Short term self storage is a great option if you’re looking for a way of decluttering your home or workspace for a few days or weeks. You can take your belongings back out again whenever suits you, and as it’s charged by the week at Safestore you won’t be left paying for a unit for months after you no longer need it. 

Need some inspiration for how short term storage could make life easier for you? Here are our top thirteen reasons when and why you might need to use it:
 

1. Selling your home

In today’s housing market, it’s not always possible to sell your home and move straight into your new one. Rather than risk losing a buyer while you sort out your purchase, you can use short term self storage to keep all of your belongings safe and in one place (rather than in friends’ garages) while you rent or stay with family for a few weeks until you’ve found and completed your new house purchase. 
 

2. Moving into a new home

Unless you’re moving into a new-build, consider taking just the basics in with you on moving day, and have the rest delivered directly to your short term storage unit. Cleaning, decorating and fitting new carpets will be much easier without having to move all of your furniture from room to room!
 

3. During renovations at work or home

These are stressful enough. You do not need the added issue of making sure that none of your stuff gets splashed with paint, covered with dust or otherwise wrecked by builders, plasterers, decorators or errant spouses who are “trying to help”. 
 

4. Stashing sports equipment

Does your sport of choice come with a lot of kit? If you like to go kayaking, rafting, skiing or surfing, for example, you’re going to need somewhere to keep your equipment that isn’t going to drive everyone else in the house wild every time they fall over it. Put it into your short term storage unit and it will stay safe until you next want to use it, whether that’s every weekend or just over the summer/winter months.
 

5. Stashing garden furniture and tools

If left outside over winter, your garden furniture may well need a lot of TLC before you can use it again in the spring. You might also be worried about leaving your tools in a shed during the dark winter months. Tools and furniture can all be kept clean, dry and safe in a storage unit over winter, ready to be used again in the spring. 
 

6. Stashing camping equipment

Camping comes with a lot of equipment (or rather, it does if you want to actually enjoy it): tent; miniature fridge; sleeping bags; electric blankets (why not?); bed rolls/camp beds; camping stove; folding table and chairs; roof box in which to transport it all … all of these things take a huge amount of space, and you’ll usually only use them in the warmer months anyway. Store it all in your unit and - ta-dah! - it will all be waiting for you when you’re ready to go away again.
 

7. Stashing/hoarding hobby gear

Are you a crafter? Is your thing knitting and crocheting, World of Warcraft figures, sewing, card games? Do you have more paraphernalia than you can actually use at the moment (... or more than you want your other half to know about)? Keep your excess gear safe (and hide your shame, if applicable) in one of our 10 sq ft lockers or larger rooms (depending on the nature and extent of your hobby). They’ll never know.
 

8. Renting out a room or house

AirBnB and similar sites are a popular way for homeowners to make a bit of extra cash by renting out a room or the entire house. Most guests don’t like it if there’s a lot of personal belongings around the home, so empty your wardrobes and decant your clothes and other items into your storage unit for the short term until your house is your own again.
 

9. Storing student belongings

Sadly, burglars know that student digs are often empty for long periods over Christmas, Easter and summer holidays, and thefts from those properties tend to skyrocket over those periods. You can rent a self-storage unit for a week or longer over the holidays and keep your gear safe, rather than leaving it vulnerable or dragging it home with you. For more info, visit our student storage options.
 

10. Clearing the spare room

If you normally use your spare room as a bit of a dumping ground, home gym or office, you might need to clear it out to use it as a bedroom now and then - over Christmas, say, or if you have children at university who want to come home in the holidays. 
 

11. Startup business storage

Is your business reaching the point where you need to store stock or equipment rather than keep stashing it around the house? Try short term storage and see if flexible self-storage might be the best use of your resources in the longer term, or just as a stopgap until you can sort a more permanent solution as your business grows.
 

12. Life changes

Divorce, downsizing, bereavement and moving in with a partner are all times when you might find that you have more belongings than you have room for. They’re also times when long term decisions are not a wise idea, because you’re still finding your feet after a major life event (good or bad). Short term storage is a good solution for keeping all of your belongings safe without risking throwing away things you’ll use again.
 

13. Left luggage

Our lockers are a great place to leave left luggage during a stopover, if you’re visiting London for example, and offer a flexible, affordable alternative to airport left luggage services. Many of our stores are accessible 24 hours a day so you can retrieve your luggage in time for your flight any time of day or night, and we accept travel documents as proof of identity so you won’t need a utility bill.
  Whatever your reason, if you’re looking for short term storage, we have stores all over the country, including in London, Birmingham and the West Midlands with very flexible terms. Stay for as little or as long you like, and many of our stores offer a 50% discount for the first 8 weeks. There’s no deposit to pay to reserve a unit if you decide to go ahead and declutter today!