Better Days Ahead with Dino’s Storage

The days are getting longer again, and we are down to just weeks of winter, and as bad as winter always is, we have been very fortunate to live where we do, as opposed to the east coast, or maybe North Dakota!

Spring always seems to be the time when people get motivated, do their spring cleaning, and all swoop down on the storage business. I would rather spend some boring winter weekends boxing things up, making a plan, and get all my spring stuff done NOW, so that when the weather changes, I won’t be overwhelmed with all of the projects that I have procrastinated on. Our lots at Dino’s are always plowed, and our moving trucks stay on the road.

We all got to enjoy a VERY exciting Super Bowl this year, and now, I for one look forward to enjoying a good SAFE Winter Olympics……….all of our prayers should go out to all in Sochi. I sure wish we had a Dino’s location there, I would sure be volunteering for duty.

Dino’s Storage in Omaha has opened a brand new location!

Dino’s Storage newest location at 14650 West Maple is now open! Location hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9-6pm, Wednesday and Saturdays are by appointment and closed on Sunday. You can reach Brian, the property manager at 402-916-4441 or westmaple@dinosstorage.com.

Storing Responsibly with Dino’s Storage.

The managers at Dino’s Storage take great pride in providing our customers with a wonderful facility to store their belongings. We walk our properties daily to ensure every unit is locked properly, all the lights are functioning, we provide routine landscape care and pest control and we keep our isles, hallways, elevators, loading areas, offices and outside property tidy. Through all of our diligent efforts to provide a safe and secure home for your items, it is also up to the customer to ensure they are not storing items that would attract pest or bring harm to the facility and other customers.

Here in the Midwest we experience an array of different weather types and just like you or I, certain pests would rather harbor in luxury than brave the humidity or below zero temperatures. We have every customer initial stating that they will not be storing flammable, explosive, hazardous, perishable, living, illegal or contraband items in their unit but it is up to every customer to honestly follow this rule and it is hard for managers to sort out a violator once the customer has moved in and locked the unit door.

I would like to share a few helpful tips that will help you to have a pleasant storage experience:

We do not allow customers to smoke on the property but occasionally someone will drive up to their unit with a lit cigarette in hand, thus the reason we ask that you do not store anything flammable, explosive or tires. This reminds me of a facility in Arizona a few years ago, someone decided to toss a lit cigarette and it set a spark to a unit, the unit was full of tires (which are highly flammable) and shortly after the whole facility was engulfed in flames. As you can imagine this was a very devastating time for not only the property owners but all the innocent storage customers as well, all due to the negligence of a couple of customers that didn’t follow the rules to help ensure the safety of the whole property.

We ask that should you need to put items like lawnmowers, ATVs or any items requiring gasoline into storage, please drain the gas out as much as possible.
Do not store new or used tires in the unit unless they are attached to a vehicle.
Items such as spray paint, gallons of paint or flammable cleaning products should also not be placed in the storage unit.
And most importantly, DO NOT SMOKE on the property and put the whole facility in danger.

Many customers will pack up their whole home and move it into storage during times of transition, and when I say whole home, I mean they store not only clothes, beds and furniture but they also will clean out their kitchen cupboards and place food inside the unit. A lot of time people will not stop to think about the perishable items and the potential mayhem it could cause inside their unit.

