Easter Events in Washington D.C. and Baltimore Areas

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White House Easter Egg Roll

 

 

The Baltimore and Washington D.C. areas play host to many events from Easter egg hunts and rolls, special sunrise services to brunches and breakfasts with the Easter Bunny. With Easter being later this year, the spring flowers and trees should be in bloom and the temperature should be perfect for outdoor events.

Baltimore Area Easter Events

There are quite a few family friendly Easter events in the Baltimore area taking place this weekend. Every spring for the last 18 years, Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland has held “Bunnyland”, a spring festival with hayrides, egg hunts, a children’s play area, pony rides, face painting, food, and baby animals. The festival opened April 12th and runs through April 27th, but is closed on Easter Day. The Maryland Zoo at Druid Park has Mary Sue Candies Bunny Bonazoo on April 18th to 20th.  This family fun event has games, crafts, free Easter egg hunts, live entertainment and of course, the zoo animals. The B & O Railroad Museum has a Bunny Breakfast and Train Ride on April 18th and 19th. Many restaurants in the area will be having special Easter brunches. Make your reservations now via OpenTable.com . You can also attend Easter Brunch cruises in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Washington D.C. Easter Events

Washington D.C. plays host to many big Easter events every year. The museums along the National Mall are all open on Easter as is Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, the National Zoo and The National Archives. There are two major sunrise services that take place at famous landmarks in Washington D.C. Easter morning. At 6:30am, thousands of people gather at the Lincoln Memorial for an inspirational service. The annual Easter Sunrise Service at Arlington Cemetery will take place starting at 6:15am at the Memorial Amphitheater. The event is hosted by the US Army Military District of Washington D.C. The non-denominational service includes the United States Army Band. There are many restaurants in the district that will be offering Easter Brunch.

The two major Easter events actually take place on Easter Monday: The White House Egg Roll and the African American Family Celebration at the National Zoo. The National Zoo will have special family focused activities and entertainment for the African American Family Celebration including African storytelling, gospel choirs, reggae bands and more. There will also be an Easter egg hunt, crafts and animal demonstrations throughout the day. The White House Egg Roll is the longest running held annual presidential tradition. The egg rolls started during the Lincoln presidency, but were not made official until 1878 by President Rutherford B. Hayes.  The White House Egg Rolls were cancelled during World War I and II, but re-introduced in the early 1950’s and has been getting bigger every year since. The first family is the host of the event. Over 30,000 people are expected to gather on the South Lawn of the White House for this year’s Easter games. The theme of this year’s egg roll is “Hop into Healthy, Swing into Shape”. There will be special music performances, celebrities including Jim Carrey and Cookie Monster, storytelling, cooking stations and sporting courts.
Happy Easter from ezStorage!

Ultimate College Moving and College Storage Guide

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The end of the spring semester is a stressful time for college students as they take exams, set up internships or get ready for graduation. The last week of the semester is full of taking finals, saying goodbye to friends and packing up the dorm room or college apartment to move back home for the summer.

According to the 2014 NRF Back to School Survey, 25% of college-aged students live on campus and they start off the school year with the dorm basics like a mini-fridge, computer/printer and a shower caddy. The average dorm room is 200 square feet, which will probably be shared with a roommate. That definitely does not leave a lot of room for the stuff that students accumulate throughout the school year such as memorabilia, laundry, books, kitchen items, more furniture and more electronics. Where will students store all of their stuff during the summer months?

ezStorage has created the Ultimate College Moving Guide to help students pack up their dorm rooms or college apartments for the summer months.  The guide has specific packing tips for books, dishes, clothes and linens. The guide also shares tips on what can be placed easily in a storage unit versus items that should be taken home over the summer months.

In conjunction with the Ultimate College Moving Guide, ezStorage is excited to launch our money-saving college special, “You Got Stuff. We Have Storage.”  This special promotion began April 1st and runs through June 30th.  College students and faculty can store their college stuff at their local ezStorage facility and receive the 1st month’s rent free, a free 2GB USB drive and 10% off the monthly rent through September 30, 2014! Once a student or faculty rents a storage unit, they are automatically entered into a sweepstakes to win one of 3 Apple iPad Airs. Also, like the ezStorage Facebook Page, to be entered in a weekly drawing for a $25 iTunes gift card. The sweepstakes and iTunes contest run through June 30th and certain restrictions apply.

The Ultimate College Moving Guide is a great guide for student storage tips from packing up dorm rooms to what can be placed in a self storage unit.  Stop in to any of the 46 ezStorage locations in the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas to find out more about our student specials and sweepstakes.

