Everyone is justifiably looking to save a dollar wherever they can. With that in mind, companies are constantly offering different sales, promotions, and discounts to attract your business. Self-storage facilities, in San Diego and elsewhere, are no different. If you have been searching for a storage unit rental lately, you’ve likely noticed a wide range of different discounts being offered. Although some storage companies do steer clear of any promotions, the vast majority participate.

Price reductions and promotions come in all shapes and sizes. Some storage companies merely provide a free lock to new customer, others give a flat dollar amount (maybe $10, $25, or even higher), some give a percentage off of each month (e.g. 10% off your first six months of rent), while a few even give an entire month of free rent.

Big Box Storage is among the more aggressive storage companies in San Diego when it comes to providing discounts. Although we’re eager to earn your business with our staples of convenience and security, we back up all our rental rates with a low price guarantee. Beyond the guarantee, customers often are provided with discounts which differ from month to month. The leading promotion presently be offered (as measured by customer polularity) is a discounted rate of only $1 for the first month’s rent of a Big Box (a savings of $73). While the discount does require a minimum storage term of six months, customers also receive free delivery and pickup (an additional savings of $99). While other companies might offer a similar $1 first month rate, none (at least none in San Diego) also include delivering and picking the storage unit to/from your address for free. We’re confident that after you do your research, you’ll agree that the best option for a storage unit rental in San Diego is Big Box Storage.

Although the vast majority of Big Box Storage customers are residential (homeowners and renters), the company also provides storage rentals to a large number of businesses throughout San Diego. Such businesses range from national grocery chains to local restaurants to small accounting firms. If you’re a business owner, consider some reasons as to why your business could benefit from renting storage space.

Seasonality: Many businesses encounter space issues with supplies, furniture, and/or equipment due to the seasonality of their business. While such items may be in use during a portion of the year, space is needed to store them during the remainder of the year. Storage rentals are ideal for addressing this issue.

Large shipments and packages: Should your business not have the facilities to accept larger shipments, such as those that require a loading dock, Big Box Storage is able offer an ideal solution. Such shipments can be delivered directly to your storage unit at the company’s facility at 7077 Consolidated Way, San Diego, CA 92121.

Cost: Undoubtedly the cost of storage space is far more economical than the cost of retail or office space. Storage rental rates, including that of a “Big Box” rental, are typically 50% or more less than most retail and office lease rates in San Diego.

Security: While the security conditions of each business vary a great deal, few offer the security measures offered by Big Box Storage. These measures include perimeter alarms, exterior gates, on-site personnel, and motion sensor alarms.

As Big Box Storage is a portable storage company, the storage unit can be delivered directly to your business address. At that point, the Big Box can either be left on-site at your location (should you need constant access to it) or it can be picked up for storing within the Big Box Storage facility (where accessibility is also available). Whatever you decide, you’ll be pleased to note that you opted for the most convenient business storage solution in San Diego.

As mentioned in our previous article about piggyback forklifts, the two main components that allow us to offer our portable storage service (other than the Big Box Storage containers) are the piggyback forklift and the storage delivery truck. Since we’ve already discussed the forklift, let’s move onto the Big Box Storage delivery trucks!

We have two storage delivery trucks and International makes both trucks. Although both of our trucks are made International, we have two different models, the International 4300 and the International 4400. Both trucks boast about 350-horse power.

Our trucks are capable of transporting up to five Big Box Storage containers in a single truck. This reduces our back and forth time to our storage warehouse when making deliveries for the day. Otherwise, smaller trucks can only carry 2-4 storage containers and would require us to make additional trips to our warehouse throughout the day (to pick up or drop off containers to make room for more containers on the truck).

One of the reasons we chose the International trucks, is due to their sizes. Other portable storage companies use tractor trailer style trucks, which limits their pick up and drop off areas to main streets or wide-open areas. Our International trucks can deliver to even the tightest streets in San Diego! (e.g the alleys of Mission Beach). Now that’s a true door to door portable storage service!

As mentioned in our previous article, the trucks come fully equipped with a mounting system that allows us to carry our piggyback forklifts. The International trucks are also operated using diesel fuel.

Another feature of the International trucks that caught our attention was that it is relatively quite compared to other trucks that we were evaluating. This was important to us, as we want to minimize as much noise as possible when dropping off and picking up storage containers in residential areas.

So as noted, our portable storage service requires the right combination of a storage container delivery truck and a forklift for loading and unloading the storage containers. The International trucks combined with the Z2-3 piggyback forklifts have served us well over the years and have allowed us to offer an efficient, quiet portable storage delivery service.

