Summer has arrived! The season of sunshine, BBQs and… tripping over puffer jackets in December. If your home has started to feel a little less like a relaxing retreat, but more of an obstacle course designed by a hoarder Santa, you’re not alone.
We spend half the year accumulating all of this bulky gear to survive, or enjoy the cold, but then we hit the warmer months and suddenly, we look around and wonder: where did all of this stuff come from?
The answer isn’t to sit in clutter, that’s a recipe for disaster. The answer is a summer cleanse, which is a lot easier than you might initially expect. Think of self storage as an extension of your home – a secure, climate-controlled closet that’s dedicated to seasonal perfection.
Ready to reclaim your garage, spare room and peace of mind? Let’s dive into the five things you should move to Safeguard Storage right now, in order to enjoy your best summer yet!
1. Bulky Winter Sports Apparel & Equipment
Let’s be honest, those pricey skis and the bulky snowboards are taking up prime real estate. They’re currently acting as an elaborate, expensive coat rack, or perhaps gathering dust at the back of your garage, tempting spiders to make their home inside.
You spent good money on that equipment, don’t let it bake in the summer heat or get scuffed by your mountain bike. Expensive gear deserves respect – moving it to a dedicated storage unit is about preserving your investment. It’s the ideal type of personal storage solution for high-value seasonal items.
Storage Tip: Security is Key
When you store valuable sports equipment, you’re wanting peace of mind. Our storage units feature enhanced security measures like gated access, 24/7 video surveillance and electric fences at select facilities.
Imagine the relief of knowing that your $1,500 ski setup is locked up safe and sound, far away from any opportunistic neighbourhood browsing. Plus, when the winter rolls around again, you can swing by and pick up your gear, then hit the slops without navigating a dusty garage first.
2. Off-Season Gardening & Landscaping Tools
If you’re like most people, your garage currently resembles a dangerous jumble of seasonally out-of-sorts items.
Right now, you need access to the lawnmower, weed-whacker and maybe the beach umbrella. What you probably not want to be tripping over are the leaf blower, winter-specific fertilizers or that that stack of cool-season planter pots.
These cool-season warriors are bulky, heavy and often a little grimy. They’re notorious space hogs that steal precious square footage that could be used setting up a workshop, or perhaps finally fitting your car back inside (a true luxury!)
Using self storage for these cumbersome items is the smart way to get your garage back.
Storage Tip: Drive-Up Access Saves Your Back
When you’re moving items that are heavy, awkwardly shaped or require a lot of muscle (like a large shredder or paving stones), the last thing you want to do is drag them up two flights of stairs.
This is where our drive-up access, local storage units shine. You literally pull your vehicle right up to the storage unit door, unload the machine, lock it up and you’re done. It makes the seasonal switch-over efficient and much less likely to result in a sore back.
3. Excess Business Inventory
This might not apply to every homeowner, but for the growing number of small business owners, entrepreneurs and online retails who run their operations out of a home office or garage, self storage might well be a business necessity.
If you’re juggling boxes of last season’s merchandise while also prepping for the massive holiday/summer rush, your home is under siege. Using a storage unit to house non-current or forward planning inventory is critical for operational efficiency, as well as professional appearance.
Storage Tip: Climate Control For Your Bottom Line
This is the most critical advice for business owners: always choose a climate-controlled unit for inventory. Summer heat and high humidity (especially coastal humidity) are ruthless enemies of merchandise. They can:
- Warp cardboard packaging and product boxes
- Damage electronics, metal components and sensitive materials
- Ruin paper documents, photos and leather goods (hello, mould and mildew!)
If your inventory is worth selling, it’s worth protecting. A climate-controlled storage unit at Safeguard Storage maintains a safe, stable temperature, ensuring your goods look just as pristine as when you retrieve them next season.
Protect your investments, protect your profit!
4. Heavy Winter/Indoor Decor and Heaters
We’ve all been there – the sun is shining, then you realise that two massive plastic bins of winter decorations, those heavy decorative pillows and the bulky fan heater are still occupying half the attic or spare room.
If you have any sentimental or delicate items, they definitely shouldn’t be spending the summer sweating in an unventilated attic, where temperatures can soar past safe limits. This a perfect use case for a personal storage unit.
Our summer cleanse is the perfect time to sort through and label these items. Instead of just tossing them without second thoughts into a corner, take a moment to use sturdy, airtight plastic bins (say no to flimsy cardboard) and label them clearly: “Winter Decor – Lounge”.
Storage Tip: Right-Sizing Your Storage
You don’t need a warehouse to store a few bins. Safeguard Storage offers a variety of unit sizes, including small, affordable storage lockers.
These are ideal for those few key bins of decorations or important papers that just don’t belong in a dusty corner. Searching for a local storage unit that’s offered in various sizes is your way fo ensuring you only pay for the space you truly need. Save money, get the security and protection you actually need.
5. Heavy Furniture and Rugs
Summer is peak travel season, which often means one thing: guests. Whether it’s the extended family staying for a week, or the university students coming home for the break, you need spare rooms to function as actual living and bedroom spaces, not storage overflow.
Perhaps your summer style is more minimalist, and you want to roll up those heavy wool rugs to showcase cooler floors, or make the room feel lighter. Maybe you have a large, bulky desk in the spare room that needs to be moved out to fit a comfortable queen bed. This is exactly why self storage is so useful.
Temporarily moving large, non-essential items to a personal storage unit is the ultimate staging strategy. It allows you to transform a cluttered storage area into a welcoming, spacious guest room in a matter of hours.
When comparing local storage units, remember that having easy access to your items (even if just for a short time) is paramount.
Storage Tip: Proper Preparation and Protection
If you’re storing furniture, use the right techniques to protect it:
- Elevate: Place items on wooden pallets to ensure air can circulate underneath, preventing the risk of moisture build-up.
- Cover: Use light-coloured cotton sheets, or breathable furniture covers – never plastic tarps, which can trap moisture and cause condensation.
- Climate Control: If your furniture is antique, wooden or upholstered, heat and humidity can cause irreparable damage like cracking, warping and dry rot.
Secure Your Summer Potential
The summer cleanse isn’t about getting rid of things that you love; it’s about giving them a safe and secure, climate-stable home so they aren’t cluttering the place you live.
It’s about opening up your home, reducing your stress levels and ensuring that when you do reach for your jandals or beach gear, they’re easy to access – not buried under a mountain of woolen blankets. By moving these five types of items to Safeguard Storage, you’re buying back your home’s usable space.
We offer the best personal storage solutions in your township. Ready to declutter your way to a smooth and less-cramped summer? Visit your nearest Safeguard Storage location or check out our size guide online today, in order to find the perfect unit to start the cleanse!