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The mornings and evenings are getting lighter – spring has officially sprung! This is considered to be a time for renewal and fresh starts, and is the perfect time to give your home a spring clean.

However, before you clean, it makes sense to declutter! Spending time decluttering and tidying makes you aware of how much stuff you have, and by minimising the stuff that needs to be cleaned and cleaned around, it will make your spring clean easier and quicker. Here are some of our top tips for decluttering your home:

• One room at a time

The best way to declutter is to do it in stages, focusing on one room at a time (or even one area of a room), completing each room before you move onto the next. Many people find it easier to deal with the kitchen and bathroom first as they carry less personal items than living rooms and bedrooms. Also, don’t forget your loft, if you have one, as they are often a haven for unused and now unwanted items!

• Prepare the essentials in advance

Make sure you have all the tools you need prior to decluttering, so as to not waste time once you have started. Bin liners/boxes, sticky tape, labels, a paper shredder and newspaper/bubble wrap all come in useful when decluttering your home – remember we sell a wide range of packaging materials to help with packing and storing items.

• Use the ‘five box’ method

Use five boxes (or similar) and mark them as:

1. Keep
2. Recycle
3. Bin
4. Donate
5. Sell

Go through each item you own and ask if you use it regularly or whether you love it. If the answer is no, then think about whether you really need to keep it, and if not decide whether it is an item that could be recycled, donated to charity, sold on eBay or Facebook Marketplace or similar, or whether it should be thrown away.

For those items which you want to keep, but know you do not need on a regular basis, this is where we can help with our cost-effective self-storage units across Hastings and St Leonards.

• Everything should have a place

Once you have decluttered, decide how best to organise the belongings you are keeping. Try to store items near to where you use and them and group similar things together. As there has been more overlap between people’s homes and work lives over the past two years, make sure you designate specific areas of your home for work items, personal paperwork, children’s toys and more.

The benefits of decluttering extend far beyond springtime – reducing clutter results in a tidier home that is easier to clean throughout the year! If we can help with self-storage after you have decluttered, then contact us today to talk through our storage options.

Historically, self-storage units have been associated with storing personal belongings for individuals who may be moving house or relocating. However an increasing number of our customers are local businesses who have recognised the benefits of using self-storage for their organisation.

Self-storage units are a cost-effective and resourceful option for businesses who want to optimise the space that they have and recognise that it can be a great option for their company as they grow their business.

A business self-storage unit at Offerfair provides a number of benefits, some of which you may not have thought of!

• Flexibility

At Offerfair, we rent our units by the month and only require seven days’ notice when you want to vacate, which offers our business customers much more flexibility than renting commercial space and being tied into long contracts. A self-storage unit also allows you to upgrade or downsize your unit at any time to reflect seasonal changes in your business or sales growth.

• Safety and security of items

All company’s possess valuable documents and inventory and a self-storage unit means you can keep these items safe and secure with our 24/7 CCTV surveillance, plus each self-storage unit is individually alarmed. This means storing items with us can often be more secure than leaving them in your office or workspace or van, and means you don’t have to invest in expensive surveillance systems or out of hours security guards.

• Cost-effective

All businesses are looking for ways that they can streamline costs. As our units start at just £10.92 per week (for a 15sq ft unit), they offer a much more economical option than renting a warehouse or commercial property. Booking a self-storage unit also means that you don’t incur any overheads such as business rates and utilities charges, for electricity, gas and water.

• Reduce space

The pandemic has changed the way lots of us work, meaning businesses are looking for ways to reduce their existing commercial space. A self-storage unit means businesses can store archived documents, equipment and goods away from the office or warehouse, meaning they require less space, which will translate into reduced rental costs.

• Convenience

We have six self-storage sites across locations in Hastings and St Leonards (and another site opening early 2022), meaning wherever you are in the area, you will have convenient access to a convenient unit.

We work with many local small and medium sized businesses, so talk to us today and find out how we can help your business grow in 2022 and beyond.

Spring is one of the most popular times to move house, and it means a fresh start and new opportunities. However, it can also feel overwhelming at times and is often cited as one of the most stressful life events. If you are moving, or planning to move, this Spring, then here are our top tips for making your move as stress-free as possible.

• Book your removals firm early

Because most people try and move at the weekends or during school holidays to give them extra time for the move, these dates often get booked up way in advance with removals firms. Obtain personal recommendations or read online reviews to ensure you are picking a reputable firm, and then make your booking as early as you can.

