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We pick up the items you don't have room for or don't use very often and safely store them. Items like decorations, clothes and shoes, documents, keepsakes, tools, household extras, camping gear, bikes, golf clubs, skis, snowboards and sports gear....

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Livible Stories: Moving from Traditional Storage Facility to Livible

Marjorie shares with us how her family find ease and convenience of using Livible and how they prefer it over traditional storage. Here’s her story.

Tell us about yourself: 

I am married to a lovely man, second marriage for both.  I work full time as a systems analyst.  Outside of work I love walking around the city, thrift shopping, and getting together with family and friends. When my husband and I moved in together several years ago, we decided to rent a house large enough to accommodate our combined 5 kids, all in various phases of transient life (college, etc).   Not only did we combine lives, but we also combined all of our "stuff" as well as a lot of our kids’ stuff! In 2013 we decided it was time to downsize and went from 4000 SF to 1300 SF.  Even after giving away or selling a significant amount of our belongings we still had too much to bring with us to our condo, so we ended up putting a lot of it in a traditional storage facility.   After months of having to drive back and forth to the storage place whenever we needed something, maintaining spreadsheets to keep track of what was stored where, we heard about Livible (then Storrage) through Terry Drayton who is a friend of my husbands.  That was IT!  We moved everything out of the expensive and inconvenient storage location and sent it all to Livible.

 What do you think are the key benefits of using Livible? 

Valet storage rather than having to make multiple trips to offsite storage ourselves. This is a huge stress and time saver!   

 So much more cost effective than traditional storage 

Being able to easily keep track of our belongings using the app

Being able to more easily donate unwanted belongings 

In a few sentences, could you describe your experience using the Livible boxes, the app and the driver? 

The app is amazing!  It is so easy to schedule pickup and delivery and it is so much easier to keep track of our belongings!  (We always include a photo with the description.)  The boxes are sturdy and hold a lot, and the driver was absolutely amazing!  He was on time, cheerful and extremely flexible when we ended up having more than our original estimate.

 What did you put into Livible boxes?

Too much to list!  Linens, books, shoes, dishes, electronics, and clothes, to name a few.

We also sent some things packed in our own boxes, as well as furniture.

 How did Livible make your move-out easier?   

When we put our condo on the market (relatively short notice) we had to seriously de-clutter it to get it ready for open houses and showings.  In a 3-day span we were able to get boxes delivered, fill them up and send them temporarily to Livible.  Our realtor could not believe what a great job we did and so fast! Once we closed on our new house we were able to arrange to have our belongings delivered, some to our new house, and some to our kids' apartments, as well as donate a bunch of unwanted things to Value Village.  The fact that the app allowed us to create multiple folders to track things made it extremely easy to arrange for delivery to multiple locations.  

 Would you recommend Livible to your friends and family?

I have and will absolutely continue to do so!

Do you have a Livible testimonial? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to know more on Livible.

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25 Easy-to-Follow Ideas for Organizing a Small Space Living

Everyone has different ideas about managing with small spaces. Others believe that it’s all about removing excess things but it’s about arranging and organizing your stuff in order. Choose and pick what you think works best for you. Check the best 25 ideas on the list:

Buy a bed that can be used as storage for your stuff. There are some beds that have drawers underneath.

Buy things that you can use for a long time and handle them with care. Even if you need to save money, focus on buying high quality and long-lasting furniture and things.

Choose goods that have soft, padded covering and can be put into cases that give them floor clearance.  Air gives a visual illusion of more spaces in a small area.

Depict some room arrangements on a paper and choose what works best for you.

 Hang some cup hooks everywhere but make sure to keep things off the counters and floor. Don't consume a lot of space for cup hooks even though they're inexpensive and easy to buy.

Hang up fresh flowers.

Have small appliances, pots and pans.

Have windows or overhead skylight as much as possible to bring natural light in. 

Having built-ins or vertical storage can lessen the space for your stuffs. If you don't need certain stuff, remove it.

If you want an open layout, exclude doors. Put up curtains for privacy if needed. 

In case you are a collector, change your collections in order. This way, it will lessen visual clutter.

Open your CDs, transfer it into a hard drive, and then sell your albums.

Organize the space properly. 

Plan a shelving or other storage solution in case that a particular spot attracts clutter.

Post in Paperbackswap.com if you have finished reading a book. You can swap books in that website.

Put stuffs that you don’t use daily into a storage container.

