You’ve done it. You’ve signed the papers, received the keys and the house is yours. Now what? The first thing you should do is purchase new deadbolts for your doors. Every home has at least one, and sometimes up to dozen keyed points of entry. And until you change those locks, there’s no telling just how many people may have access to your home.

For example, your home’s prior owners may have shared house keys with any/all of the following people :

• Real estate agents
• Neighbors and friends
• Parents, brothers and sisters
• Home cleaning service
• Dog walkers and pet sitters

Those keys will still gain entry into your home until you change the locks. This is why your first act as a homeowner should be to replace all your home’s keyed entries with new locks and/or deadbolts. Don’t procrastinate on installation. Ideally, your locks should be changed on the same day of purchase, as close to closing’s completion as possible.

For new homeowners wondering what to do next I came across this article which list some necessary skills every homeowner should know:

1. Keep all warranty, assembly, and operating information for each appliance or item in your house neatly filed, this way when something goes down you know where to go to find a solution.

2. To locate a stud, knuckle the wall starting in a corner to compare a hollow sound to a firm sound, and then use some simple math to guide you to others as most studs are at 16 inch intervals.

3. Unclogging a drain typically will mean using a plumbing snake to pull the gunk out. Nowadays you don’t even need a plumbing wrench to separate the pipes under your sinks to find debris. Of course ensure water is off and you have plenty of towels and buckets ready, or you could use some drainage chemicals to create a small hole in the gunk and save the heavy lifting for later.

4. Know where your breaker box is and ensure each is labeled with a permanent marker. To find corresponding plug each switch controls have a friend plug a lamp in to sockets one by one. You will use this information one day.

5. Know where your main water and electrical shutoffs are, either by referring to your inspection or asking the employees when they come out to read your meters.

6. Have a list of vendors who perform every job that could possibly come up readily accessible so at any time you need help you can get it.

7. Every once and awhile your house will need routine maintenance like an oil change for a car…things like A/C units, older appliances, etc…If you always wait for it to break first it will cost you in the long run.

Hope this helps, and congratulations on your new home! 

Now that the Holidays are behind us it's time to take down all of your holiday decorations so you can begin 2012 with a clean slate. By carefully organizing and packing you decorations it will make next year's holiday season a joy from the beginning. Once you pack up all of your decorations, you can store them safely away with us at West Cantrell Self Storage leaving you with more room in you home for the rest of the year. I have listed some tips on how to store your decorations properly.

Ornaments

Look for specially made containers for ornament storage. You can find these at most retailers such as Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowes. They are flat boxes, often with tray divider inserts that protect individual ornaments. The containers stack for easy storage. If you cannot find any of these types of containers then purchase the flip top plastic containers and use tissue or packing paper (do not use newspaper -  the ink can rub off on the ornaments)  to cushion each ornament individually. Pack the ornaments snuggly but not too tight, and if you need packing paper we have it.  

Lights

You want to insure that you pack you light strands in an orderly manner so that they don't break or get tangled. One of the worst things you can do is to just throw them into a box in a huge tangled mess. Not only can that break bulbs, but it could also damage the integrity of the electrical wiring creating a potential for a short to develop which could lead to a fire. Look for special spools available that will hold your lights. If you cannot find one of these spools then I suggest you cut a piece of cardboard and wind the lights on the cardboard. Another idea is to simply coil the strand evenly and twist tie it in a couple of spots. Be sure to store your lights in seperate boxes to prevent them from getting crushed by heavier items.

Artificial Trees

Carefully compress all of the branches and place them in a large plastic bag before placing the tree back in its' box. If your tree did not come with a plastice bag you can use a plastic furniture cover to protect the branches from collecting dust. We sell various sizes of furniture bags as well as several sizes of boxes in case you either don't have the orginal box of it has lost its' integrity. 

