Month: April 2015

Spiders and bugs and mice…oh my! Nobody likes these unwelcome visitors in their home. The same goes for your storage unit. Keeping them out of your home is pretty easy; you can have the exterminator come on a regular schedule, you can put traps out and even get a pet cat or two to do some hunting for you. But, you are probably wondering how you can keep the out of your storage unit. You certainly can’t keep a cat in there! Don’t worry; we are here to help!

There are several steps you can take to greatly reduce the likelihood of having these pests in your storage unit:

• First of all, be proactive when you are packing your items to take to the storage unit. Plastic containers with lids that seal tightly are a good idea. Mice cannot chew through them, and they are great for stacking.
• Never pack food items. For one thing, it violates  the terms of the rental agreement you signed with Harrisburg Self Storage. For another, that is just a bad idea – you may as well put it on a plate with a napkin and a sign that says, “Hey mice, this is for you. Come and get it!”
• Wrap your sofa, chairs and mattresses in plastic. That way, if one of those critters does decide to visit your unit, it will be walking on the plastic and not all over your furniture. In case you didn’t know this, as mice walk they leave a trail of urine everywhere they go…pretty nasty!
• When you are loading your items into the moving truck, be sure you are not taking any unwelcome passengers along for the trip. Give your boxes, totes, furniture and appliances a really good once over and make sure they are free of critters.

Now that the truck is loaded and ready to go, take the time to gather a few weapons that will help you deter spiders, bugs and mice from your storage unit. You can grab some bug spray, mousetraps or poison. Or you can grab some peppermint oil, a spray bottle and cotton balls. You can spray the cotton balls with the peppermint oil and stick them inside drawers, boxes and so on to keep the critters away while your stuff is in storage.

Great job preparing ahead of time! Now that you have been proactive in the packing of your items, the loading of the truck and packing your weapons of choice to deter spiders, bugs and mice, what should you do when you arrive at your storage unit?

First thing you should do when you arrive at your storage unit is open the door and look inside. Make sure the unit is swept. Look around the walls and door to see if there is any evidence of rodent or spider activity. The storage unit should be clean and ready for you to move your stuff right in.

Before you place anything inside the unit, get your weapons ready:

• You can spray the walls, floor and ceiling of the unit with the bug spray to give it a good barrier right from the start.
• Place mouse bait or traps inside the unit, near the door and also in the back corner if you have a large unit. If you choose this method, you will need to stop back at your unit regularly and check the traps for any mice you may have caught and empty them (yuck).
• Another option would be the peppermint oil. Peppermint oil is a natural deterrent to mice and spiders and will make your unit and items smell much nicer then mothballs. To use peppermint oil, take the peppermint oil and place a few drops of the oil on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball at any hole or crack that you think a mouse could enter the unit. You should also place the peppermint oil cotton balls right inside the door on the left and right side. For the spiders, take your spray bottle and fill it with two teaspoons of peppermint oil and one cup of water. Replace the spray bottle lid and shake. Spray along the bottom of the walls, along the sides and the back. After you have everything inside the unit, spray the front of the unit before you close the door. Mice and spiders will steer clear of your unit because they do not like the smell of peppermint. You can repeat this process as the seasons change to keep it most effective.
• You can also choose our third-party insurance policy for as little as $9.00 per month. This coverage offers rodent protection, as well as protection for many other events, just in case those pesky critters still make it in. Adding this coverage will keep you worry free about the items in your storage unit. Please see the property manager for full details.

As you can see, these are some really easy and inexpensive ways to keep out all the creepy crawlies.

As an added layer of protection, we have an exterminator visit our locations on a regular schedule year-round to spray around the building exteriors and inside the hallways. We also keep bait boxes around to catch any mice that still wonder onto the property. If we both do our part, we can keep spiders, bugs and mice out of your storage unit. The last thing you want is to find a nest of mice inside grandma’s antique velvet couch!

If you need a storage unit and you are ready to tackle these tips right away, stop in our rental office or give us a call. You can also reserve a unit or contact us for more information.

Instead of letting these “worldly possessions” collect dust and clutter your storage unit, why not get creative? How about turning them into something useful? Something that now has even greater sentimental value because you brought it back to life. Get creative, get your artistic juices flowing and get to work!

