Image Credit: Bike Radar

Prolonged periods of not using your bicycle can lead to certain parts showing signs of rust or even degradation. As such, before you store your bicycle, it is advisable to take the time to prepare it for storage so that it will remain ready when you return for it.

Here are four storage tips you can use to get your bike ready for storage!

Clean Hydration Items and Remove All Electronics

The first step in preparing your bicycle for storage is to remove everything that is not part of your bicycle’s frame or moving parts.

These items include bicycle bottles, ride computers, and the speedometer. Electronics, including safety lights, should be stored separately to minimise changes or damage to the interior circuitry.

At the same time, remember to clean the hydration system if you use a hydration pack. You can use a solution of vinegar and water before rinsing it thoroughly with hot water. While storing your bottles and bladder, ensure that the caps are removed.

Clean and Inspect your Bicycle

After removing the electronics from your bicycle, it is time to clean and inspect your bicycle.

While giving your bicycle a light spray of water is always encouraged, it will be better if you can also use a soft-bristle brush to remove any dried mud and dislodge dirt from hard-to-reach areas. Once that is done, lightly use a rag to dust off the remaining dirt from your bicycle frame, saddle, grips, and wheels.

To clean the chain, start by wrapping the chain up with a clean, lint-free cloth and, as you backpedal, allow the chain to move through the cloth. Repeat this process a few times until the rag remains mostly clean.

While cleaning, remember to inspect the bicycle for any signs of damage, wear or tear.

Inflate the Tires and Lubricate the Cables and Chains

Once your bicycle is cleaned, you will need to inflate your tire to the right PSI so that the weight of your bicycle does not rest directly on the rims and damage the rims in the process. Furthermore, having air in your tire prevents weak spots from developing in your bicycle tire’s sidewall, prolonging the durability of the tire.

Remember to lubricate your shifting cables, braking cables, and bicycle chain. This step will ensure that rust does not set in during the storage period and help your chain move smoothly when you start riding again.

Use a Cover during Storage

While this is not mandatory, storing your bicycle under covers will prevent excess dust from collecting on your bicycle in your storage unit. Furthermore, it will be good to suspend your bicycle from the wall using a hook to ensure that the weight of the bicycle does not rest on the tires.

Planning to relocate back to your hometown or another country for work? Relocating is one of the most stressful things, even for those who do it regularly. Thus, self-storage might be a useful tool for most expats to try.

Here are three benefits of self-storage to expect:

Safe and secure extra storage space

The idea of self-storage will come in handy for expats who have moved from a bigger home to a much smaller home but still have many pieces of furniture or boxes that would not fit into the current home. They can start to rent a self-storage unit first to store those items that do not fit in their homes during this transition period.

By storing your items in a mini storage facility such as Extra Space Asia Self-Storage, you will be provided a unique Pincode to access the air-conditioned storage area. For added protection, only the storer has access to the storage unit. Even our Customer Service Executives do not hold any keys to the lock on the storage unit.

Flexible storage duration

In cases where you are planning to relocate soon, the storage space becomes a safe and secure choice for storing your personal items and furniture. It is a good transition space where you can store your items first until the relocation details are finalised for the transporter company to move everything to your new location.

For mini storage providers such as Extra Space Asia Self-Storage, expats will also have the choice of storing from as short as 14 days to as long they require. There is no fixed storage contract to adhere to. If you require more time to settle your relocation arrangements, simply extend the storage duration by speaking to the Customer Service Executive directly.

Cost-effective storage solution

Compared to continuing the property rental for a prolonged period, which can be expensive in Hong Kong, expats can save more by storing their personal items at a self-storage facility that offers a more flexible storage plan and duration to fit their storage needs. You will be glad to know that you only need to pay for the storage size you rent, some administration fees and insurance coverage.

Did you also know that if you plan to store for a longer time period, there might also be more storage rental discounts that can bring about more cost savings down the road? Thus, it is important to always check in with the various mini storage providers to check out the latest promotions that best cater to your needs.

About Extra Space Asia Self-Storage 

Searching for a stable, safe, secure mini-storage operator in Hong Kong? Extra Space Asia Self-Storage might be what you are looking for. We offer a wide range of storage services with 24/7 CCTV monitoring, 24/7 pin code access. You can also enjoy the flexibility of storing either long term or short term based on your storage needs.

Winter clothes are clothing that we only use daily if we are living in a winter country with low temperatures all the time. As they are bulky, they occupy a lot of useful space in our wardrobe or spare room. Here are some winter clothes storage hacks to try out today!

