Pest Control

   When the weather turns cold, rodents are on the look out for a sheltered location to escape the elements. They can squeeze through very small openings and even a tight and secure unit could be vulnerable. If you have items stored in a self storage unit, be sure to take precautions to avoid rodent damage to your property. Following are a few tips that will help keep mice and other rodents out of your unit and away from your things:

• Inspect your unit - look for tell tale signs of rodents throughout your entire unit. The first and easiest to spot is probably feces. Yep, mouse poo. You know what it looks like and if you don't, just google it. Also be on the lookout for balls of nesting material. This may be more difficult to spot as it will be tucked away in tight, dark areas. Also inspect boxes and fabric items for chew damage.
• Make sure absolutely no food items are stored in your unit - This is paramount as even small amounts of food are very attractive to rodents and draws them to your unit. Make sure clothes and dishes are cleaned before storing. Vacuum out sofas and chairs and if storing your vacuum empty the bag.
• Bait your unit with mouse poison - If rodents find their way into your unit, this can help keep them at bay. At our facilities, we bait all empty units in an effort to keep all the units rodent free. As a result, our customers experience little to no rodent damage. (Mouse traps can also be used, but this would require fairly regular monitoring as you want to remove any traps that have rodents.) If you store with us at Beaver Storage or Beaver Lake Storage and would like rodent poison to place in your unit, feel free to contact our facility manager. We are happy to provide this for our customers.
• Inspect your unit again - Yep, you have to keep looking to be certain. You want to check on your items regularly and make sure that you can get to the back of your unit easily to inspect everything!

   We definitely want to keep mice and other rodents out in the cold and away from our stored possessions. Working together, facilities and storage customers can keep all units free from damage! 

Bait station

Mattress Bags:  Just get one!


One thing is for certain, there are a lot of mattresses (and box springs) in self storage units. If you open a storage unit at random, odds are there is at least one mattress stored inside.

Very few customers, however, take advantage of plastic bags to protect their mattresses in storage. No storage unit is air tight and over months or years, dust is bound to accumulate inside. A mattress stored unprotected in a unit will become quite covered in dust and will eventually be ruined.

A simple plastic mattress bag can solve this issue, save your mattress and save you money. A new mattress can cost $200 or more. If your mattress is worth storing, it's worth protecting so that it can be used again!

Mattress bags are sized to fit each individual mattress and are made of strong plastic so your mattress can be moved and scooted a bit all the while protecting it from dirt and grime. Over time the bag will also protect your mattress from dust accumulation which can settle in the fibers.

Mattress bags are affordable and may be the best storage/moving product that you buy. Mattress bags start in price under $4 and vary according to size. As someone who has seen inside a lot of storage units I know it's an investment you won't regret!

Do you need Tenant Insurance?

Just in case you weren't aware, storage facilities do not cover the items that you store in their buildings or on their premises. This is usually spelled out clearly in self storage leases but it's easy to miss if you are distracted or rushed during the move-in process.

Our storage facilities offer a tenant insurance policy that is set up to cover only the items that you put in storage. The company that we go through is Storsmart Insurance and you can learn about them specifically at their web-site. The basic policy is $9 per month and covers up to $2,000 in stored property but larger limits are available. It's easy to enroll and the premium is billed every month with your storage rent.

If you are wondering whether storage insurance is a good idea in your situation, following are a few things to consider.

1.  Do you have homeowners insurance? If not, you have no coverage on your stored items. You should definitely consider purchasing tenant insurance.

2. If you do have homeowners insurance, you may still want to consider purchasing tenant insurance.  Many homeowner policies cover items stored in a self storage unit. Check to make sure that yours is one of them. Even if you are covered, a tenant insurance policy gives you coverage without affecting your homeowners policy.

3. Do you have a high deductible on your homeowner's policy? With Storsmart tenant insurance, you have no deductible if a claim is filed as long as you have used a disc lock on the space. If you choose not to use a disc lock, the deductible is still only $100.

If your things are worth keeping in storage, they are probably worth insuring. Call your facility manager and ask about the policies available.

Great Self Storage Tips

Follow this link for some really good self storage tips.  Whether you are moving into a new unit or just want to organize what you already have in storage, you'll learn something here.

http://blog.sparefoot.com/1679-5-self-storage-tips-make-the-most-of-your-unit/

Recycle your Christmas Cards

Did you receive a nice stack of beautiful Christmas cards this year?

Rather than throw them away, recycle them as gift decorations and tags next Christmas!  Cut the front (picture) off the card and place it on brown paper bags or plainly wrapped gift boxes.

You can also use the picture card to cover up store logos on the bags and boxes so that you can recycle paper products you might otherwise throw away.  Write the recipient's name on the card so that the decoration doubles as a gift tag.

Add tissue paper and ribbon to match the cards.

Choose cards that fit the size of your package or cut the cards to fit.

Use several cards as a collage to cover up a large imprint on a bag or box.

Keep your eyes open throughout the year for boxes and bags to use with this recycling project.  Designate a box or tub in your storage unit to hold all the supplies until the Christmas season arrives!

Winter Motorcycle Storage

You can protect your bike for the winter by renting a small storage unit that is just the right size for a motorcycle.  A unit just for your bike will ensure that people and pets aren't passing by it frequently.  Boxes and other equipment won't be in danger of scratching your motorcycle either.

You put your own lock on the unit and no one else has access to it.  A month to month lease will leave you with no long term obligation.

At Beaver Storage in Avoca, AR we have several sizes available for motorcycle storage.  You can find more details at BeaverStorage.com or you can call our on-site manager, Ray at 479-636-9498.  Be sure to ask him about park and ride options.  You can drive to Beaver Storage and leave your car parked inside our security gate while you take a ride!  Afterwards, your bike will be safe and sound inside it's own storage unit.

You can follow Beaver Storage on Facebook and Twitter too!  Ride safe!

Rent a Storage Unit to Help Sell Your House

Beaver Storage can help sell your house!

Real Estate professionals will tell you that you need to clear out clutter from your home to make it appealing to potential buyers.  If your house looks less cluttered, buyers will be more enticed.  So how can our storage facility help?

• We have a wide variety of sizes so renting the smallest size that you possibly need will save you money.
• Our facilities are conveniently located so you can access them easily.  This means you can store items to which you need occasional access.
• You have 24/7 access to your unit when you rent from one of our facilities.
• Our leases are on a month to month basis, so you don't have a long term commitment to storage.  

If you need ideas for clearing out the clutter, we have a few listed here:

Closets will appear roomier if you clear out your seasonal clothing.  Buy a wardrobe box so that your hanging items can be easily swapped out when the weather changes.

If your 2 car garage only holds one car, pack up the extra lawn and garden tools, sporting equipment and seasonal decorations and put them in the unit.

Are your kitchen cupboards overflowing?  Pack up all the extra pots and appliances that you don't regularly use and put those in storage.  If there is space in the cupboards, the potential buyer will be able to imagine their own items in the house.  (It may be obvious, but you shouldn't store food items in a self storage unit.)

Do you have a lot of framed photographs or children's art in your house?  Wrap your more personal items with bubble wrap and store in boxes.  Keep them all together and you'll be ready to make your new house feel like your home when you move in!

If you have a boat or RV in the yard (or driveway) considering renting an outside parking space at the storage facility.  Our outside parking spaces are a great value and they are all inside our security gate.

By de-cluttering your house while it is on the market, you'll be one step ahead when it's time to move!  For more house selling tips, check out the following link:  http://blog.sparefoot.com/2909-5-home-staging-tips-to-win-buyers-votes/