We’ve talked before about the benefits of climate-controlled self-storage in Lawton, Oklahoma. Here in Oklahoma, we experience pretty much the full range of weather—from hot summers to cold winters and everything in between. But no matter where you live, chances are you could benefit from climate-controlled self-storage. After all, pretty much every place on Earth experiences fluctuations in temperature and humidity that can damage sensitive materials like wood, paper, art, and antiques, to name just a few. Whether you live in a rainforest or a desert, the weather changes everywhere, and that can be bad news for your valuables.
So unless you’re planning to stick great-grandma’s late-17th Century Spanish walnut bedroom set in a storage locker on the moon—where there’s no atmosphere—you’ll need to look into climate-controlled self-storage. In fact, about the only way to avoid needing climate-controlled self-storage for valuables that are sensitive to extremes of heat, cold, or humidity is to store your belongings somewhere in space.
That painting you bought on your honeymoon would probably be okay in a non-climate-controlled unit on Mars, where the atmosphere is considerably thinner than on Earth, although you might run into trouble with temperatures. While Martian summers aren’t too bad, with highs around 70 degrees, Martian nights can dip down as low as 220 degrees below zero during the long polar winters. Not only that, but you’d need to invest in a really good dust cover or drop cloth to keep off all that red Martian dust.
When you need to store your old business records, you could try Mercury, which has an atmosphere that’s even thinner than the one on Mars, consisting mostly of helium. You’d definitely need a storage unit that was heat proof, though, as days on Mercury can get as hot as 800 degrees Fahrenheit!
So even if you did want to store your latest art project in outer space, you’d still have a lot of logistical issues to contend with. And that’s not even taking into account the fact that it costs around $10,000 to put a single pound of anything into low Earth orbit. Plus, talk about inconvenient! The Apollo missions took about three days to travel the more than 200,000 miles to the Moon. Travel time to Mars varies from 150 to 300 days. Imagine having to wait that long every time you needed to get something out of storage!
At the end of the day, it’s easier—and definitely cheaper!—to just store your collection of rare first editions in climate-controlled self-storage in Lawton, Oklahoma from Storage ‘R’ Us. Whether you’re storing books, files, artwork, antique furniture, or anything else that needs special care and protection (And insurance!), we’ve got the climate-controlled self-storage solution that’s right for you! So give us a call or drop by and chat with one of our self-storage experts, and let us help you start storing your most precious belongings today!
Camping can be a lot of fun for the whole family, and is a mainstay of Boy Scout events across the country. But camping involves a lot of bulky equipment that really only gets used a few days at a time, for just a few months out of the year. If you’re dealing with a bunch of boys in a Boy Scout troop—or a big family—you need someplace to put all those sleeping bags, tents, camp chairs, and other equipment when they’re not in use.
When we think of camping, we usually think of tents, sleeping bags, a crackling fire, maybe some sharpened sticks for roasting marshmallows. But there’s a lot more that gets packed for a well-planned camping trip. Besides your tents and sleeping bags, you’ll need stakes, a tarp or ground cloth to go under the tent, an axe or hammer for driving the stakes, and a cover in case it rains. And of course, you’ll probably also want pillows and possibly extra blankets, not to mention all the other stuff that you’ll need for a camping trip, including changes of clothes, food and water, cooking utensils, toiletries, a first aid kit, bug spray, sunscreen… the list goes on.
It’s great to have quality camping amenities, but when it comes time to store them, that’s another matter altogether. Though they may fold up nicely, tents are still pretty big items, and a rolled-up sleeping bag takes up a lot of space. For some people, “roughing it” may be a lot less rough if you can also take along mattress pads or air mattresses to make your tent a little more comfortable, but those take up quite a bit of space as well.
Many people dedicate a portion of their garage, basement, or attic to storing camping gear, but that eats up some valuable real estate in your house that could be used to store items that are accessed more often. Meanwhile, Boy Scout troops often rely on either a troop leader to store their camping supplies, or some sort of public space such as a neighborhood church basement. But that’s not always a feasible option. So, whether you’re a camping enthusiast yourself, or part of a Boy Scout troop, or if your family just likes to take the occasional outdoor excursion, self-storage for camping supplies may be the perfect solution for all your storage needs!
With Storage ‘R’ Us, your camping supplies will be safe, dry, and accessible all year round, so that you can simply pick them up whenever you need them without having to move a bunch of stuff out of the way before you can start on your weekend camping excursion. And for Boy Scout troops and other organizations, self-storage can provide a cost-effective solution to storing a lot of equipment. Multiple troops can even go in together to share space, saving money and increasing convenience for everybody!
