Tag: storage solutions

Boating is one of the most beloved pastimes in the United States. According to The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), over 100 million Americans go boating yearly. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, recreational boat sales have surged, with many first-time buyers entering the market.

Unfortunately, boating is not a 365-day-a-year activity. So before the weather changes, make sure you find a time to store your boat until next season. To reduce the wear and tear that inactivity can have on your boat, our Lock & Leave Storage specialists recommend the following tips for getting your boat ready for the down months:

1. Clean Your Boat

Before putting your boat away for months, you’ll need to give it a good scrub. This includes cleaning the inside, outside, hardware, and all the trim. In addition, repairing damages before storage will keep your boat from unnecessary wear and tear.

2. Take Care of Your Batteries

Remove all batteries from your boat and ensure all their terminals are clear from corrosion. Corrosion could seriously affect your ability to hold a charge when you get it out of storage. If everything is clean, disconnect all cables and store them securely.

3. Change Your Oil

You should conduct an oil change on your boat before storing. Change out filters on the stern drive, inboard engines, or outboards. This step will help prevent water and acid from damaging your engine.

4. Get Rid of Moisture

Water sitting on your boat and potentially freezing can wreak havoc on your boat while it’s stored. Make sure all water has been removed from all areas of your boat – compartments, behind bulkheads, etc. Use a dry towel to absorb any moisture. 

5. Drain-All Parts

Speaking of moisture, you’ll want to drain all fluids from your boat’s engine, transmission, etc., before putting it into storage. When these fluids are drained, you reduce the risk of corrosion. 

6. Lubricate

Using a marine-grade lubricant, lubricate all moving parts on your boat. These parts could include your propeller shaft, pulleys, or springs. Make sure they will be in good working order once boating season begins.

7. Flush the Cooling System

Flushing your system with fresh water will help prevent the risk of corrosion by removing all salt, dirt, and debris that may be in there. If your boat will have to endure colder climates during the winter, run some antifreeze through the system. 

8. Cover the Boat

A good quality boat cover is one of the most important things you can use to protect your boat. You will want a cover made specifically for boats to resist water, weather, and UV damage. Secure your boat cover with proper tie-downs before putting it in storage. 

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Are you looking for indoor solutions to storing your boat? Do you want to find a storage facility where you can drop off your winterized boat and not have to worry about damage? Lock & Leave Storage Centers are just what you’re looking for. 

Our Henderson location is excited to talk to you about what boat storage options we offer and how Lock & Leave Storage Centers will give you peace of mind until it’s time to get back on the water again. So contact us today to see what we can do for you and your boat.

It’s that time when the sun is out, and everyone just wants to be out of the house after winter. But during the winter and spring, it’s harder for most people to keep the clutter out and clean the house, especially some of the outdoor areas of our home. 

While we all want to spend our summer playing, it’s a necessary time to clean out specific areas of your home and declutter – while the weather is nice! The good news is that it doesn’t have to take days or weeks. Doing just a little bit each day can have your home back in order and spruced up! 

Consider Decluttering Your Home Regularly

While we want to be able to de-clutter our home in just one day, the fact is that maintaining a clutter-free home isn’t a one-time event, mainly because each member of the family is bringing new items into the house every single week, if not daily.

Decluttering needs to be a recurring event – like doing the laundry, washing the dishes, and cleaning the floors. However, it can be helpful to use the warmer season temperatures to de-clutter, get outside and use a larger space to help organize and plan things like a garage sale or create a box of items for a donation center for the things you choose not to keep.

Where Do You Start with Summer Decluttering and Cleaning?

A list is one of the easiest ways to get started on a task. Here are some ideas of areas that are easier to clean and declutter when the weather is warm:

• Outdoor furniture/your patio
• School papers and artwork from the school year
• Summer clothes for everyone in the family
• Your coat closet from the winter months
• Your winter wardrobe
• The garage or outdoor storage area
• Your car
• A grill and its supplies

This list might seem overwhelming, but the best approach is to declutter slowly. It can get overwhelming if you try to do too much too fast. The more intentional you are, the easier you will adapt to a more clutter-free life in general. 

Keep This in Mind as You Start

One of the biggest ideas to remember when decluttering is considering the things you have as tools for living. Most things are there to help make your life easier. You might have a few items that you treasure and would like to keep, but if something isn’t working for you, it will only become clutter, making your home much harder to keep clean. 

Here is another tool to help you figure out what should stay and what should go – print out this summer decluttering checklist to keep you on track.

On a practical level, try to put aside around thirty minutes a day to begin decluttering. First, make sure you have a bag for trash and boxes for donation items. Then pick an area to start decluttering. Once the space is decluttered, it only takes a few minutes to clean!

As you de-clutter, keep making decisions about what you need instead of working to make more space for the things you already have. Now is the time to part ways with some things that aren’t useful to you and take up too much room.

Once You DeClutter, Cleaning Becomes So Much Easier

Sometimes we avoid cleaning because we don’t realize that we are including decluttering into our cleaning routine. If we can see these as two distinct tasks, it becomes much easier to clean your home.

Once your home is de-cluttered, you are not cleaning “around” your stuff. Instead, you can simply clean the items that are useful to you and create a system to keep de-cluttering and cleaning throughout the year. 

There are times that our homes simply do not have the space needed to store the things we need and the items that hold sentimental value to us. That’s when it can be helpful to find a storage unit with extra space to keep those things organized that would make your home cluttered.

Let Lock and Leave Storage Help You Declutter Your Home 

Lock and Leave Storage has storage units of all sizes to fit your needs. As a safe, quality residential and business self-storage facility, all units come with several features, including:

• Friendly, knowledgeable staff on hand
• Easily accessible hours of operation between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm
• Clean storage spaces
• 24-hour security video surveillance
• Boxes and packing supplies
• Truck rentals 

Our quality residential self-storage solutions are designed to fit many different needs. So if you’ve been searching for a safe, quality self-storage solution, feel free to contact one of our storage specialists to help you find the right size storage unit today.