunting before beginning, but once we all go underway in our Spring Cleaning, we find that we feel re-energized and refreshed!

Here are some great tips that will help you in Spring Cleaning:

1. Clean your Garbage Disposal—This is the one thing people tend to forget in their annual cleanings! You can drop in some household cleaners and run the water and disposal to let it circulate, or for a more natural remedy, put in the lemon squeeze with salt and run the garbage disposal with cold water so that it can work to clear away the residue and eliminate odor.

2.  Degrease the Microwave – Microwave stains that build up are sometimes difficult to get rid of. It’s also hard to let things soak in there so one method outside of regular cleaning agents is to use lemon juice mixed with water and a bit of salt to clean the residue. The acid of the lemon helps to break it down and makes it easier to scrub.

3. Wax On Wax Off –  I heard this from a mechanic  who uses the same method as his house: after you clean your stovetop, put a little bit of car wax and buff it in as it helps with the aesthetic, the coat, and makes future spills easier to clean off.

4.  Lemon & Salt Clears Rust – Lemons and other citruses are natural cleaning agents one effective way to clear rust. Just sprinkle salt and put lemon juice on the rust stain, let it sit and scrub every ten minutes and the acid will tear through the rust. After an hour, rinse and the rust stain should be gone!

5.  Clean the Fridge’s Coils – You know the condenser coils, it’s in the back of the fridge and we all wish we can ignore it but without cleaning it annually, we risk the fridge overheating. Pull out your fridge and use a vacuum or a long dust brush to get all the lint, dust, and muck from behind there in order to preserve the lifespan of your refrigerator!

6.  Bathe your Walls – When periodically cleaning our homes, we tend not to clean our walls. We focus on the floors and surface tops but the walls need a bath at least once a year. There is enough dirt and soot that clings to the walls and a simple sponge with dishwasher detergent can do the trick. Using a sponge mop can make the process go faster while getting at hard-to-reach places.

7. Light Cleaning, pun intended – Even the lights need their spring cleaning! If you use a sponge and all-purpose cleaner agent, or a polish cloth, you can clean the lights and dust off the soot which will help in preserving the integrity of the light in form and luminosity.

8. Microwave your sponge – Every time you need to disinfect your sponge, squeeze out all of the water and place it in the microwave for 1 minute to kill all the germs. This little trick will save you on having to constantly replace your sponge! For the rest of the year, it’s recommended to replace your sponge every month!

9. Clean Out the Coat Closet – One sweater and one light jacket is all you really need in most climates so go ahead and clean out your coat closet and donate whatever you don’t wear to your local Goodwill or homeless shelter!

10. Clean those Ceiling Fan Blades – The ceiling fan blades collect dust very quickly and if they’re not cleaned often, the fan could help spread the dust when on, which can aid in allergies and sinus infections. There are specially designed long-handle dust sweepers and brooms that help with cleaning the fan blades. You could also climb up a step-ladder to hand wash them but make sure to be careful when you and follow all safety precautions!

For the best storage in San Diego, CA, SuperStorage San Diego is the perfect location to store all your belongings in self storage. Staff is friendly and helpful, and they offer all important amenities needed for safe and secure storage. Call SuperStorage San Diego today for more information at (619) 262-2828. Or visit the website at (http://www.superstoragesandiego.com/).

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I’m packing in the rain, just packing in the rain

packing in the rain meme

It’s that rainy season again and sometimes we find that we have to pack or unpack a storage unit under such conditions. Many storage facilities have built-in drains to facilitate the water away from the doors, which is extremely helpful, and here are a few ideas to best help with such a scenario:

**Hand cart, Dolly … Wheel it all at once! A lot of facilities have hand carts and dollies for tenant use, you just have to ask the manager! This helps immensely with moving in rain or shine, but above all when having to move in and out in the rain. Put them all on the dolly or hand carts and cover them when wheeling to and from your vehicle.

** Tarps. Tarps are the best method to completely protect your items from the rain and they are reasonably priced at local hardware stores. Cover up all items before wheeling them out into the rain and they’ll stay dry.

** Rent a unit you can drive up next to, that way you can access the unit during the wet season and not have to worry too largely about getting your items wet. Look for a unit that has drive up access instead of a hallway.

**Cloth / old sheet.  Cover your items with old clothes, old sheets, old towels, anything old that you can use to cover your items and protect them from the rain and water damage!

** Waterproof Plywood sheets.    Placing the waterproof plywood sheets on the ground can help with moving in and out, especially if you can’t have a dolly or a hand cart and you want to make sure that your items do not come in contact with the wet ground.

**Wear Rain clothes/ Warm Clothes.  Wearing appropriate attire is nearly half the battle when loading and unloading in the rain. You don’t want to risk getting soaking wet when loading or unloading a unit!

**Bring an Umbrella Large umbrellas can help cover smaller items as you carry them in and out of the unit, while also keeping you dry!

