It’s only August, but in just a few short weeks children will be back in school (pending COVID changes, of course) and some of us will become ‘empty nesters’ as our children head off to University.

I for one could never take advantage of those special offers at the end of the school year – my children were all growing way too fast to guess what size they’d be by the end of the long summer holiday. But other parents used to astound me with their astuteness.

However far ahead you are, start preparing now, and those uniforms will be ready, shoes cleaned, and purchases made for new lives in University.  

We’ve put together a few ways that self-storage can help take some of the strain:  

1. Pack Away the Summer

It’s not much fun to think about, but nights are already drawing in, and Autumn will soon be here. Prepare to put things away into storage or self-storage by:  

• Getting strong, clean  boxes together
• As clothes start to have had their last outing of the year, wash or dry clean, and store away, clean, ironed and dry. (Ironed fabric generally takes less storage space.)
• Clean and store summer sandals and shoes.
• Clean and air summer quilts, then pack away clean and dry.
• Wash off surf boards, crab lines, buckets and spades. Dry them in what’s left of the summer sun and prepare to put summer equipment into storage.

2. Start decluttering now

Whether it’s a student deciding what to keep and what to leave, and whether or not they can bear to part with that fairground teddy won with friends, or whether it’s parents trying to instil some order as our routines go back to getting children to school daily, now’s a great time for a thorough declutter.

Dare I mention the ‘C-word’ – Christmas. It always comes faster than we think, so clearing away seasonal stuff now will make that continuum from back-to-school or back-to-college, to half term, to Hallowe’en, to Guy Fawkes, Black Friday and…. here we are. New Year!

Make it easy by storing things properly and keeping the clutter to a minimum.

3. Apply student discounts

Some students are entitled to storage discounts with easyStorage through their colleges. Find out more here

4. Think Ahead

Whether the kids are going back to previously established routine, or a new one, and whether you are working from home still or not, what does your home need? Do you need to have an office space or homework space? Now could be a great time for a reorganisation.  

There are some ideas on setting up a home office, for example, on our blog: Setting Up a Home Office

5. Empty Nesters

If you suddenly have a room in the house that will be occupied by returning offspring in the holidays, but needs to be used for other things (guests, makeshift offices etc), storing things away neatly will help.  

Returning students like the familiarity of their things, especially first trip home from College, but piles of memorabilia aren’t great for those of us who have to clean them.  

Carefully storing some of these things away, making sure you mark up the boxes and pack with care, can be the compromise that helps all parties.

If you need a little extra space to store things, easyStorage offers self-storage with a difference: your things are collected for you, safely stored, even packed away if needed; and then returned back when you need them. Despite this, prices are around half the price of traditional self-storage. An online quote is available 24.77, with no obligation: https://book.easystorage.com/

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