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If you own a television you’ll probably be aware of the hit reality TV series Storage Hunters by now. The unlikely hit has become so popular that our customers often ask us about the show!

The US series was so popular with viewers that it soon became channel Dave’s top-performing series, and a UK version was commissioned premiering back in October.

Fronted by auctioneer & comedian Sean Kelly, the show follows a host of colourful characters all trying to make big money by bidding on the contents of repossessed storage units.

While rooting through someone’s unwanted cast-offs might not sound like a recipe for a smash hit TV show, it has made for compulsive viewing.

Below are the top weirdest finds that the people in Storage Hunters have found in their storage lockers over the years:

1.    An explosive – The group were surprised when opening one of the units on the show triggered an explosion!

2.    Whale poo – Brandon from the show opened a unit to find a jar of whale poo

3.    Pythons – The team uncovered a transparent box filled with albino pythons

4.    A collection of hands – A unit containing hand sculptures, doll hands, hand posters, a hand clock, and a (fake) hand in formaldehyde was found by highest bidder Jesse

5.    Flamethrower – Lori opened a unit to discover a real-life flamethrower

6.    Swarm of bees – Opening one unit unleashed a swarm of angry bees

7.    Coffin – The winning bidder discovered a locked coffin containing a suit and an empty urn.

8.    Mannequins & paintings of eerie nudes – which weren’t worth a lot!

9.    Farm tools – The team actually found a jar used by farmers to collect bulls semen

10. A naked man – Once let out of the unit, the naked man ran off down the street!

In an interview with Hull Daily Mail, American auctioneer Sean Kelly revealed that despite the weird findings in the US show, us Brits also have a tendency to store some weird and wonderful objects. He said:

“As you might expect, some items which are very old, much older than you find in the States. And some obscure things that I’ve never seen in the US, like in Ipswich there was a company who rented out personal hovercraft, and they lost their bin. So I actually got an opportunity to drive that hovercraft – it’s not on camera, but I jump into this thing with no training, no nothing, and immediately this amazing joy came over me and I thought, ‘I gotta buy a hovercraft!”

With so many unusual finds, it’s no wonder we’re hooked on the show!

Unlike many other self-storage companies, Spaces and Places don’t insist that you take out insurance while in storage, but we would strongly recommend it.

With cover starting from just 55p a week per £1000 covered, insurance can give you peace of mind that your contents are covered should something go wrong.

Do you need insurance?

At Spaces and Places, we know that your possessions are valuable. This is why we always do our utmost to ensure they are kept safe and secure whilst in storage with us. However, while accidents are rare, they do happen and unpredictable hazards and natural disasters have the potential to affect our storage facilities at any time.

Whether you’re storing household clutter, business documents or seasonal sports equipment, it’s definitely worth considering protecting yourself against potential financial losses should your property get lost, stolen or damaged.

Benefits of insurance

The biggest benefit to taking out storage insurance is the peace of mind you get from know that your possessions are covered from physical loss or damage.

There are some things we can’t guarantee to protect your unit from. Cover from Insurastore, however, will protect you against:

·      Fire

·      Flood

·      Explosion

·      Malicious damage

·      Theft by forcible and violent means

·      Impact by road vehicles

·      …and many others

What can I insure?

You are able to ensure almost anything you want to, from business stock to tools or goods. The cover will also protect your items while they are being transported to and from your chosen storage facility.

If you do decide to insure your items whilst in storage with us, all you have to do is go to https://www.insurastore.com/ where you can arrange cover directly.

An insulator is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority so you can be sure that you are dealing with an authorised and trusted organisation. The cover is only available if you store with an approved self-storage company such as Spaces and Places.

To find out more about what’s covered and what’s not just head to the Insurastore website or get in touch for further details.

1.Moving house

Moving house can be stressful. Many people turn to self-storage to store their things when they’ve sold their home but not moved into a new one, or to declutter their home before showing it to potential buyers.

2.Hobbies and sports

Hobby and sports equipment can often end up taking up more space than people anticipate. While smaller-scale pursuits are easy to manage within the home, many people use self-storage for sports gear, collectables and craft machinery that has started to outgrow their home.

3.De-cluttering

A self-storage is a popular option for households looking to declutter their homes or garages. Storing items you don’t use on a regular basis means you don’t actually have to get rid of anything, but you can efficiently free up space in the house.

4.Commercial stock

It can be a struggle to accommodate big amounts of commercial stock, which could be why more and more businesses are seeing the commercial value of renting a business storage unit to meet their changing requirements.

