Preakness Week

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Baltimore celebrates the Preakness Stakes

May 11th through May 18th is Preakness Week in Baltimore. The 138th running of the Preakness Stakes  is Saturday, May 18th at Pimlico Race Track. There are many events during race week including a 5K Run that was held on May 11th, a frog hop, crab derby, hot air balloon festival, concerts and the Infield Fest. The 5K Run actually began at the starting gates for the horse races and participants got to run/walk around the track and around Pimlico Race Track. All proceeds for the 5K race went to the Maryland affiliate of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The celebrations are all part of the Preakness Stakes.

The Preakness is the “middle jewel” in thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes). It is always held on the third Saturday in May after the Kentucky Derby at the Pimlico Race Course, which is the 2nd oldest racetrack in the United States. Pimlico was originally built in 1870. The race is a 1 3/16 mile long race for 3-year-old colts, geldings and fillies. The 2013 Kentucky Derby winner, Orb, will be the top contender for the race in a field of 9-14 horses. The winner will receive a $1 Million purse and be awarded a replica of the Woodlawn Vase. The original vase was designed by Tiffany and Company in 1860 and currently resides at the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The People’s Pink Park and Black-eyed Susan Day Race is held on Friday, May 17th. This is an 89 year tradition of a 1 1/8th mile race for 3-year-old fillies. The race is named after the state flower of Maryland, the black-eyed Susan’s. This year the event will share proceeds with Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Plus, there will be a free infield concert by the Goo Goo Dolls, Rodney Atkins and Rachel Farley.

Infield Fest is part of the Preakness Race day events. This event takes place on the infield of the race track.   The infield will be packed with people attending this event. There are food and other vendors, music, entertainment and more.  This event will have multiple stages with performers such as Pitbull, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Chevelle, Florida-Georgia Line and Kristin and the Noise.

Balloon Glow-Turf Valley Balloon Festival

Balloon Glow

The Turf Valley balloon festival is a part of the Preakness Celebration Week. The balloon festival takes place at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland. The Balloon Festival  starts on May 16th at 4pm and runs to May 18th (with the only events that day being a balloon launch at 6:30am). Over 20 hot air balloons take part in this free event. There are family activities, crafts, retail and food vendors and live entertainment. You can listen to pilot demonstrations, walk through the inside of a hot air balloon and for a fee take a tethered hot air balloon ride. The highlight of the festival is Balloon Glow at dusk on May 16th and 17th. The balloons are lit with special lights when they launch into the night sky (weather permitting).

There are always a lot of fun events during Preakness Week. ezStorage is proud to be part of the Baltimore area during all of this excitement!

Packing Boxes 101

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Moving Tips

 

Packing is a dreaded word. But, it doesn’t have to be! If you are packing to move across the city or packing items to place temporarily in a storage unit, you need to be prepared with proper moving and packing supplies. Here is a good reference list of items that you will need as you begin to pack your belongings:

  • Non-printed, clean newsprint paper (regular newspapers will leave ink on your items) for wrapping items and using as box filler.
  • Bubble wrap, tissue paper, paper towels, clothes and linens to wrap delicate items.
  • Packaging Tape to seal boxes and scotch tape to tape paper packaged items.
  • Good sturdy boxes of different sizes.
  • Scissors or box cutters.
  • Markers to label boxes.
  • Notepad for you to keep an inventory list of the content of the boxes.

It is important to invest in good sturdy moving boxes. ezStorage offers moving and packing supplies  at all of our 45 locations. While it might be cheaper to get free boxes from the grocery store, these boxes could be unstable and have food remnants in the boxes. These boxes also come in different shapes than regular moving boxes, which make it difficult to stack correctly in a storage unit. Also, do not use plastic bags to store your items, especially clothes and books. Plastic bags don’t allow for adequate air-flow and coud potentially ruin stored items.

Here are a few tips on how to properly pack your boxes for moving day or to place in storage:

1. Make sure the bottom of the boxes are firmly sealed with packing tape.

2. Pack like items together in boxes.

3. Line the boxes that you are using for breakable items such as glasses, dishes and collectible items with bubble wrap or newsprint.

4. Roll glasses onto the newsprint paper and tuck in the ends of the paper as you roll for a tight package. Tape the package to prevent the paper from unraveling.