You know that old wooden spindle chair with the ugly brown stain? Make it ugly no more! Use some paint thinner, a rag to remove the stain and a can of brightly colored paint to rejuvenate it. Now you can transform it into an awesome antique display piece in the corner of your child’s room, on your covered porch or even in your kitchen. You can do it all yourself or make it a family fun project with your kids. Let them help you pick out the paint color, especially if it is for their room. You can even let them add decals or painted handprints to personalize it. This is a project they won’t soon forget, and the chair will be cherished even as they grow older. That old ugly chair has now become a family heirloom (which it may have been already) that everyone wants for themselves!

So, what about that old canvas painting taking up space in the back of your unit? Bring it home, too! Everyone has those partial cans of paint in the garage or basement that have been sitting there for who knows how long and who even knows why you kept them. Give that old canvas painting a nice coat of white paint to get started, and let it dry overnight. Then, give your child a rainy day project to paint a new picture onto that canvas! They can hang it in their room to showcase their artistic talents, or they can give it away as a gift to a close family friend or relative. That sounds like so much fun, doesn’t it? And, it’s way better than just posting something on the fridge for a few weeks.

Have a couple old and ugly lamps sitting in storage? Ones that still work just fine but you wouldn’t be caught dead with them in your house? We can change that! You can easily paint the lamp base to match any décor, and purchase some new lamp shades. They will be just like new lamps but at a fraction of the cost. This idea works well when the kids are going off to college and need things like lamps for their dorm or apartment but you don’t want to drop tons of money when they could very well break them (you know some kids are just clumsy) or they leave them there over the summer and they get tossed (most kids are forgetful or just don’t think about things like bringing home a lamp). At least if that does happen, you are only out a few dollars.

Maybe you have some milk crates to hold those really important things like dried up cans of paint, old magazines and that one roller skate that has been missing its mate for the last six years…seriously, throw that lone skate out! Geez… Toss that junk inside of them and breathe new life into them! Give them a good coating or two of spray paint, in whatever color you choose. You can then stack them in the corner of the kids’ rooms for toys and puzzles, the game room for board games and extra controllers for the PS4, or in the garage or basement for extra shelving. They are typically very sturdy and can hold quite a bit of weight easily without bending or breaking.

So, when you think about all of “that stuff” in your storage unit, attic or basement, pause for a moment. What can you do with it to make it shine again? Can you fix it up easily and for little cost? Will the kids want to help you with some projects? I am sure a lot of it has some potential that you may not have thought about before. Spring time is the best time to tackle projects like this – it is the perfect time to renew, refresh and revitalize!

Do you have some fun tips and projects that you created out of “that stuff”? Share them with us! You can leave your ideas in the comments below and we can share them with our customers.

If you are doing a little cleaning out of “that stuff” on your own and need somewhere to put all of it, contact us today! We can help with all your storage needs and help keep those sentimental items safe until you decide what to do with them. If you know you need a storage unit, you can reserve one now. You can also stop in and talk to our friendly property manager who will help you find the best storage unit to suit your needs.

Ah, home sweet home. The movers have gone, the kids’ beds are put together, the dishes are all stacked in the cupboards and fresh towels are hanging in the bathroom. All that’s left to do is throw away all that packing paper piled up in the corner from all those boxes…oh, the many, many boxes. Or, maybe not!

There are plenty of ways to reuse, recycle or re-purpose that packing paper and clean newsprint. Grab one of those leftover boxes, then grab all that paper and fold it up neatly. You’re going to want to save as much as you can to try some (and maybe all?) of these fun ideas!