Throughout your life, you may find yourself in a position of ‘not having enough space’ for all the things you’ve accumulated. Particularly if you live in a smaller urban dwelling such as an apartment or condo, the need for extra storage space is great. Not everyone can live in a spacious home that has abasement! That’s where Big Box Storaage comes in.

This article will provide you with everything you need to know about how to use a self-storage facility effectively and efficiently.

Research Local Facilities

Before you even begin to think about organizing and packing up your belongings, you should spend some time researching local storage facilities. Your belongings are obviously important to you, otherwise you probably would have gotten rid of them right? So treat them with the care they deserve, by storing them in a reputable and safe storage facility. We’re confident that our San Diego storage facility will have everything you need in a self storage location and more!

Things to Look For in a Facility

Location

Location is important as you’ll want your belongings within fairly close proximity of your home. This will enable you quick and easy access should you realize that you packed away something you actually need. It happens to all of us Ð the minute we decide something can go, we immediately need it again! So choose a facility that is close by for when this inevitability occurs. Keep in mind that Big Box Storage can deliver your storage unit right to you should you require access to any of the items you’ve placed in storage! Of course, accessing your belongins at our facility is an option as well. Check out our San Diego storage service areas.

Size and Price

Sometimes size really does matter…for a self-storage locker of course. Most storage facilities offer a wide variety of locker sizes and prices. It’s a good idea to actually visit potential facilities in person so you’ll have a visual of each locker size. You’ll be able to assess which size you’ll need for all your belongings, and you can get a price list while you’re there.Of course, with Big Box Storage, our portable storage containers can fit a room and half worth of items. Need more storage space? Just fill up another container. It’s that simple!

Security

Security is probably the most important factor you should consider when choosing a storage facility. Your belongings are obviously important to you otherwise you probably wouldn’t be looking for a way to store them in the first place. Let’s look at the ‘must haves’ when it comes to security:

Fire and Smoke Alarms and Detectors

Fire and smoke detectors and alarms are an important tool in protecting your belongings. If a facility does not have these, it should be a major cause for alarm!

Video Surveillance

Choose a facility that offers both on-site and off-site 24/7 video surveillance. Cameras should be aplenty and highly visible. This will give you a sense of safety and security, and will act as a deterrent to would be thieves and vandals.

Motions Sensors and Wireless Door Alarms

These ‘hidden’ protectors will work to protect your belongings 24/7. Working in tandem with other security measures, they will ensure that should someone attempt to breach the security of the facility or your personal unit, the proper authorities will be silently notified.

Digital Keypad Access

Digital keypad access is much safer than old fashioned locks. These keypads can be utilized both at the facility entrance, and to your personal unit. Locks can be cut, but most intruders won’t have the skills necessary to figure out a digital passcode.

Assess Your Belongings

Once you’ve decided on a facility, the next step is to assess your belongings. Decide what to keep, what to donate or recycle, and what to place in the storage unit. A helpful tip for this part of the process is to buy color coded stickers (found in most dollar stores). Assign a color code to each category, then apply the stickers. This will make it easy when it comes time to actually begin moving everything to its new location, be it the trash, recycle bin etc.

Purchase Packing Materials

Don’t make the mistake of using old boxes that have been broken down several times. Your items will potentially be in the storage unit for a long period of time, so the packing materials you choose will be integral in determining how well your belongings will hold up over time. Most storage facilities will offer high quality packing materials at a discount to customers who rent a unit. Ensure you purchase adequate amounts of boxes, packing paper, foam peanuts for fragile items, packing take, and a couple of permanent markers to label the boxes once they’re packed.

At Big Box, we offer a variety of packing supplies to meet your packing and storage needs! Here’s another great article devoted to storage security.

Get Packing!

Once you have all of your items categorized, and your packing materials assembled, it’s time to get packing!

Here are some quick Do’s and Don’ts:

Do:

• Do pack heavier items one item per box, and place the heaviest items on the floor of the storage unit with lighter boxes stacked on top
• Do over-wrap delicate and fragile items Ð there’s no such thing as too much cushion for breakables
• Do label each box descriptively Ð you’ll appreciate this step if you need to go to the unit to find an item
• Do ensure items such as photo albums, important papers etc. are sealed to prevent damage from moisture Ð zip top bags can help with this
• Do check in on your belongings from time to time even if you do not need to retrieve an item. This will enable you to report anything suspicious in or around your unit.

Here’s another article about packing storage containers.