Putting a mirror or reflective surfaces gives an illusion of added space.

Putting wall-mounted shelves and shelves above the door can be helpful if you're planning to put decorations like plants, small sculptures, antique stuffs, etc.

Try using "One In, One Out" strategy.

Use fairly neutral color scheme including shades of the same color. Or,..

Use multi-functional furniture such as an ottoman that can be used for storage, as a footstool or even as a coffee table.

Use something to hang your kitchenware and stuffs like a pot rack.

Use stove top or oven instead of using microwave. 

You can use bold color schemes since it gives a "wow" and dark colors conceal corner shadows. But, cohesive colors scheme is nice too. 

You can use the corners.

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No Space? Create that Household Storage Plan

You look at your closet and what you saw was pile of boxes, crammed cabinets, basement that are bursting with boxes, boxes and boxes. Yes, we know that exact feeling, you want bigger house, larger storage areas, and all you want is to organize everything, and just throw away those things that are piling up. But, we will tell you this, a bigger house is not the answer to this, what you need to do is to have the right storage plan for your house, and this is easy as ABC.

A for Assessment

To start that household storage plan, you will need to have a pen and a paper. Walk around the house and write all the possible storage areas, at the same time, refresh your mind on what are the things that are stored in those areas. Once that you have listed down the possible storage areas, be specific on what to store on those areas. The next thing that you need to do is to list all the stuff that are still needed to be stored such as out of season clothing, seasonal decorations, household files, keepsake items, luggage, sporting goods and tools and hardware.

B for Banish and Box

So you are done with listing all the necessary items, now go to each storage areas, know which items are needed to be stored, and those that are needed to be banished and box. Since you have taken down notes on where to put each item, and categorize them in which storage area to store, sort the items and box them if still necessary, however, if needed be, just throw them away or donate them to charity. And do take note that clearing the storage area is a race, slow and steady until you finish it all the way.

C for Corral and Control

You have done a great job there, sorting out items and putting them on the same storage area. Boxing things that are not needed and you are now on the final step, you need to control and make sure that the storage areas remain that way. You will need to have an Inventory Control List, list down everything that are still outside the box, put them in a plastic storage containers and it is best if you put marks on it, like red for Christmas holidays, green for garden equipment, and at the same time, record this as you do it, so that the next time you want to pull out something, you know exactly where they are.

Get your family involved! Inform everyone about the household storage plan that you have in place, so that you will have the convenience or an organized home.

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9 Tips on How to Make Your Small Space Studio Apartment Looks Big

Whether you just moved into your first apartment or you just need to transfer in a smaller area, studio apartments display some unique challenges. With just one room to fix and others out on display, separating your bedroom from your kitchen is a tedious task. It does not matter what is your storage condition, these tips will surely help you design and modernize your studio into the most elegant small area in the building.

1.    Allow the Light to Enter. Do not use heavy curtains and put lots of light fixtures to make the studio look larger, more welcoming and cleaner.

2.    Consider Your Movement. Consider how you will move in the room and place the furniture accordingly. You will feel even more overcrowded if you keep on tripping on the couch before you could reach the closet. Having clear pathways, you will enjoy the apartment even if you are clumsy.

3.    Organize the Furniture. Apply furniture placement to arrange furnishings in smaller groups in the room. Since walls are not available to act as dividers, you can use rugs, lighting and furniture to separate the areas while still keeping the area airy and open.

4.    Use Flexible Furniture. Multipurpose furnishings are preferred and in a smaller area like a studio type apartment, they can be a lifesaver. Heavy duty furniture is a good furnishing to have around.

5.    Organize Everything. If you can organize everything, it is best to do it particularly if you are living in a studio apartment where everything is on display. Look for some storage organizers that look attractive and then place those things that you don’t need at all.

6.    Add Artwork. To added effects and personality in your space, you can display some of your art work on the walls to make the area look unique. There are several ways to hang an art without using a hammer, so even renters can have a gallery wall.

7.    Manage Clutter. Some normally place piles of throw pillow in their sofa, but in smaller spaces, these will provide a chaotic feeling. To prevent the clutter, pick one unique piece to group things based on shape or color.

8.    Create a Pretty Storage. Keep organized, but make sure to do it attractively by placing stuff in colorful boxes and baskets.

9.    Vertical is Good. Since in smaller space floor space is limited, you can use the walls to put some mementos on your floating shelves. These shelves are ideal for rotating displays, and you can change the look of your decorations base on the season and your mood.

