Posted on

Why You Should Store with Zippy Shell of Northern Illinois

Zippy Shell Portable Storage Container

Zippy Shell of Northern Illinois provides high-quality moving and storage services in the Northern Illinois area. As a member of the Zippy Shell franchise system, we benefit from the resources of a trusted national organization. So, why should store your belongings with us?

  1. We are Local: Zippy Shell of Northern Illinois is locally owned and operated. We live in the area and understand the best ways to maneuver around to make sure we are on time and efficient in servicing your moving or storage solution. Your items will be safely stored in our Lake Zurich storage facility. While Zippy Shell has all the resource of our national brand, you can rely on receiving our top-notch local service.
  2. At Home or In-Facility: Zippy Shell of Northern Illinois offers two storage solutions to fit your needs. The in-facility storage solution is provided by delivering a storage container to your home where it’s packed full of the items you want to place in storage. Next, the Zippy Shell team takes it back to our secure climate-controlled storage facility for the storage period. Our on-site storage solution starts with our team delivering a storage container to your home where we can place it wherever you need it on your property. The container will remain in that spot throughout the entire duration of storage. You’ll have easy 24-7 access to your items safely stored in our weatherproof container. So, which solution would work best for you?
  3. We can Move You: The Zippy Shell system is designed to provide storage and moving services seamlessly. We will safely store your items as long as you need during the middle of your move, then safely deliver them back to your new home when you are ready.
  4. Top Rated Customer Service: Our team is committed to providing you with the highest level of customer service possible. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help with your storage needs.

Want to learn more about Zippy Shell of Northern Illinois?

Visit www.zippyshell.com today or give us a call directly at 888-947-7974!

Posted on

How to Prepare for Winter

As winter is beginning it is important to make sure you are prepared to weather the storm.

Insurance

First and foremost, make sure your home is insured, that way if you happen to have a home emergency involving a plumbing leak or a roof caving in from snow, you will not have an immense cost to worry about. It is also important to make sure your car is insured as well to avoid any damages caused by icy or snowy roads.

Thermostat

Slowly lower your thermostat during the day, and night as well, to prevent your wallet from taking a beating in the cold winter months. Bringing the temperature down by one degree a week can make a huge difference. If this is too difficult you can always layer up to make the adjustment easier.

Prep your car

Your car will go through a lot during winter weather. To make your drive more pleasant, throw an extra blanket and sweatshirt in your car for the drive while your car is still heating up. Make sure you also have a little shovel, salt, and window scrappers to avoid any problems resulting from snow.

Stock up

Stock your house with extra food and water in case you happen to get snowed in for an extended period of time. Keep extra shovels and snow salt in your garage to avoid having your car snowed in and having no way of getting out onto the road. Make sure you also have extra firewood if you have a wood fireplace, or have an extra gas insert if you have a gas fireplace. Candles, flashlights, and batteries should be easily accessible in case of a power outage.

Visit your doctor

Get an annual check-up to make sure you are healthy going into the cold winter season. Get a flu shot to avoid being bedridden for up to a week. Always remember to wash your hands and avoid sharing food or drinks with sick people. Check that your prescriptions are up to date as well.

Posted on

Winter Activities for the Whole Family

Whether you are trying to stay warm inside or enjoy the snow outdoors, here are just a few activities your family can partake in this winter.

Go snow tubing
Visit your local ski resort to go snow tubing. The whole family can enjoy this thrilling snow activity without the risk or skill required for snowboarding or skiing.

Play board games
If it is too cold and windy outdoors, have a family game night indoors with your favorite board games!

Go bowling
Enjoy a day or evening at the bowling alley as a fun way to enjoy a cold winter day.

Go ice skating
Enjoy a fun winter activity that doesn’t require the weather to be a nice winter day at the ice rink!

Sledding
Once the snow falls, go enjoy a day of sledding outside. Make sure to stay safe and have fun!

Bake cookies
In order to stay warm from the cold outdoors, bake your favorite treats during this holiday season. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and more! You can even try making some homemade hot chocolate.

Arts and crafts
Enjoy some time inside by making snowflakes, snowmen, and other winter characters out of paper or cardboard.

Happy Holidays!