5. Place heavier items at the bottom of the boxes, then place filler protection between the pieces and place another layer of items. Put the lightest item at the top of the boxes, while leaving about 3 inches of space from the top for filler paper.

6. Make sure that the box is completely full. If not the box could collapse in a stack in storage.

7. Completely seal the top of the box with packing tape to prevent dust or dirt from getting into the box.

8. Hang clothing, heavy drapery, heavy blankets and quilts in wardrobe boxes.

9. Pack lampshades, linens, pillow and larger lighter items in larger boxes.

10. Label each box with the contents on multiple sides of the box. Keep an inventory list of the boxes on a separate notepad to use as a reference after moving day.

When moving your boxes into a storage unit, stack all of the like-sized boxes together with the heaviest boxes on the bottom and the lighter boxes on top. Do not stack boxes too high in the storage unit. If the stacks are too high, the bottom boxes might not be able to withstand the weight and topple over. Also, do not have boxes that weigh more than 30 pounds. Anything heavier could be hard for a person to move. Make sure to leave enough space around the exterior of the storage unit for ventilation. Having the boxes stacked properly will give you added room to store more items in your storage unit.

Spring Cleaning Projects

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spring blossoms

Spring weather has finally taken ahold of the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington DC areas. The trees and flowers are in bloom and the weather is finally warming up! Springtime also signals the time to do cleaning and renovating projects around the house that were put off during the winter months.  It’s the season to open up the windows and let the fresh air in and let the musty winter air out.  It’s the time to get motivated on projects to freshen up your home by de-cluttering, reorganizing, painting and repairing. If you aren’t sure where to start with your cleaning projects, there are many online lists that can help: Reader’s Digest, Better Homes and Gardens and TLC.

In the winter months, you attended home improvement shows and got some great suggestions for spring and summer projects. Now is the time to put these projects into action. Spring cleaning, reorganization and remodeling projects are quite a daunting task. The most important thing to remember is to start with a plan and a goal for your project. If you are just doing your annual spring cleaning projects, make a list of what you want to accomplish in a day or a weekend and work towards that goal. You don’t have to do all of the projects in one day; it is okay to pace yourself on the tasks. Space out what you need to do, check off your “To Do” list and then move on to the next task. It is even okay to give yourself (and family members that could be helping you), small rewards for a job well done.

Decluttering and reorganizing desks, closets and rooms comes along with spring cleaning projects. It is nice to freshen up a room with new accessories, either handmade or bought. But, if you are putting new items into a room, you will need to remove the “old” decorations. Sort through all of the items in the room that you are cleaning and categorize them as follows: keep in the room, place in storage, donate, sell or throw away. Don’t be afraid to really limit the amount of stuff in your rooms. If needed, purchase decorative storage bins or baskets to store items that are needed to be kept in a room. These storage options will help the room look more inviting.

As you do your spring cleaning, it is also a good time to gather items to donate or sell in a garage or yard sale. Once you have sorted the items that you want to sell or donate, make sure that you move them out of the room as soon as possible. If you will not have a garage sale for a few months, rent a storage unit to place the garage sale items. ezStorage has month-to-month rentals for storage units, which makes storing items more convenient to a customer. ezStorage also has packing and moving supplies at every location. There are a variety of box sizes to fit any packing need.

There is a sense of accomplishment when you cross off the spring cleaning project list. It can be a daunting project, but if you take your time, plan your projects, break down the projects into smaller time allotments and allow rewards, then the list can be easily accomplished and you can then spend time enjoying your new de-cluttered and clean rooms.

Are you “Green”?

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Earch Week 2013

The week of April 22nd is Earth Week across many countries of the world. Earth Day, which is celebrated every April 22nd, was created in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson to promote the ideas of ecology, encouraging respect for life on earth and highlighting concern over pollution of the soil, air and water. Earth Day has become a day to celebrate the Earth’s environment and learn how to protect it. Baltimore has a whole week dedicated to being “green”. The 10th Annual Baltimore Green Week kicked off events on April 22nd and runs through April 27th. Over 5,000 people attend the different lectures, workshops, tours, film screenings and more at events during the week. The festivities end with the Ecofest celebration on Saturday, April 27th at Druid Hill Park. This family friendly event has musicians, vendors and over 100 exhibitors that promote environmental awareness and best sustainable practices. Spend the afternoon taking free yoga classes, bike rides, attending workshops or play in the kid’s nature play areas.

