February 18, 2012
As a follow-up to our previous blog, we thought it might be an idea to give you a little bit of history about the Olympics with a few, light-hearted fun facts!
We’ve been recently assisting lots of people local to London with storage facilities and it occurred to us that while we ‘get’ the Olympics we possibly don’t always know how and why it started!
So, the last time the UK hosted the Olympic games was in 1948, but it also hosted them in 1908!
And in fact, the 1908 Olympic games were supposed to go to Rome but Mount Vesuvius in Naples in 1906 dictated that an alternative ‘host’ would be needed. So, London came to the rescue and despite many time issues the International Olympic Committee said yes!
The 1908 Olympic Games were opened on the 27th of April by His Royal Highness King Edward VII and was an incredible three months long! There were 22 nations and over 2000 athletes who were in competitions across some 110 sporting events.
The one sport that existed in 1908 but that has sadly lost it’s place as an Olympic sport is tug of war!
The Olympic Stadium in White City was specially built for the games and it took less than 1 year to build. Classed as a bit of a technological achievement, it could take 68’000 people and had a running track enclosed by a cycle track.
When the games finished at the end of October in 1908 Great Britain was top of the medal table with a fantastic 145 medals and it may surprise you to know that the USA was second with 47 medals!
Now, in 1948 when we hosted it again, things were a little different to say the least!
Again, it was London that came to the rescue as a last minute host to the games after the Second World War. There was a shortage of not only time but also resources this time though, but London being London, it coped admirably.
The opening ceremony happened at Wembley Stadium in July 1948, this time with His Royal Highness King George VI. The now infamous Olympic Flame was lit by John Mark, an athlete and this time there were 136 events, with some 4104 athletes attending from over double the amount of nations (now at 59).
This time, the USA topped the medals with a total of 84 medal wins.
Perhaps most notably though is the fact that the games were shown on TV for the first time ever, although not many people were fortunate enough to own them of course.
If you are looking for storage solutions over the Olympic Games, which is running from the 27th of July until the 12th of August, contact us for a pack and pick up service!
All items are stored in our secure units with 24 hour CCTV and insurance.
February 15, 2012
Every year there is always hundreds of thousands of students moving to and from university with a whole load of belongings in tow. Sometimes it’s necessary to store for all sorts of reasons that could be imperative or merely convenient but with students it can often be a life-saving solution.
But when do students encounter the need for storage?
When it comes to going up to university, it might involve the student having to relocate from their area, and perhaps without a family home to keep the things they don’t need to take with them, the need for personal storage becomes necessary.
Other cases may involve the return home form university but the student not wanting to drag back all their bits and pieces, opting instead to keep them in storage for until they return.
Why move all your student stuff back and forth when storing it cheaply and safely is a more efficient and logical option?
For City of London Storage we can cater to pretty much anyone, but if you’re around the London and Middlesex areas it probably will prove more convenient and useful for you to store, whether that is where you are attending university or if that’s where you are returning home to.
Storage times will vary depending on whether students need storage for a few weeks during their holidays, or maybe even for an entire gap-year. Most students are on a budget and therefore driven by value for money so it is important for a student to ask if they just want to get rid of all their “stuff” and get away, or simply make a temporary storage stop to keep textbooks, coursework and materials safe for use later.
It’s about giving security back to people. Worrying about leaving behind stuff should not be an issue for students at all. If they are away on holiday enjoying time off and time back at home they should be safe in the knowledge that their bits and bobs are safely locked into storage unit where they have sole access. A bit of peace of mind for stressed-out students can make a world of difference.
A week or a year, it makes no difference. Peace of mind is peace of mind.
City of London Storage provides a range of storage units that can cater to different items of varying size and purpose thus giving the option of affordable and flexible storage solutions to student needs.
Contact Us for more information on personal storage in London.
February 14, 2012
As London gets ever closer to hosting the World’s most famous sporting event, there are always those that will see it as an opportunity to make some much needed cash.