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Storing Refrigerators and Chest Freezers for Storage

If you are in the middle of the large-scale renovations or is about to move, you cannot keep your freezer or refrigerator at home. Sadly, it is not just as simple as hauling these huge appliances into your unit. If you do, moisture can produce mold, mildew, and rust. Unplug these appliances one day before you plan to move them. This is enough time to let the ice defrost, take everything out of the cabinets and then clean the trays and shelves. Caustic cleaners are not required to do this. A mixture of water and soap is enough to get rid of any food stuck on it. If in case your fridge has a built-in ice maker, find the water holding tank and discard it. Disconnect the pipes that are connected to the water supply and allow it to dry.

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Cargotecture: Shipping Containers for Living Space

How much useful space can you create and pack into a place where you can set a tiny footprint? The answer to this might amaze you. Here is one small and confined living space that teach big lessons on effective storage - and it uses shipping containers! 

Cargotecture is one of the most innovative ideas for small living homes which uses shipping containers. Conceptualized and created by the Seattle firm, Hybrid Architecture, every hybrid shipping container house is completely assembled on the site. This cargo house provides a feeling of vastness as there are doors on both sides that open onto the redwood deck, which increases the total living area by almost 400 square feet.

With a Euro-style bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower all installed in one, only spread at a total of 12 square feet, lies just across the two-burner electric stove. Two people can easily sleep in the convertible sofa cum bed tucked up against the wall, and another loft bed for up to two kids, folds down from overhead.

These small cargo houses fit in a typical urban backyard and let the city residents to invest small income properties for their kids or relatives.

Images from Cargotecture.com

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How On-Demand Storage Makes Living in a Large City Easy

Finding the right place to stay is quite difficult. Also, transferring from one place to another is not that easy. In this post we share some tips that will help you with the moving process, either by assisting you to find the perfect place you can call home or by providing you storage. 

If you are living a large city like Seattle or Portland, you usually have to get used to a small area. This is particularly true if you are living in downtown or in other highly populated neighborhood in the metropolitan area, where you need to pay the area per square foot. One of the major problems if you have a limited space in a large metropolitan area is crowded closets and living quarters. But, there is a solution to this problem that will not cost you that much and can give you around 25 square feet of space. 

Here are some ways on how on-demand storage can help you save some money while living in a big city.    

You Don’t Have to Spend a Lot

Use on-demand storage instead of looking for a bigger house, loft or apartment to expand the space in your home. It can help you save money. Rather than picking a space based on its size, it lets you pick a space based on location. 

It’s Like Having Another Closet 

On-demand storage is like adding another closet onto your house that is easier to use. Accessing everything whenever necessary is now easy with an electronic access gate storage unit everywhere. Worrying about grabbing your things being a chore is not a problem since you can find storage units near your house. 

Designed to Fit Your Unique Situation 

What’s great with this on-demand storage is that you can put everything you need no matter how extraordinary it is. Whether it is a big space or small space, there is an ideal storage option ready for you. 

There is lots of great entertainment; career opportunities and your lifestyle are secured when you live in a large city. But, you don't need to live in an uncomfortable area to experience the big city feels. You can increase the livable space you have at home by using on-demand storage without exceeding your budget. 

Rather than using some valuable space in your home for your excess stuff, you can try Livible today to help you free some of the spaces. Through this, you can take advantage of every square foot that you have.

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Tips on Storing Ovens for Storage

In order to keep your oven in good working condition even if you will not use them for the moment, you should know how to store them properly. Firstly, you want to make sure that your oven is cleaned properly before you move it. To prevent the formation of mold and mildew from accumulating in your appliance, you need to get rid of any stuck mess. Check if the oven has a self-cleaning setting. It normally takes an hour to complete the cleaning process, from which the oven reaches its highest temperature to burn off the caked-on spills. As soon as it starts to cool down, remove any burnt residues.

There are instances that this setting does not work as expected, so you need to apply some elbow grease before you can store your oven. There are some commercial products that you can find on the market that will help you get rid of the hard to remove stains, but it is best to use a natural substitute. First, remove the racks and put them aside. Then make a paste by combining baking soda and water and rub it in the interior surfaces of your oven. After making sure that you have applied the mixture in every cranny and nook, allow it to stay on it overnight. After 12 hours, remove the mixture using a damp cloth and put some vinegar to any remaining mixture.