For the best storage in San Diego, CA, SuperStorage San Diego is the perfect location to store all your belongings in self storage. Staff is friendly and helpful, and they offer all important amenities needed for safe and secure storage. Call SuperStorage San Diego today for more information at (619) 262-2828. Or visit the website at (http://www.superstoragesandiego.com/).

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Vehicle Storage Tips for Winter

While Winter in Southern California may be warmer than what the rest of the nation is experiencing, it is still important to note essentials when storing vehicles in the wintertime. It’s always important to find a dry location to store the vehicle, or at least a location that does not experience high amounts of moisture. Moisture can lead to fungal problems, among other things, that wear and tear on the vehicle.  A simple tip is to always cover the vehicle with a tarp or vehicle-covers to prevent sun damage to exterior and interior. Also putting tire covers helps to prevent dry rot and cracks which commonly occur when a vehicle sits unused for a while.

It’s also highly recommended to change the oil before storage for the fact that oil is chemically stable for an entire year while sitting in the engine. After that, the nature of the oil begins to disintegrate and could cause problems for the engine, which is why if you plan on storing your vehicle in a storage facility for longer than a year to go ahead and fog the engine. Fogging is done by spraying Fogging Oil (found in most hardware stores) into spark plug holes while turning the engine to ensure the oil coat is evenly spread across engine surfaces. This helps to prevent rust, corrosion, and the engine seizing up in storage.

Another essential tip for storing your vehicle for long periods of time is to put fuel stabilizer in the gas tank a day or two before placing the vehicle in storage so that the stabilizer can flow through the entire fuel system which helps in preserving the gasoline. Products such as Seafoam and Sta-Bil will do the trick. It is very important to fill the entire gasoline tank before storage to preserve the tank as condensation of water vapor on any exposed tank walls could lead to oxidation and damage. All fluids, especially anti-freeze, should also be topped up when placing vehicle in storage.

Some individuals suggest on removing their battery when putting their vehicles in storage and leaving the battery on a maintainer at their home to best preserve the battery’s integrity, but of course this is on a case-by-case basis as some vehicles require the battery to stay connected to the car at all times in order to preserve the computer memory and modules. Speaking to a dealership or expert on the car’s make and design would provide the best answer in regards to this.

For the best storage in San Diego, SuperStorage San Diego is the perfect location to store your household items and even vehicle storage. Storage Units as low as $73 per month  and is affordable, safe, and prime in its amenities. For more information, call SuperStorage San Diego at 619-262-2828 or visit the website at (http://www.superstoragesandiego.com/).

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New Year, New Resolution: Storage

2016 brings a new year and with all new years, there are exciting and endless possibilities! The world is our oyster! With the new year comes new resolutions and sticking to the resolutions is definitely a year’s effort!

One common New Year’s resolution is to become more organized at home. This could be remedied by placing unused items into storage. A lot of times we discover that we have important items that we store in our home that are taking up much-needed space, but that we hardly ever use. Family heirlooms are one great example. Another great example is old toys and items from growing children that are too sentimental to part with. Placing these items into self-storage units could free up space in the home to refine the organization.

Self-storage allows for peace of mind because the items are stored safely and can be accessed year-round. And having the extra space in the house will make it feel like your home is bigger. You can Feng Shui your home and make it feel brand new for the new year!

A great tip is that small, closet sized units are very affordable and a great way to store items, including holiday and seasonal items, that are only needed at specific times in the year. SuperStorage San Diego has closet-sized units starting at under $60 per month for convenient and affordable storage. For more information on Storage in San Diego, CA, call Super Storage San Diego at (619) 262-2828. Or visit the website at (http://superstoragesandiego.com/).

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Self Storage Tips

Motel Self-Storage: Keeping Tenants From ‘Checking In’ Permanently

By Amy Campbell featured on ISS (Inside Self-Storage)

This week I came across a lengthy article in the “Sun Sentinel” about people living in self-storage units. This is not something new to those who work in the industry. Most operators have heard tales of tenants taking up residence in a unit or even experienced this site violation themselves.

Living in a self-storage unit is not just illegal, but can be seriously unsafe for the tenant camping out, other customers and the facility’s staff. Operators who look the other way—even out of kindness—are setting themselves up for serious problems and even liability.

To be fair, most operators, including some of the ones quoted in the “Sun Sentinel” article, are likely unaware of the squatters. One of the renters said if “you’re like a ghost, you can maintain for quite a while.” The guy and his “drifter” friends claim they spend their nights at a Public Storage in Lake Worth. I’m betting that storage operator has put an end to that!

Another family featured in the article relayed how they avoided detection. Mom and Dad added the unit lock each night after their adult sons ducked into the unit just before the facility closed. How scary is that? What if there had been a fire, a medical emergency or someone panicked? And they claim they weren’t the only ones hiding out in the dark, sharing how many overnighters took turns washing up in the public restroom during the early morning before the facility opened.