Don’t

• Don’t over-pack boxes Ð you’ll probably be stacking them so be sure they’re not too heavy
• Don’t pack boxes higher than six feet or the stack could tumble, damaging your belongings and possibly causing injury
• Don’t load lightest boxes into the unit first Ð always load the heavy items first, then place the lighter items on top
• Don’t pack any perishable items such as food Ð even the best pest control can fail if you provide an open invitation to mice and rats to come and dine on your belongings!
• Don’t pack flammable or hazardous materials
• Don’t store things like fireworks, car batteries, old cans of paint or anything else that can leak and damage the other items in the unit

Summary

Using a self-storage facility doesn’t have to be a difficult experience. Simply plan ahead, be organized, and your belongings will be safe and secure until the next time you need them!

Spring Cleaning Storage

As winter sets in and the days get shorter, it will seem like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. Winter in general is a time when most of us just want to hibernate due to a lack of energizing vitamin D that we’d normally get from spending time outside in the sun. This can lead to jobsand tasks around the house piling up as we climb into bed earlier on dark chilly nights, and sleep in a long as possible in the morning!

But soon enough, spring will return, and with it will come a sense of energy and wanting to ‘prepare’ our lives and homes for a brighter future. Use the tips below to get a head start on your spring cleaning so that when the warmer weather is finally here, you’ll be one step ahead of the game and will be able to actually enjoy those first warm days!

Time to De-Clutter

One of the main things we do during spring cleaning is to de-clutter. This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing things away Ð it could mean sorting through items and putting them into categories that include trash, donation, recycle and keep. And for all the items we decide to keep, we may not necessarily have room for them.

Best Approach

The first thing to do when beginning spring cleaning, is to set a goal for yourself. Create a list of the different categories as noted above. List which rooms need work, and put them in the order you’ll work on them. Ensure you have all the proper tools such as boxes and packing materials, recycle bins, labels, and cleaning supplies. Additionally, if other family members will be helping you with the spring cleaning project, assign tasks to each of them and provide timelines of when the work should be completed. The more hands on deck the faster the work will be done.

Prepare for Storage

Before you begin the actual project of spring cleaning, you should do an assessment of items you know will need to be stored. These types of items could include the following:

• Winter clothing, footwear and accessories
• Sleds, skis, skates, snow shoes and other winter sports equipment
• Shovels, snow blowers and other snow removal tools
• Winter vehicle items such as snow tires

Many of us use either the basement or the garage to store these types of items, but they can take up a lot of space and tend to look somewhat messy. Why not choose a storage unit instead? This will free up the garage to be used for its original purpose Ð parking your car!

Next, research local storage facilities near your home. This way you’ll be able to start the spring cleaning project by placing items to be stored in the facility, and in turn free up more space for you to work on the rest of the cleaning.

What to Look For in a Storage Facility

There are several factors you should take into consideration when choosing a storage facility. Here are some considerations when evaluating self storage facilities

• Location Ð how far is the storage facility from your home? The closer it is, the easier it will be to access your belongings
• Price Ð many storage facilities will offer special pricing if you choose to rent the unit for a pre- determined amount of time
• Security Ð look for a facility that has multiple security measures in place, including some or all of the following:
• 24 hour video surveillance
• Smoke and fire detectors and alarms
• Keypad access
• Motion sensors
• Locked access gates that you will need a key or card pass to use to open
• Well lit
• Clean

Get Packing!

Once you’ve chosen a storage facility, it’s time to start the project. For most items that will be stored, you’ll need boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap etc. Once all your packing materials are assembled, use the following tips to ensure your goods are packed and stored properly:

• Heavy or large items such as tires, skis etc. do not need to be packed but you may want to cover them with plastic sheeting or moving blankets to keep them dust free
• For larger metal objects such as sleds, a light coating of mineral oil can help prevent rusting and corrosion Ð needless to say ALL items being stored should be thoroughly cleaned and dried before being placed in the storage unit.
• Use clear simple labelling on your boxes so that you’ll be able to find items easily
• Pack boxes lightly so that they’re easy to move. Ensure you fill empty spaces within boxes with packing paper. This will ensure stability and prevent the boxes from collapsing when they’re being stack on top of each other.
• Load the heaviest boxes into the unit first and pack the lightest boxes on top
• Do not pack any combustible chemicals
• Do not pack any perishables such as food Ð this will prevent hungry rodents from eating holes in your boxes

A Job Well Done

Once your storage items are out of the way, you’ll have extra space to complete the spring cleaning project. Having somewhat de-cluttered already by freeing up the space taken by large items now in storage, you’ll be able to reassess the remaining steps you’ll need to complete your spring cleaning.

You’ll be glad for a job well done, and come next winter, all your winter items will be safe, dry and ready for use just a short drive away at your storage locker!