Posted on

Thanksgiving Recipes

Spice up Thanksgiving with some new recipes to enjoy all the holiday foods you love with a twist.

Brie bites

Get your serving of cranberry sauce served up with some extra flavor.  Using pre-made biscuit dough, place a cube of brie into the middle of your biscuit.  Then top the brie with a spoonful of cranberry sauce.  Finally, bake them in the oven with the directed time and temperature  for the dough.

Mashed sweet potatoes

Change up your ordinary mashed potatoes for mashed sweet potatoes! This dish can be made with butter and seasonings to go with dinner or add some brown sugar and cinnamon for dessert!

Apple pie salsa and chips

Create a dish of apple pie filling and put it in a small bowl.  Serve it with a plate of cinnamon flavored chips or crisps to have apple salsa!

Stuffing muffins

Make your usual stuffing recipe, but do not transfer it into your turkey.  Place it into a bowl and shape little circles together to fit into your muffin dish.  Use an egg or butter to get the stuffing to hold together in a ball.  Bake until golden brown.

Seasoned sprouts

Brown your brussels sprouts in olive oil and season with salt to taste.  Add butter, chicken stock, and shallots to accentuate the flavor of the brussels sprouts and cook until soft and tender.

Oreo turkeys

Using candy eyes and candy corn, create a face and a tail of feathers on an Oreo using frosting as glue to stick the pieces on.

Pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies

Make a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies and mix pumpkin puree into the batter!

Posted on

Fall Activities

Try out one of these activities with the whole family on a nice fall day!

Apple picking

Go apple picking to get some of the freshest apples of the season.  Once you have all your apples at home, use them in a classic fall recipe, such as candy apples or apple pie.

Have a bonfire

Build a bonfire in your very own backyard using a fire pit or a safely dug out hole surrounded by stones or bricks.  Roast marshmallows or cook hot dogs and enjoy a cool night.

Hiking

Don’t let the cold weather stop you from getting outside and exercising.  Enjoy the crisp fall air with a nice hike at your local hiking trail.

Hayride

Hayrides can be a fun fall activity for anyone to enjoy.  Take your kids out for a fun day or have a date night with your significant other.

Make a holiday decoration

Using fallen leaves from your backyard you can create your very own holiday decoration.  Attach them to a circular ring to create a festive fall wreath to hang on your front door!

Go to a football game

Tailgate at your favorite football team’s game with friends then enjoy cheering them on at the game!

Make sangria

Spice up your typical sangria with cinnamon, apple slices, and/or caramel to turn your normal sangria into a festive drink!

Drive through fall leaves

As the leaves are changing color, go get a sight of them before they fall.  Take a drive down any local road that is full of large trees to get to see the beautiful fall leaves.

Posted on

Quick Weekend Renovation Projects for Your Home

Install a medicine cabinet

Find a medicine cabinet that matches the shape of your mirror to hang it right behind your mirror with a few screws.  If you cannot find one that has a similar shape, hang any medicine cabinet above your toilet or next to your bathroom mirror.  This storage hack can easily be done in less than an hour.

Paint or paper a wall

Paint a whole room a new color or spruce up a room by adding wallpaper to one wall in a room.  This works great for a bathroom to accent around your sink and mirror.

Replace your showerhead

Buy a low flow showerhead or a showerhead that allows you to adjust the water pressure.  This will allow you to save money on your water bill and help the environment.

Weather seal your doors and windows

Insert foam weather stripping on the bottoms of your doors or on the panels of your windows.  This will keep your house sealed from cold fall air coming through.  This will also prevent you from wasting money on having to crank your heat up to keep your house warm.

Spice up your trim

Repaint your wall or door trim to give it a refreshed look.  Add a pop of color by painting a new color over it that balances well with the room.  This can also be applied well to your fireplace trim to give it a more modern look.

Patch up holes in your wall

You may have had a few holes in your walls that have been meaning to get fixed for a while now.  Take a minimal amount of time out of your weekend to put some spackle over old holes to clean up the room.

Posted on

Moving before the school year starts with your kids

Most families choose to move over the summer, that way their kids don’t have to transfer schools during the school year.  When the time comes when you move and your kids have to finally transfer, it may be very hard on them.  Use some of these tips to help ease the move.

