HOW TO STORE YOUR WEDDING DRESS

A wedding dress is one of the most sentimental purchases a woman makes in her life. Now that you’ve walked down the aisle and danced the night away, you need to store this treasure so that the years do not steal any of its beauty. You may want to leave the possibility open for your little girl to one day carry on the family tradition and walk down the aisle in that very wedding gown. To maintain its timeless grandeur, check out a few of our tips:

• Check the gown’s label for care instructions. Some must be dry cleaned while other must be wet-cleaned. Which means cleaned with water and should only be handled by a professional. Check with your bridal shop for any special instructions that specify the type of cleaning your dress may require. Having your gown cleaned as soon as possible will prevent stains from setting in. Remember, not all gowns require the same treatment. So be sure to talk with a professional.
• Avoid storing the gown in a plastic dry-cleaning bag or a plastic garment bag for very long, even if the boutique sent the dress home with a plastic bag. Plastic emits fumes that could yellow or damage the gown. If any moisture gets trapped, the dress could mildew.
• After the wedding dress has been cleaned and preserved, you’ll want to keep it in a location where the temperature is cool and the air is dry. You may want to lease a climate control unit with these features that will allow you protect your gown for many generations of happiness.
• Boxing a wedding dress is the preferred form of storage, as it lets the gown lie flat and usesacid-free tissue paper in the folds of the dress to prevent decay. Brides may choose to box their gowns at home or have them boxed professionally. In either case, a boxed gown should be removed and refolded about once a year to prevent creases from forming.
• If you prefer not to box your dress, the dress can be bagged and hung. Just make sure to go with a cotton garment bag with a well-padded hanger. The major benefit of bagging and hanging is that it doesn’t require a yearly maintenance visit, which is much more convenient since the point of storing your wedding dress is that you don’t have to deal with it until you need it again. Consider storing a clothing rack or set of shelves in your storage unit so that your dress isn’t stacked in a corner or draped over furniture, where it can get knocked on the ground or crushed by other items.

Only these steps—and the selection of the best self storage unit in your area—stand between you and the preservation of important memories for years to come!

WHY CHOOSE OUR MOVING SUPPLIES?

Want to make moving your items an easy and stress-free task? Stop by our office and make life easier by purchasing moving supplies from us. Due to crazy North Carolina weather conditions, your belongings need all the protection they can get.  Don’t forget to ask us about our newest temperature and humidity-controlled units.

Packing supplies such as boxes, bubble wrap, and tape are important, but it is important not to forget about lock!

LOCKING IT UP

These tough and enduring disc locks are the best when offering advanced security for your storage unit. Whereas regular padlocks leave your storage unit vulnerable to bolt cutter attacks. When you purchase one of our locks, you just can’t cut them using regular bolt cutters.  The reason you can’t use standard bolt cutters to open a circular disc lock is that only a small portion of the bolt is exposed in the first place, and it is extremely hardened, compared to normal padlocks. If it’s important enough to keep, then protect it.

BOXES

 Our boxes are sturdy and double walled for extra protection. No need for labels, our boxes already have them pre-printed on them! Need to decide what size cardboard boxes are right for certain items? Check out this guide on how to choose the right box for all of your moving, storage and shipping needs.

• SMALL: (16.5”x12.5”x12.5”) Easy to carry boxes are designed for small, but heavy items like books or small kitchen utensils or silverware.
• MEDIUM: (18”x18”x16”) Perfect for pots and pans, books, toys, non-perishable foods (cans & jars) and small appliances.
• LARGE: (24”x18”x18”) These boxes are sturdy and work great for items like linens, towels, pillows, blankets, larger toys and more.

MAKE IT QUICK AND EASY

Our on-site office is here to make the moving of your belongings simple and easy. It is easy to get disorganized and forget important items during your move. We are happy to offer boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, mattress totes, and furniture covers to assist you in the protection of your valuable items.

Lastly, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to consult one of our self-storage experts at Lincoln Self Storage.

CLEARING THE CLUTTER FOR THE NEW YEAR

Let’s get started on one of your New Year’s resolutions!  One that many homeowners may consider is cleaning and getting organized their homes in 2019. Decluttering your home can free up space, get rid of unnecessary items and help you find things you may have lost or forgotten about.

The Plan

Decluttering your home is a sizable task, and it can be a daunting one. That’s why it’s important to tackle this job with a plan. The Spruce suggested that, before you get started, you find 4 boxes or plastic bins. You’ll want to label them like so:

• KEEP: you’ll put these items away later.
• RECYCLE: paper, glass and plastic.
• TRASH: some things you really shouldn’t keep.
• DONATE: give away to family or friends, or to a charitable organization

Determine which rooms you want to tackle first. Perhaps you want to get the messiest and most disorganized room out of the way first, or maybe you want to start small and ramp up. Define

Now that you have a plan, you can determine how you’ll evaluate each item. Here are some tips:

MEDICATIONS

When going through your bathroom, kitchen or bedroom, you might come across medications and medicines you’ve acquired over the years. Ask yourself:

• Is it expired?
• Do I or my family members need this?
• Has anyone used it in the past 6 months?

If no one uses that medicine, if it’s unnecessary and especially if it’s expired, call your doctor’s office or pharmacy for discard information.

CLOTHES

It’s easy to accumulate clothing that you don’t wear anymore. Our sense of style evolves over time, and you’ll outgrow some things. Other items may be gifted from well-meaning family members who simply don’t know your taste, or were purchased for a particular event that’s now passed. For each article of clothing, ask yourself:

• Does it fit me?
• Do I like the way I look in it?
• Is it comfortable?
• Have I worn it in the past year?

If it doesn’t fit, if you hate your reflection when you wear it, if it’s uncomfortable to wear or if you haven’t touched it in the past year, throw it in the donate box. If it’s falling apart or is otherwise unusable, put it in the trash bin.

ELECTRONICS

When you get a new gadget, it may be fun or convenient for a while, but over time it may get less and less use. Maybe it’s a device that you’ve replaced with a new model, or perhaps it didn’t fit into your daily routine well. Either way, you’ll need to evaluate the necessity of your old electronics. For each piece, ask yourself:

• Does it work?
• Do I like it?
• Does it make my life easier?
• Have I used it in the past year?

If it doesn’t work, you’ll need to decide if you can fix it yourself, if it’s worth paying for a professional repair, or if it’s better off trashed. If it’s still functional, determine whether it makes your life easier in any way, or if you like to use it. If you don’t really like to use it, haven’t used it in the past year or it’s cumbersome to use, you may consider donating it.

Identify storage locations

Through your decluttering efforts, you’ll end up getting rid of some things and determining others are better off in storage. But, if your attic, basement and garage are already full, or you don’t want to move stuff to these areas, you might consider looking outside your home. A storage unit can help immensely. You can house the items you need only a few times a year here, where they’re easily accessible yet out of the way.