Monthly Archives: November 2012

Use Your Gaming Skills to Store Furniture

Update 3/14/2013: Thanks for your interest in our Storing Furniture Infographic!  We’ve removed the infographic but hope you’ll check out our blog for more tips on storage and organization. Does it seem like you never have enough space? Your garage is cluttered, the spare bedroom is a mess and you’re desperate for a solution? If this is you, you may need a quick lesson on how to effectively store your furniture and belongings by using your mad gaming organization skills!   First You Must Learn to View Real World Objects as Game Shapes By learning to see furniture as different shapes, just like in an organizing game, you’ll … [More]

Harvesting Raindrops for Landscape Use

  At Extra Space Storage, finding out about our environmentally friendly programs is as easy as looking above your head. At several storage facilities, we’ve harnessed solar power to save energy, and brought daylight inside to reduce lighting costs. But now we’re looking up in a whole new way. I’m talking about capturing those raindrops that keep falling on your head!   Focusing on Top Water Users We’re currently evaluating our top ten properties that require the most water to see how rainwater harvesting can help us cut landscaping costs and save water. Taking a closer look at our highest users of water is part of our continuing … [More]

Staying Organized During And After The Holidays

The holidays come with a lot of accoutrements—ornaments, wrapping paper, cards, baking gear. Honestly, it seems like my Christmas lights alone could fill a steamer trunk. And don’t even get me started on the cookie cutters. Here are some organizational tips to keep all your holiday paraphernalia in line so you can spend your mental energy elsewhere—like on wrapping all those presents and preparing the best egg nog you can muster. What to do with all those ornaments Ornaments are challenging to store because they’re so fragile and oddly shaped. Of course you can always stuff them in a box with a bunch of newspaper or buy expensive … [More]

Is an Energy Star Partnership in Your Future?

  I don’t want to sound too much like a fortune cookie, but here goes: Partnerships have their advantages! And, especially if you’re concerned with energy efficiency, one of the best partnerships you can have is with Energy Star – the EPA’s program to help consumers and businesses make the best choices for lowering their energy consumption. As VP of Facilities Management at Extra Space Storage, I’m busy helping to take care of more than 900 properties, but I do understand when it’s time to take a break to assess what I’m doing for energy efficiency, and make a plan for the future. And Energy Star helps make … [More]

Enjoy the Holiday Season Without the Stress

Oh, the magic and wonder of the holiday season. The twinkling lights, the decorations, and the laughter fill you with excitement and anticipation… when you’re a child. For many adults, getting to the laughter part takes a lot of planning, time, and stress. That dreaded holiday s-word: stress. Somehow it creeps up on me year after year and takes the cheerful wind out of my sails. This year it is going to be different. No, really. This year we—you and me—are going to both make it through the holidays mostly unscathed. Better yet, let’s enjoy the ride and make this a year we remember with only the fondest … [More]

Winning Pinnings: Great Kids’ Rooms Ideas

  My latest guilty pleasure? Pinterest! It’s easy to spend hours on this site, discovering neat ideas and pinning my own. Our Extra Space Pinterest page has all sorts of useful and fun organizational and storage-related pins to explore.. One of our collections is a pin board full of creative ideas for making great kids rooms. You can get seriously imaginative with children’s rooms—in fact, the more imaginative the better.   Beds Kids beds can be some of the most fun pieces of furniture in the house. What other thing at home can be double-decker, shaped like a racecar, or turn into a fort? Our Pinterest page features … [More]

Know When to Go with LED in Atlanta

  Something special is happening to traffic lights in Atlanta. They’re being converted to LED! When it comes to sustainability, “LED” isn’t a feel-good buzz word. LED is a strong energy solution with perks.   LED signals not only use a fraction of the energy of incandescent signals, but they’re brighter, which enhances safety at intersections. Plus, LED signals last between seven to 10 years, much longer than incandescent lights! That means that Atlanta is not only saving energy, but saving maintenance costs as well.   Just how much energy is being saved with these new traffic lights in Atlanta? The Atlanta Office of Sustainability says that their LED traffic lights … [More]

Historic West Chester Helped Launch Lincoln

Okay Abraham Lincoln buffs, are you aware of the role that West Chester, Pennsylvania played in launching Lincoln’s run for president? While Spielberg’s “Lincoln” movie releasing this week deals with Lincoln’s final months in office, a newspaper that was once located in West Chester helped get Lincoln elected.   First Lincoln Biography The Chester County Times, a weekly Republican newspaper, published the first Lincoln biography on February 11, 1860. The biography was composed with the help of handwritten notes from Lincoln himself! This first biography of Lincoln was republished in newspapers throughout the country, and served to introduce Lincoln as a presidential candidate. Thanks to careful preservation, the Federal-style building … [More]

DIY Thanksgiving Centerpieces

  Thanksgiving gives you an excuse to try new crafts projects. It’s easy to make your table sing—here are some of the Web’s niftiest ideas for DIY Thanksgiving centerpieces. Stacked gourds in vases: Nothing says autumn like gourds of all colors and shapes. Incorporating gourds into your table centerpiece is a go-to idea, but have you ever thought about using vertical space to display them dramatically? Here’s a way of filling tall glass vases of various sizes with gourds of various sizes for a neat, Thanksgiving-worthy look. Green apple displays: There are many ways you can arrange Granny Smith apples to give your table a beautiful splash of … [More]

Baltimore is Rolling Forward with Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

  The City of Baltimore is taking seriously its role in helping residents lower their carbon footprint by providing several electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The charging stations are part of the ChargePoint network that’s helping the world travel even further with their EVs.   And the really great thing for drivers of EVs in Baltimore is that charging is free in any of the nine city-owned parking garages.   All drivers have to do is pay to park in the garage. Charging up for free while shopping or dining? Not a bad deal!   But will EV drivers in Baltimore have to wait in line to charge? According to … [More]