Christmas Decoration Storage - 10 Quick Tips to Save You Time
and Money When Storing Decorations
Christmas is busy, fun, exciting, and sentimental. We love it
all -- all but the part when we have to clean up and put
everything away.
While it may be tempting to just throw everything into boxes and
worry about sorting it out next year, you'll be sorry when a
precious Christmas decoration or ornament gets lost or
broken.
Following these 10 tips will help you...
A. Save time by getting all your Christmas decorations
organized so it's quick and easy to find them next year.
B. Save space by using the right kind of boxes that can
be easily stacked and organized.
C. Save money by storing your Christmas lights and
decorations in a manner that preserves their quality and extends
their life span.
10 Quick Tips
1. Use Clear Plastic Storage Containers - These are great
because you can see the contents without having to spend time
labeling each box. Plus the plastic helps protect from moisture
better than cardboard. When stacking, be sure to place the
largest and heaviest boxes on the bottom and smaller boxes on
the top.
2. Box the Beads - Pack the beads in small boxes such as
plastic shoeboxes. If you use many strands of beads, larger
boxes could become too heavy. To keep the beads from becoming
tangled, place individual strands in baggies. If you prefer, you
can wrap each strand around empty paper towel rolls and tape the
ends.
3. Don't Dog Pile the Christmas Lights - Don't stack too
many lights in the same box. The box will become too heavy and
the lights on the bottom could be damaged. Lights can easily
become tangled so individual strands of lights should be bagged
separately or wrapped around paper towel rolls or something
similar and placed in plastic grocery bags or large freezer bags.
4. Save Space with Re-Shapeable Decorations - Bows made
of wired ribbon can be flattened and reshaped next year. Wired
ribbon garlands and streamers can be tightly rolled. They don't
need to be flattened unless you need to conserve space.
5. Don't Crush Your Wreaths - Wreaths can be stacked in
larger boxes but each wreath should be wrapped with bubble wrap.
If they aren't wrapped then they shouldn't be stacked. Bubble
wrap can be purchased where office supplies are sold. Wreath
boxes can also be purchased and are readily available on the
Internet and in stores.
6. Wrap Christmas Ornaments Properly - Ornaments should
be individually wrapped in white tissue paper or where greater
protection is needed, wrap in bubble wrap. Since most ornaments
are lightweight they can be stored in large boxes. If you still
have the original boxes the ornaments came in, then store them
in these and then place them in the storage container.
7. Protect Christmas Decorations from Moisture - If you
live in a humid climate using plastic containers may not be
enough to protect from moisture. Place packets of silica gel in
each container to avoid damage from humidity. Silica gel can be
purchased at arts and craft stores. If you cannot find
individual packets, you can make your own by wrapping several
tablespoons of silica gel in white tissue paper and securing
with tape. Several packets should be placed throughout the box.
8. Guard Against Temperature Extremes - Delicate
decorations such as ornaments made with photos or wax can be
temperature sensitive. Store them in a climate-controlled area
or they could deteriorate, melt or stick together.
9. Avoid Box Identity Loss - Attach a red ribbon or tag
to each Christmas storage box. This will make them easy
to identify next Christmas if they have been stored with other
boxes unrelated to Christmas decorations.
10. Toss the Trash - Some people have a tendency to just
"hang onto stuff" in hopes that they'll find a use for it later.
Don't waste space by holding onto old ornaments you know you'll
never use again (unless of course it has some sentimental
significance). Just toss out the trash.
A final note: You may also want to consider Christmas
ornament boxes and wreath boxes for especially fine
ornaments and wreaths instead of clear storage
containers. They are available in stores and on the
Internet. They are very convenient and some are even acid free
for even greater protection for your fine collectables. They are
more expensive, but for high quality, valuable ornaments this
may be a worthwhile investment.
A little organization today will make you feel like a Christmas
decorating pro next year. Happy un-decorating!