Prepare winter clothes before storing

Wash and dry clothes

Before you start your storage process, it is important to ensure that all winter wear is properly washed and dried. It is key to ensure that your winter clothing is completely dried before storing it, as you want to avoid finding mouldy clothes when you need them the next time. It is also important to check if your clothes can be machine washed or needs to be sent for dry cleaning.

Fold or hang your winter wear

The general rule would be to fold your lightweight clothes, such as knit wears and thermal wears, compared to using a hanger to hang them as it will change their shapes and hang the heavier items, such as your winter coats, so that they will stay in shape for a long time.

How to store your winter clothes

Use vacuum-sealed bags

Use vacuum-sealed bags for a start as they will help to shrink the size of these think clothing to a fraction of the original size. By vacuum-sealing your clothes, storing and stacking your vacuum bags in your wardrobe would be much easier. These bags can also prevent moisture from entering the clothes and are helpful against odour and insects/pests. You can easily purchase these vacuum-sealed bags online or in most home stores.

Store in plastic containers with lids

Plastic containers are a good storage idea, too, as they keep your winter wear safe from humidity, mould and bugs. Using plastic storage containers, you can quickly see each box’s content and label them by categories such as hats, jackets, heat techs, etc.

For family storage wise, you can also adopt the idea of storing the winter wear by names so that they can easily grab and go when the time arises instead of looking through each category and ensuring that the size is correct.

Store in a self-storage facility to save closet space

Storing your winter clothes will help keep your wardrobe clutter-free, but only some are blessed with ample storage space. In such cases, you can rent a self-storage unit where you can choose either a locker size or a walk-in unit size, depending on the storage space you need. If you have many items to store besides your thick winter clothes, you can rent a walk-in unit.

For those new to the idea of self-storage, you can try self-storage providers such as Extra Space Asia Self-Storage, which offers a wide range of storage sizes at various locations. With a 24/7 air-conditioned and dehumidified storage environment, your items will be in safe hands, especially those temperature-sensitive items. If you have more storage questions, you can also reach out by calling 1899 8708 or even visit the storage facilities from Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm, to see it for yourself!

With Seollal New Year 2023 right around the corner in January, it is the time of the year again to start your spring cleaning routine! Here are three quick ways to prepare your home for the year ahead.

Out with the old, in with the new

The start of most spring cleaning routines is the process of cleaning and decluttering your home. You can start by throwing the old items and donating those in good condition. Once those are done, you will have some extra space to introduce new items such as blooms or even new furniture pieces.

If you have maxed out on all the available space at home to store your personal collection and seasonal items such as thick winter clothing, the Christmas tree and festive decoration, you can opt to rent a storage unit at storage facilities like Extra Space Asia Self Storage. These self-storage units can come in handy as they serve as an extension of your home that are accessible 24 hours, any time, any day.

This Seollal New Year, be the first 30 new customers to sign up for a storage unit at Extra Space Asia Self Storage and enjoy more additional discount. Call 1899-8708 today to find out more about the wide range of storage options available.

 

Introduce some touches of red and gold Seollal decoration to welcome some luck

If your home lacks a festive vibe, it would be good to incorporate some Seollal New Year decorative items. You can hang decorations on your main door or over the interior walls to welcome blessings and warm, celebratory themes.

The colour red is also regarded as an auspicious colour. By adding some touches of red and even gold, your home will become instantly look more vibrant and festive looking, which makes for great additions at home to welcome the Seollal New Year.

 

Spruce up your home with some New Year blossoms

Why not spruce your home further by simply shaking some things up a little? For a start and at no cost, you can try rearranging the furniture layout so that there is more space for family members and friends to hang around the common spaces in your home.

Next, you can purchase festive flowers to add spring colours to your decor. Here are some flowers choices and their significance:

– Tangerine tree for wealth and good luck.

– Pussy Willows for growth and prosperity.

– Lucky bamboo for strength.

– Peach blossoms for prosperity and growth.

– Plum blossoms for endurance and courage.

New Year, new me. That’s what many of us say on the first day of a brand new year. But instead of just a ‘new me’, why not include changing up your home situation for the better too? With many of us still working from home, our homes have become a place where we live for more than 12 hours a day. So it’s definitely important that we find simple ways to keep our home clean and organised. We’ve come up with these 3 simple ways which can be applied any day and any time.

 

1. Tackle one room at a time

Most of our homes will include more than one room on top of the living room space. This means that you’d definitely need more time and effort to clean up every inch and corner of your home if you were to tackle it all at once. The easier (and forgiving) way would be to clean up room by room. You can always start with the messiest room or the room where you spend most of your time in. Start from the floor space, followed by your closet or your table. By combing these space section by section, you can start finding pockets of space.