We are all very aware of the economy issues in the UK at the moment and with any luck it will be a good time for people to let their homes out while simultaneously perhaps avoiding an influx of people to the City itself. It could be time for a long holiday perhaps?
If you’re thinking of letting your home out to international visitors attending the Olympic events then you may want to ensure that all your important documents and personal possessions can be stored securely and safely while you’re away. Or indeed, you may already be registered and have people staying but haven’t yet got around to working out what you’ll do with your possessions.
Whether you’re moving out for an entire month, or see an opportunity to get away for a couple of weeks, if you have things to store we can help during the Olympic games.
We can pack your possessions as well as collect them for secure storage and we can make sure that they are kept under 24 hour CCTV footage at a reasonable cost – with no hidden costs.
The good thing is that we don’t have a minimum contract time. You can literally store for a couple of weeks if you want to, so you don’t need to worry about short-term storage in London as we’ve got it!
So when is the biggest sporting event in the world taking place?
The Olympics is running from the 27th of July until the 12th of August, with no doubt time either side as people arrive early to get themselves settled.
How many people are expected to visit?
Millions of people!
Where are they staying?
There are over 100’000 hotel rooms available in the City of London and probably the same in bed and breakfasts, so you don’t need to be a mathematics genius to see how private accommodation is going to be attractive to visitors.
Where are the Olympic venues?
Well aside from the Olympic Park there are also, things going on at Earls Court, ExCel, Greenwich Park, Hampton Court Palace, Horse Guards Parade, Hyde Park, Lords Cricket Ground, North Greenwich Arena, The Mall, Wembley Arena, The Royal Artillery Barracks, Wembley Stadium and Wmbledon to name a few!
Therefore, you can be sure that if you have properties in any of these areas they will be an attractive short-term let for many people.
So if I’m moving out, what can you do for me?
We can pack and collect your possessions during the Olympics so you have peace of mind knowing that what’s really important to you is safe until the Olympic torch has gone out and you’re ready to get things back to normal.
If you need any advice or require a quote, please do not hesitate in contacting us.
February 10, 2012
A key element to the storage process is the packing. “Well that’s obvious” we hear you say, but read on and we shall explain why this is so important…
When using City of London Storage, you are leaving your possessions with us for what is sometimes an extended period of time. If the items aren’t packed away properly, they can be left in a state that subjects them to pressure from the weight of the other stuff, thus damaging or even breaking the item. So we’ve come up with some tips for packing away your stuff in a safe manner;
- You should sort all of your stuff into groups of items with similar weight and delicacy, then pack all of these items together. Different items require different packaging to ensure their safety. If a delicate item is mixed in with a heavy item then the delicate item is at risk of being damaged.
- Folding! You’d be surprised how much space simply folding your clothes and blankets can provide. This is because when stuffed away your clothes and blankets will expand out, whereas when they’re folded they stay put in that state.
- If you are storing delicate stuff, items made of glass for example, then you need to take extra care to protect these items. Bubble wrap or other polythene products provide adequate protection for such items.
If you wish to purchase any packing materials that you think you may need then visit our Packing Materials page. We can supply you with a range of professional packaging materials to suit your purposes.
We also suggest that you pack away your stuff with plenty of time to spare! Most of us have experienced the crushing realisation that we have left something behind. Our biggest tip for avoiding this is also the most obvious one, just don’t leave all of your packing until the last minute! Plan in advance.
Of course if you can’t be bothered with the hassle of packing away your stuff, we can always do it for you! The services we offer include;
- A full packing service. We offer to pack away all of your stuff if you so wish, and we have a team of staff who are experienced in this. We pride ourselves on our staff being very punctual and efficient.
- We can also part pack your stuff. This means we can just pack away any breakable items that you feel are especially necessary to keep safe, be they valuable or simply delicate. We use strong purpose made protective packaging to ensure the items do not break.
- We also offer specialist packing. This includes the packing of old antique, or unusual items that you may not be sure of how to package properly.
As well as these packing services we offer, we can also provide you with a free removal or a free storage quote. There is no obligation attached to this quote.