Do you need storage for your personal and household items? Livible is easier, more convenient and costs 15% less than self-storage. Check out at www.livible.com.

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The More You Store, The More Your Save with Automatic Saving Plans

Finally, with our automatic savings plans you get lower rates the more your store.

You have been asking us to give you a price break if you stored more items. Others wanted pricing that compared directly to self-storage. Good news is - we've done both! We still offer our item plan for customers needing small amounts of storage but now provide five plans that provide automatic savings. We track all your items (you'll notice we now show you the typical dimensions and cubic feet of each of your items) and automatically give you savings with each order. And unlike self-storage, we only bill you for what you actually store and give you a comparable price if you are between sizes.  With the new plans we're also 10-20% less than traditional self-storage:

So are you still at the edge of your seat on trying out Livible? Sign-up online, pack your boxes and we handle the rest.

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Couch, Bed, You Name It - We Pickup Everything!

You have been asking us to take your furniture and other items like beds so now we are. We'll pickup pretty much every household item you have so now we are a complete alternative to traditional self-storage. Of course we're much easier and more convenient!

Visit www.livible.com today to get started!

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7 Tips to Preserve your Photos 

Similar to old clothes, toys and books, the boxes of printed photos can also eat up a valuable space in your home. Worse, if you store these photos in a damp basement or in the warm attic, you take the risk of ruining your precious prints and memoirs.

You may have already discarded some boxes of photographs, but for the rest that matters, we share below 8 tips to organize and preserve your photos so you can enjoy and share them with family and friends.

Do not store the photos in the basement or in the attic

Photographs should be store in a stable temperature room, dry and cool room. The basement is too damp that will cause the pictures to become moldy and stick to each other. The attic on the other hand is too warm that could cause the pictures to degrade. 

Protect the pictures from light

Too much exposure to light causes pictures to fade, so when keeping pictures in frame, it is best to maybe put the high quality copy instead of the original one. 

Write who’s who at the back of the picture, but do not use pen

Use either pencil, or maybe use something that you can stick into the pictures, but never write directly into the pictures, with this, you may also invest with photo enclosures so you may write down special memories in them and not in the picture. 

Buy those picture enclosures

If you need to keep those pictures somewhere, it is best to keep them either in picture enclosures or photo albums so that they will never stick together or become moldy. If you choose to put all your photos in a photo album, make sure that they lay flat and are not stacked together as it may case the pictures to stick together and cause damage. 

Do not use supplies like fasteners, clips and rubber bands to store photos

Clipping pictures, using fasteners or rubber bands to keep them all together is not a bad idea, however, once you forgot about it, it may cause bent and leave markings on the photos which cannot be restored anymore. 

Have a safe workspace

When working on with your old photos, it is best not to have any food or drinks near. And when holding photos, do have the option to wear gloves, and if you do not have, then just hold the pictures on the edges to avoid putting oil in the pictures that could cause damage. 

For the most precious photographs, digitize them

Pick those precious photos that you want to cherish, scan them and save them either on a flash drive, in your computer, or upload them in photo applications so that you will never lose that moment.

Need more storage? Now it’s more convenient and affordable if you just need to store some boxes of your old photos and prints through Livible. Just click here to know more.

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Quick Fixes for an Organized Closet

Have you ever wondered why your closet seems to always be disarranged even if you just fixed it the other night? Us too! For some, fixing a closet could be an easy task but for many, it could be a nightmare! But here are a few tips on how you can keep your closets neatly arranged and clean.

Take out your huge obstacles

If your shoes are too space-consuming, you can take them out and buy a shoe-rack where you can place them all on. You can also buy thinner hangers for you clothes.

Ask you family to get involved

Why don’t you make this boring task a fun bonding for you and your family. Help each other in folding clothes and hanging dresses. That will bring you closer for sure!

Throw Old Stuff

You can throw whatever it is that you don’t need, like the overgrown shirts and small pants. Or give it away if it still looks okay. It would save you a lot of space. 

Organize in Sections

You can try buying small boxes for the underwear and hanger where you can hang your bras. You can also arrange your closet according to colors, so it wouldn’t be hard for you to sort thing out.

These are only some of the tweaks but it's a good start to achieve an organized closet. Or better yet, extend your closet with Livible! Sign-up online, pack your boxes and we handle the rest.

Image by: Shantrice16 via Wikimedia Commons

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Are there books you can live without?