Holiday Collections

Dust all of your decorations that sit on shelving or tables so they will be clean and ready to use for next year. For larger, bulkier items like holiday villages, nativity scenes and train sets, try to use the orginal packaging to store them away in. If the original packaging is not available, be sure to use plenty of padding around breakable parts. Try to use large plastic bins to keep boxes of items organized.

Lawn Decorations

Make sure everything is dry and clean before storing them away to prevent mold and any musty smell from developing while in storage. I always take a photo of my decorations before I take them down so I can remember next year what I did the previous year. You might want to label all of your electrical extension cords, plugs, and lighting so you know where it goes next year when you take it out of storage.

Kitchen and Linens

Wash all holiday themed linens such as table runners, table clothes, napkins and towels. Do not bother ironing them as they will need to be ironed once you take them out of storage next year. Make sure to have a box just for your linens, and then another box for holiday themed serving platters, cream and sugar despensors, dishes, and glasses. Use plenty of packing paper and padding and pack snuggly but not too tight. Place your heavier items on the bottom of the box and more delicate items on top.

Once you have it all packed away,come in and let us rent you the perfect size space for all of your holiday decorations. Not only will your decorations be safely stored away, you will be happy with the extra space in your home.

Win a iPad2!

Just in time for Christmas. We are giving away an Apple 16 gigabyte iPad 2 with 3G, and all you have to do is visit our Facebook page and "Like us" to be entered to win. Contest rules may be found by clicking here. 

Good luck and thanks for the "Like".   

    A potential threat to any Storage Facility is the possibility of pests being brought in with a customer's belongings. In order to help protect against pests invading our facility, I have listed 7 pest-proofing tips that will help insure that your storage space remains pest-free.

1. Store items in plastic, sealed containers rather than cardboard boxes to prevent pests from nesting inside.
2. Clean all of your items you plan on storing prior to packing. Remove any residue from clothing and furniture, and do not leave crumbs of food remnants inside of kitchen appliances.
3. Wash items like clothing and linens at a hot temperature before storing to eliminate pests or pests eggs.
4. Do not store perishable food items or live plants inside your storage space as they attract pests.
5. Before placing items into your space, thoroughly inspect them to ensure pests are not hiding in any boxes or items.
6. Store your boxes or containers on raised pallets to prevent smaller pests from finding refuge underneath.
7. Regularly clean your storage space and check for signs of pests.

At West Cantrell Self Storage we have a comprehensive rodent and pest control program in place, and we encourage all of our customers to visit their space at least once a month and inspect their belongings. If you notice any signs of pests in your space contact us immediateley so we can prevent any invasion before it happens.   

We are proud to annouce that our Call Center is now up and fielding after hours phone calls. Even though our Office might be closed, we never want to miss your call so our phones are now answered between the hours of 6am to 11pm Monday-Saturday and between the hours of 10am to 5pm on Sundays (excluding Holidays).

Our Storage Professionals are specifically trained to assist you and improve your customer experience with West Cantrell Self Storage. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our product and by answering your call even after office hours is one of the ways that positions us as the leader in Self Storage in Little Rock.

Our agents can help you choose a size unit that will best fit your needs, make a reservation for you, take a payment, or simply answer you questions. So give us a call and let us help you with all of your storage needs, and as always thank you for choosing West Cantrell Self Storage.  

Nowdays most people have one or more HD flat screen televisions in their homes. These new t.v.'s provide a superior picture over the older analog sets that we all grew up with. And while flat screens typically take up less space than the older sets, they do not to fit into any conventional moving boxes that are currently available for purchase. So what do you do? Glad you asked, because we now carry flat screen moving boxes for t.v.'s measuring up to 56 inches. These boxes are specially constructed of double wall corrugated cardboard for added protection, and you can purchase a seperate bag to keep you t.v. from getting scratched. 

We currently offer two different size boxes available for purchase. The first box is for t.v.'s up to 40 inches in size, and the second box is for larger t.v.'s that measure up to 56 inches. These boxes are also suitable for artwork and mirrors, so please stop in today to take a look at our flat screen boxes and shop our full line of moving supplies.