The self storage industry has also become more of a “green” industry in the past few years. Many self storage operators are building facilities that are sustainable and help to protect the environment by having flat roofs installed with solar energy panels or just updating the facility with energy-efficient lighting. The last two new ezStorage fully support this initiative as will future locations. The Elkridge and Charles Village locations were both designated as LEED certified buildings. This certification means that the facilities have passed a rigorous certification test on being more environmentally friendly including using highly reflective roof membranes to help save energy costs, using LED energy-efficient lighting in the facilities, having native plants in the landscaping of the buildings, recycling tons of building material during the building process instead of sending it to a landfill and having the buildings be water, waste and energy-efficient.

How can you be “green” and do your part to save the environment when you are storing at a self storage facility? Make sure to use boxes that are made out of recyclable materials. Recycle your boxes after using them. Instead of using bubble wrap to wrap items in a box, use cloths or clothing for packing material. Also try to use recyclable paper when you are wrapping items. And don’t  just throw away the items in your storage unit if you don’t need them. If they are in good condition, consider donating or selling the items. Any little bit of recycling can help with the environment.

ezStorage is proud to be a part of the green movement in the self storage industry! We are looking forward to making more of our self storage facilities eco-friendly.

Tips on Choosing a Reliable Moving Company

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Moving Truck

Moving can be an extremely stressful time from scheduling a moving company, turning off and setting up utilities, fixing up your new home or finding a new school or doctors in your new area. There are many aspects of the move that can be planned in advance. If planned properly, some of the stress of the move can be relieved. One of the biggest “headaches” in moving is choosing a good moving company. There are many factors to keep in mind when looking for a reliable moving company. The list of tips below will help you when you need to hire a moving company.

1. Start planning for your move as early as possible. Moving companies are very busy during the summer months starting at the end of the school year to mid-September. (This is also the busiest season for ezStorage.) Try to start contacting a moving company at least a 6-8 week notice before you need to move. Moving companies are also very busy at the end of each month. If you are able to be more flexible in your move date and time, the easier it will be to schedule your moving company.

2. Get recommendations on moving companies from friends, family and co-workers. Also, check online sites like The Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List for recommendations and ratings of moving companies.

3. Check out the moving company’s website for the following information: local address and phone number, licensing information, accreditation and affiliations (such as American Moving and Storage Association). The company should have their Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration license  prominently posted on the website (and on their trucks).

4. If you are moving across the state or country, make sure that the moving company has cargo insurance.

5. Get in-home estimates from a least a few different moving companies. Do NOT do an online reservation with a moving company without speaking to a representative in-person. Companies that only give quotes over the phone or online, but not in person, could be “shady”. Working with them, could cost you more money in the long run.

6. Have a list of questions that you want to ask the moving company. Make sure that they answer the questions in writing and keep that copy for reference later, if needed. Ask for a copy of the price quote in writing from the moving company.

7. A reputable moving company will always give you a “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” pamphlet. This is a federally mandated regulation for people who are moving out of the state. If you don’t receive a copy of this from your moving company, then they might not be a good moving company.

8. On moving day, make sure you have specific instructions for the movers. Label boxes with the contents and the rooms that they go in. Also, have boxes labeled for “load first” or “last on truck, first in new home” for items that you might need right away in the truck.

Stay away from “rogue” moving companies that do not have information about their business on their website or only offer quotes over the phone or online. If you do your homework for a good moving company before you move, then the actual moving day can be less stressful. If you are looking for packing or moving supplies, ezStorage has a variety of box sizes and other supplies to help you pack for your move.

College Students: Click Store and Score!

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Click Store and Score at ezStorage

Spring is in the air and the college school year is quickly coming to an end. At the end of each college year, students have to pack up their books, personal items, electronics, furniture and all the other stuff that they have acquired during the school year. All of this will then need to be transported back home, only to have to repack the items to return college in the fall. Instead of the constant transport and transfer of these items during the spring and fall, many college students choose to rent a storage unit near their university.  Placing dormitory or school apartment items in storage is also a great idea for students and faculty that are traveling out of the country for the summer (or even traveling during the school semesters). For soon-to-be college graduates, the time after graduation is a time of great change. If you are moving to a new city to start a job, you might not have the room for all of the items that you had in your college apartment.  The best option is to rent a storage unit to place your college items until you have your new place set up, then you can move your stored items.

