Preparing Your Vehicle for Climate Controlled Storage, Part 2
Now for the exciting conclusion to prepping your vehicle for long-term, climate controlled storage. Store your prized vehicle without any stress or worry by following the rest of these steps.
- Forget the parking brake! When it comes to storage, using the parking brake is not really a good idea. When brake pads are in contact with the rotors for an extended period of time, it is possible for them to fuse. Try using a tire stopping, also known as a chock, instead of using the brake.
- Inflate or remove your tires before you leave. When a car is stationary for a long time, tires can develop flat spots from the pressure of the car’s weight. Flat spots can be a permanent problem, so prevent this by first inflating your tires to the recommended tire pressure. For short trips, simply have a friend drive your car every now and then. For longer trips, removing your tires is probably the best option.
- Check your insurance. While it may be tempting to save some money and cancel your car insurance while it is in storage, ultimately this may be more costly. Gaps in coverage can lead to a raise in your rates. Check with your insurance company to see what options you have.
Now with all the tips you need for long-term storage, and with Proguard Self Storage’s climate controlled storage units you can store stress-free!
Permalink | Tags: Climate control storage, Climate controlled self storage, Climate controlled storage, climate controlled storage Houston, climate controlled storage units | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Personal Storage, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
Preparing Your Vehicle for Climate Controlled Storage, Part 1
We know how much work goes into maintaining a car, and that’s why we offer climate controlled storage to keep it well-preserved. Let’s go over some tips and advice for how to prepare your car for long-term storage. Just letting your car sit unattended could mean you returning to a dead battery, damaged engine, or even pests under your hood. Follow these tips and have no worries!
- Keep your vehicle covered. This should be an easy one if you store your car in one of our climate control storage units, which will protect your car from the elements while keeping it in a stable temperature.
- Make sure it’s clean. Take the time to clean both the inside and outside of your vehicle. It will mean less work when you take the car out of storage.
- Change the oil. This applies only to long-term storage because used engine oil may have contaminants that are damaging to your engine.
- Fill up the gas tank. A full tank of gas will keep moisture from accumulating inside the tank and keep the seals from drying out.
- Keep the battery charged. If you cannot find someone to start your car every two weeks, disconnecting the negative battery cable is one option. But a battery tender will prove to be more beneficial.
Check back for even more vehicle storage tips! While we offer great Texas storage units, there is always something you can do on your end to keep your things in the best condition.
Permalink | Tags: Climate control storage, Climate controlled storage, climate controlled storage units | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Personal Storage, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
Bear Creek and Copperfield Self Storage
Dedicated to providing you with the best service possible, Proguard Storage offers five conveniently located Houston, Texas storage facilities. You may recall our focus on our Medical Center branch recently on the blog – today, we turn our attention towards our state-of-the-art Bear Creek and Copperfield storage location.
Located on Highway 6 North, close to Bear Creek Park and the West Houston Airport, our modernized self storage location was recently expanded to accommodate 697 climate and non-climate controlled storage spaces in a variety of sizes ranging from 5′ x 5′ to 13′ x 50′.
Our Bear Creek and Copperfield facility also boasts boat storage and private RV storage. As for this facility’s storage unit specifics, each unit is equipped with roll-up doors, timed lighting and electrical outlets. All units are located at ground level and many units feature garage-like drive-up access, as well.
If you’re planning on delivering large quantities of storage items, extra-wide driveways for easy 18-wheeler access and maneuverability are also available.
As with all of our locations, boxes and other moving supplies are also available for sale, and security is unparalleled. Access to our self storage units is controlled by a computerized gate and coded entry, while each unit is individually alarmed and features ENFORCER® cylinder locks.
Permalink | Tags: Bear Creek and Copperfield storage, storage location, texas storage | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Personal Storage, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
Your One-Stop Shop for Moving Supplies
When the process of moving ranks so highly on lists of stressful tasks, you will likely want to take advantage of every opportunity to lessen the hassle of this process. Here at Proguard Storage, we’re dedicated to simplifying your moving day offering climate control storage units to pack away all your excess items you don’t want to transplant to your new place, but still are not quite ready to say goodbye to.
