Hollywood Storage Center Shows You How to Turn Food Scraps into Gold

food scrapsAt Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks we believe in the adage: recycle, reuse, renew.

By now we’ve all become accustomed to throwing our cans and bottles into the blue bins for recycling. But what should we do with the food scraps we toss after dinner each night?

There must be some way to “recycle” these bits of food.

Did you know that the City of Thousand Oaks offers a composting bin aptly called The Earth Machine for a minimal cost ($20) for Thousand Oaks residents? Instead of simply throwing away your table scraps, coffee grounds, potato peels and chicken bones you can put them in The Earth Machine for composting.

Earth_Machine

The Earth Machine

Many of our neighbors up north in the San Francisco Bay Area have already implemented widespread urban composting programs, with mandatory small green pails given to each household. Folks are fined if they put the wrong item in the wrong recycling bin. What’s the outcome? The food scraps are turned into black gold as they compost and can be returned to the earth via rich soil for local farms.

While being earth friendly is not required here in the Conejo Valley, this handy bin can give us all of the same benefits, along with having a lot less garbage in our landfills.

With Earth Day coming up April 22, it’s a great time to think about fine tuning your recycling efforts and also to look at reusing things by conveniently keeping them in a local Thousand Oaks self storage unit.

Good thing you’ve got excellent local resources: check out the City of Thousand Oaks Public Works Department and Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks.

Are you a composter? We’d love to hear about your experiences on Facebook. Thanks!

 

 

Free Movie-esque Tours at Paramount Ranch In Agoura Hills and Hollywood Storage Center in Thousand Oaks

Paramount Ranch photoAt Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks we’re always looking for fun, inexpensive things to do around town. Besides a free tour of our self storage facility in Newbury Park that is fashioned after a movie lot, we recommend visiting Paramount Ranch.

Located in Agoura Hills off Cornell Road, Paramount Ranch is an old working “movie ranch” where the likes of Cecil B. Demille, Bob Hope and Gary Cooper made Hollywood classics. Free to the public, the ranch is now a great place to take the family for a picnic lunch, let loose your inner cowboy, or just wander around the grounds reminiscing about Hollywood’s heyday. It’s a local gem that is definitely worth checking out.

Of course, you’re also always welcome to come by Hollywood Storage off the 101 Freeway at Wendy for free, fresh popcorn in the lobby, a golf cart ride around the self storage stages, and a view of the cleanest Conejo Valley storage units! Seven days a week, there’s no charge to see our replica of Marilyn Monroe, 50s Diner, safety deposit vault, and, our Fast, Fun & Friendly US Post Office, pardner.

Tell us about your favorite local stomping grounds. Post below or on Facebook. Thanks!

Hollywood Storage Recommends Visiting National Parks for Free

Just one example of a beautiful landmark in our own backyard: Mt. Boney.

Just one example of a beautiful landmark in our own backyard: Mt. Boney.

As winter becomes spring, the nature lovers at Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks want to share ways to enjoy the beautiful world around us! Currently, there are 398 US national parks covering over 84 million acres. The majority of these parks don’t charge entrance fees (though parking fees often apply). But for the 100 or so national parks that do, there are several designated “fee free” days each year.

Here are the National Park Service Free Entrance Days for the rest of 2013

  • April 22-26 (National Park Week)
  • August 25 (National Park Service Birthday)
  • September 28 (National Public Lands Day)
  • November 9-11 (Veterans Day weekend)

National Parks in California that you can visit for no entrance fee on these dates include:
Cabrillo National Monument
Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Muir Woods National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Sequoia National Park
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Yosemite National Park

Plenty of other amazing national treasures around the country are on the list of “fee free days”, like Grand Canyon National Park.

And, we are so fortunate to have two Ventura County national parks that are always worth exploring:
Channel Islands National Park
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Of course, as you prepare for spring travel and future nature adventures, it’s also a great time to explore your hiking and camping gear to get ready for top notch experiences and family fun. Maybe you have picnic baskets and rain gear piled in the garage, and maybe the snorkling stuff is stuffed under the bed. Seems like the perfect time to look into a Newbury Park storage unit to help organize seasonal items and give you a breath of fresh air.

Which outdoor spots do you plan to visit this year? We’d love to hear your recommendations below or on Facebook. Thanks!

Thousand Oaks Storage Pros Offer a Gym Solution!

Hollywood Storage Center helps you put together a home gym

This yoga mat costs less than one month worth of gym fees!

If your gym recently closed, the fitness nuts at Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks have a great solution: create your own home gym!