5.Downsizing

Moving from a large space full of possessions to a smaller home can be tricky. Self-storage offers a safe space for downsizers to store furniture and other infrequently used items until they come to need them again.

6.eBaying

More and more eBay sellers are benefitting from self-storage facilities. From small businesses to individuals looking to cash in on their unwanted possessions, self-storage offers advantages for everyone.

7. Business base

From data storage to a destination for a sales and marketing team, self-storage can be an ideal business solution.

8. Seasonal storage

People commonly look to self-storage as a way of storing seasonal items they won’t use at certain times of the year. Christmas decorations, clothing, sports gear and garden furniture are all good examples of seasonal items that people put into storage.

9. Travelling abroad

Unoccupied homes can provide the perfect opportunity for burglars to strike. With millions of us travelling abroad every year, it’s a good idea to put your valuables into self-storage before you jet off.

10. Student storage

Self-storage is a popular choice for university students who don’t want to cart the contents of their university digs back home when the time comes to pack up and move out for summer.

If you’ve spent a few months adding more and more stuff to your storage unit, chances are it’s probably looking a little untidy.

You might have started out with good intentions but storage units can soon lose their order and become haphazard and disorganised.

If the time has come to have a tidy up then read on for our guide to organising an untidy storage unit.

Sort out boxes

When you pack a box for storage it’s easy to throw it to the back of your unit and not think about it again. If this has happened, proceed with caution and don’t try and tackle it all at once.

When you’ve had items in storage for a long time it can be easy to forget what went in which box, what boxes contain fragile items and which ones are going to be heavy.

Start with the boxes nearest to the unit entrance and carefully go through one at a time. Throw out or sell anything you no longer need and keep to one side things you want to remain in storage.

Be ruthless

Take a few bin bags with you and be ruthless with the contents of your unit. If there is stuff in there you haven’t unpacked since day 1, then you probably won’t need it again. Bag up things to throw out, give to charity or sell on for a profit.

Repack

Once you’ve gone through the contents of your unit you can start to repack them. Use appropriate packing materials to carefully rewrap and box up your items.

Label everything

It’s always a good idea to label each box with details of its contents. This will not only make finding your stuff that much easier, but it will also help you avoid stacking mishaps.

Utilise Expert Knowledge

Don’t forget that the Spaces and Places staff have years of combined experience in self-storage units that they are more than happy to share with you to ensure that you get the best out of your storage experience.

If you have any queries or need advice, our staff are always on hand to help you out.

Greater Manchester is expected to create around 110,000 new jobs over the next 10 years according to new data from Oxford Economics.

Professionals in Manchester have a lot to look forward to, as the forecast predicted 62,000 new jobs in the business, financial and professional services sector, along with 26,000 positions in cultural and creative and around 14,000 jobs in construction.

Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester council, told the M.E.N. that the positive forecast hadn’t come as a surprise.

“It shows what the inherent economic potential of Manchester and the wider region actually is,” he said.

“Commercial professional services, widening the business base around technology, increasing science and culture-related activities – they are all part of what has been going on and what we have been doing for the past five years.

“This model suggests we are intensifying that trend.”

According to the data, the top three occupation types by growth over the next 10 years are expected to be:

·      Professional (17,000 jobs)

·      Associate professional and technical (14,000 jobs)

·      Management, directors and senior officials (12,000 jobs)

At Spaces and Places, we know that Manchester is a great place to do business, and our customers agree. We see a huge rise every year in businesses looking to take advantage of our Manchester Business Space for data storage, extra space for stock, or simply a destination for their sales and marketing team.

Our Manchester Business Space facility is conveniently located for organisations that trade in Manchester but are put off by high costs and inner-city traffic.

As well as our standard steel containers, we also offer a limited number of traditional brick built units with roller shutters. The units have light and power and are suitable for retailers, traders, or start-up businesses that are perhaps looking for their first self-storage facility.

As a regional base Spaces and Places are second to none. We offer low cost, secure units that are accessible 24/7, and we work hard to provide the business workspace you have been looking for.

For more information, get in touch with a member of the team by calling Spaces and Places Manchester – 0161 452 7004.

At Spaces and Places, we love nothing more than getting great feedback from our customers. After all, our company was first born from a desire to restore great customer service to the industry!