 

College Moving Guide from ezStorage

Consider self storage facilities from ezStorage

ezStorage’s Storage Unit Size Guide

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Storage Unit Size Guide

 

One of the most important factors when choosing a self storage facility is deciding what size storage unit you will need to store your belongings. Before you start visiting storage facilities in your area, you should already have a list of the items that you want (or need) to store in mind. This will help determine what size storage unit you will need to rent.  If you need to store the entire contents of your home, then you will need to have a bigger sized storage unit. If you are a college student storing books, linens or even a bike during the summer months, then a smaller size storage unit will be the best fit for you.  ezStorage created  a storage unit size guide video resources page that provides a visual of what you can place in each size storage unit. ezStorage offers a variety of storage unit sizes from 5×5 up to 10×30 at each of our 46 self storage facilities in the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas.

Below is the self storage unit size guide as well as a description of what types of items can fit within each storage unit size. All ezStorage storage units have 8 foot tall ceilings, so you can use the vertical height as well as the floor space within the storage unit.

Self Storage Unit Sizes at ezStorage

5’x5’ (25 square feet)-This is the smallest size storage unit available. This is a great size for personal items, clothes, skis, children’s toys, small furniture and sales representative inventory or materials.

5’x10’ (50 square feet)-This size will allow you to store a small amount of furniture, chest of drawers, mattress, boxes and other smaller items.

7.5’x10’ (75 square feet)-This is slightly bigger than the 5’x10’ unit, so you can store a bit more furniture, chairs, mattresses or boxes.

10’x10’ (100 square feet)-This size unit can hold the contents of a one bedroom apartment, including appliances (refrigerator or stove), furniture, mattresses and boxed items.

10’x15’ (150 square feet)-This size unit can hold the contents of a two bedroom apartment or home including appliances, mattresses, furniture and boxed items.

10’x20’ (200 square feet)-This size unit can hold the contents of a three bedroom apartment or home including appliances, furniture, mattresses and boxed items. This is also a great option for commercial storage for inventory and storage shelves.

10’x30’ (300 square feet)-This is the largest storage unit available at ezStorage. It can hold the contents of a four to five bedroom home including multiple appliances, furniture and boxed items. This is another great option for commercial business storage.

Once you have decided what self storage unit size you will need, then the important step is to properly pack your storage unit to create the optimum space for your stored items. Following simple tips such as leaving space for ventilation and moving around your storage unit or stacking like size boxes together will make your storing experience easier.

Stop by ezStorage to take a personal tour of our storage facilities. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you with any questions that you might have about renting a self storage unit!

Bathroom Spring Cleaning Tips

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15 Bathroom Spring Cleaning TipsThe weather has started to warm up, baseball is back and the flowers are beginning to bloom, it must be spring! It is also the time for doing all of the spring cleaning tasks around the house.  72% of Americans surveyed in a recent study actually plan to do spring cleaning tasks. ezStorage recently released a great spring cleaning checklist by room.  In the next few months, we will be sharing spring cleaning tips for each room via our blog. This week, we are starting with bathroom spring cleaning tips. The bathroom, usually the smallest room in the house, is actually the most daunting room to clean. Everything in the bathroom, from floor to ceiling, needs to be cleaned.  Women’s Day has created a great checklist to follow when doing bathroom spring cleaning. You can also create your own checklist based on the tips of how to clean the bathroom below.  Some of the tips below are also great every day bathroom cleaning tips.

Bathroom Spring Cleaning Tips

1. Throw away expired cosmetics and medicine in your medicine cabinet or linen closets.

2. Remove all items from the cabinets and then wipe down the inside and outside of the medicine cabinet, toilet cabinets and linen cabinet.

3. Wash and shake out bathroom rugs, sweep and mop the floor and wipe down the baseboards.

4. Dust corners, ceilings, vents and fans in the bathroom.

5. Take down draperies, curtains and blinds to be washed and cleaned.

6. Scrub the bathtub. Pay Attention to crevices, handles and fixtures. Change the shower curtain liner and shower curtain.

7. Scrub the toilet inside and out.

8. Empty and clean out the trash can. Scrub out the trash can and spray with disinfectant.

9. Remove cleaning products and other stored items from under the sink. If you haven’t used a product in 3-6 months, throw it away. Also check for expired dates on your cleaning supplies.

10. Put away things that don’t normally belong in the bathroom. Put dirty towels and clothes in the hamper to be washed.

11. Replace items in your first aid kit.

12. Reset the bathroom by hanging fresh linen, curtains and placing the clean rugs on the floor.

 

Cleaning Product Tips

1. When cleaning, make sure that you read the cleaning product information labels carefully and follow instructions on how they should be used. The directions will let you know how long you should leave a cleaning product on tile or if you need to diffuse it with water.

2. Vinegar can be an effective surface cleaner replacement. Mix one part white distilled vinegar with 9 parts water. Undiluted white distilled vinegar mixed with baking soda can also be used to remove soap scum in the shower/tub.

3. Make sure to use bleach properly when using as a cleaning agent. Keep bleach away from children and pets!

ezStorage Offers Deals for College Students!

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ezStorage offers deals for college students

 

April 1st is not only April Fool’s Day; it is the start of the countdown to the end of the school year for college students and faculty! At the end of the spring semester, college students have to pack up books, personal items, computers, electronics, furniture and other stuff they acquired during the school year. All of the items from dorm rooms and college apartments will need to be transported back home at the end of the spring semester only to be repacked and returned just a few months later for the start of the fall semester. Placing dorm room or apartment items in a self storage facility near the college or university is a great solution for college students and faculty.