For much less than the cost of a yearly health club membership, you can easily make your own workout space and give yourself a healthy jumpstart on the New Year. (Of course, it would also be a terrific holiday gift idea for you and your family!) Benefits of exercising at home: You set your own hours, don’t need to worry about gym fees or childcare, and you’ll never be locked out of your gym again!

Here’s how to start:
Clean out a spare bedroom or section of another area, such as your living room or garage. Considering the lighting and temperature when choosing the space. Put the items you don’t use everyday into a storage unit at a clean and convenient storage facility and buy some very basic equipment: a yoga mat, some hand weights, a balance ball and some resistance bands. All of these items can be found at your local sporting goods store or at Target You’ll find excellent advice about impactful exercises that don’t require much equipment in magazines like Shape, Men’s Fitness, and Women’s Health.

Finish setting up your area by bringing in a television with a DVD player, or a portable CD player. Rent assorted workout DVDs (check out this list from Livestrong) and make a schedule to help you stick with your plan and achieve your workout goals!

Oh, and one reminder from fitness experts: No matter where you’re working out, a necessary piece of equipment is a good pair of athletic shoes. Wow! Yet another healthy holiday gift idea!

Once your working out at home, the next New Year’s resolution can be organizing and getting the best use from your self storage space too. Stay tuned for tips on making the most of your Thousand Oaks storage space.

Do you have a home gym? Tell us about it here or on Facebook. Thanks!

 

Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks Guide on How to Kill Ants Without Using Pesticides

Hollywood Storage Center Newbury Park teaches you how to kill ants the green waySummertime means picnics, barbeques, poolside fun and, unfortunately, ants. If your house looks like a scene from the 1950’s movie “Them,” it’s time to fight back!

There are lots of ways to get rid of ants without using the typical stinky spray pesticides which harm us and our environment. The experts at Hollywood Storage Center of Thousand Oaks would like to share some easy green cleaning ways to get rid of those pesky ants without all the harmful fumes.

Of course, it goes without saying, a clean, crumb-free house is less likely to be invaded by ants than a dirty house. Fortunately, you have a clean, safe Newbury Park storage facility that’s perfect for temporarily holding stuff while you scrub! Now, let’s move on to some easy ant killers you can find in your own kitchen cabinet:

Spray your surfaces with a vinegar-water mixture.

Hollywood Storage Center teaches you green ways to kill ants

Ants don’t like vinegar so make a 50-50 combination of water and vinegar and spray all the areas where ants might be crawling into your home.

 

 

Sprinkle salt on flat surfaces outside your home. This works especially well on windowsills.

Hollywood Storage Center Newbury Park teaches you green methods of killing ants

 

 

 

 

 

Draw barriers using chalk. Ants don’t like the calcium carbonate in the chalk and will steer clear.

Hollywood Storage Center teaches you green methods to get rid of aunts

 

 

 

 

 

Squirt lemon juice on outdoor edges.  Ants don’t like citrus and the smell of lemon juice will keep them away.

Hollywood Storage Center shows you how to kill ants without using pesticides

 

 

 

 

 

There, now you can go back to enjoying your summer ant-free!

Do you have any green methods of getting rid of ants? Please share them with us on Facebook!

 

Conejo Valley Free Summertime Concerts

Conejo Valley Free Concert by U2 Tribute Band l.a.vation

As the summer is winding down, take some time to enjoy free concerts all over the Conejo Valley. Live music entertainment plus FREE concerts plus the summertime sun equals a good time with your family and friends.

Hollywood Storage Center of Conejo Valley put together this event list to make it is easy for you to plan. Just print and put this free summertime concerts list on the fridge!

FREE MUSIC IN THE CONEJO

August 5, 6 pm
King of Pop Band: A Tribute to Michael Jackson
Chumash Park, Agoura Hills

August 7, 7 pm
Norm Panto Accordian Sing-A-Long
Thousand Oaks Library Patio, Thousand Oaks

August 11, 7:30 pm
“L.A.vation” (A Tribute to U2)
Constitution Park, Camarillo

August 12, 6 pm
Latin Music Night with Combolux
Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center, Calabasas Lake

August 18, 7 pm
The Stars of Beatlemania Concert
Berniece Bennett Park, Westlake Village

August 25, 4 pm
Malipalooza (includes 1950’s Best Dressed Contest & showing of Grease! at dusk)Malibu Bluffs Park, Malibu

August 26, 6 pm
“Bostyx” (Boston, Styx Tribute)
Oak Canyon Community Park, Oak Park

September 3, 5 pm
Surf City Allstars (plus dance and hula hoop contests)
Conejo Community Park, Thousand Oaks

Enjoy and post your family summer fun pictures on Facebook!