These days, home-based businesses of all stripes are becoming increasingly popular. There are a lot of reasons for that, but one of them is the continued success of the home party business model. The home party business has been around since at least the 1950s. Even if you don’t remember Tupperware parties, chances are you’re familiar with one of the countless other businesses that have benefitted from the home party model. From cosmetics and candles to home décor, customizable jewelry, knives, scrapbooking supplies, and even wine, it seems like there’s a home party business opportunity for just about everybody.
Still not sure exactly what a home party business is? Basically, it’s a direct sales business built around a bunch of people getting together—usually in someone’s home, hence the name—to have some snacks and drinks, chat, and try out samples of some product, whether it’s cosmetics or comestibles. These home parties are a great sales opportunity for the vendor, and a chance to “try before you buy” for the consumer, which may explain why they seem to be growing in popularity, even in the Internet age. While we may be able to buy just about anything we want with the click of a button these days, it’s hard to smell perfume or try on a shirt via Amazon.
Some of the leading home-based direct sales businesses include recognizable names like Avon, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tupperware, and Amway, as well as more recent additions to the home party field such as Scentsy, Origami Owl, and many others. Home party businesses give you an opportunity to be your own boss, without a lot of the expense or overhead that comes with starting a business, but of course, if you’re going to be selling candles or cosmetics or kitchen utensils, you’re going to need a place to keep them all.
Many of these home party businesses require that you keep a lot of inventory on hand in order to be successful. After all, nobody can smell your candles or try out your kitchen utensils if you don’t have them around. So if you plan to sell a lot, you’ll need a way to keep your inventory neat, tidy, organized, and easy to access. That means a space that’s out of the way, but also accessible when you need it. Fortunately, when it comes to safe, clean, accessible spaces, you need to look no further than self-storage for your home-based business!
Self-storage from Storage ‘R’ Us is a lifesaver for home party businesses—or any other home-based business, especially ones where you handle fulfillment. A self-storage unit not only gives you a secure space to store inventory, but is also a perfect place to stage shipments or assemble packages for delivery. So whether you’re just starting out in your own home party business, or you’ve been selling for years, self-storage can help you to find the perfect solution for all your inventory and staging needs. Give our storage experts a call or stop by one of our convenient locations today to learn more about how self-storage from Storage ‘R’ Us can benefit your business!
Every year, we all make a lot of well-meaning New Year’s Resolutions. Maybe we’re going to lose weight, eat better, save more money, go back to school, get a new job. Sometimes we stick with those resolutions, and other times we learn that maybe our eyes were bigger than our stomachs when it comes to willpower. But there’s one popular resolution that self-storage in Oklahoma can help with today!
All of us lead busy lives, and it’s easy for things to build up. Our houses get cluttered, and we tell ourselves that we’ll take care of it next week or next month, but by then the job has gotten bigger, and bigger, and bigger. For most of us, there’s probably a place where things pile up as we plan to get to them and just don’t manage it. If you made a New Year’s Resolution to reduce clutter in 2016, you’ll be happy to know that you’ve got a partner in Storage ‘R’ Us!
Self-storage can be a lifesaver when it comes to reducing clutter in your home, garage, attic, or basement. Not only does self-storage get your stuff out of the way while still keeping it accessible—it also gives you a space that’s easy to organize. And if you have questions, our helpful on-site storage specialists are happy to give you free advice on the best ways to make good use of your storage space, from handy self-storage tips to our self-storage calculator to figure out what storage solution is right for you.
Different people use self-storage units in Oklahoma for all sorts of different needs. For some people, self-storage is for seasonal items like holiday decorations, sports equipment, or camping gear. For others, self-storage is a place to keep hobby items out of the way, or to help run a home-based business. These days, many people are downsizing, and trends like tiny homes are sweeping the nation. A recent bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, suggests a simple-seeming method of de-cluttering your life: If it doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it.
But we may not always be able or willing to get rid of everything that’s taking up space in our houses. Maybe there are plenty of things that bring us joy that we need only part of the time, or for part of the year, but that we just don’t have room for. For many families, kids are going off to college, which often leads to downsizing to a smaller house, or simply to restructuring lifestyles. Those kids may leave behind stuff that they’ll want down the road, but that there’s just not space for in their dorm room or your newly downsized home. In those and many other cases, self-storage can be a safe, affordable, and convenient solution.