Try to keep as many old items as possible

This includes furniture, comforters, toys, and anything else from your old home.  Buying new furniture will make the kids feel even less at home than they already are.

Replicate

Coming off of this, replicate the rooms from your old home.  If possible, set up your furniture in the same directions as they were previously.  You should also try to organize your kitchen cabinets in a similar way so that the children don’t get confused.

Keep a routine

Eat your meals at the same times as you did before.  Little things such as meals and tv time can go a long way to make them feel comfortable.

Help them get situated

Have them meet some of their teachers as well as your new neighbors to get to know the people they will be around most.

Get involved

Sign your child up for community activities or sports teams to get to know more kids their age.  They will end up making lots of new friends as well as finding something they enjoy doing.

Be there for them

Let them know that you understand how difficult this process is.  It is very hard to go through and you just have to be there for them and help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Posted on

School Supply Shopping Tips

Summer has gone by quick, and school is quickly approaching now. Soak up the sun and enjoy the pool for a few more days before it is time to do schoolwork! Before sending your children off to school, remember to do some back-to-school shopping. Follow these tips for a smooth back-to-school shopping experience.

  1. Keep your eye out for deals! Many stores will have deals and special sales on back-to-school gear. Whether it is backpacks, notebooks, pencils, or paper, always try to take advantage of the end of summer deals!
  2. Look for coupons. Look for coupons in magazines, newspapers, websites, and more! Coupons can help you save big and can save time deciding on which materials to buy.
  3. Make a list. Don’t go into the store blind. Try and make a list of the supplies you need to purchase before you leave for the store. This will make your shopping more efficient and less stressful.
  4. Try to hold off on shopping for clothes. Everyone child wants to have the coolest outfit on the first day of school. However, studies have shown that the end of the summer isn’t the best time to shop for clothes. Prices will generally be higher and the clothing isles will be more crowded. Try shopping for clothes a few weeks after school starts!
  5. Start shopping when the stores first open! Arriving at the store when the doors have just opened is often the best way to breeze through back-to-school shopping. You won’t have to wait in lines and you can find supplies more easily. Easier said than done but try to be an “early bird” for the day!
  6. Next summer, start back-to-school shopping earlier in the summer! It is often hard to think about, but consider doing some back-to-school shopping in order to avoid the large crowds. If you have a free day in the summer, use it to get some shopping out of the way!

 

Posted on

Store Your Items with Zippy Shell While Selling Your Home

A customer in the Piedmont Triad area was in the process of selling their home. Prior to putting their house on the market, they needed to declutter and resurface their floors. They needed extra storage space to keep all their belongings during the renovation and home selling process. During the renovation, Zippy Shell delivered three storage containers to their home and loaded up all the belongings that needed to be stored.
Until the day they moved to their new home, Zippy Shell safely stored their items at one of our secure climate-controlled storage facilities. Zippy Shell then delivered their items right to their new home, where we helped them unload everything and bring it into their new home.
Zippy Shell allowed the customer to make the process of selling their old home and moving into a new home as smooth as possible.  If you are looking to sell your home and need extra storage space while doing so to make your home as presentable as possible, get a quote with Zippy Shell today!

Posted on

How to Pack Up Your Outdoor Furniture

Now that summer is coming to an end, it’s time to start thinking about packing up your outdoor furniture. Here are a few actions you should take before stowing away your furniture.

Cleaning

Make sure your items are not covered in any dirt or debris from outside. Don’t forget to check around for any bugs who may have found a new home in your stuff. Make sure to clean off your grill after its final use of the season so that when next summer comes around there isn’t old food stuck to the grill.

Drain

You may need to drain out rainwater from some of your pieces of furniture. Also make sure to empty out all the sand in sandboxes and charcoal from grills. Lastly, drain the remaining gas from your lawnmower leaf blowers and more to prevent leakage during storage.

Disassemble and package

Carefully disassemble your furniture without causing any damage. Keep everything together for each individual item. Put all loose pieces that belong to an item in a labeled bag and/or tape or secure this bag to the item.

Moving and storing

Whether you are moving your items to a new location, or want to store them at your house, call Zippy Shell.  We can store your outdoor furniture in one of our portable storage containers right at the convenience of your home or we can store your items at our climate-controlled storage facility.