How to Store a Record Collection
As we move further and further into the digital age, with music now coming in the form of CDs, MP3s and other digital formats, it may be time to pack up our old fashioned record collections and store them away.

Many of us probably collected good old fashioned vinyl records when we were kids and teenagers, and continued to grow the collection as we turned into adults. For a variety of reasons, we’ve hung onto these collections, not wanting to say good bye to them. For some, it’s simply a matter of sentimentality. For others, they know that one day, that record collection that’s merely taking up space at this point, will one day be worth a pretty penny. Either way, vinyl records should be cherished as keepsakes since it is unlikely that we will return to making records this way in the future.

So how does one go about storing a collection of vinyl records so that they lose neither their sentimental nor financial value, but no longer take up space in the home?

Proper Preparation and Handling Before You Store
In order to prolong the life of your vinyl records, no matter where you store them, the following steps should always be taken:

• Records should be cleaned after each use. Using distilled water and a soft lint free cloth, gently rub the records in a circular motion to remove dust and other particles. Alternately, you can place the record on the turntable and clean it using a disc cleaning brush. If you’re a serious vinyl aficionado, you can purchase a special little vacuum made just for cleaning records.
• Records should be stored in the original paper sleeve and/or cardboard covers. This will prevent scratching and warping. If you don’t have the original sleeve, you can probably purchase them online by simply searching Ebay or Amazon or your favorite online shopping site.
• Always keep the records in an upright position like you would books. Never stack records one on top of the other Рeven a small amount of heat will cause the entire stack to warp. Plastic milk cartons work as perfect storage for a record collection.
• Try to keep your record collection away from heat and moisture. Places like the basement or attic are no advisable as these areas of a home generally tent to have air that is either very warm or very cold and damp.

Choosing a Storage Facility
Before you prepare your record collection for storage, you’ll need to research and decide upon a local storage facility that meets your needs in terms of sizes, prices, location etc.
Important factors to consider when choosing a storage facility include the following:
• Is the facility close to home?
• Do they or have they had other customers who have successfully stored a vinyl record collection?
• Do they offer a unit that is will comfortably house your record collection, without having an excess of space?
• Is the facility climate controlled? You’ll want to store your record collection between 7 and 10 Celsius for optimum preservation.
• Does the facility have adequate security in place? This should include the following:
• A well-lit fenced facility
• A security gate that requires a keypad code to access
• Digital 24/7 video monitoring
• Onsite security guards
• Motion sensors
• Fire and smoke detectors and alarms

Prepare Your Collection
On the day you plan to move your record collection to storage, there are several things you should do to ensure they are packed and stored safely:
1. Contact the storage facility and have them set the temperature in the unit to between 7 and 10 Celsius. This will give the unit time to reach an optimal temperature before you place your record collection inside.
2. Check each record to ensure it is clean and dust free. If not, follow the steps listed above to clean each record before storage.
3. Ensure each record is in its paper and cardboard sleeve.
4. Place your records into the plastic milk crates or other boxes in an upright position. Ensure they are packed snugly (but not jammed in). A snug fit will ensure stability on both sides of each record.
5. Place the crates or boxes on metal shelves. Wooden shelves could possibly expand or contract which would lead to warping.
6. If there is no shelving available and the records are in plastic milk crates, it will be find to stack the crates one on top of another, however, if the records are stored in cardboard boxes, they should never be stacked.

Summary
Taking time to carefully pack and preserve your vinyl record collection can be a rewarding experience in many ways. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your much cherished collection is safe and secure. And should you decide to take your collection out of storage and sell it, perhaps on Ebay, you’ll know that your collection is in the best possible collection!

If you’re also storing your record player, you should check out our other article about storing electronics and if we are lucky enough to earn your business, here’s some tips for loading up a Big Box Storage unit

Big Box Storage is proud to be a main sponsor of ‘Can Diego!’

Can Diego is a food drive event organized by FM 94/9. The aim of Can Diego, is to collect non-perishable food items to help those in need, in the San Diego area.

The event is currently underway at the Dave & Buster’s located at 2931 Camino Del Rio North San Diego, CA 92108 .

FM 94/9 is also giving away hourly prizes and a $500 Visa Gift Card!

It’s only a 28 and 1/2hour event, so hurry down to make your donations and help those in need.

Here’s a list of the most needed food items:
Most needed food items:
o canned meats (tuna, ham, chicken)
o canned soup
o canned or dried fruits
o canned vegetables
o dried beans, rice & cereal
o peanut butter
o powdered milk
o packaged nuts and seeds
o dried pasta
For complete event details, click here: http://www.fm949sd.com/Event/Details.aspx?ID=433760