For any more information about us, check out the website. Or if you want some more free packing advice, then don’t hesitate tocontact us!
February 7, 2012
If you’ve been lucky enough to have read our latest articles about City of London Storage, you might have noticed we’ve been catering to the commercial side of storage. Well, time for a change!
Of course our commercial clients are important to us, but that’s not to say that we don’t value our personal customers too. As we have previously reiterated, at some point in their lives everyone needs a place to tuck their stuff away for a while. No more so than your everyday student. That’s right students, we can help you guys too.
The student life is a sporadic one, being away from home can be both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Couple that with the task of moving to a new accommodation every year, it can be a real slog. We understand that. That’s also why we understand that City of London Storage can take some of that weight off your shoulders… Yes we do mean literally.
Rather than undertaking the near impossible chore every summer of packing ALL of your belongings into a form that allows you to traverse the London underground, we suggest you store it with us! Be done away with the monotonous journey of shifting everything you own back and forth within the space of a few months. Not only will it save you time, it will most likely save you money too.
Of course it goes without saying that we offer more than just a place to store your stuff over the summer. Studying abroad for a year? Or maybe you’re thinking of doing an internship for half a year? Worry not! Store your belongings away and claim that peace of mind, the safety in knowing you’ll come back to find your stuff in exactly the same state it was left in.
Why store your stuff with us I hear? Well I’ll tell you…
Money is of course the first and foremost question you might have, and our solution to that is our Price Comparison page. We do not just simply believe our prices are very competitive for a London based storage company, we know they are.
If the price wasn’t enough to float your boat, then how about we throw in our 24 hour security? The storage facility is monitored under 24 hour CCTV, to guarantee your stuff is as safe as it can be. Stuff is important after all.
What kind of stuff can we store you say? Pretty much anything! That huge desk your parents bought you so you can do more ‘work’, that massive TV you and your housemates chipped in for. Anything and everything is welcome to be stored away here at City of London Storage.
For any more information or queries you may have regarding student storage, feel free to contact us and find out how easy and simple it is to store your stuff with us!
February 5, 2012
This is the question that man has asked since the dawn of time!… Ok, maybe not. But we like to think so in our line of work.
If you look at the world, particularly the UK, there is just so much stuff! Piles and heaps of stuff! Stuff you need, stuff you don’t; stuff you want, stuff you don’t want; old stuff, new stuff; fun stuff, serious stuff; lots of stuff! Stuff is everywhere and you’re always more likely to encounter and accumulate more and more stuff over the course of your life, especially if you live in a big city like London.
So our argument is; at some point in their lives EVERYONE needs storage. But what about for people who actually are based in London? Why do they need it and what for?
Well, we have to get more specific.
First of all, we have to establish WHY you need the storage…
Is it for personal storage?
Is it for commercial storage?
Then what kind of things do you want to store?
Do you want to store furniture?
Do you want to store documents?
There is any number of things that you may want to store, but considering London being the huge metropolis that it is, we get a lot of business from other businesses. Commercial storage is a very common request that we receive.
That’s not to say that we don’t get a large number of personal storage requests. We do! Most of these are based around home furniture storage where people need to make space or are downsizing. There are multiple reasons for storage needs.
The reason why we’re ideal for people in London is because our services to those who need a local solution. If you are a London business or London based person looking for a storage facility that is central, convenient and gives you the immediacy of access then you need look no further.
Your stuff is welcome here, no matter how much stuff you actually have!
February 3, 2012
As we come to the conclusion of our business storage trilogy you might be asking yourselves (if you’ve read this far) just what in the world could they still have to talk about regarding sorting through the office?!
Well, we’re here to surprise you by responding; “A lot!”
City of London Storage has been in the business of storing and sorting for some time, therefore we are well-versed in the process of sorting through an office or home and deciding what needs to stay and what needs to go. Some items are too precious or valuable to do away with but have no place in the immediate area they have been left in. If your office or workplace does not have the necessary capacity for its own storage, that’s where we come in to save the day!