Self-storage in Moore from Storage ‘R’ Us can help you to reduce clutter in 2016, while still keeping the things you want secure and accessible all year round. So give us a call or drop by and chat with one of our experience self-storage experts and let us help you get started on your resolutions today!
We’ve talked before about the value of specialty auto storage for car buffs, or anyone who’s working on that special project car that’s the light of your life. But the fact is, auto storage in Lawton can benefit just about anybody. You don’t need to have a passion project restoring a vintage ride to mint-condition; auto storage is great for everything from snowplows to ATVs, and from food trucks to trailers, not to mention anyone who needs a safe place to store their car while they’re out of town.
It’s something that a lot of people don’t consider until it’s time to pack up and head out on a long trip, but if you’re going to be away from the house for a long period of time—whether it’s a lengthy trip back home for the holidays, traveling abroad, short-term relocation for work, or any of a range of other circumstances that might take you out of town for more than a few days—you’ll want to have someplace safe to keep your car while you’re gone. Many of us have garages that are filled with other stuff, or more vehicles than we have garage space, so auto storage in Lawton can be a lifesaver.
And auto storage isn’t just for cars. It’s also a great resource for vehicles of all types that are only in use for part of the year. Dune buggies, motorcycles, and motocross bikes are all great when the weather is warm, but as we’re heading into winter, they might need a home away from home. The same goes for snowplows and snowmobiles when winter is over. Many hunters use ATVs during the hunting season, and lawn care and landscaping vehicles often only make an appearance during spring and summer.
Besides seasonal vehicles, there are always vehicles that are designed for specific uses. Food trucks are growing in popularity, but you don’t necessarily want to have one parked in your driveway when it’s not in service. Ditto with specialty work trucks, dozers, forklifts, and other equipment. Need someplace to store your motorhome, RV, camper or pop-up trailer when it’s not in use? Auto storage in Lawton from Storage ‘R’ Us has got you covered!
Whatever kind of vehicle you’re storing, it’s important to prepare it properly so that it’s ready to go when you need it, and it’s also a good idea to keep it insured in case the unthinkable should happen. Our auto storage is safe, but even we can’t protect against natural disasters like tornadoes.
So whether you run a business that relies on specialty vehicles that are only occasionally used, or have some recreational vehicles that you only need part of the year, or simply have trailers or other vehicles that take up too much room at your house, auto storage in Lawton, Oklahoma from Storage ‘R’ Us can solve just about any vehicle storage problem in a way that’s safe, affordable, and accessible, all year round.
As the ads for popular fantasy drama TV show state, “winter is coming.” And according to the Farmer’s Almanac, it’s going to be a cold one, so don’t let the relatively mild temperatures we’ve been enjoying so far fool you. Snow is supposed to hit, and hit hard, starting in January, with extremely cold temperatures headed our way in February. What does that mean for self-storage in Oklahoma?
Well, first off, it means that you aren’t going to get away with leaving those shovels, snow blowers, plows, salt spreaders, ice melt, and any of your other winter accessories in storage this year. If you already put them away because you figured we were out of the woods, be prepared to haul them back out to beat back Old Man Winter once the real cold starts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s long-term outlook for winter weather is promising cold temperatures and wet weather across much of the southern United States this winter, including right here in Oklahoma. So while winter may be getting a bit of a late start this year, don’t count the nasty weather out just yet.
Winter in Oklahoma is an unpredictable ride in the best of circumstances, and there’s nothing worse than getting caught with your proverbial pants down when cold weather hits. It’s much better to get your snow and ice-fighting equipment ready while the weather is fine, so that it’s in good shape by the time the ice and snow arrive.
Don’t want your ice melt, snow blower, or any of the rest of your winter weather toolkit cluttering up your garage or house in the meantime? Don’t worry! You can always keep it in self-storage and get it out as needed. Fortunately, Storage ‘R’ Us is accessible 24/7, 365 days a year, come rain (or snow) or shine, so whatever you need, whenever you need it, it’ll be right there waiting for you.
Self-storage from Storage ‘R’ Us is a great resource for storing all of your winter survival gear all year round. Not just for homeowners, either. Businesses, city departments, and even HOAs that have their own snow and ice removal equipment can benefit from self-storage in Oklahoma, not to mention auto storage that can take care of snow plows and other specialty vehicles during the off-season.
Whatever your plans for self-storage in Moore, Oklahoma this winter, don’t expect to get a boost from mild weather or a nice warm blast from El Niño. This winter in Oklahoma is shaping up to be cold, wet, and snowy. Luckily, Storage ‘R’ Us is happy to be your winter weather headquarters, so that all your stuff can stay right at hand should you need it to combat whatever the coming winter throws at you!