Please do not store food inside your unit as it could cause a potential outbreak of cockroaches or even attract mice into your unit. Again, no matter how diligent management is in providing pest control, it is up to the customer to store smart. As we all know, cockroaches and mice breed quickly and both are hard to control once an outbreak occurs.**If you have food items to remove from your home during a move, consider donating them to a food bank, neighbor or friend but please do not place them into storage during your transition**
Even if you are in a hurry to move, please take time to wash your clothes and pack them away in plastic totes. This way you will have fresh clothing when you pull them out of storage and you also reduce the risk of bringing in any type of bugs that could have possibly been attracted to your clothes/bedding before the move. Storing material items in plastic totes will also prevent mice from chewing through your boxes and bags to snuggle up next to your favorite sweater.
Often people will relax in their favorite chair or sofa with a bowl or popcorn or other snack while watching a movie and there is the potential of little crumbs falling between the cushion. Please take the time to vacuum your furniture before bringing it to storage as these little crumbs could also attract unwanted pests. This goes for mattresses as well. Most Dino’s Storage locations sell mattress bags and sofa/chair covers and we recommend you wrap your items in plastic not only to detract pests but to also reduce dust collecting on your items over a long period of time.
If you are storing your items in bags or boxes, you might also consider lining the unit floor with pallets and then start moving your items into storage. You could also take extra precaution by placing mouse traps or cockroach bait around your unit, to provide a little extra safety of your belongings.
If you are able, visit your storage unit monthly to look for signs or unwanted pests…chances are good that your items are just how you left them but it never hurts to check in.

You may think that it is obviously not the best idea to store living items in a unit but I have seen it happen. I have had to evict a tenant for attempting to reside in his unit and I have also had to extract a kitten from inside a unit. Not only is it against the rules to storage yourself or any living creature in a unit but it is also inhumane and a cause of health concern to the whole facility. Real plants are also not proper to store in a unit as they do not obtain proper sunshine or water and die which leads to dead foliage and bugs.

This brings me to the final point; illegal or contraband items. Not only is it illegal to be in possession of these items outside a storage facility but we do not want this type of activity inside our facilities either. The first facility that I ever managed was in Tucson, AZ just off the highway to Mexico. It was a nice new facility but I was involved with the city drug task force and had drug sniffing dogs come through the facility at random to check the property. Placing a gun in a storage unit is also not allowed. Should you forfeit your unit to an auction or in the possible rare instance your unit is broken into, you risk your registered firearm being in the possession of another person, so please keep them in a locked safe and not in storage.

Please also remember that your storage facility is not responsible for the safety and security of your property, you are. We do offer optional insurance coverage if you do not have your own. Hopefully this post has given you insight to helpful storage tips and the reasoning behind our rules as we want you have the most pleasant storage experience possible!!

Start the New Year off right saving $$ with Dino’s Storage!!

With the beginning of every New Year, we think about getting things organized in our lives. A good start usually means getting the house organized. Storage units can be a big help with getting the items out of your way that you do not use on a regular basis. Items such as holiday decorations, summer camping supplies, sporting gear, and bicycles.
We have a special running for 10×10 storage units to help you with this. Right now Bellevue has 10×10 climate control units are $90.00 and the non-climate units are $70.00. It only takes a few minutes to get a unit and you can start moving these items right away.
So come see Jennie or Tammy at Bellevue’s Dino’s Storage to get your unit set up.

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6:10-21 (New International Version)

The Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. ²¹Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing.

Reasons for using winter storage

The days are now shorter, but still very nice weather to prepare for what could be a bitter winter. Whether it turns out that way or not, it is still very nice to be prepared for what may come our way.

One good thing to always do is to put your seasonal items away. Lawnmowers, rakes, gardening tools will all do better cleaned up and stored away from the elements in a nice climate controlled environment. Every spring we invest money to replace many of these items, while our diligent friends will tell us they get 10-12 years out of theirs.

Christmas presents I have always found to be a necessity to store away somewhere OTHER than in the house!

if you are a person who has decided to sell some belongings on Craigs List, it is much wiser to show the items to a stranger at a public place, other than your personal residence. Dino’s Storage leases are month to month, so if you have your ducks in a row, you can optimize the use of the storage unit you are using to get the best possible results.

Please write in and tell me suggestions that you may have.

Do you remember your first day?