In the last two blogs PART 1 and PART 2 we gave you our best tips for sorting through and tidying your office, and now we come to the final part of the process, which will help to maintain your new, clean and ordered working environment.
We are of course talking about routine and systems.
What does this mean though you might ask? Well, it’s simple really. You need to create a routine and a system that suits you, or everyone in the workplace, that can help to keep this standard of tidiness and order up.
We’re not talking about “order” as in the Orwellian sense of the word, just making life easier without there being obstacles preventing you from a simpler working environment.
Routine
Examine your daily and weekly routine. Generally speaking, most people don’t really do this very often. People just go with the flow and go about their routines like machine cogs turning in 360 degree revolutions. You don’t even think about it! You just do it and go about tackling your daily tasks and chores without really putting any conscious thought behind it. This is how things can easily be reduced to chaos.
Often, it is a failure of management more than anything else. It shouldn’t be up to the employee to create a more ordered working environment but sometimes you need to step-up and take action! If you are the employer then there should be no excuse – get things in order!
Our best advice is to plan out a schedule, or rota to keep routines in check. Write down all the daily and weekly obligations including tasks and chores for work in order to make the environment less chaotic. This in turn brings a sense of stability, calmness and order, which leads us nicely into…
Systems
Purging clutter and creating a routine to maintain that order is one thing – but there is only one genuine way of keeping things in check – creating a system. This could be for any part of the sorting process from cleaning rotas to literal file systems. The problem with clutter is that it almost always creeps back in but with a structured work routine and a solid system of maintenance you can avoid slipping back into bad habits.
Examine how you work and how many things you have to deal with in an average day. do you have or are you given lots of paperwork? Do you accumulate reports or notes or items throughout any given day? Start building your systems to control the flow of work and fit it into your routine. Create a simple system for everything including paperwork, emails, RSS feeds, errands, projects, filing, personal tasks, cleaning etc. Try to stick to the systems you develop.
If your systems are set up right, you will continually purge clutter you don’t need.
Thanks for reading and we hope this blog series was of some help. Contact us at City of London Storage for more information on decluttering your workplace and storing what you don’t immediately need with us.
February 1, 2012
Here at City of London Storage, we store just about everything you can think of and worked with art houses and galleries on numerous occasions, storing paintings but also shipping them as well.
It’s an art form in itself to be honest but very rewarding when we know how to look after a valuable painting as if it were a family member.
So what’s special about art works?
First of all sunlight! Some people buy and collect precious pieces of art with a high value but actually can’t put them on display as the sunshine can damage the paintwork or even make it fade, which is obviously not really fixable.
We also consider certain types of statues to be better stored, because of what they’re sculpted from. Like paintings you do not want them damaged by the sunshine but equally you don’t want them damaged by moisture. This can happen with things like garden statues for example.
Another important storage reason may come from clients being away for periods of time. With all the security in your home you can afford, that does not mean that your extremely valuable paintings and works of art are best left unattended while you’re away.
Therefore this is a good reason to consider storage so that your property is safe from harm while you’re away.
Paintings notoriously have high values depending on the artist who painted them and as we all know from various news items over the years, they have a very high value to private collectors who are happy to obtain them from criminal means if they can.
This is why storage can be an excellent option for them so you know that you can always access them and be sure that they will never be at risk of being stolen or damaged easily.
If you have art works you require storage for, please contact us. We have a considerable amount of experience in the field and know exactly how to care for your valuables without ridiculous costs.
January 30, 2012
In the previous blog we went through the initial stages of overhauling your office space. The use of business storage is always an open option for those with simply too much to fit in one space, but here are the best tips we have for making things easier, cleaner and more spacious.
After dealing with your desk, cupboards and immediate work station space, start thinking about the office as a whole. This requires co-ordination with c-workers, employers etc.
Start with the room or rooms as a whole.
Work form the ground up. If there is any space on the floor that is covered with items or stacks that need not be there, start there. If most of this stuff is simply disposable then dispose of it! Don’t hoard it! However, if the stacks or piles on the floor do have some significance to the business and you want to clear them away then this is when business storage comes into play.