But self storage is not the only string to our bow, we also offer a huge range of moving supplies at our Texas storage locations. Whether it is boxes for stacks of books, crockery, glassware, clothing or pictures, we have gone to great lengths to see that each of our locations serves as a one-stop shop for all your moving supplies needs. Other items available include tape, bubble wrap, packing peanuts among many others.
We also pride ourselves on exceptional customer service, and will be happy to advise you as to which items will prove most useful for your move. Are you moving mattresses? You’ll want a cover to protect the surface from becoming stained or damaged in transit. Taking your LCD TV with you? One of our TV boxes should fit perfectly. Eager to move, but not prepared to let your coveted closet items go? Simply transfer them to one of our wardrobe boxes complete with rail.
Permalink | Tags: climate control storage units, moving supplies, texas storage | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Moving Tips, Personal Storage, Self Storage | No Comments
How to Safely Store Your LPs
True music aficionados know that imposing a cap on your obsessive collecting feels almost like losing a limb. Yet, those of you who pay high rents for small spaces in urban areas know just how important it is to save every inch of space possible.
Additionally, with the music industry gaining increasing presence online and with the proliferation of digital music files, it’s no longer absolutely imperative that you keep your records on hand since the vast majority of your music collection is most likely stored on a miniscule portable device.
So, if you’re eager to save space, without having to surrender your LP collection forever more, consider placing them at a storage location. Self storage units provide you with an alternative to selling or trashing your belongings, so you’re only saying “see you later”, rather than “goodbye, my friends.”
When storing your LPs, it’s important to keep them in an upright position, on edge and on a sturdy shelf. Whatever you do, do not lay them on top of one another as this will result in warping. If necessary, ensure you place books or similar items on the shelf in order to keep the LPs upright. Also important is to ensure the LPs are kept away from sources of heat and direct sunlight, which, with storage rental at Proguard Storage, will never be a problem.
Permalink | Tags: storage location, storage rental, storing lps records | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Personal Storage, Self Storage, Spring Cleaning | No Comments
Houston Medical Center Self Storage
Did you know that we at Proguard Self Storage have five highly convenient locations based here in Houston? We have been satisfying our customers’ demand for self storage at our Houston Medical Center location since June, 2000. Following the Medical Center location’s inception, we expanded in 2001 to our current capacity of 539 storage units.
Located right across from the Michael E. Debakey VA Medical Center and about 10 minutes from downtown Houston, this storage location is perfect for both personal and professional storage, with the ability to accommodate everything from a room full of files to a vintage car. Our Medical Center location is of course equipped with climate controlled units, and offers an array of storage spaces ranging from 5′ x 5′ to as big as 10′ x 30′.
To say we keep your valuables under lock and key would be an understatement; secure access to our units is controlled by a computerized gate and coded entry. All of our storage units in Texas are individually alarmed, and we use unique slip-in ENFORCER® cylinder locks for additional security. Our exceptionally professional on-site managers monitor the premises with a hi-tech video surveillance system that streams directly to the manager’s office and allows us to keep a constant eye on all of your belongings.
Permalink | Tags: houston self storage, storage location, storage units in texas | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Personal Storage, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
Announcing the Storage Space Calculator
Moving house or traveling for a long period of time can both be stressful experiences, and both demand accurate and timely planning in order to prevent mishaps and miscalculations. One of the most important steps to guaranteeing yourself a smooth and painless move is to assess, well in advance, your storage space options, as well as your storage space requirements. With our new Storage Space Calculator, figuring out exactly the right amount of storage rental space you need is no longer an intolerable ordeal.
By utilizing this user-friendly tool, you can determine exactly how much space you need at your storage location with minimum effort. Simply enter the number of each item you are planning to store, e.g. 5 book-cases, 3 coffee tables, 2 end tables, and 1 loveseat, and we will advise on the right size storage space for you, whether it is 5′ by 5′ or 10′ x 30′. The calculator is even broken into navigable sections from living to bedroom, dining room to nursery.
