It’s the most wonderful time of the year – one that calls for lavish amounts of decorations! And, with those decorations comes the need to figure out how to store Christmas decorations once they have succeeded in adding Christmas cheer to your home. Let’s face it, Christmas decorations are more fun to put up than they are to take down. If you want to avoid another broken ornament or a tangled mess of Christmas lights, use these holiday storage tips to keep everything tidy for next year!
Storing Christmas Lights
For traditional single-strand Christmas lights, use a cord reel typically used for long extension cords. Connect all your lights together and spin the cord reel to neatly roll your lights tangle-free. Avoid wire breaks by not pulling too hard on the cord as you are reeling in the lights. Be careful not to break any bulbs, too.
Store Artificial Wreaths
If you prefer your wreaths hanging, simply attach the back of the wreath to a heavy-duty metal hanger with wire, cover the wreath and hanger with a garbage bag, and hang in a storage closet. Another option is using a round plastic bin specially designed for storing wreaths. These bins come in multiple sizes and have a lid, so you won’t have to worry about them getting dusty in your attic or basement.
How to Store Fragile Holiday Decor Items
For fragile items such as figurines and snow globes, wrap each decorative piece in a generous amount of bubble wrap or tissue paper, and place it carefully in a plastic bin or cardboard box. Start by putting the heaviest, bulkiest items in the bottom of the container and keep the smaller items for the top of the box. This should prevent anything from breaking.
Ornaments Storage
You can store similarly sized ornaments in cardboard boxes that have dividers, such as a wine box. Or, you can simply purchase an ornament organizer from your local craft store. If ornaments are fragile, wrap each one in tissue paper before placing into the box. Label the box by color or theme so the ornaments are clearly marked for next year.
What About Storing Artificial Trees?
Most artificial trees are assembled in sections, making them easier to store. Begin with removing ornaments, tinsel and lights, then disassemble the tree into pieces. Fold the branches of each section up, so the tree becomes narrow. You can store the tree as is or wrap each section in heavy-duty garbage bags or the original box.
Can You Store Gift Wrap?
If you keep gift bags to reuse the following year, or if you have unused wrapping supplies from this year, you can store supplies in an over-the-door gift wrap organizer or specialized bin. These organizers hold rolls of wrapping paper, bows, tags, and gift bags and are perfect for storing in a closet for easy access next year.
Putting away holiday decorations don’t have to be a daunting chore. With these simple organization tips, your house will be back to normal just in time for your New Year’s resolution.
Need extra storage space? Dependable RELO can help! We offer storage solutions like those of a self-storage unit – except we can do the work for you! Contact us today to get more info.