There are few things that embody Americana better than cruising across this great nation in your very own RV. You can go anywhere you want, and bring all (or at least most) of the comforts of home with you when you go. Unlike with air travel, you can see the many landmarks that are scattered across the continental United States, stop at roadside attractions, hit unusual local restaurants, and just experience all the sights, sounds, and flavors of America the beautiful.
But you can’t get your kicks on Route 66 all 365 days of the year, so you can expect to park your RV during the winter months or just whenever you’re back at the ranch (so to speak). The problem is, RVs are big toys, and they require a big spot to park in. Chances are your driveway isn’t going to cut it, and many HOAs don’t allow RVs to be parked there long term. So what do you do with your RV when you’re not on the road?
Fortunately, Storage ‘R’ Us has got you covered. Literally. We offer both covered and outside storage for RVs at our Rogers Lane and East Gore locations in Lawton. Outside may just be a gravel lot, but it’s gated and secure, with digital video cameras and lights protecting the grounds. It’s also convenient, with 24-hour access, so that you can get to it whenever the itch to get out on the road strikes you.
If you’re looking for something a little nicer, covered storage will offer your RV protection from the worst of the elements, and electrical hookups are often available if you need to do something like clean the old girl out during the off-season. Maybe the best part is that RV storage in Lawton from Storage ‘R’ Us is not just secure and accessible, it’s also affordable! Covered parking will run you around $140 per month, while outside RV parking only costs about $75 per month.
Need someplace to store your RV this winter? Look no further than Storage ‘R’ Us at either our East Gore or Rogers Lane locations!
Storage ‘R’ Us on 2310 E Gore Blvd: (580) 357-7113
Storage ‘R’ Us on 900 NW Rogers Ln: (580) 355-9449
Call or drop by and visit us today, and we can help make sure your RV is ready for you to get back out on the road and start exploring this great country next summer! And when you’re storing your RV, don’t forget to keep it tuned up and taken care of, so that it’s ready to roll when you are. It’s also a good idea to take out insurance anytime you’re storing something valuable. Storage ‘R’ Us is secure, but even we can’t stop mother nature if she decides to send a tornado our way.
Santa Claus is coming to town… but he might not be able to hang around for very long. Santa has a lot to do on Christmas Eve. After all, one can’t deliver toys to all of the good little boys and girls all over the world in just one night if he spends too much time dawdling—even with the help of magical, flying reindeer.
According to research conducted by Linda Harden, Santa has to bring toys to anywhere from 378 million to 2 billion children around the world. Even at the low end of that figure, that’s roughly 91.8 million homes to visit. Fortunately for Santa, he’s actually got about 31 hours of Christmas Eve to work with, accounting for different time zones and the rotation of the earth. This is, of course, assuming he wisely opts to travel from east to west. And Santa’s been doing this for a while, so you can bet he’s figured out the best way to get the job done.
Even so, in order to hit all of the houses, Santa would have to make roughly 822 visits every second, which means that his sleigh would have to be moving at around 650 miles per second, or 3000 times the speed of sound. (You’d think this would create sonic booms or other disturbances, but Santa probably gets around that thanks to those aforementioned magic reindeer.)
But that’s not all! Even if every kid only received one present the size of a medium Lego set, Santa’s sleigh would still have to carry over 300,000 tons of toys alone, not counting the weight of the sleigh itself, or that of Santa, who we all know isn’t exactly slim. That’s a lot of strain to put on just eight or nine reindeer—even flying ones! And Santa’s a nice guy who wouldn’t want to overload his reindeer, so we figure he must have some of those toys stockpiled around the globe so that he can make strategic stops to pick up new gifts every few hundred miles or so.
And what better place to store excess presents than in a self-storage facility like Storage ‘R’ Us? After all, self-storage offers variously sized units to fit your needs—whether they’re modest or Santa-sized—and the Oklahoma self-storage units at Storage ‘R’ Us are accessible 24/7, 365 days a year. For Santa, this means he can stop in whenever he passes by on his whirlwind journey and stock back up on presents before he’s off to the next house!
So does Santa Claus really stockpile Christmas gifts at Storage ‘R’ Us? Well, given our six (soon to be eight!) convenient self-storage locations across southern Oklahoma, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t… but we’ll never tell! If you need a place to store your Christmas gifts, festive decorations, or anything else this holiday season, visit Storage ‘R’ Us today!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all at Storage ‘R’ Us!
