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
Additional Protections
With things like live grenades and drug operations bumping shoulders at some rare self-storage locations, the safety of people’s property might concern some Texas storage customers. What if the guy next door stashed a couple of unlicensed nuclear accelerators that turned on by mistake and crossed streams? Well, theoretically, the whole universe would explode and we would have a lot more to worry about.
Most storage rental tenants believe the self-storage company insures the property placed inside a unit–not true! In fact, many storage companies require the tenant to provide their own insurance before anything can be stored. Proguard Storage does not have this requirement, but our climate controlled storage buildings are fully insured. It might be wise to check with your insurance provider about supplemental insurance for business equipment or work with the storage company’s provider. Whether using your own insurance or the storage’s, you can get low cost or low deductible insurance for small items, or in-transit insurance if the storage is used to house furniture for a big move. Coverage for cars and such may already be in effect from the original insurance.
Additionally, while climate controlled storage maintains a suitable temperature of 65-77 degrees, humidity and wildlife concerns may cause issues insurance does not cover. Responsibly protecting your property with car covers, sealed containers, or even just a tarp for leaks, is the first line of defense for your valuables.
Permalink | Tags: climate controlled storage units, self storage insurance, self storage location, storage rental, texas storage | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Moving Tips, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
Self-Storage Auctions: Renter’s Protections
We see a lot of this on TV: storage rentals that have gone unpaid going up for auctions and people coming in to bid for a chance to find lost treasure. Often, a unit that is unpaid belongs to a deceased person, or someone who has left the country. The phenomenon is common enough to have spawned a host of urban legends, fact and fiction, about people who have won storage units and found body parts, money, or drugs. Real-life fortunes have been made, including a person who found Malcolm X’s diaries in one unit that sold for a cool million.
So is there a gaggle of auction vultures hanging around every storage unit, waiting for someone to skip out on a payment? Not likely. Most state laws, including the Texas storage unit laws, say a storage company must make enormous efforts to contact a tenant before setting up an auction, including mailing to the last known address and putting ads in widely circulated papers across the county. Often, it ends up costing the company more to set up an auction than it pays back, and in the unlikely event the auction selling price is higher than the tenant’s debt, that money has to be returned to the tenant for the goods he left in the unit.
Generally, it is in the storage company’s best interests to make every effort to contact a welshing tenant. A climate controlled storage unit may contain items that are very valuable, such as rare wines or delicate paintings. When dealing with objects at such a high premium, no company wants to foot the bill for a replacement.
Permalink | Tags: climate controlled storage unit, storage rentals, storage unit auction, texas storage unit | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Saving Money, Self Storage | No Comments
Smart Motorcycle Storage
Climate control storage units are a great place to stash your motorcycle for a prolonged trip or simply to make more room in your garage. Not only will the climate control cut down on tire rot and rust, but you can rest assured at Proguard’s Texas storage no wandering punk will come along and knock over your precious Harley. Here are some great tips for preparing a bike for storage:
- Tend your battery. Bikes stored for long periods of time lose their electrical charge and replacing this part can be a dangerous, acid-spilling hassle. Invest in a battery tender to keep your charge throughout storage.
- Fix the fuel. Gasoline is not only a fire hazard, but can lose octane over a long period of time. Draining the tank or using a fuel stabilizer will prepare your bike’s guts for storage.
- An oil change can be a great idea, reducing the stress your bike suffers right out of the stable.
- Depending on storage location, rust prevention is a concern and can affect spark plugs, exhaust, and basically every part of the bike. Details for protecting your bike from rust can be found here.
- Fend off fender blemish. Protect your paintwork with liberal cleaning and a layer of wax.
- Clean your chain. Dirty chains can be a road hazard, while a freshly scrubbed, lubed chain can have you ready for riding right out of storage. A bike cover will keep most of the exposed parts free from dust as well.
Though professional bike storage is common in colder climates, storage rental might be the best bet in the Houston area. Keep in mind a climate control storage will prevent most kinds of damage, but responsible riders know every little thing keeps us safer on the road.
Permalink | Tags: Climate control storage, climate control storage units, motorcycle storage, texas storage | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
Integrate Storage into Your Business
We encourage businesses and private individuals to use our facilities. Proguard has five convenient Houston storage locations for a reason: to provide the best services for our customers. If you are a small business that has significant off-site storage needs or you need extra working space, a storage unit might fit the bill nicely. While you cannot quite set up a desk and computer in a storage unit, you can probably find a way to integrate the unit into your business.