We think that customer feedback speaks volumes about a company’s level of service. Just take a look at some of our client testimonials…

Top-quality units

“I would like to thank you for a very secure and excellent dry storage facility with easy access. Will definitely recommend your units to everyone very impressed. Thank you”

All of our facilities offer top quality steel containers – they have wooden floors, fixed ventilation and rubber door seals, so no matter what you want to store, your possessions will be kept safe, secure, clean and dry.

Strong communication

“Excellent service, good communication. Many thanks”

Spaces and Places work to identify the needs of our customers to make self-storage a pleasurable experience rather than a chore. Few self-storage companies can boast such a dedicated team presence and we aim to answer all questions from new and longer-term customers as soon as possible.

Excellent customer service

“I am so thrilled. Great workers and great company. I would recommend them to everyone. Thanks a million.”

Everything we do at Spaces and Places is driven by excellent customer service and our commitment to being the most helpful, reliable and friendly facility seems to have paid off. Our customers return to us time and time again for both short and long-term use and continue to recommend us to their friends, family and colleagues.

Accessible

“Unbeatable, I searched around and this was by far the best self-storage service I could find anywhere near me!”

Spaces and Places give our customer access to their containers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so they can access your possessions, stock or archives whenever is convenient for them – not us. We also offer self-storage at three convenient locations around the UK, meaning you are never far from your nearest facility.

Spaces and Places aim to take all the hassle out of self-storage. We strive to ensure that both new and existing visitors can expect a high level of service and welcome that has earned us a reputation for being a most helpful and friendly company.

Simply get in touch to find out how Spaces and Places could help you!

Consider how much paperwork goes through your office each year.

No matter how hard we try to be ‘paper-free’ it’s often the case that we have to hold onto bank statements, receipts, invoices and important letters for a certain amount of time. This can be frustrating as your office can start to resemble a warehouse of folders despite the unlikely fact you’ll ever need to actually access them.

If you’ve decided to make your office a paper-free zone and take advantage of our Document Storage service, you may be wondering how on earth you’re going to shift all those years of stashed paperwork.

This is where Spaces and Places make the perfect storage partner. For those looking for self-storage in Nuneaton on a longer-term basis, we are able to offer our customers free of charge ‘Collect & Store’ service for their important paperwork.

This flexible service means you won’t have to worry about hiring and fuelling a van to transport your documents to your nearest storage location. Our fleet of vehicles will safely and securely transport your documents from your office, straight to our Nuneaton facility where they will be stored in a secure unit.

You won’t even have to worry about loading and unloading all those heavy boxes – in fact, you won’t even have to leave the office! Our Collect & Store service means we do all the hard work for you, leaving you to get on with the most important thing – running your business!

If you would like to take advantage of this great, free service, simply give us a bit of notice and we can drop by your office and collect your archive boxes. All our drivers are trained to transport important papers with the utmost courtesy and care so you can be confident that you will find your files exactly how you left them.

As a Spaces and Places Nuneaton customer you don’t just benefit from our convenient Collect & Store service. You will also receive all these great benefits:

Secure units

At Spaces and Places, we take security very seriously. Access to the Nuneaton facility is via a coded gate, and your individual unit will be fitted with a ‘lockbox’. You provide your own padlock and keep all the keys – for security we don’t have access to your unit.

Fixed ventilation

Our high-quality brand steel containers have wooden floors, fixed ventilation and rubber door seals. Ideal for archiving that important paperwork.

Unlimited Access

Storage solutions from Spaces and Places mean that you will have access to your documents twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information about Collect & Store, Document Storage or any other service we offer then don’t hesitate to get in touch.

For a truly streamlined home, more and more people are turning to rotation to store their surplus possessions.

Rotating possessions in and out of storage is a great way to save shelf space whilst constantly giving you “fresh” options, but how does it work?

Read on for the Spaces and Places guide to rotation and how it could benefit different areas of your home.

Garden

Barbecues, outdoor furniture, parasols and deckchairs get a lot of use during the warmer months but won’t necessarily be called on during winter. Rotate seasonal garden tools and equipment to keep your kit in good condition all year round.

Toys

Rotation is an easy solution to keeping your home organized whilst ensuring your kids stay interested in the toys they own. Prepare 3 or 4 boxes of toys to replace and rotate every couple of weeks.

Sports equipment

If you manage to hold down a few hobbies then you’ll know that most sports tend to be seasonal. It’s unlikely that you’ll be using your sledge and your golf clubs in the same month so get seasonal gear into storage instead of letting it take over your garage.