Many people think of self-storage as a temporary solution. Maybe they’re remodeling, moving, or staging a house for sale, and they’re just looking for a place to store a few things out of the way for a while. But here at Storage ‘R’ Us, we know how useful self-storage in Oklahoma can be all year round!
Right now, we’re heading into the holiday season. That means cold weather, presents, and decorations. It’s time to haul out that Christmas tree, dust off the wreath, untangle those lights. The winter months are a great time to store summer clutter, from sports equipment to lightweight clothes. And hey, if you need to keep the kids from finding their presents, there’s no better place to hide them than in your very own self-storage unit!
But winter isn’t going to last forever. Eventually, those holiday decorations are all going to have to come back down, and the Christmas tree will be put away for one more year. When that happens, it’s self-storage to the rescue once again. Rather than cluttering up your garage, basement, or attic, your holiday décor can be neatly put away in a storage unit where it will be waiting when the seasons roll back around.
When the weather starts to warm up and the ground thaws out, it’s time for spring cleaning! Spring cleaning is all about clearing out the clutter, and that’s another moment when self-storage in Oklahoma can help. From putting away your winter clothes until next year to having a place to store things while you clean out the garage or basement, self-storage is a spring cleaning lifesaver! Plus, it’s a great place to store gardening tools until the next time spring comes around.
A lot of people move in the summer, and self-storage can be a fantastic resource if you’re planning to relocate—whether as a place to store your belongings until you’ve transitioned to the new house, or a way to stage your old home for sale. Self-storage in Oklahoma also offers solutions for summer sports equipment, hunting and fishing gear, and even boat and RV storage!
Before long, though, summer starts to give way once more to fall. A chill comes back into the air, and the leaves start to turn. Those warm clothes come back out of storage, and the kids head back to school. If you’ve got kids heading off to college, fall is a great time to use your self-storage unit to store their stuff so that it’s out of your hair while they’re gone, but easy to get to when they come back.
Before you know it, the dead leaves are gone, winter is back, and it’s time once again to dig out your holiday decorations and think about where you’re going to hide the children’s presents. Whatever your storage needs, Storage ‘R’ Us is your year-round resource for self-storage in Oklahoma. No matter what the season, you’ve always got things that could use a good, out-of-the-way home that’s still easily accessible 24/7, and Storage ‘R’ Us has always got you covered!
Packing is one of those things that seems easier than it actually is. After all, packing is just putting things in boxes or suitcases or into a self-storage unit, right? And while that isn’t exactly wrong, it’s also a lot like saying that cooking is just making food hot. Effective packing entails a lot more than just putting items in boxes. So when it comes to packing your self-storage space, we’ve got a few packing tips for self-storage that you need to know!
Fill ‘Er Up. When it comes to packing boxes, make sure they’re packed evenly and packed full. Boxes with a lot of empty space in them can shift around or become crushed. If you’re packing something breakable or fragile, put filler material around it to keep the box full and prevent shifting.
Keep it Light. At the same time, though, you don’t want to make your boxes too heavy to lift—which also creates the danger of their bottoms falling out. So make sure you distribute the weight in your boxes as evenly as possible, and pack your boxes so that they’re full, but still light enough to lift.
Put a Label on it. It pays to stay organized, so try to pack like items together—many people pack boxes according to which room the items came out of, so that everything from the kitchen is together, and so on. Moreover, make sure that every box has a label. A permanent marker is a good tool for labeling boxes, but if you want to get more involved there are apps that can help you make spreadsheets of your boxes, and even print out labels with barcodes you can scan.
Use the Right Tools. Using the right tools for the job makes things dramatically easier, and the same goes for packing. Sturdy boxes and other packing supplies are your best bet, especially if you’re going to be storing items long-term. It’s also a good idea to use boxes that are of uniform size if you’re going to be stacking them. Fortunately, Storage ‘R’ Us sells all the packing materials you might need right on site!
Make it Easy. When it comes to packing your self-storage space, think about ease of use. Don’t stack items that you’ll need to access frequently on the bottom, and make sure that these stay near the front of the unit. Leave some space between the boxes and the unit’s walls, and leave yourself aisles between stacks so that your items are easy to access. Consider placing cardboard or other protection on the floor—some people use short pallets to keep their boxes off of the ground and allow them to “breathe”—and if you have high shelves or stacks of boxes, keep a stepladder in your unit to help you access them.
That should get you started, and if you need more packing tips for self-storage, feel free to call the pros at Storage ‘R’ Us or follow us on Twitter for more self-storage tips!
