Barking Library of Things

The Bank Holiday countdown is on! ⌛🎉 Over the long weekend our closed day pricing discount will kick in meaning great savings on all your DIY, cleaning and hosting faves! BUT there's even more reason to set your alarms because we've got a BIG announcement coming next week that will help you save even more.

Sign up to our newsletter at the end of this page to ensure you receive our news, which will be landing in your inbox on Tuesday 22 August: https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_campaign=bankholiday

In the meantime, here's some inspiration for how to spend the long weekend (when you're not sleeping in of course):

"My husband bought trousers that needed taking up, and convinced me to borrow Calvin the sewing machine to do it. I went from complete beginner to seamstress over the bank holiday weekend!" - Wendy, sewing machine user

"Very high staircase walls require a very high ladder. So glad we hired this one was perfect for the bank holiday decorating" Amam, extendable ladder user

"I got stuck putting up some shelves and was determined to finish my bank holiday DIY project. Last minute search and I found Library of Things. So easy, so quick, so affordable, picked up and returned within 2 hours and DIY project saved!!!" Samanatha, SDS drill user

So next time you need a tool to get your task done, why not give renting a go? It's cheaper, clutter-free and better for the planet. Check out the full range here: https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_campaign=bankholiday

📢 Calling all Barking & Dagenham residents!

❓Do you want to save money on useful household items like carpet cleaners, drills, dehumidifiers, sound systems and sewing machines ?

💡Then check out your local Library of Things located on the ground floor inside Barking Learning Centre (IG11 7NB): https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/barking?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_campaign=julysp

Here's how it works:

💻Reserve the items you need online
🚶swing by and collect them from the lockers
🔧 Complete your task
🚶return the things to the lockers for the next person
🤳Send us your story for a chance to win £20 borrowing credit 🎉

Essex Live covered our opening here: https://www.essexlive.news/whats-on/barking-library-things-visitors-can-7663428

Here's what Barking residents are saying:

Kimberley said: "I have a drill but needed a more powerful one for the concrete wall. I don't need to own 2 drills so its nice to borrow one."

Another borrower said "Library of Things has saved me so much money during my recent relocating at home. The ease + cost is amazing. This weekend I borrowed the wallpaper stripper to remove 3 layers of 30yr old wallpaper from my hallway. Made the job sooooo much quicker. Couldn't b happier."

Naz said "So easy and straightforward to reserve, collect and return items. The instructions / how to use videos were a great addition for a novice like me. Good quality items, with attachments, all clean, tidy.
Wish I knew about this sooner. Can't recommend enough."

Want an extra 25% off ? Just choose our no-questions-asked concession rate when you make a booking. Get started here or tag your Barking mates below: https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/barking?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_campaign=julysp

It brings us so much joy to see what the Things have been up to when they're not in their lockers! Here's what they've been doing over the last couple of weeks:

🏳‍🌈 Janis the Speaker and PA System from Kentish Town got everyone dancing at Pride in London. 🙌

💜 Buttercup the Strimmer from Brighton and Hove helped GoodGym to clear a council run residential senior home garden. ✂

💍 Morse the Metal Detector has helped yet another Morden borrower to find their wedding ring. It took him just 20 minutes, after it had been lost in the Sussex countryside for 3 weeks! Great news! 👏

🏕 A Hackney Wick borrower took their 4 year old daughter on their first camping trip, along with Val the Tent! They found our super simple assembly instructions really helpful as they're not regular campers. Making memories 💜

🥾 Sonny the Heat Gun is one of our newest Things, they helped a borrower from Kilburn to add some wax to their walking boots. We wonder what adventures they're headed for next! 🤔

🌻 A borrower from Canada Water was banned by their partner from buying any more plant pots...they found a loophole and borrowed MC Hammer the SDS Drill to attach some planters to their garden wall instead! 🌱

🚲 Pythagoras the Angle Grinder helped a borrower from Hammersmith to make a one off repair to their bicycle. 💪

As you can see the Things (and their borrowers) have been busy bees...we wish we could hear every single story of why they get borrowed! If you'd like to share your borrowing story (no your story isn't boring, we love every single one!) then head to the link below.

Link 👉 https://libraryofthings.wiki/stories

We agree with Einstein! Which is why we're on a mission to make borrowing better than buying - to help the planet, revive our highstreets, and save communities money at the same time.

Our 'Here's the Thing' monthly mailer focusses on different aspects of sustainability - as it's we decided to look at plastic for the latest edition.

It's got 6 ideas of ways to go plastic free this July, as well as some unusual litter picking groups! 🗑

Head to the link below if you'd like to receive our joyful newsletters in your inbox. 💌

It drops on Thursday, so be quick! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Link 👉 https://bit.ly/3D3qvNY

🥁 Borrower of the month is...Natalie from Dalston 👏

Every month we ask our newsletter subscribers to choose who should win £20 borrowing credit. Natalie's was their favourite story this month. 🛋🏆

"We inherited a sofa which is in great condition but was dirty. Library of things carpet and upholstery cleaner made the sofa good as new. Upcycling and recycling is made easier with library of things"

We love that Natalie was able to rescue the sofa with the help of Diana the Carpet Cleaner. A 'new' sofa for £22.50 isn't bad all! Plus they got £20 to spend on their next rescue mission! 🙌

As always there were so many great stories, it was a tough choice to make! Here are the runners up:

🌱 One borrower used the Projector Screen to do their first ever event for
☀ Restoring a second hand patio set to it's former glory with the Hand Sander
🥂 Having a birthday get together with friends and the help of the Projector
🚐 The start of a new adventure - the Jigsaw cut some windows into a camper van conversion
✂ Cutting 8ft of brambles with the Hedge Trimmer!