First and foremost, I would like to take this time to thank everyone at Dino’s for being so kind in welcoming me to the company. I am new to the storage business and it has been an exciting change of pace for me. The dedication and support from co-workers is amazing, which makes my job that much easier. I can say the same about the tenants here at the Cedardale location. They have been nothing less then helpful and welcoming. The people that I have met in my first months with Dino’s are excited about the change and new policies I have been trying to implement, which makes me excited to keep on diving in to help make renting from us easy. I cannot wait to see what is in store for me here in the future!

DISC LOCK OR PAD LOCK?

“What is the difference between a pad lock and a disc lock…”. While I don’t require a specific type of lock be used at my facility, I generally recommend the disc lock (and so do most other self storage facilities). Even at the best storage facilities with the best security, there are no guarantees and theft is still a concern; same as it is at your home or with your automobile. A disc lock is stainless steel vs. most pad locks are laminated steel; and because the disc lock has a shorter shank it can not be cut with a bolt cutter like most pad locks can; thus it is more secure.

“But I don’t have anything of value in my storage unit…”. I still recommend the disc lock. Thieves only know what’s in a unit after they break into it and riffle through all your stuff. Usually leaving it a damaged, mangled, mess. To cut off a disc lock you need a metal grinder and it takes a while; unlike being able to snip off a pad lock which takes only seconds. As a storage facility manager, I’m experienced at cutting locks and it can still take me a good 15 minutes to cut through a disc lock; most thieves don’t have that kind of time to stand in front of a storage unit without raising suspicion. Most thieves breaking into a storage facility are hitting multiple units; so they want to break in to units they can access quickly and easily. If you have a disc lock it can act as a deterrent in that type of situation and they usually pass your unit by; which means no mangled mess for you to reorganize.

“If someone really wants to break in to a unit, they are going to break in regardless of what type of lock is on it….”. Yes that is true. But in the event you run into a really determined thief that does take the time to grind through a disc lock; having a disc lock vs. pad lock can still be beneficial in the claim process. Some insurance carriers (including Bader, the company we work with) will waive the deductible on an insurance claim if the tenant was using a disc lock on the unit. If you secure the unit with a pad lock, you pay the deductible on the claim.

The cost of a pad lock at my facility is $12 dollars and the cost of a disc lock is only $15. So even though the disc lock is a little more expensive when you are already talking about the loss of having your unit broken into; $5 dollars can at least save you the further loss of having to pay a deductible to replace those items.

Summer is Finally Here!

It’s time to clean out the garage and make room for the vehicles. Dino’s Storage offers a variety of options for all your needs. We offer climate controlled units, non climate controlled units and outside parking. Our climate controlled units are 100 % humidity controlled and temperature controlled. Climate controlled units are great for furniture and electronics. It’s a good time to clean out the house if you have it on the market or just need a space while you are waiting for your new home. Our facility is clean and secure. It’s a great time to rent your storage space. Dino’s Storage in Elkhorn is a great location. Call Diane at 402-289-0923. We will be happy to show you around.

April Showers Bring May Flowers and Wet Basements

Spring has sprung here in the Midwest and the rain has been causing a bit of unwanted water collection in some basements and garages.

I moved here from Arizona in August and most of the homes in the Southwest do not have basements, so I was excited to have a basement in my house here in Iowa. Well, as the title goes to show…I found out the hard way that basements and garages do not always provide a dry safe place to store your unused goodies. Thankfully I was able to save my Christmas decorations, winter clothes, art projects and paperwork by bringing them all to my storage unit.

Dino’s Storage on 2^nd Avenue in Des Moines offers a wide variety of unit sizes from 5×5 to 10×30, all in an a wonderful climate controlled building. We also have very reasonable rates, so do not let your treasures get ruined by the elements, come check us out!!

Even if your basement is not a flood zone, we would love to help you free up space in your home or garage. Just imagine your new clutter free space…you could create an art studio, home gym, tool shop, home theatre or get a pool table!!

So remember: If it is worth keeping, it is worth storing!!