For the Kids…

• Large pieces can be used as a protective tablecloth during arts and crafts time. They can get as much glue on there as they want, who cares! At least it’s not on your brand new bamboo dining room table.
• Craft paper for your kids to draw or paint on. Let’s face it, kids love to draw and color on everything. Get creative – tape some large pieces to their bedroom walls and give them some crayons to go crazy with! You may want to monitor them a bit so they don’t start drawing on the wall if the paper rips.
• Back to school book covers your tween can doodle all over. Remember the good ole’ days of saving your brown paper grocery bags to make your custom book covers? Same idea here, but you will probably have enough packing paper left over so they can make a new cover every week!
• Use it as wrapping paper and let your kids decorate it with crayons, markers or stickers. Let’s face it; grandma and grandpa want those hand-made gifts from the grandkids, even the ones crafted from popsicle sticks and clothespins. Now, just think how happy they will be if the grandkids also custom decorate the wrapping paper! Can you say Kodak moment?
• Cut a strip of cardboard from a cereal box (or one of the many moving boxes you have left over) and cover it in packing paper. A quick bookmark your kids can personalize! Make it fancy by punching a hole in the top to add a pretty ribbon or cord.
• Make a countdown garland for a birthday, holiday, vacation or the last day of school. Each day they can write on the paper what they did or why they deserve that awesome new bike.
• Party hats your little guests can decorate themselves. What kid would turn away the chance to personalize a party hat to wear all evening? So much better than the cheap ones from the party store.
• Chinese paper Yo-Yos! All you need is a straw, lollipop stick or pencil along with some glue, packing paper and some markers or crayons to decorate. You can find several patterns online if you need help.
• Make clothes for paper dolls. Your budding designer will have a blast decorating his or her own fashion line!
• Two words – Paper Mache. You can make dolls, little boxes to store things and even a piñata if you are really inspired.
• Paper snowflakes – way better than the real ones if you ask me!
• Paper beads for necklaces, bracelets or garlands. This one may be a little more difficult, but with all the paper you have leftover you can surely make plenty of mistakes and not run out of supplies.
• Weave your own basket to store treasures and trinkets. This one is more for the older kids, but could be a lot of fun.

For the Grown-Ups…

• Wrap recycled tin cans to store pencils, pens, and scissors. (This is a great craft for the kids, too!)
• Make a wreath for the front door of your new home. These are so popular right now when made from fabrics, so why not try it out of paper?
• Sewing patterns. You need durable thin paper when making patterns, so packing paper would be ideal.
• Make personalized envelopes for giving gift cards.
• Design some custom gift tags. Decorate with markers or paint and punch a hole in one side for a string or ribbon. You can even cut them out into cool shapes to give the tag some more pizzazz.
• Giving a bottle of wine as a gift? Wrap it up and add a colorful bow or ribbon! A simple line art design would be perfect.

For the Home…

• Line pantry or linen closet shelves. Who needs that expensive tack paper?
• Line dresser or cabinet drawers. You can easily swap it out every couple of weeks or months to keep dust and dirt to a minimum with very little effort.
• Cut into a pile of notepad sized pieces and use them for grocery, chore and to do lists. You can even staple little packs together to keep in your purse, or write special notes for your kids’ lunch boxes.

For the Great Outdoors…

• Crumpled newsprint makes great kindling to get a warm fire started.
• Add a few sheets to your compost pile. Most packing paper is free of ink and dyes, and will biodegrade nicely.
• A thick layer under mulch can help control weeds in your flower beds. Way cheaper than buying that fabric week liner that just tears anyway. Packing paper won’t hurt the environment and simply break down over time from the elements.
• Wrap a few layers around the flower pots you leave outside in winter to insulate them.

Run a few sheets through your paper shredder…

• Instant holiday confetti! You can even decorate the paper before you shred it so it looks more festive.
• Use it to pack fragile items for shipping. After you shred it, simply crumple it up and it works just as well as those annoying packing peanut that get everywhere!
• Store breakable holiday ornaments. Crumple the shredded paper and use to insulate delicate ornaments inside the boxes.
• Use as filler for gift baskets. The brown crumpled paper strips work great for country and modern looks.
• Fill the kids’ Easter baskets with homemade shred instead of buying that awful plastic stuff. And, if your dog or cat eats a piece or two, there’s no rushing to the vet!

I bet when you read the headline for this story you never thought there could be so much to do with some used packing paper! Have you reused your packing paper in interesting and creative ways? Tell us how in the comments below – we would love to hear about it!

And, if this story got you so excited for some quality craft time, but you are fresh out of packing paper, be sure to stop in to see us and pick up a roll today! It is inexpensive and easy to work with…come on, who says it’s only for packing?