• Declutter in advance

Decluttering before your move is going to save you time, stress and money when it comes to moving! Sort through your belongings and if there is anything you no longer need or use, then either donate it to charity, recycle or discard. Doing this in advance of your move, means when it comes to packing for your move, you can be sure you are only taking items you use with you, and it will mean a smaller van and less removals hours required for the move. If there are items that you know you won’t require on a regular basis, but need to keep, then we have a range of self-storage units which are perfect for storing items safely and securing, giving you access to them, when needed, and freeing up space in your new home.

• Start packing early

Packing always takes longer than people think, so once you have decluttered, then start thinking about packing, beginning with the rooms and items you use the least. Boxing items from spare bedrooms or dining rooms won’t disrupt your day-to-day life, but will allow you to get as much done in advance as you can. When you are labelling boxes, don’t just give them a generic label like ‘kitchen’, identify what items are in each box so you don’t have to open five boxes marked kitchen trying to find the one with the kettle and mugs in!

Finally, don’t overpack boxes. Whilst it is tempting to fill them up, try and use smaller boxes for heavy items and large boxes for lighter items. Don’t forget we sell a range of packaging materials to help with your house move.

• Think about what you can’t move

There are some items which removal firms may not be able to move, such as ones which include hazardous materials, like tins of paint, chemicals or petrol-fuelled tools. Check with your removals firm in advance what restrictions they have on items, and then make alternative plans for these. It could mean donating tins of paint to charity or ensuring any petrol-fuelled tools such as lawnmowers are emptied and cleaned before being transported.

• Deal with paperwork

Store all important documents, such as passports, house deeds, wills and insurance papers in one box and if you will be driving to your new property in your own vehicle, keep these with you. It is also a good idea to make electronic copies of documents by scanning, or similar, and saving them electronically.

• Organise utilities

If you are staying with the same utilities’ providers in your new home, then let them have all your new details in advance, then on moving day all you need to do is take meter readings at both properties – it is also a good idea to take photos of these final readings so they are documented.

It is often beneficial to set up the Royal Mail redirection service to ensure all your post is forwarded from your previous address to your new one for a certain amount of time. This gives you more time to update any addresses and allows for any that you may have forgotten – you won’t be the first person to have an Amazon delivery go to your old address!

• Pack a moving day survival kit

Nobody wants to be rummaging through umpteen boxes when you have moved into your new home trying to find essentials for that first day and night, so pack a box with necessary items which you transport with you. This can include things such as kettle, mugs, teabags, basic toiletries and mobile phone chargers, whatever you deem as essential!

Moving house can be innately stressful, but we hope these tips give you some ideas to help alleviate the stress. Contact us today if we can help with self-storage for any upcoming house moves you have.

Whether you have made a return to the office in 2022, are still working from home, or perhaps have a hybrid mix of office and home working, it is important to have an organised work space.

The benefits of an organised work space mean:

• Improved time management
• Quickly locate important items
• Remember crucial tasks
• Maintain a professional appearance
• Focus on work place goals

The first step towards having an organised work space is getting organised!

Firstly, examine how your work space is used (this is especially important if your work is split over more than one location, such as a hybrid office and home model of working). If your work space is at home, try and keep this space separate so it doesn’t offer any non-work distractions throughout the day.

The next step is to sort through all the items you have in your work space. Store the items you use most often at close range or at eye level and limit items on your desk to those you use daily. Any books or manuals that you require for your work, then place on a bookshelf (keeping those you use more regularly within reach).

Although personalising your work space with photos and souvenirs means it is nice to look at, try and keep decorative items to a minimum to avoid clutter and distractions. Aim to limit yourself to just one personal item on your desk.

For any items you only use a few times a year, then self-storage is the perfect solution to keep these safe and secure. We have a number of small storage units that are also perfect for archiving work documents.

Starting 2022 with an organised work space means you will have more time to focus on the important things throughout the upcoming year!

We work with many local businesses and individuals to help with their self-storage requirements, please contact us today to find out about our storage options for organisations of all sizes.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to start as you mean to go on with decluttering your home and work space. We know that decluttering has a positive impact on our physical space at home or work, but it can also have a positive effect on our mental health and well-being.

Clutter makes it hard to focus

If you have got a lot of stuff in your home or work, then it can make it harder to focus on tasks in hand. A cluttered environment can make your brain less effective at processing information, and more prone to frustration. Taking time out to organise your space, will actually save you time longer-term by allowing you to work more efficiently.

Extra stuff is stressful

Constantly having to pick things up and put them back in their rightful place can leave you feeling exhausted and anxious. Cluttered and disorganised homes can lead to high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, which can lead to chronic stress. By keeping on top of clutter throughout the day, you will never feel overwhelmed by a bigger decluttering task in hand to be done.

Hoarding can keep you up at night

People who have the tendency to accumulate so much stuff that their work or living space becomes unusable, often find that they suffer from sleep problems. Having fewer things means making fewer choices, which means less worries to keep you awake at night!

Tidy can mean healthy

Even if you think your home or work space is messy, but not dirty, it is hard to clean properly around piles of belongings. Keeping on top of decluttering means that you are reducing dust, mold and mildew, which can all trigger asthma and allergies.

Create confidence

Decluttering will enhance your decision-making skills once you have made decisions on what to keep, what to discard and where to keep items. This is turn will create confidence and self-efficacy, vital life skills which can then be utilised outside of decluttering.

Feel energised

When you are decluttering your space, you are focused on the task in hand, and when you are in this mode, you feel more energised and motivated to finish other tasks as well. Accomplishing relatively small tasks of decluttering, will leave you energised to move onto bigger goals.

Decluttering your home or work space can have profound effects on your physical and mental health, why not make 2022 the year of decluttering!

Let us know if decluttering has had a positive impact on your life, and contact us today if we can help with self-storage after you have decluttered.

One of the most common resolutions people make for a new year is to get more organised, however this is easier said than done!

You may not have previously thought about self-storage, but an Offerfair self-storage unit is the perfect tool to help you get organised at the start of 2022, and beyond. Here are just some of the reasons why self-storage can help you start the year with a clear head and a clear space!

Putting Christmas decorations away

Once Christmas is over it means many items, such as trees and decorations, will not be used until the following December. You can pack up all your seasonal items in one swoop by transferring them into a self-storage unit, meaning you have freed up valuable storage space at home for items that are not used for the majority of the year.

January decluttering

After a busy December, a lot of people use January to take a step back and take stock of their lives and home, and this is the perfect time to plan a January declutter. The best way to declutter is by one room at a time, and by allocating items as either:

• Keep
• Throw
• Donate to charity
• Put into self-storage

Self-storage is perfect for items you have accumulated that you do not need on a daily basis but do not want to part with, and may need in the future.

Turn a spare room into a mini home gym

More and more people turned to exercising at home during lockdown when gyms were closed. If one of your new year resolutions is to get fit, and you still prefer exercising in the comfort of your home, or you have found it saves time on travel to and from the gym, why not clear out a spare room at home and use it as an exercise space – all you really need is an exercise mat and small weights to begin! Any items that were previously housed in the space room and you will not need on a regular basis then can be housed in self-storage.

Start the New Year with a new start with a self-storage unit at Offerfair. Contact us today to find out more.

In the run up to Christmas, people often find that their homes reach bursting point with presents, Christmas decorations, extra furniture for entertaining and people! If you want your Christmas to feel a bit less cluttered this year, then read on to find why self-storage is perfect for creating extra space at this time of year.

• Clear the Clutter

On top of everything you already have in your home, Christmas means it is now full of items for all the preparations and the big day. An Offerfair storage unit is the ideal solution for temporarily storing some of your less-used furniture and belongings to make room for the Christmas decorations and activities. In addition, once Christmas is over, you can even do a swap and keep Christmas decorations and other seasonal items in self-storage, freeing up storage space at home.

• Keep Presents Safe and Away from Prying Eyes

There are two benefits to using self-storage for storing presents. Firstly, house burglaries tend to spike at this time of year as thieves know that people have valuable items at home, plus people are out socialising more. Our self-storage units are all individually alarmed and covered by CCTV and only you have access to them, meaning your presents are safe and secure until you need them. In addition, self-storage is the perfect place to hide Christmas presents away from prying eyes, especially larger presents like bikes and outdoor toys! You can access our self-storage units until 8pm on Christmas Eve meaning you can retrieve them at a time that is convenient for you.

• Make Room for Guests

Some people have family and friends visiting over the Christmas period, and extra guests mean extra luggage, belongings and presents that will take up room in your home. If you declutter your home in early December, you can use self-storage to temporarily make space in spare bedrooms for guests to stay.

If you need self-storage over the Christmas holidays, then our Christmas opening hours are:

Christmas Day – Closed

Boxing Day – Closed

Monday 27th – Closed

Tuesday 28th – Closed

Wednesday 29th – 8am – 8pm

Thursday 30th – 8am – 8pm

Friday 31st – 8am – 8pm

Saturday 1st – Closed

Sunday 2nd – Closed

Monday 3rd – Closed

Our self-storage units come in a range of sizes, from 15sq ft to 180sq ft, so whether you want to store this Christmas period, we have a unit that will suit your needs. Contact us to find out more and to book your Christmas storage!

In the run up to Christmas, many owners of a business that are extra busy at this time of year are faced with the dilemma of where to house their seasonal stock. Running a seasonal business means there are increased stock levels at certain times of the year, for example Christmas sees a demand for products (and therefore storage space), only for it to drop off again in the New Year.

No business wants to be spending money on permanent storage space if it is only needed for a quarter of the year. Often small business owners find they run out of space at home to store their stock at peak trading times. This is where more and more small business owners are turning to self-storage as it offers them the flexibility that renting commercial space doesn’t.

Self-storage is cheaper than renting long-term commercial premises, and as our storage units are priced per sq ft in a range of sizes from 15sq ft up to 180sq ft, then you can be sure that you are just paying for the space you need. The business rates and utility bills for our self-storage units are paid for by Offerfair, meaning you are exempt from paying them which means more cost savings to your business.

Seasonal business owners also appreciate that at Offerfair there are no lengthy contracts and we ask for just 7 days’ notice to vacate, and we allow customers to increase or reduce the size of their storage unit, which is particularly useful at key seasonal trading times and if a business wants to take advantage of bulk ordering discounts.

We have six self storage premises across three locations in Hastings and St Leonards, all of which are fully alarmed and have CCTV coverage, so you can be completely confident that your stock is safe with us.

We already work with a number of local small businesses, so if you are thinking about temporary storage space for your seasonal business, then please contact us to talk through how we can help you.

It’s official, the clocks have gone back and dark nights are here! As the season’s change, so do our lives, wardrobes and day to day needs. A self-storage unit allows you to rotate your seasonal belongings, leaving your home clutter-free, particularly key during the winter months when we all spend more time inside the home.

Some of the more commonly stored items which our customers use self-storage for over winter include:

Summer clothing – storing items like swimwear, beach towels and summer outfits frees up space for more bulky items like winter coats, ski wear and accessories, which take up more room in the home.

Summer sports and games – some sporting and games equipment is used all year round, but if you know you rarely use items like paddling pools, trampolines, kayaks or golfing equipment during winter, then self-storage is the perfect place to house them to keep them safe and secure until you next need them.

Garden furniture and tools – unfortunately sitting out in the garden and having a barbeque is a distant memory for months to come! However, outdoor garden furniture and equipment will deteriorate over winter if not stores, however storing these items takes up a lot of room out of season. In addition, self-storage options at home, such as garages and garden sheds, are often damp over winter which can damage items, whereas with our self-storage you know that your belongings are being stored in a clean and dry unit.

Camping gear – tents and all the other items associated with camping, such as outdoor furniture, cooking equipment and sleeping bags, tend to be used much more over the summer months, so using self-storage gives you the peace of mind that these are stored safely until the following summer.

Before you store any items over winter, always make sure you prepare your items for storage with the following tips:

• Always clean items before putting them in storage as dirt can become a problem if items aren’t used for months and cleaning will preserve the life of an item
• Repair any items before you put them away, that way they are ready to use as soon as you bring them out
• Use wool or cotton covers to give items added protection over the winter months

We offer storage units in a range of sizes from 15sq ft to 180sq ft, so whatever you need to store this winter, make Offerfair your first port of call. Contact us today to secure your winter storage!

If you are a tradesperson, then you will have expensive tools and equipment that you require for your work. However, a lot of tradespeople find it difficult to find a secure space to store all of these items at home, and whilst you can store work tools in a van, there is always the risk that they could be stolen. You are also likely to have a number of stock items such as electrical parts or fittings, that you need regular and quick access to.

Self storage provides the ideal solution for tradespeople, and offers a great alternative to storing items at home or in your van. Using self storage for your business purposes, also allows you to store more items and stock than before, and you will not be spending time going back and forward to plumber’s and builder’s merchants and DIY stores.

We already rent out our units to a number of local plumbers, electricians, carpenters, builders and more, who all value the benefits our self storage offers to their business.

Whatever your trade, at Offerfair we can guarantee:

Security – our sites have CCTV cameras and each storage unit is individually alarmed, giving you peace of mind that your tools and stock are safe with us.

Convenience – you will be able to access your belongings between 8am – 8pm Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm Saturday and we are one of the only storage companies in the area who are open on Sundays, with access from 10am – 2pm, in case you need to get hold of any tools or equipment at the weekend.

Flexibility – hiring permanent premises can be costly and expensive and requires long-term contracts, whereas at Offerfair we offer pay-as-you-go contracts whereby we just require one weeks’ notice when you want to vacate your unit. You can also upgrade or downgrade your unit size at any time if your work load suddenly requires that you need more or less space.

Competitive Pricing – from £10.92 per week for a 15 sq ft (you can check out our full price list here) you will find we are one of the most competitive self storage companies in the area.

If you are a local tradesperson who is considering self storage, then contact us today to discuss your requirements.