You should also find time on a daily or weekly basis to do some personal hygiene tasks such as vacuuming and mopping your floor, changing your bedsheets and curtains, cleaning the surfaces that you often use like your desktop or vanity top to ensure that they are clean with minimal dust accumulation.

2. Remove messy corners

We all have that one messy corner in our home where we would just happily leave our items there, and watch it slowly start to pile up like a mountain. Instead of that, consider clearing and wiping up the mess way before it starts to clutter. You can start by clearing up the current messy corner and make use of storage boxes to hold your small knick-knacks.

Try buying the same type of storage boxes so that if you need to stack them up in your room, it’ll be more consistent and organised looking too. You can also purchase transparent storage boxes instead of those opaque ones so that you’ll be able to find your items much easier over time without the hassle of opening each container. You should also place small labels on each storage boxes so that you can categorise them easier. Also, consider stacking the items from top to bottom according to how often you use the items. This will save you time and effort in future should you need to use the items.

3. Declutter your room

In need of extra space to grow your personal collection, work comfortably and for your kids to play? Start your decluttering your home by first removing items which are hardly used. Once you’ve cleared these items either by throwing or donating them, you’ll be able to enjoy more space at home. With these newfound space, you’ll also be able to move furniture around to create a new vibe for your home. However, if after clearing up those unwanted items, you’re still in need of extra space for business or personal reasons, you can explore the idea of storing the bigger bulky items, seasonal items and even business items in a self-storage facility.

By storing in a self-storage facility such as Extra Space Asia Self- Storage, you’ll still be able to retrieve these items any time, any day as your storage unit is accessible 24/7. You can also contact the self-storage provider today at 1899-8708 to find out more about their various storage solutions for personal and business use or even wine storage.

• Sign up for any storage unit from 1 to 30 December 2022 and enjoy up to ₩100,000 additional storage discount on top of prevailing discounts in our Sure-Win Christmas Scratch & Win.
• New sign-ups will have 1 chance to choose a scratch card when they sign up with us regardless of the number of storage units rented.
  • Minimum 3 months storage: 1 scratch card
  • Minimum 6 months storage: 2 scratch cards
  • Applicable to all storage sizes.
• Other Terms and Conditions apply.

If you have any storage questions, it would be good to speak directly to any of our Extra Space Asia consultants at 1899-8708. Alternatively, you can visit any of our Extra Space Asia Self-Storage facilities located around Seoul and Bundang during our operating hours from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm to find out more!

Storage Tips: Practical Ways to Store Hobby Items!

Overwhelmed by all the items you own and looking for a good storage solution to store your growing personal hobby items and enjoy more space at home?

Good news! Here are some long-term practical storage ideas for you to consider.

 

Bike Storage

When it comes to bicycle storage, there are a few storage options to choose from. Firstly, you can purchase a sturdy wall frame to hang your bicycles on the wall while freeing up the floor space for other uses. Simply mount the bike storage hooks on the wall and hang your bicycle. If you have limited space at home, you can also explore storing your bike outside your home. When you store your bike outside, remember to ensure that your bicycle is secured with an added cover to protect it from dirt.

However, if you have purchased an expensive bicycle, you can consider storing them in a self-storage unit facility such as Extra Space Asia. Choosing this option will make sure that your items are stored in a secure environment. On top of your bicycles, you can maximise the use of your storage unit by storing other rarely-used family household items.

 

Golf Clubs

Looking for a storage solution to store your golf clubs and gear when not in use? If you want your golf equipment to last, it would be advisable to store them properly to keep them in the best shape possible.

Did you know that moisture and humidity can cause your gold club to rust? That is why it is important that you store them in a temperature-controlled, dry environment, as extreme hot or cold temperatures can cause the glue to weaken on your club heads and grip area. As such, explore the option of storing them in a self-storage facility such as Extra Space Asia, equipped with 24/7 air-conditioning and dehumidified storage. These features help to ensure that your temperature-sensitive items will be stored optimally for the long term.

 

Fishing Rods

Storing your fishing rods the right way can help to keep them protected against any form of wear and tear. Even though fishing rods are known to be strong enough to withstand heavy loads, they are also very delicate and vulnerable to damage.

With proper storage, you can effectively extend the life of your fishing rods, reels and lines. You can choose to store them vertically or horizontally, with the reels attached or removed, but it is important that you carry out proper cleaning and drying before storing them as moisture can lead to damage too. Some home storage options include wall-mounted racks to hold the rods horizontally on the wall or a vertical storage rack to keep them off the floor and within easy reach. If you have a growing collection of fishing rods, think about keeping them in your storage unit to make more space for other gear at home.