If you'd like the chance to be crowned Borrower of the Month 👑 (and win £20 credit) then don't forget to snap some pics of what you used your Thing for - you don't even have to be in the photo! 📷

💌 Sign up to our newsletter if you'd like to be even more involved in the Library of Things community. Choosing BotM is just part of it, we love to get your input to help Library of Things to evolve. Plus we do our best to share fun and inspirational content - no boring spam here. 🚫

Sign up to our mailing list here 👉 https://bit.ly/3D3qvNY

We are thrilled to announce that Library of Things are winners of Escape the City's The Escape 100 campaign, now recognised as one of the top purposeful organisations to ‘escape’ to in 2023! 🙌

From 13,000 nominations and a rigorous application process, we were placed in the TOP 10 and are honoured to be joining some of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies, and most importantly, one of the best places to work.

Visit our Escape profile to find out why we’re part of the Escape 100 & get notified when new roles come up.
https://bit.ly/44DrekI

Getting thrifty with it🤸Every day we receive stories from members who have used the Things to give their belongings a refresh instead of throwing them away. Hearing how you guys have resisted buying new stuff, revamped what you own and saved yourselves some dosh makes us feel like proud parents 😊

Click here to see what tools we have to help you with your upcycling and cleaning projects or read on for some stories from Library of Things members living their best thrifty lives: https://bit.ly/41k7cdHHere

1. "I mended the curtains in my daughter's room to give them a new lease of life. It was all so easy and efficient I could not improve on the process." Harry, Sewing Machine user

🧵Sewing Machine £5 a day (£4 with our Concession Membership)

2. "A second hand patio set is well on its way to being restored to former glory - would never have been achieved without the hand sander but didn't want the expense of buying one." - Kirsty, Hand Sander user

👋Hand Sander £7.50 a day (£5.50 with our Concession Membership)

3. "The carpet cleaner was amazing. Having little children and teenagers you can imagine the mess and spillage that occurs on a daily basis. Using the carpet for my sofa and rug has not only saved me money by not replacing especially the rug, but has made the room so much brighter and cleaner and smelling amazing." - Sahra, Carpet Cleaner user

💦Carpet Cleaner £22.50 a day (£17 with our Concession Membership)

Want to hear more inspirational upcycling stories from your neighbours like this? Make sure you're signed up for our newsletter: https://bit.ly/41k7cdH

The Tents are back in their lockers, recovering from a weekend at Glasto! 🎶

Here's what Larna from Crystal Palace had to say "I took Peggie the 3 Man tent to Glastonbury! So easy to pick up/drop off. So cheap to hire. It’s a great quality item that saved my pocket and helped me stick to the Glastonbury ‘love the farm, leave no trace!’ pledge. I felt so smug.."

We were feeling pretty smug too, when we read that! A huge number of tents get left at festivals every year, so we're super proud that Larna chose to borrow and 'leave no trace' - it made us do a happy dance!

Ari took Gertie the Tent away for the weekend - "I went to Glasto! I don't need a tent the rest of the year so borrowing was the perfect solution. The tent was absolutely perfect and the process of borrowing and returning was so smooth! I have recommended Library of Things to everyone."

Thanks for helping to spread the word that borrowing is better than buying Ari! 🎶🙌 The Tents aren't just great for festivals - they can also be used for holidays, wedding and party accommodation or if you just fancy a snooze in the garden!

Tents tend to get booked up in advance, so head to the website now to book your dates before they go! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Check out all the adventure Things 👉 https://bit.ly/44qZ6kR

Will the Carpet Cleaner ever be knocked off its top spot as most hired thing?! For now, you guys are loving the results and we love seeing your good as new carpets!

Here's what one member had to say: "I needed a carpet cleaner to clean my sofa bed which was a bit tired after being my two cats' 🐈🐈‍⬛ favourite spot for a long time, I borrowed it from Hammersmith Library of Things and was very impressed with the service and how easy it was to collect and return. The set of instructions were extremely helpful and made the whole process very straightforward. It's a great concept that is helping people to reduce waste and making our world a more sustainable place”

Thank you Renato for sharing your experience with us and using our services!💪

The carpet cleaner is available to hire for £22.50 (save 25% with our concession membership if you feel you need it).

Remember we've got more than 30 DIY, cleaning, gardening, hobbying & hosting Things for you to borrow from a few pounds a day including strimmers, drills, pressure washers and more outdoorsy things - incase you want to make the most of the sunshine!

Join the movement to buy less and share more. Browse and reserve here: https://bit.ly/41k7cdH

We are very proud to have taken part in one of TCV's Green Gym sessions 💚, providing some of our tools for them to complete a communal project.

brings residents from local communities together and provides them with the practical expertise, resources and training they need 💪to engage in sustained social actions that make a positive difference 🌎.

The team of volunteers used one of our Hand Sanders to sand some boards to create a compost bin for Gospel Oak Primary School and one of our Jigsaws to cut some interpretation and mural panels for Ingestre Woods.

It was a great project to be involved in, a huge thank you to all the volunteers for doing such an amazing job!

When it comes to DIY we have a great selection of tools 🧰, things like Drills, Wallpaper St*****rs, Planners, Circular Saws, Angle Grinders and more.

And don't forget that as well as DIY; we also have a great range of Cleaning, Hosting, Cooking and Gardening items to rent for a few pounds a day. Check our catalogue of things and make your reservations on this link: https://bit.ly/3pI9al7