If you feel your books are already eating up your living space, then perhaps it's time to declutter. Three quick things you can do: 1. Let go of any book you haven’t read yet that has been on your shelves for more than six months. 2. Pick books off your shelves that you’d love to share with someone else, and then send them off. 3. Or better yet, download the Livible app to get started.

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Livible CEO and Founder, Terry Drayton Talks About Self-Storage Disruptive Innovation at the Self-Storage Association, Spring Show 2016

Hello, my name is Terry Drayton and I’m the founder & CEO of Livible. This is my 9th startup. I’ve raised over half a billion dollars for them and created a number of successful, world class businesses. All were logistics and technology innovators.

Livible provides on demand storage, also known as valet storage or full service storage. We’re a classic disruptor. Simpler to use via 2 minutes on our app. More convenient as we go right to the customers’ door. Already cheaper for urban customers with smaller needs. And long term we’ll be cheaper for all customers due to warehouse economics.

So are we a threat to self-storage? Absolutely. Some of the smartest people in your industry see us as Netflix and you as Blockbuster. What you may not know is that Blockbuster blew several early opportunities to work with Netflix. At the time Blockbuster was recording record profits and very complacent, actually dismissive, of upstarts. Does that sound familiar? A few years later they were bankrupt and Netflix was worth billions.

A more optimistic analogy is AT&T. They were dominant in fixed line and pay phones but saw mobile coming and moved aggressively to embrace it. Now they are all about mobile with data their newest growth area. And they are still worth billions.

So we’re a threat but we’re an even bigger opportunity for smart incumbents! Let’s start by asking you one question: Are you in the storage business or in the self-storage business?

If you answer the former then we have a lot to talk about. And, unlike the other on demand players, we respect your businesses and want to partner with you to help you participate in the coming disruption. Our model is very straight forward. First, you start offering both self-storage and on demand storage to all your prospects and customers. Second, we store everything at your facilities. Third, we operate the logistics and provide all the technology. It’s a win-win!

Extra Space Storage was our first partner. Will you be our next?

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Well hello there, spring!

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With Livible Labels, you'll never misplace items or spend hours digging through boxes! Just put a label on it and use our free app or the web! Click here to get started!

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On-Demand Versus Traditional Self Storage – Livible Releases Recent Survey Results

With 50,000+ self-storage facilities in the United States it is pretty clear that Americans love having ample storage space at affordable rates. But before investing, developers may want to review a recent consumer survey conducted by Livible, an on-demand self-storage company. The nationwide survey asked consumers what they wanted when it came to self-storage.

The survey comes in response to some interesting performance in the self-storage industry over the last decade. Investors were surprised with how well the industry performed during the economic downturn. That surprise increased as the industry continued to perform well as the economy improved. Now developers are not just looking to provide consumers with more storage space—they are trying to give consumers exactly what they want.

“The self-storage industry is booming — with record revenues and a true ‘space race’ to build more facilities to meet the seemingly insatiable consumer demand,” Terry Drayton, CEO of Livible , said in a recent press release.

Thus, the nationwide survey. And, many of the results are not surprising.

According to the survey, there is an ongoing need for more self-storage. Of the respondents. 55 percent of them said they wished they had more storage space in general, and 17 percent said they wished they had a whole lot more.

When asked whether they would prefer traditional self-storage or on-demand self-storage, the majority responded in favor of on-demand. This is a new trend, as Livible had once before conducted this survey and at the time found 42 percent of respondents preferred on-demand; this time that number was 63 percent.

On-demand storage has changed the self-storage landscape a bit as it allows for the storage company to pick up the required storage, rather than for the consumer to deliver it to a personalized, self-storage unit. Most survey respondents said the convenience of on-demand and time saved was a primary reason (62 percent). Many liked not having to transport what they want stored (42 percent).

“What our latest survey reveals is the rapidly growing preference and need for more convenient on-demand storage alternatives. Millennials and downsizing boomers — who are increasingly living urban lifestyles — are driving this,” Drayton explained.

As convincing as the survey results may be, it may help to have more details before drawing conclusions. The sample size was 522 respondents over a three-day span in January when the survey was made available. Livible did have a good cross section of the population represented as the age range was between 18-65 with an equal split between men and women. Most lived in single family houses (56 percent) with the rest calling an apartment home (44 percent). Only three tenths of a percent had ever used on-demand self-storage before.

Respondents were all located in cities that currently have on-demand self-storage available (New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles).