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
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 ...
Spring is the perfect time to tidy up your space and eliminate the clutter that’s been piling up all winter. We know this can be a daunting task, but you will be surprised at how quickly you can move through your spring cleaning once you have a manageable plan and utilize a storage unit to help you out. Here are a few tips to get you started. 1. Give Yourself Time Rather than trying to squeeze the whole spring cleaning project into only a few hours' time, plan to spend a weekend (or two) focused on cleaning so you can take your time and feel less stressed. Start with one room and move on to the next until the project is complete. 2. Start by Decluttering Creating space by throwing out old items, donating things you no longer use, and recycling whatever you can is a great way to build momentum for your spring cleaning project. If you have a hard time parting with objects around the house, use the one-year rule: If it hasn’t been used in a year, get rid of it. Donate clothing, kitchen items, and toys to your local thrift store or charity. Throw away anything with holes or broken parts. 3. Go Through the Junk Drawer Whenever I do my spring cleaning, I like to start at the shallow end, focusing on the smallest area first: the junk drawer. Everyone has that one drawer (usually the random, awkwardly placed drawer in the kitchen) they toss all the miscellaneous items into. It’s a great place to store things out of sight when you’re expecting company, but it can get out of hand. Dump out the contents of your junk drawer on the table or floor and pick through it, applying the one-year rule to decide what you should dispose of. 4. Tackle Those Overlooked Areas It’s time to take notice of those often overlooked surfaces that have been gathering dust and grime all year. Start from the top, knocking the cobwebs from the ceiling ...
—March 5th, 2023
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
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 ...
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When Do I Need a Climate Controlled Storage Unit? Storage units can come in handy when it comes to storing plenty of your belongings. However, not all storage units are made equal. For example, some units are climate-controlled. Before choosing to put your items into self storage, it’s smart to evaluate if you’ll need a climate-controlled storage unit. Here are some situations that require a climate-controlled storage unit! 1. Consider the Climate of Your Area While you may not be planning to store items that are necessarily susceptible to the elements, if your area is prone to experience extreme, heat, cold, or humidity, it might be smart to use a climate-controlled unit, especially when storing your items for an extended period of time. 2. When You Have Electronics If you have plenty of electronics you will want to make sure to have a climate-controlled unit to keep them safe. 3. Certain Clothing Items In general, a climate-controlled unit is a smart option for clothing items to protect from the weather as well as pests. This is especially true when it comes to material such as leather or a very particular item like a wedding dress. 4. Perishables and Wine Although it’s generally not recommended to keep perishables like food, sometimes people opt to store items like canned food and grains. If you do decide to store perishables you will definitely want a climate-controlled storage unit. Additionally, wine almost always calls for climate-controlled units. 5. Crucial Items Items such as important documents, antiques, photographs, and collectibles should always be stored in a climate-controlled environment. For optimal results, it’s recommended to use a service like Granite Mountain Storage. Get in Touch with Granite Mountain Storage Today When considering self storage it’s important to evaluate if you could benefit from climate controlled storage units. Some examples include storing crucial items, perishables, clothing, and electronics. For the best results, you should use Granite Mountain Storage. Contact them today to get started! ...
Micah HarmanMarch 10th, 2022
The Top Tips for Storing Items for the Long Term Sometimes it’s best to put items into self storage for a long period of time. Whether for the summer or winter season, several months before you transition into a new home, or even years or indefinitely, storage units can alleviate some stress. However, there are a few tips you will want to utilize when storing items for the long term. 1. Decide What to Store and Make a List Your first step should be deciding what to store. To save on space, go through all your items and see if there’s anything you no longer need. Once you’re preparing for storage, go ahead and write a list of all your items. You can even add details such as their current conditions or even take pictures. 2. Pack Properly Make sure all your items are packed in sturdy containers or packing boxes. While you can take a quick trip to the grocery store for extra cardboard boxes, for long-time storage it’s recommended to use professional storage boxes or containers. 3. Purchase Insurance When putting your items into storage for long term, it’s recommended you buy insurance. Sometimes you can purchase insurance when renting a unit as a whole. If this isn’t the case then at least purchase insurance for high-value items such as vehicles or appliances. 4. Have Someone Check on Your Belongings If you’re unable to check on your belongings yourself, you can have a friend or family member check on your items from time to time to make sure everything is fine. 5. Use the Right Storage Service Lastly, you will want to make sure that you use the right storage service. Services like Granite Mountain Storage offer units that are climate controlled. Get in Touch with Granite Mountain Storage Today For storing items long term, you will want to make a list, take out insurance, pack properly, have someone check on your belongings, and use the right storage service such as Granite Mountain ...
Micah HarmanFebruary 10th, 2022
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Micah HarmanJuly 13th, 2021
Moving is a stressful ordeal and often involves storing your possessions for a period of time. Even if you’re not storing your valuables these tips will make moving a little easier, a lot more organized and less stressful. 1. Plan ahead! Don’t wait until the last minute to pack. Start early and pack one box a day in each room. This will help you stay organized and give you plenty of time to label and color code boxes. 2. As you prepare your house for the market, box up unused and unnecessary items like knick knacks and clutter from counters and surfaces. Store your boxes and unnecessary furniture in a secure storage unit. This will help make your home show-ready and feel open, increasing the chance of selling quickly, for more money. 3. Announce your move and share your new address with a card to your friends and family. 4. Make a map of rooms and layout where furniture and boxes go. Keep this with your color code sheet and use it to guide and reduce stress on moving day. 5. Take picture of connections on computers, TVs and wifi routers to guide you as you reconnect in your new home. 6. Don’t pay to move or store what you don’t need. Have a yard sale to de-clutter. Put the proceeds toward storing what you do need. 7. Use small boxes for heavy items like books and big boxes for light bulky items like blankets. 8. Designate an area (i.e. room, closet or out-of-the-way wall) to store boxes as you pack. As boxes are filled, put heavier boxes on the bottom and lighter boxes on top. 9. Write the room or location of each box on the sides not the top. Now you know what is in the box without unstacking them. A list of contents will help account for everything and reduce time searching for items. 10. Color coordinate moving boxes by room or contents with color ...
The last thing you want as you prepare to move is more frustration. Finding a safe and secure place near you to store your valuable belongings is often at the bottom of your list of delightful fun during these stressful times. Granite Mountain Storage is dedicated to providing you the smoothest, easiest experience possible. We’re here to help and we’re coming to your rescue with these 5 reasons why storing at Granite is the right thing to do. 1. State-of-the-Art Security: Our 32 surveillance cameras (4 times more than most other self-storage facilities) cover entire facility in high definition. All of our exterior doors on our interior storage units have alarms alerting our on-site security monitoring system each time a door is opened. Unique PIN coded access gates keep everyone but our tenants our and your possessions safe within. We offer 24 hour access to our Ultra High Security units. 2. Top-of-the-Line Temperature Controlled Units: Beautifully designed and constructed to the highest standards of safety, security, permanence and quality, our temperature controlled units keep the temperature comfortable to protect your valuables against extreme temperatures. 3. Convenience: The latest technology allows you to manage your account on line. We have everything you need to properly and safely organize and store your belongings and our everyday low price for locks, boxes, bubble wrap and tape make your storage experience a breeze. We’re close to you so you can keep your belongs near and accessible and we offer extended hours so you can access your unit when it is convenient for you. 4. Money-Saving Referral Program: Our new customer specials make it affordable to move in and to thank you for your loyalty, we give account credit for each referral you give us. We also give the new customer a discount. When you rent, you’ll receive a set of referral cards. 5. We’re Experts in Business Storage: We have the experience and solutions to solve any ...