One popular way to utilize a storage unit is to use them as a sort of depot for products and goods. If your company has to store products to ship or keeps large amounts of stock irregularly, a storage unit can be just the solution for your situation. You can access a Proguard storage unit during business hours and the climate controlled units we offer are safe for whatever items you need to keep.
Other uses include storing documents, books or other records your business may be required by law to keep.
The uses of a storage unit are limitless. As long as they fall within our guidelines, the usefulness of a storage unit is exponential. Check out our website to learn more.
Permalink | Tags: Climate controlled self storage, climate controlled storage units, houston storage, houston tx storage, storage location | Posted in Self Storage | No Comments
Use a Storage Unit for Files
In today’s digital world many people and companies still rely on hard, paper files to store their data and information. If you are the sort of business owner that just does not trust a bank of hard drives over a bank of cabinets holding acid-free paper, we understand. As technology constantly changes, your needs can sometimes stay the same. If you have got years worth of files that no longer fit in your office or on-site storage, consider putting them into long term climate controlled storage at a Proguard storage facility.
Here at Proguard we regularly deal with business clients who have special storage needs. Needs that go beyond piling up broken furniture and plastic bags full of clothes. Our climate controlled units guarantee that your documents or excess stock will be safe and sound. There will not be any nasty mold or condensation to come back to and your papers and files will be safe and sound as you left it.
Best of all, because we are Proguard, you have access to your climate controlled storage unit day and night. Do not worry, your files will still be easily accessible. Our extra secure facilities offer drive up access meaning you won’t be stuck lugging your stuff from the parking lot into your unit.
Permalink | Tags: business storage, Climate controlled storage | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Self Storage | No Comments
Five Convenient Houston Locations
No matter where you live in the Houston area, there is likely a Proguard Storage nearby. We have locations all across the city and at least one of our facilities will offer the storage solution you need. Whether you live in Memorial Heights or downtown by the medical center, you can expect the same great service no matter which Proguard Storage location you decide to store with.
All locations are full of amenities that you may not expect from a local storage chain. We offer full restrooms on site for the comfort of customers. Our facilities also sell moving supplies on site, making packing and unpacking your things that much easier. Each location also sports extra wide entrances and doors to make moving large vehicles into position for easy moving a breeze. Some locations can even accommodate 18 wheeler access.
Security features are also standardized at Proguard. You can expect timed lighting at all locations as well as solid business construction and easy to use, durable ENFORCER brand deadbolt locks.
Our locations include:
Memorial Heights
102 Heights Blvd
Houston, TX 77007
713-880-8077
3770 Center Street
Houston, TX 77007
713-880-9777
Bellaire /Meyerland
4456 N. Braeswood Blvd
Houston, TX 77096
713-662-9777
Bear Creek
4177 Hwy 6 N.
Houston, TX 77084
281-345-2777
Medical Center
2915 Old Spanish Trail
Houston, TX 77054
713-440-7777
Permalink | Tags: Climate controlled self storage, Climate controlled storage, climate controlled storage Houston, houston self storage, houston storage, houston tx storage | Posted in climate controlled storage Houston, Saving Money, Self Storage | No Comments
Security at Proguard
In the end, taking care of what’s stored in a storage unit is the renter’s responsibility. Once you sign a lease on a storage unit, the responsibility to secure it is technically your’s. Of course this is a technicality, and in practice Proguard does our best to keep our grounds and your locker secure. Whether you have one of our smallest units full of personal possessions or you’re renting multiple boat storage units, proguard has put every measure in place to ensure that your goods stay in our lockers. That said we try to make things as convenient and easy as possible without placing undue burden on our renters.
- Office Hours and Gate Hours: The offices and the premises are open with different hours. When the office is open during normal business hours the property manager will be able to assist you with any needs you have, and staff will be monitoring and maintaing the facility. The facility can also be accessed when the office is closed during special gate hours that generally run from 7:00 AM to 9:30 PM.
- Security Measures: All of our facilities are equipped with CCTV cameras. Most of our units are individually alarmed and entrance to the facility throguht the gate is controlled by unique security codes.
- Keys and Locks: You’re the only one that has keys to your unit. There are three keys to your “Enforcer” cylinder lock. Nobody else has a copy, not even the manager of your facility. This includes auto and boat storage units.
Permalink | Tags: boat storage units | Posted in Moving Tips, Self Storage, Vehicle Storage | No Comments
