Sunday, June 16, 2013 Friday, June 14, 2013 Thursday, June 13, 2013

Safety Tips When Moving

Moving is hard work, and for most of us hiring a moving crew is probably out of the question. Sure we could get a few of our friends together and hope they’ll be happy to heavy furniture in various shapes and sizes up and down six flights of stairs, but the truth is they’d probably rather not. Plus, then what happens when your couch gets stuck and you have no real equipment or know-how to get it down to the moving van? Exactly. Not good.

So before you start loading everything you own into random boxes, let’s go over a few things that will keep you from injuring yourself in the process.

1.) Don’t overpack. Not because your boxes might explode later (that’s just annoying), but because you need to keep your boxes from weighing a million pounds. You should aim for each box weighing under 50 pounds. You should be able to lift each box without much strain. Think about it; when you’re moving upwards of 30 boxes in a day, the less weight you have to pick up each time you bend over is going to be very beneficial in the long run.

2.) Use the right equipment. Got something that is just too heavy to move? Use a dolly! Or straps! These things do not cost much money to rent and can save you invaluable time and stress in the moving process. This also helps move lighter items in multiples, saving even more time. Wouldn’t you rather make the process easier and move faster? Of course you would.

3.) Plan ahead. The route you take to the truck is more important than you think. Instead of walking all the way through your place, out the front door and down to the truck, what if you could just hand stuff out your back window to your friend in the alley? By planning ahead, you might be surprised how much work you can save yourself.

4.) Wear the right clothing and footwear. Not only will you be bending over a lot, you’ll also be climbing into truck beds and squishing yourself into tiny spaces. Your clothes should be comfortable, but it’s also important that they’re relatively form fitting. You don’t want your shirt getting snagged going through a doorway with your hands full. Plus, having a 40 lb box fall on your toes when you’re wearing nothing but sandals certainly isn’t going to feel very good.

5.) Know when you’re outmatched. There are some things you just aren’t going to be able to move on your own (or things that you really, really shouldn’t attempt to move on your own). If you’ve got a piano sitting in your living room, you need to call a professional. Not only could you risk injuring yourself, but you also risk damaging your property, and what’s the point in moving a bunch of damaged property to a new location?

And don’t forget; for dorm safety items (like pepper spraysafes and personal alarms), check out our store at www.secureoncampus.com, and for dorm decorations (like dorm lightingfun drinking games, and wall decals) check out our store at www.thegoodlifeoncampus.com!

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 Saturday, June 8, 2013 Friday, June 7, 2013 Thursday, June 6, 2013

3 Home Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Home Safe While You’re Away

There are countless times during the year when you might have to leave your home for an extended period of time. Perhaps you’re heading home to help out with a family issue, you need to head out of town for a job interview or maybe you just got lucky and happen to be going on an epic (and probably very well deserved) vacation. Regardless of the reason, if you don’t have roommates (or your roommates are also taking a leave of absence at the same time), there are a few home maintenance tasks you need to take care of before you walk out the door.

1.) Take care of perishable foods. There aren’t many worse things than arriving home after a couple weeks only to walk into a kitchen filled with rotting, diseased food. Not only will your house reek, but you’ll also be attracting various pests, such as mice, cockroaches and fruit flies. So before you take off, make sure your perishable foods are kept to a minimum. Clean out everything in the refrigerator and make sure no fresh fruit or vegetables are left out on the counter. No need to throw it all out; you can have a house-sitter take whatever they would like or have a dinner party the night before you go. On the menu: anything that won’t make it until you return home.

2.) Minimize your energy use. If you’re not going to be home there’s no point in running energy to half the things you own. Unplug everything that isn’t necessary for your home’s maintenance while you’re away. Alarm clocks, lamps, blow dryers, exercise equipment, and make sure all the lights are off in rooms you won’t be using. Even if something is switched off, there is still energy running to it until it’s unplugged. Along with cutting down on your energy bill, unplugging everything will also help prevent electrical fires in your absence.

Keep any safety lights on, however. You’ll want any motion activated lights to be up and running. If you have any alarms or security cameras of course you should keep them plugged in.

3.) Set your heat to the right temp. If you’ve taken care of the perishable food and have no plants or animals to worry about, you won’t necessarily need to worry about keeping it cool. However, if you let it cool down too much, you could be in a world of hurt. Even though the summer months are known for warmer weather, you’ll want to make sure your thermostat is set to at least 60 degrees to prevent frozen pipes of any kind. 

And don’t forget; for dorm safety items (like pepper spraysafes and personal alarms), check out our store at www.secureoncampus.com, and for dorm decorations (like dorm lightingfun drinking games, and wall decals) check out our store at www.thegoodlifeoncampus.com!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 Sunday, June 2, 2013 Friday, May 17, 2013

The Secret Storage Space You’re Forgetting About

Storage? For a safety blog?

One of the biggest safety concerns is whether or not you can store your stuff in a private place. If you were to ask 1,000 people that lived in a small space what their #1 wish would be, the vast majority of them would probably tell you they would like more storage. And in college, more storage becomes more important than ever. You’re slowly growing a collection of your own things, but you also probably have endless boxes of childhood knick-knacks sitting at your parents’ house as well. And let’s face it, between your nosy roommates and snooping RAs, it can be tough to find a bit of privacy in your own room. However, after you’ve already packed your closets as full as they can get an crowded every junk drawer in your home, you start looking for other options. So where’s the one place you can hide your stuff without someone else finding it?

The stairs.

Sound crazy? Probably. Of all the places in the home you’d like to keep clear of clutter, the stairway is probably priority #1. But we’re talking about a sneakier version of storage than just stacking things along your stairway. We’re talking about reinventing the idea of storage and applying it to a wasted space in your home. Read on.

1.) As individual drawers. It doesn’t take much to turn each step into a drawer, and you’ll never even notice the change. When all the drawers are closed your staircase will look exactly as before, plus it gives you the chance to do something with one of the most awkward spaces I your house.

2.) As shelves. There is no need for the sides of your stairway to be a blank wall or empty space. Adding some edges or shelves will give you space to put some of your smaller items. Just make sure the shelves and items are arranged in a uniform way to prevent the look of extra clutter.

3.) Reconfigure storage bins as stairs. Pretty much anything can work as a stairway if it gradually raises in elevation, one step at a time. So don’t limit yourself to the traditional look. Creating steps out of wooden storage crates can provide an interesting look and still get the job done.

4.) Slide-under storage units. There are plenty of storage units that come with wheels on the bottom. Simply order a couple of units measuring the same width as your staircase but varying in height and store them underneath your stairway. You’ll have all your things organized and easily accessible.

5.) Lift tops. Much like the drawer idea, turning the top of each step into a lift-able lid will also provide you with plenty of extra storage space. And no one will ever know, except for the face that the rest of your house will be incredibly less cluttered since a great deal of your belongings have been moved to their new secret storage area.

And don’t forget; for dorm safety items (like pepper spraysafes and personal alarms), check out our store at www.secureoncampus.com, and for dorm decorations (like dorm lightingfun drinking games, and wall decals) check out our store at www.thegoodlifeoncampus.com!

Thoughts?

Monday, May 13, 2013 Wednesday, May 8, 2013 Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Saturday, April 27, 2013

letthefunbeginwiththis:

Friday nights for normal college people.

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Friday nights for me..

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Because it’s funny. We’ll leave it up to you to determine the accuracy ;). 

www.thegoodlifeoncampus.com

Friday, April 26, 2013