Creating space for a home office

Today’s guest post is by Big Yellow Self Storage:

When it comes to creating a home office, it’s clear that home workers are as resourceful as they are varied in their needs and working preferences (Who needs a separate home office?). We’re all different in our working patterns and, in turn, what constitutes our ideal working environment. However, the one thing we all need to varying degrees is space.

Creating space may involve some selling activity, be it online, through the classifieds or at car boot sales, a trip (or two) to the charity shop or excursions to your local recycling centre.

So much for the items you’re happy to part company with – but what about those that you want to keep or will need in the future? Safe, secure storage outside your home may be the answer, so I spoke to Big Yellow who gave me these tips:

Clothes, bed linen and soft furnishings
A wardrobe, with its small footprint, is excellent for soft items. It allows you to hang what needs to be hung and fold and stack other items. Shoes, handbags and purses along with hats, gloves and other accessories will also store happily for as long as necessary in a wardrobe too. Stuff your leather items with bubble wrap – its more insect resistant than tissue paper – and arrange straps and buckles so they won’t crease or leave impressions.

Wood and metal
So long as your storage area is dry and you treat wooden items with a coat of wax or varnish, your wood furniture will be absolutely fine. Make the most of the space available by dismantling flat pack furniture and protect the components with cloth or old carpet. Keep the fixings handy – we suggest putting them in a small bag and taping it to the item itself. Apply some oil or rust protector to metal surfaces.

Mattresses
Most DIY and homeware stores sell bags designed for storing mattresses. With these and an annual check, you’ll be able to store mattresses perfectly safely for extended periods.

Books
The two key tips for storing books are to use lots of small boxes instead of a few large ones (collectively, books are heavy) and to keep them horizontal to protect their spines. If you’re storing a large collection of books, devise a simple cataloguing system to help you locate and access any particular publication.

Stock, promotional literature and business archives
Depending on the nature of your business storage needs, you may need a place to keep stock, brochures and company records. If so, ask your local storage facility about its range of business services.

With rooms from 9 sq ft to 400 sq ft, and leases starting at just one week long, you can store just about anything at Big Yellow Self Storage for as long as you need.