Entertainment

Shelves filling up with CDs, DVDs and books? Put a selection out for use for a set period of time and put the rest into storage. After a couple of months, rotate your selection. Not only does this give you different options to choose from throughout the year, but it also tests how much you really like each one!

Kitchen

The kitchen is another good place to start with rotation. You might be getting a lot of use out of the slow cooker at the moment but when summer comes back around it will probably be shoved to the back of a cupboard. Instead of letting surplus items take over your workspace, stick them into storage until you need them.

Walls

Photographs and artwork hold great sentimental value but it can soon become a great battle for wall space. Halve the pictures on display by putting your frames into a self-storage unit. Swap them over every few months for a refreshing display.

Clothes

Rotation is the key to wardrobe longevity! You could try it with workwear, shoes or everyday attire to ensure everything “gets a turn.”

Clothes rotation could also save you huge amounts of money. If you hate spending money on your wardrobe, use the summer/winter sales to stock up on discounted clothing and put it into storage along with other seasonal items. When the weather starts to turn you can return to your storage unit and find a host of clean clothes, appropriate for the season.

Rotation is a great way to clear space in your home without having to get rid of a single thing.

Contact Spaces and Places to find out how we can help you with rotation!

The New Year is a time for all sorts of resolutions, changes and improvements in our lives.

If you decided to take up a new sport or hobby for 2015, you may find that your new pastime is taking up more space than you anticipated.

While smaller-scale pursuits are easier to manage within the home, enthusiasts often come to us looking to store equipment, tools and collections that have simply outgrown their home.

Have you taken up one of these space-hogging hobbies this year? Give us a call to find out how we could help.

Collectables

A collection that may have started in the corner of your spare room can soon take over, filling shelves from floor to ceiling. Whether it’s comic books, retro toys or classic cars that make up your collection, you don’t have to leave your treasured possessions exposed. Spaces and Places offer great value, airtight units with fixed ventilation, guaranteed to keep memorabilia in peak condition.

Crafts

Sites such as Pinterest and Etsy have recently reignited people’s love of crafts with furniture making, jewellery design, knitting and pottery all becoming increasingly popular. If you’re considering starting a craft venture out of your home or have even been inspired to make money out of your hobby then it’s unlikely that you’ll want to stuff your living space with supplies, tools and hefty boxes. With an affordable storage unit, you won’t have to limit how much you create, with units large enough to store machinery, raw materials and finished products, allowing you to tackle any project that comes your way.

Sports

Sports enthusiasts can end up forking out a small fortune in specialist gear but often find they simply don’t have space in their homes to store it. Whether you need to store skis, surfboards, golf clubs or mountain bikes, Spaces and Places can help you clear your home of hefty items whilst ensuring they stay safe and secure until you come to use them.

At Spaces and Places, we are confident we can accommodate your hobby, whatever it is. We offer three convenient sized units, ready to fit in as much or as little equipment as you need:

·      20ft x 8ft x 8ft, approx. 150 square feet, approx. 1200 cubic feet

·      10ft x 8ft x 8ft, approx. 75 square feet, approx. 561 cubic feet

·      8ft x 8ft x 8ft, approx. 64 square feet, approx. 500 cubic feet

Our facilities are located in three convenient locations around the UK, meaning you are never far from getting back to your pastime. Get in touch to find out how a Spaces and Places self-storage unit could help you this year.

Getting fit is of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, and many people use January as motivation to take stock and get back into shape.

While gyms are looking to attract new members with discounted membership rates, getting to a local club is not always practical and an increasing number of people are turning to home gyms as a convenient way to get in shape. Whilst saving on gym fees, transportation and travel time, a home gym allows you to make the most of the space available to you at home.

If you don’t fancy paying hefty gym membership fees or exercising in public, why not follow our guide to setting up a budget-friendly home gym?

Advantages of a home gym

There are numerous benefits that come with installing a home gym, which could be the reason why so many people are clearing out their garages, spare rooms and lofts to save a few quid and workout in the comfort of their own home.

Some advantages you can expect to come with a home gym include:

 No gym membership fees Exercise when it suits you Choose your own equipment/music Cut transportation and travel time No more time spent waiting for machines Adapt to your individual workout needs

How to create a home gym on a budget

You can construct a home gym for a lot cheaper than you think. Basic tools such as hand weights, yoga mats, kettlebells, and barbells are all cheap additions to a home gym. If you can afford to do so, you could also invest in some high-quality fitness machinery. By mid-February, gym equipment bought as a Christmas present or as part of a New Year’s resolution often turns up for sale online. Check eBay or classifieds website Gumtree to see if you can pick up second-hand equipment at a budget-busting price.

