Father’s Day is just a few short days away, and you may still be wondering what to get your father to show your appreciation for all he does. This year, think more in terms of not what you’ll be giving, but what you can take away. More specifically, of the space in your home that you use most for storage. The basement? A loft? A spare bedroom? Take the time out of your day to clean out the storage in this area and give him what he really wants: a man cave.

Give Dad a place to go to do what he loves, whether it’s to watch sports or play pool, whatever it is. Start by going through the items you currently have in the area and clean out what you no longer need or use. With what’s left, go through and decide where the rest of the items should go, whether it’s another place in your home or it needs to be stored away in a self storage unit.

Then take the time to start to prepare it for Dad by taking down any decorations that don’t seem fit for a man cave but don’t just redecorate it yet. Let him do the decorating so he can make it exactly how he wants it, anyway that’s half the fun in itself!

Once you’re done with that, treat you dad to a day out at the Cars & Coffee SRT Tour at LifeStorage of Libertyville. With a full lineup of the 2013 SRT performance vehicles on display and free coffee and donuts for the event down the street at Liberty Auto City, it’s a great start to Father’s Day for any dad.

The beginning of June marks the beginning of many summer activities: gardening, biking, working in the yard and so much more. Since you may have neglected the organization of your shed during the winter, let us help you working through the  solutions for your shed so you can get the items you need when you need them.

One great tool for your shed would be for all your rakes, brooms, shovels and more. Put hooks on the walls of your shed so you can hang these items and get them out of the way for other items to be stored on the floor.

You’ll also want to make sure your larger items are not in the way or blocking the doors. Store these larger items toward the back of your shed or along the wall (as long as they don’t block too much of the center space).

The last thing you want is a tangled hose intertwined with other items in your shed, so while you’re hanging those tools, take the time to wrap your hose so it’s no longer tangled and hang that as well. This will also help keep it from tangling again.

One more storage solution idea is to keep like items together. Your gardening items should be kept together while your home repair items should be kept together and so on. By doing this, you will be able to easily get what you need when you need it without causing a mess in the shed.

Once you’re done organizing your shed, go through what you decided not to put back in it. Some items you can get rid of, but those other items you just don’t use as often, stop by your self storage facility to store these items for when you need them.

Photo credit: Marthastewart.com

For most people an organization of items visible throughout the house is good enough to have considered their home organized, but for others, even those things unseen will need to be organized. Take for example, the refrigerator. Most guests in your home will never see inside of it, but the organization will make a difference in your everyday life. So take our three simple refrigerator organization tips below to start making sure your home is organized to your guests and to yourself.

1. Tupperware- Tupperware is a great organization tool in the refrigerator. It’s easier to stack, usually transparent and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. When you put your food into a Tupperware container, you’re not only making your fridge more organized, but it will also prolong the freshness of your food.

2. Keep One Area for Leftovers- Leftovers (whether you love them or hate them) can take over your refrigerator’s organization pretty fast. By keeping them all in one area, you’ll know where to look for them, and it’s more likely that you won’t forget about them as easily as if you were to put them with the rest of your items. This is especially important since these can go bad faster than the rest of the items in your fridge.

3. Utilize the Door- Though the shelves of the fridge are the main area for food storage, don’t forget to utilize the door of the refrigerator too. Drinks, sauces, jellies, and smaller items can go here on the fridge door to keep them separate from the other items on the shelves. This will give more room on the shelves and separate items for easier finding.

One thing to remember is if you find a certain Tupperware you like, think about buying some extra to keep in your self storage unit . That way if you lose a couple lids or need to replace some of them, you have some more nearby.

Photo credit: http://theglamoroushousewife.com/

The toolbox, the shed, the garage, and the basement may all seem like you wouldn’t need to organize your tools, but in order to find the items you need quickly and efficiently, you may want to reconsider and get on the right track of organization. Organization for tools is simple and easy, and the best part is as long as you keep putting items back where they belong, you’ll only need to do it once.

First item on the tool organizing agenda is the simple rule for all organization: go through everything you have already. Any tools that are damaged beyond use, throw them out. Any tools you only use rarely, store them away (consider your self storage facility at LifeStorage). Any tools you have multiples of (yes, it’s a good idea to keep more than one Phillips head screwdriver, but you don’t need 20), consider donating to charity or selling in a garage sale. Once you get rid of all the clutter, organizing what you have left will be one hundred percent easier.

Now that you have just the items that need to be organized, start by putting similar items together. For a garage, basement, and shed consider shelving to help organize your items better. Make sure the tools you use the most often are the easiest to access and find. Smaller items can be segregated in a toolbox (or multiple toolboxes). Peg boards are also a great storage tool for any garage, shed, or basement and makes items easier to see and access. For larger items, they should have a set place as well.

Once you’ve organized your tools, swing by your self storage unit to bring in any tools you won’t need often. While you’re there, take home your lawn furniture to enjoy the weather.

Photo credit: BHG.com

Have a free weekend coming up before the busy days of summer approach? Now is the perfect time to plan a simple weekend storage project (or two or three) to get organized on some of those items that may have fallen through the cracks recently. See below for our top five recommendations for storage projects that may need your attention.

1. Clean out your storage unit. Your storage unit is the one area that could easily get unorganized and over-cluttered. Take some time to go over and clean out the items you keep in your self-storage.

2. Organize your garage. Whether you want to make sure there’s room for your car or you’re throwing some summer parties and want to set up tables in the garage, it’s a great time to clean out the garage and make sure everything has its own set place in there.

3. Put your shed in order. It’s likely you’re going to need the items in your shed for the summer, so take the time to go through and put everything in its place so you know where to find it when you need it.

4. Go through your pantry. To avoid expired foods and over-crowded pantries, it’s smart to go through your pantry a couple times a year to get rid of any foods that are old and expired. It’s also a great time to organize your foods so you don’t lose track of what you have.

5. Clean your closets. The areas in your home that get the most attention when it comes to organization are the items that are most seen. So your closets may be a bit neglected, since you can always close the door to hide a mess. Take the time go to through and clean your closets one at a time.

Once you finish your weekend storage project, reward yourself by taking a trip to your storage unit at LifeStorage and get out your summer sporting equipment. Then you’ll be all ready to enjoy the summer in your organized home.

Having a bookcase full of books in your home office or a family room can be a distinguished look in your home, but a bookcase has more utility than just holding books. In fact, bookcases are a great home storage option for various items and can go in any room of your house.

One of the many uses of a bookcase is for holding decoration. Picture frames, trinkets, trophies, and more can be displayed on these shelves without cluttering tabletops and counters. Of course you can mix the decorative items with functional items, like storing books or binders.

Bookcases can also be used for small item storage. By getting baskets that fit well in the shelves, you can store small items in these baskets and place them on the shelves. This keeps your items together and organized but out of view (keeping a cluttered look at bay).

Bookcases are also a good storage for your media collection – DVDs, CDs, and more all stack nicely (and you can see everything you have at once) on a bookcase. This can help you keep your multimedia collection organized.

These storage solutions can also be used in your closet. You can display your shoes (making it easy to find what you need when you need it) on a bookcase in your closet or by your front door. You could also use it as a makeshift dresser inside your closet by folding your clothes and organizing them on the shelves.

Now that you’ve realized all the storage capabilities of your handy bookshelf, you’ll want to clear off those books and use it in another room. So stop by your self storage unit at LifeStorage so you can bring all those books in and explore the different ways to utilize your bookshelf in home organization.

Laundry may not be a fun chore (what chore is anyway?), but it can definitely be made easier. Through organization, laundry can be done faster and more efficiently, making more time for the fun things in life. So check out our top three laundry organization tips below and get ready to have more fun than laundry to do.

1. Set Aside Time For Laundry. Make sure to have enough time when doing laundry to get it all done at one time. If you put in the laundry and then have to go somewhere before you finish, it could take even longer, and you may have to redo some of it. Say you don’t have time to fold it and put it away after it’s done drying, if you just leave it in the dryer it could become wrinkled before you have time to fold it.

2. Prepare Your Laundry. If you prepare your laundry as you go, it’ll be a faster process as you do it on laundry day. So as you put items in the hamper, clean out the pockets, and pre-sort the items so they’re ready to just toss in the washer.

3. Clean Out Your Closet. If you clean out all the items in your closet that you no longer wear, it will mean more room in your closet and therefore less time trying to find a spot to put clothes away after you’ve done laundry. It will also mean you have less clothes to wash. So go through your closet and pitch, donate, or store those clothes you no longer wear.

Once you finish your laundry, don’t forget to stop by your self storage unit to bring in the clothes you no longer wear but aren’t quite ready to get rid of yet.

Who could have guessed that in one of the smallest rooms in your home in just a little cabinet, there could be a large storage predicament? With washes and creams, medicines and aloes, your bathroom vanity is overflowing with all your necessities to make it through the day. This is all stuff you need to keep in your home, so self-storage is not a solution this time, but we can still help you to make your vanity an organized masterpiece.

First things first, you’ll want to make sure there are minimal items left out on the counter. Soap, toothbrush in a holder, maybe some lotion, and that should sum it up. If there are any additional items you keep on your counter for regular use, first verify if it needs to stay out or can it be put into the cabinet, and if the answer is that it needs to stay out, keep those items together in a tray like this glass vanity tray from Crate and Barrel.

Next you should concentrate on what’s in the cabinet. Take the time to go through and toss any old and expired items (yes these items do expire) to make room for the items that are still good. Next you should go through to see if there are any items you don’t need, like those five different face creams you have in there but never use. The items in your cabinet should be categorized so all medicine items are together (and easy to find,) beauty items are together, etc. This will give everything a set place to be, so once you take something out, you’ll know where to put it back when you’re done.

With your vanity organized, you can get ready faster in the morning and may even have time to stop by your storage unit at LifeStorage to switch your winter sweaters for spring friendly clothes!

Kid’s room are the most prone for clutter. With so many toys of different sizes and kids who may not always put them away, these rooms need the most organizational help. See our three favorite fun kid’s storage items below.

1. Toy Boxes- Here’s one staple for a child’s room that has been for years. There are so many different kinds of toy boxes for boys and girls. You are sure to find one that will match your child’s room and they will love. You can get one with their favorite character on it, like this Hello Kitty toy box from Target, or a more decorative one, like this princess bench and toy box.

2. Cubby Storage- This storage is great for separating items and still keeping them stored away and organized. Try a simple one like this white cubby storage from Pottery Barn Kids. There’s also a more colorful and kid-friendly version from Overstock.com.

3. Bookcases- Having a place to book all the kids books in their room will keep them from getting mixed together with the rest of their toys, making them hard to find. Try a simple wire shelf set for the books, like this one at Land of Nod, or a more intricate bookshelf like this Compartment Department Bookcase also from Land of Nod.  One more positive about having a bookshelf in your child’s room is that it can hold more than just books.

With these three fun kid’s room storage items, you’ll keep a better lock on your clutter. Of course, you should also go through your children’s toys often to see what they no longer play with. These items can be donated, or if your kids’ aren’t quite ready to part with them, head over to your storage unit at LifeStorage for safe keeping.

Photo credit: bhg.com

Current tenants and community members will be setting up units to showcase their wares and do some spring cleaning. LifeSource will be present with one of the mobile units hosting the Blood Drive. Sam’s Club will be providing refreshments! Other attendees include  The American Cancer Society, Pampered Chef, The Addison Police and Fire Departments, the Forest Preserve of DuPage County, PNC Bank and more, over 20 will be in attendance. It’s a diverse mix of organizations and businesses, and we’re glad to have them.

We’re hoping we avoid spring showers and have some sunshine and some fun, and want you to join us! This is a family-friendly, free event with children’s activities and a Touch-a-Truck raffle as well, so come out this Saturday, do some shopping, learn more about your health, donate some blood, and most importantly, have a good time!

Looking for self storage? With 26 storage facilities in Chicago Land LifeStorage is right around the corner. To reserve a storage unit online go to www.lifestorage.com.