Renting a self storage unit for your summer storage is very convenient and low in cost, which is perfect for the college student. ezStorage offers month-to-month rentals on all of their storage units at a very special price for college students, making self storage a great and easy option.  It is important to choose the right type of storage unit for your needs. Choose a storage facility that is close to your university so you will be able to easily access your items when you need them. If you are just storing clothes, kitchen items and lower-cost furniture, it would be okay to rent a non-climate controlled storage unit. However, if you are storing electronics, higher-end furniture or antiques, then spend a bit extra money to protect your items by placing them in a climate controlled storage unit. Placing your college items in the right self storage facility will give you peace of mind that your items are safe and secure during the summer break.

There are quite a few colleges and universities in the Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. area. ezStorage has storage units available for the storage needs of college students and faculty. Starting April 1, 2013 through June 30, 2013, college students and faculty can take advantage of a great promotion to store during the summer months:  “Click, Store and Score”. Reserve a storage unit near your university starting April 1st, show your valid college ID and receive the first month’s rent for free, 10% off your monthly rent for the additional summer months (through September 30, 2013) and a  free USB drive! Plus, you get a chance to enter the “Click Store and Score Sweepstakes”  for a chance to win 1 of 3 Apple iPads!

ezStorage will be at the John Hopkins Spring Fair  April 12th through 14th at the Homewood campus in Baltimore. Stop by to see our booth to find out more storage tips and information about “Click, Store & Score”!  ezStorage helps college students save time and money, which are two very precious things in the student’s world. Stop in to any of our 45 locations. to find out more information about the great savings for college students!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!

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Play Ball!

Hope springs eternal on “Opening Day” in baseball. Every team starts off with a 0-0 record on opening day and the possibility of winning the World Series is on everyone’s minds. The Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia area has two teams to cheer for: the National League’s, Washington Nationals and the American League’s Baltimore Orioles. Currently, the teams are battling it out in the Spring Training Grapefruit League in Florida. But, next week starts opening day in major league baseball and all of the games start to really matter.

Both the Nationals and the Orioles had a great 2012 season. The Washington Nationals  won the National League Eastern Division Championship and led the major leagues with 98 wins. Behind a powerful starting rotation of Stephen Strasburg, Dan Haren, Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler and the bat and glove of 2012 National League Rookie of the Year, Bryce Harper, The Nationals could have a chance to win the Eastern Division again in 2013. The Nationals play at National Park , one of the newer stadiums in the major leagues. The state-of-the-art baseball stadium, which is LEED Silver Certified, opened in 2008 and holds 41, 546 fans. The home opening day for The Nationals is Monday, April 1, 2013 at 1:05pm against the Florida Marlins. And one more note, Teddy won the last “Racing Presidents” event of the 2012 season, his first win ever! Check out the great win on the YouTube video here.

The Baltimore Orioles play in a very tough American League Eastern Division. They came in second place in the American League East in 2012 with a 93 win/69 loss record. The Orioles earned one of the wildcard spots in the playoffs, but were defeated by division rivals, the New York Yankees, in the division series. The Orioles are having a great spring training as they lead the Grapefruit League  with a record of 18 wins/7 losses. The team hopes to carry over that momentum into the regular season under coach, Buck Showater. The Eastern Division is very tight with all of the teams having good line-ups and pitching. But, it will all come down to which team stays healthy throughout the season and can make it intact to the playoffs. The Orioles play at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This stadium, which opened in 1992, was the first of its kind of “strictly baseball” stadiums and ushered in the design strategies for new baseball stadiums for the next generation. The Orioles will open up their season in Tampa Bay against the Devil Rays on April 2, 2013. The home opener at Camden Yards is against the Minnesota Twins on Friday, April 5, 2013 at 3:05pm.

In an area with two baseball teams, it is easy to have loyalties to a certain team. But, luckily, ezStorage is in an area with a National League and an American League team. ezStorage supports both teams and wishes them a successful 2013 season!