Using the calculator not only saves you time in assessing the various sizes of all of the items to be stored, but also allows you to cut costs by ensuring you do not book a space that is far too big for your lot of furniture.
Permalink | Tags: storage location, storage rental, storage space calculator, storage unit in Texas | Posted in Moving Tips, Personal Storage, Saving Money | No Comments
Storing Your Ski Gear
Are you planning a vacation over the holidays? Excited to take off on a skiing adventure and make the most of wintry conditions? If you are nodding along, then you are likely trawling through your rammed-full attic or basement, searching desperately to unearth the ski gear you stored away last year. If you are sick of constantly hiding away and uncovering your ski holiday essentials, then why not consider investing in storage rental to make the whole process painless?
At Proguard Storage, you can see your skis, goggles, gear and winter essentials all stored away securely for a minimal fee. If you are looking for a storage unit in Texas, your stuff is safe with us. There are, though, a few things to bear in mind when storing away your ski paraphernalia after a successful vacation:
- Remember to store clothing in wardrobe boxes or, when storing in wardrobes, on non-rusting hangers.
- Always store wool with cedar chips or mothballs to prevent moth damage.
- Dry off all your ski equipment, making sure there is no water trapped in recesses.
- Ensure your skis are waxed at a ski-shop or simply wax them yourself in order to prevent rusting.
- Reassemble your boots by pushing the liner back into the shell and buckle them loosely.
Permalink | Tags: Personal Storage Solutions, storage rental, storage unit in Texas | Posted in Personal Storage | No Comments
Tips for Smooth Moving and Storage Rental
As the new year approaches, many homeowners will begin the year in an entirely new location. If you are planning a move, ensure you are well prepared for what is ahead. Following our years of experience providing a stellar storage rental service, we at Proguard Storage have compiled a brief list of essential things to do prior to the big move:
About a month before your moving day you will need to:
- Complete a USPS and IRS change of address form
- Book a moving company or reserve a rental truck
- Take inventory of all of your belongings before they are packed
Around 1-2 weeks before the move, make sure you:
- Inform electric, disposal, water, newspaper, magazine, telephone and cable companies of your new address
- Defrost your freezer and refrigerator and place deodorizer inside
- Have plenty of rope, tape and boxes on-hand for packing and tying down
- Search for a storage location for those items you will not be taking with you, but want to hold on to anyway
- Double check all areas and storage items to make sure they are empty
- Carry important documents, currency and jewelry on your own body, or use registered mail to send to your destination
Permalink | Tags: moving tips, storage location, storage rental | Posted in Moving Tips, Self Storage | No Comments
Crazy (and Not So Crazy) Collections
Climate controlled storage units are like the number zero: on their own, they mean nothing, but when we consider the varied and strange and wonderful things our tenants put into them, the possibilities are mind-boggling–and potentially very valuable. Take South Florida’s Ken Kallin, who is selling off his collection of autographed books and memorabilia, valued at $4.5 million. The proceeds will be going towards medical care for his daughter.
Storage rentals are full of peoples’ prized collections. One group in Dallas meets every month in a flight museum hangar to discuss vintage G.I. Joes, their cloth costumes and scale tanks shining like the day they were made. In Maryland, a woman owns over 300 Barbies, worth a cool five grand–not even the biggest collection on record, which was valued at 100,000 pounds in 2006. Of course, nothing quite beats Rob Foster’s collection of Star Wars, close to every single product ever made. Nobody wants to part with their treasures, but having an enormous wacky car collection, a million dollars worth of boxed Transformers, or every Super Soaker ever made, can kind of get in the way of regular living. The protective, serene environment of a storage location can often serve to bring back someone’s friends, or spouse.
Permalink | Tags: climate controlled storage units, storage location, storage rental, storing collectibles | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Saving Money, Spring Cleaning | No Comments