City of London Storage provide safe and secure storage units that are capable of storing pretty much anything from an office or workplace. Consider this as a very possible option. Clutter is definitely the most distracting and unhealthy thing you can have in a workplace (even at home) which is why the phrase “a tidy room is a tidy mind” exists in the first place. Consider donating anything from the workplace that is entirely not-needed or wanted anymore at all. There is always a use for things for other people that you no longer have a use for personally.
By the way, all of our tips here can be applied directly to the home as well. It doesn’t just have to be applied to a workplace. So if you fancy making a major clean-up of both home and office then by all means start your engines!
So anyway, where were we? Oh that’s right, cleaning up the mess on the floor! Decide what you want or need to keep in the office (any sensitive documents for instance) but be vigilant and strict with yourself. Don’t keep items that are irrelevant and are merely wasting space. Look at this process as merely decluttering your life to make a room simpler. The less complications and distractions the better no?
It is helpful to continually edit a room/office every month or so. This is how you can make the experience of working much easier for yourself. Talk to your boss, talk to your management ad colleagues, try to get something done if you feel your workplace needs an overhaul. It requires a bit of effort but makes it up to you once it has been completed. You feel like you have more space, freedom and perhaps even increased productivity!
This is when you can really see the difference starting to take shape and by default you begin to see a new workplace emerge like a phoenix rising from the ashes! Of course, for the items, furniture and documents that are too valuable to chuck out but too much to fit in, the business storage options are always open to you.
For more information on business storage or London storage in general, please contact us for a free quote or storage advice.
January 25, 2012
Offices tend to accumulate clutter in every conceivable area! Come on now; own up, you know your desk is a mess! On top of our desks, in our drawers, on our shelves, in our closets, on our computers — you name it– we horde it!
However, having a simple, uncluttered office life is possible. We’re not just talking about our own business storage options (which are always a good solution in this case if we don’t mind saying so ourselves). Right now, we’re just talking about basic, essential tips on how to keep your office clean and carefree.
All it takes is a little time dedicated to improving your work conditions in order to lead to a better environment and higher productivity.
Let’s start with…
The desks…
Usually the worst offender in the whole place! Desks are like magnets for clutter and mess.
Clear it EVERYTHING off of it and put it in a pile on the floor to one side. This includes clearing out the drawers. For safety reasons keep your computer and phone on the desk (don’t want to risk damage or breaking these things). Wipe down your desk, and clean your drawers with a fresh flannel and cleaning spray.
Once you’ve got clean surfaces it’s time to start sorting through your stuff – one item at a time! This is where you have to get ruthless with yourself. Chuck out the rubbish you simply don’t need! We are a nation of hoarders so it is expected that you will have 101 different things stuffed in your drawers and scattered on your desks that have no value or practical purpose for work. You want to minimise the amount of items you have on you full-stop.
Designate areas on and inside your desk where you can partition everything into specific places, which means you will never have to root through your desk to find a pen again! Feel free to label away if it helps you.
Keep all your flat surfaces clear so you avoid piling up things on your desk. All you need on top is the essential office equipment that you need to do your job. Tidy workstation, tidy mind.
Become Lord of the Files…
All it takes to be the Lord is to arrange your filing system so that it makes sense. Alphabetical works best. If possible, have everything put in one drawer. Purge the files you don’t need. Purging is always a helpful method when it comes to getting rid of the non-essentials (including other bits of information).
Computer check…
Purge your computer files, getting rid of stuff you don’t need. Clear your desktop of icons — they slow your computer down, create visual clutter, and are an inefficient way to access files, programs or folders.
Taking care of the closets/cupboards…
Use the same above method for your closets/cupboards as you did with your desk.
This is just the beginning too… We’ll be back with a follow-up blog from City of London Storage to help you go to the next stage of office maintenance and sorting what you need from what you don’t. In the meantime, for information about business storage or commercial storage please contact us.