If you have any storage questions, it would be good to speak directly to any of our Extra Space Asia consultants at 1899-8708. Alternatively, you can visit any of our Extra Space Asia Self-Storage facilities located around Seoul and Bundang during our operating hours from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm to find out more!

3 Ways to Maximise The Benefits of Your Storage Space

 

 

As houses get smaller and more expensive, storage is gradually becoming a necessity. With a storage space, we have extra room for miscellaneous items such as seasonal clothing, and personal hobby-related items. Useful as it is, renting extra storage space can get pricey if you store without a proper plan.

Here’s how you maximise the benefits of your storage!

 

1. Pack before renting

Most people tend to get a quote based on roughly how many items they are going to store. Estimates are usually inaccurate. We recommend you declutter first – this means to pack, discard or donate all items – before you request for a quote. This way you’ll have a clearer idea on what you want to store and what to keep at home. This will also help you choose a storage size that best suits your current need.

This process may be tiring, but if you do it once, everything will become more organised! At Extra Space Asia, we always encourage our customers to only store in a storage unit that fits their current needs as we have flexible plans that allow upgrades or downgrades anytime.

 

2. Plan before storing

If you just store as you go, you might end up wasting space in your storage unit. Plan the packing layout first. Label all your boxes, so that when you move-in to your storage unit, you will know what is in each box and how heavy it will be. Then, stack them according to weight and frequency of use. If you need extra boxes, you can always purchase them at our Box Shop too!

To optimise space, be aware of the vertical and horizontal spaces in your unit. The goal is to make full use of the vertical space first before spreading horizontally across the floor area.

 

3. Make more room with shelves

Only have a few boxes, but most of them are heavy? For easy and direct access without unnecessary heavy lifting, consider using shelves instead of stacking them.

This method of arranging will be especially useful if you’re a business owner who frequents your storage unit 24/7. Now you can conveniently retrieve and store all your inventory with ease!

When it comes to finding suitable storage spaces and add-ons, you can always count on Extra Space Asia! Contact us today at 1899 – 8708 to arrange a personal tour and for more advice on what suits you best.

Before I know it, the autumn season has arrived with a cool breeze. What are some of your concerns when washing and storing clothes for autumn? For me, it’s always the stains on my knitwear and trench coats. 

 

Here are some tips for washing and managing autumn clothes!

 

 

Knitwear

Washing: To wear knitwear for a long time, it is recommended that you dry-clean it or wash it by hand to avoid deformation as much as possible. When you hand-wash your knit, dissolve the wool detergent in lukewarm water and soak it for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. If it’s hard to hand-wash your knit every time, I recommend washing just the wool course with lukewarm water. Please wash your clothes separately or put them in the laundry net so they won’t get fluffy due to friction with other clothes!

 

Storage: When storing knitwear, shape it and keep it as large and flat as possible, or roll it around. Keeping it on a hanger may cause it to droop and deform quickly. One of the tips is to spread newspapers under drawers and between clothes to prevent damage from moisture and to put moisture and insect repellent together.

 

Trench coat

Washing: It’s no exaggeration to say that trench coats are a typical autumn favourite! Trench coats may or may not be washable for each product material. Be sure to check the label before washing it. If you only want to remove dirt from your neck or wrist, lightly apply kitchen detergent to a towel wet with water and dab dry. If you rub aggressively, it may bleach the part white or leave more dirt.

 

Storage: Use a steam iron when ironing trench coats, and if using a regular iron, it is recommended that you sprinkle enough water and iron it with a thin cloth at a low temperature. After ironing, hang it on a hanger to prevent it from getting wrinkled.

 

Leather jacket

Leather is more damaged by moisture and direct sunlight than other materials. Therefore, it is important to maintain good management daily. If there is a lot of dust, wipe it with a dry cloth, and if there is coffee or food stains, wipe it immediately. Use a leather cleaner for more severe stains.

 

Storage: Leather is sensitive to moisture and heat, so it is important to keep it well. Hang it on a shoulder-fitting hanger to avoid deformation, and be careful not to store it overlapping with other leather clothes. It is also a good way to put a dehumidifier in the pockets.

 

Seeing as how autumn clothes can be really challenging to store at home due to moisture, heat and space constraints, another easy solution is to store them in a facility like Extra Space Self Storage.

 

24/7 Admission is available, and you can safely store your precious autumn clothes with a 24-hour temperature control system and air conditioning service. What’s more, storage periods here are kept flexible from as short as 14 days to as long as you need! 

 

Visit Extra Space Asia’s website today to enjoy exclusive promotions and offers! You can also contact us at 1899-8708 for a quick quote and answers to any of your queries.