Renting a self storage unit is easy and provides a low-cost solution for college students. ezStorage offers month-to-month rentals for all of our storage units. Beginning April 1, 2014 and running through June 30, 2014, ezStorage is offering student and faculty substantial savings With the ezStorage 2014 college special —  “You Got Stuff. We Have Storage.” Store your college stuff at your local ezStorage facility and receive your 1st month’s rent free, a free 2 GB USB drive and 10% off your rent through September 30, 2014. It’s a great deal for students and faculty who are on a budget! And once you rent a storage unit, you are automatically entered in our sweepstakes to win of 1 of 3 Apple iPad Airs. Remember, the sweepstakes runs until June 30, 2014 and certain restrictions apply. For specific sweepstakes rules and restrictions, see the ezStorage website.

There are many colleges and universities in the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas. ezStorage has storage units available for college students and faculty at our storage facilities near the following colleges: The University of Maryland, The U.S. Naval Academy, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Coppin State University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Bowie State University, Howard University, Catholic University, John Hopkins University, Loyola University, Morgan State University, Towson University, MICA and Stevenson University. Stop by any of our facilities, for great pricing on your summer storage and enter to win in our “You Got Stuff. We Have Storage” sweepstakes!

ezStorage Video Resources Library

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ezStorage

 

ezStorage is excited to share a collection of new “How-To” videos to answer many of your self storage questions.   The brief videos were created with our customers in mind to help explain a variety of topics particularly for those customers who have never rented a self storage unit or for those customers who have never experienced the ezStorage difference.

ezStorage Informational Services Videos

The “How-To” videos are located under the Resources tab of our website and  with topics including Gate, Building and Unit Access, Making an Online Reservation, Paying Online, Packing Tips and a variety of other helpful topics to make the self storage process ez!.

What Can Fit in a Certain Storage Unit Size?

Sometimes it’s difficult to visualize what you can store in a particular size unit.  In fact, “what size storage unit do I need” is the most asked question we get.  The Resource tab and the Available Units tab for each of our locations provides a video of each popular unit size which helps you visualize just what items can be packed in a particular unit size.  Our goal is to save you money by renting the unit size that fits your need.

Find out all about the convenience of storing your personal and business items at the 45 Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. area ezStorage locations by watching the videos on the ezStorage video resources page.

Play Ball! It’s Time for the Orioles and Nationals Opening Days!

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It's Time for the Orioles and Nationals Opening Days!

 

Play Ball! These are the two favorite words for baseball fans to hear after the long winter break! Spring training started a little over a month ago in Florida for both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles. After spring training and a number of Grapefruit League games, the teams are setting their final rosters to get ready to start playing regular season games next week. To steal from the NFL: “Are you ready for some baseball?” I know that I am!

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles under manager, Buck Shuwalter, have had a good spring training camp. As of March 24th, they are 12-7, which is 3rd in the American League Grapefruit League. The Orioles are in the very tough American League East Division against the powerhouse Yankees, World Champion, Red Sox, and always good Tampa Bay Devil Rays. During the off-season, the Baltimore Orioles signed free agent pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez and outfielder, Nelson Cruz. The Orioles have always had a very powerful offense, which in 2013 featured Chris Davis, who led the league with 53 home runs last year. With the addition of Jimenez, the Orioles hope to improve their pitching rotation and overall club ERA, which was very high for the 2013 season. The team is also watching for the maturing of young player, Manny Machado, and hopes he can improve on his 2013 season. The Orioles opening day is March 31st against the Boston Red Sox at 3:05pm at home at Camden Yards. Chris Tillman will be the opening day pitcher.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals will soon be closing up spring training at the Space Coast Stadium in Viero, Florida. As of March 24th, the team has a 12-12 record, which is in the middle of the pack for the National League teams in the Grapefruit League. Last year, the Nationals were expected to build on a great 2012 season, but alas, that did not happen and the team did not make the playoffs in 2013. In 2012, the team won 98 games, but this past year, they went 86-75. It was still a winning record, but not what the team was capable of achieving. Under first time manager, Matt Williams, the Nationals hope to have a great 2014 season. The Washington Nationals roster has a good portion of returning players including a great starting pitching rotation of Stephen Strasberg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman and Doug Fister. Young player, Bryce Harper is primed to have a great second year in the major leagues. The Nationals start the season in New York against the Mets on March 31st.  Stephen Strasberg will get the honor of being the opening day pitcher for the Nationals. The Nationals opening day at Nationals Park is Friday, April 4th at 1:05pm against the Atlanta Braves.

The Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. areas are lucky to be able to have both American and National league teams close by to cheer for. Good Luck to both teams for the 2014 season! It’s a long season, but here’s hoping both teams will make it to October baseball.