It just proves there are some very clever people who’ve figured out ways to be “like a ghost” and take advantage of the lower-than-a-motel rental rate. Facilities vulnerable to these types include those that have limited office hours, but extended gate hours or 24-hours access. Big facilities can be more susceptible due to their sheer size. It’s easier to be a ghost among 1,000 units versus 400.

The reality is, however, it can happen at any facility. Case in point: Self-Storage Talk member A-team recently shared a “hotel self-storage” story. While doing a routine security check, the manager discovered the lights were on in a hallway. Further investigation revealed the tenant appeared to be sleeping in the unit, had been securing it from the inside, and even brought in a carpet, a queen-sized bed and a mirror. Others have chimed in on the thread with their own squatter stories and how they handled this rental-agreement violation, which has sparked some debate among SST members.

Fortunately, finding a tenant living in a unit is not a regular occurrence. Still, there are proactive steps operators can take to ensure tenants aren’t crashing permanently. The obvious is to be aware of what’s going on at your property. Do you see the same vehicle, person or group at the facility a lot? Does it look like they’re actually moving anything in or out of the unit, or are they simply “hanging out”?

Second, make yourself known. An operator who spends time making the rounds will be seen as a threat to anyone looking to do something wrong—whether it be spending the night, having an affair in the unit, storing something illegal or planning to steal. If your face is known and your eyes are always watching, with the help of a great security system, they’re less likely to think of your facility as an easy target for their misdeeds. Read this ISS article for some great security and safety tips. Also, make it easy for other tenants to report suspicious behavior.

Speaking of video surveillance. If the facility in which all of these people who regularly used the public bathroom every morning had a camera trained on it, they would have been found out quite easily. Cameras also act as great deterrents. If your cameras are few or outdated, it maybe time to upgrade. Check out this ISS article on how to build a superb video surveillance system.

Finally, make sure you have the “no living in a unit” clause boldly stated in your rental agreement, then point it out to new tenants during the rental signing. You might even want to consider putting a line next to this clause and request them to initial it. It might seem extreme but, again, you’re looking to deter this kind of behavior. It’s always better to prevent than to be forced to react after the fact.

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Self Storage Helps Sell Homes

By Paul Reynolds on SelfStorAll

So how can a self storage facility help you sell your house? Do they have some secret well of potential buyers that you just need to know the secret handshake in order to gain access to? Not exactly, but a self storage facility can help make your house ready for sale.

Not everyone can afford to move out until after their home has sold; simple economics don’t allow for it. That can be the problem in selling your home though.

As people go through life, especially when they stay in the same place for a number of years, they tend to gather a lot of stuff. Often it is things that we don’t want to get rid due to sentimental reasons. Even though we may not use whatever it is anymore we hold on to. Those sentimental objects then take up valuable space and make your home look cluttered.

The more cluttered your home is, the smaller it appears to prospective buyers. When people are house hunting space is typically one of the main concerns. If they can’t see the space then they often assume that it must not be there. What you need to do is de-clutter your home and that is where a self storage unit can help.

For a relatively cheap fee (especially when you consider that it will help sell your house), a self storage unit allows you to hold on to all those sentimental objects that you could not part with before. Moving out as many non-essential things as possible will make it easier for you to stage your house in a way that even the smallest spaces can look big.

So if you have been trying to sell your house take a look around at all your stuff and start moving what you don’t need in to a self storage unit!

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Pinterest Favorites: Winter Holiday!

Pinterest Favorites: Winter Holidays!

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Christmas is one holiday that people seem to pull out all the stops for. Decorating, gifts, music, Christmas trees, the whole bit! For a lot of people, the more money you save, the better. DIY projects are a great way to accomplish adorable gifts, decorations and what have you without spending a fortune.

Christmas is a haven for projects, here are a few of our favorite Holiday boards:

These are great DIY boards full of fun ideas to decorate your home:

Fun little make your own Snowman projects:

For those of you with little ones, Santa Sacks!:

Who doesn’t love food? 😉 Here are a few boards for dinner & desert ideas:

Dinner Time:

Desserts & Treats:

Don’t forget to visit our website if you have any questions!

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Winter Storage Tips!

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With the winter season starting to get into full swing, you may want to think about storing all those summertime items in a self storage facility. Here are a few tips to make sure your transition from summer to winter is as seamless as possible:

1. Make sure all your items are in proper working condition before storing. Why? Making sure your belongings work before stashing them away for a few months will prevent you from having to remember about making repairs later down the line. Make life a little easier on yourself in the long run by taking a few extra minutes to make sure everything works properly.

2. Clean all your items before storing them. Cleaning your items and making sure they are completely dry is essential to the upkeep of your belongings. When the temperatures drop, the cold lurks in and any moisture can turn into ice.

3. Any tools that require gas to power them , be sure to empty the tanks! (lawnmowers, weed wackers, etc.)

4. If you plan on storing any clothing, be sure all items are thoroughly washed. Particles and stains left on your clothing can set into several months of storage. Cleaning the clothes also means that insects will be less likely to take up refuge in your sweaters.

Don’t forget to visit our website if you have any questions!