Clearing space

How much space you need to clear in your home depends on what kind of equipment you want to introduce. If you are looking to move in cardio equipment such as a bike, treadmill or rowing machine you’re probably going to need to clear out an entire room to train in. Gym equipment can be a real space hog so you’ll be glad to have a self-storage unit on hand when you’re clearing some space.

A New Year means a new start so don’t waste any time reclaiming space in your home and getting fit with a home gym.

Spaces and Places provide the perfect ‘on-demand’ solution to your home storage needs. We are completely flexible and you can increase and decrease your space as and when your gym requires.

Simply get in touch to find out how Spaces and Places could help you!

With a chronic housing shortage, rising house prices and further restrictions on mortgage lending, fewer people are finding themselves in a position to upsize or move.

House prices are set to rise by 3%- 5% nationally in 2015 meaning that many homeowners will have to really consider the cost of upsizing their home this year.

While you may be fooled into thinking that a bigger house is the only way you will be able to fit comfortably into your home, a recent survey has revealed that 77% of us admitting to using ANY remaining space in our homes to hang on to things we don’t even use anymore.

While moving to a bigger house may not be an option for a number of years, it doesn’t mean that you have to be constrained by lack of space in your home.

More and more people are turning to self-storage as a practical way to open up huge amounts of space in their homes, creating a clean, open look.

Self-storage units give you the freedom to store all types of goods, from valuable items to sports equipment, general household furniture and appliances.

Simply by decluttering an area of your home (e.g. loft), you could potentially gain an extra bedroom, guest room, office, or room to let out, without having to throw away any of your possessions.

Spaces and Paces self-storage units provide you with an option to have:

·      Your own private space

·      Individually alarmed storage rooms

·      24/7 access

·      Sole right to own its key

·      Video surveillance inside and outside

If you do find yourself in a position to move house this year, then you could maximise your price by presenting your house in the best way possible for sale. A spacious, open, de-cluttered home will often sell for thousands of pounds more.

With such cluttered homes, it’s no wonder that us Brits don’t feel as though we have any room – put your things into a self-storage unit to reveal how much space you truly have!

Around 95% of Brits make New Year’s resolutions, but realistically after the first few weeks pass us by, most of us have quit the gym and broken our ban on spending in the January sales.

At Spaces and Places, we don’t think there’s any reason why you can’t set realistic, achievable goals in 2015. We bring you some of the top New Years resolutions which appear on our lists year after year, which believe it or not, can all be achieved with the help of a storage unit, and here’s how…

Start a business

Lost your passion for the day job? Why not branch out on your own and grow a business from home? Whether you’ve been dreaming of your own start-up business, virtual service or E-commerce company, we can help you

get your business off the ground. Space and Place’s low-cost self-storage units provide an ideal storeroom, distribution centre or secure location for trades equipment, offering the perfect place to grow your business.

Spend more time with family/friends

Many of us resolve to spend more time entertaining friends and family every year but the problem always remains – there’s just not enough space in our homes to do it! With garages, lofts, dining and spare rooms now losing out to clutter it’s unsurprising that space for private time with our nearest and dearest has become a luxury. By clearing out a single room of your house you could create a games room, home cinema or just an area where you can entertain guests, allowing you to create new memories and make the most of your time with them!

Lose weight

The looming arrival of 2015 means that many of us will be flocking to the gym in a bid to lose weight and get in shape for the New Year. However, for many people, getting to a local club is simply not practical and many people are turning to home gyms as a convenient way to get in shape. Whilst saving on gym fees, transportation and travel time, a home gym allows you to make the most of the space available to you at home. Reclaim space in your spare room, basement or garage by moving the contents into a Spaces and Places storage unit.

Sleep better

Clutter can have a huge impact on many areas of your life, leaving you depressed, anxious, and stressed – all of which contribute to insomnia. Going to sleep with a messy bedroom can get under your skin and mess with your mind, churning on well into the night. Turn over a new leaf and de-clutter your bedroom in order to start the New Year refreshed and revitalised.

A New Year means a new start so don’t wait for spring to declutter – get organised and you’ll be amazed by what a difference it makes to your life. Clearing clutter from your home and getting organised at the beginning of the year will save you masses of time in the long run.

Contact Spaces and Places to find out how we can maximise space in your home whilst allowing you to keep hold of your possessions.