After the holidays have ended and the time for decorating has ended with them, the biggest chore most Americans have is to safely and securely store all of their ornaments, trinkets and trimmings. After all, you want them to last as many seasons as possible, especially your favorites! If you’re struggling with storing your seasonal stuff and need some help, the following 11 tips for storing holiday decorations are for you! They’re brought to you by Moove In, the storage experts. To get them all and ensure your holiday decorations stay in perfect condition until next season, read on!
Tips and Hacks for Storing Your Holiday Decorations
1. Categorize All of Your Holiday Décor
There’s nothing as frustrating as trying to find specific holiday decorations when all of your holiday décor is mixed together willy-nilly. To prevent being frustrated next year, be sure to clearly categorize all of your Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other holiday stuff. The better you categorize everything (i.e., separate into different piles or areas), the easier it will be to decorate again next season.
2. Invest in Good Quality Storage Containers
Storing some holiday décor in a regular cardboard box is just fine and will work well, especially for non-fragile plastic items that aren’t easily breakable. That said, some items should be stored in specialized containers to be sure they stay pristine. Large, expensive wreaths are one of those items. Using a wreath storage container (available at most big-box retailers) is the best way to keep your beautiful door décor looking good for years to come. Specialized containers for glass balls, wrapping paper, and Christmas trees can also make storing them less of a hassle.
3. Remove Batteries from All Animatronic Decorations
Animatronic decorations have become very popular in the last few years because they look great and move realistically. However, their batteries can corrode while stored, damaging and possibly destroying the entire decoration. That’s why taking batteries out of all your animatronic decorations before storage is a good idea.
4. Keep Original Boxes and Packaging to Reuse for Storage
Most holiday décor comes in packaging made specifically to keep it safe while being sent to you from the manufacturer. That same packaging is perfect for off-season holiday storage! It’s the correct size, protects the decorations at their most fragile areas and, best of all, it’s free!
5. Use Any Type of Device that Winds Up Your Christmas Lights
There are many good, and affordable, ideas to store Christmas lights. Using, for example, a 16 x 8 inch piece of cardboard is a great idea, as well as using an old hose reel from your garden. Some companies even make specific roller devices to easily wind up lights to store for the season. Whatever you use, winding up your holiday lights will keep them better organized, protect the lights from breaking and help them last years longer.
6. Be Sure All Inflatables are Dry before Storing Them
Inflatable holiday decorations for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all the rage these days! They’re easy to set up, lightweight, and take up very little storage space. However, if you store them damp or wet, inflatables can form mold and mildew that can damage them or ruin them. Moisture can also damage the blower inflatable use, so ensuring they’re 100% dry before putting them away for the season is a smart idea. (Top tip; leave them out in the bright sun for a few hours.)
7. Store Delicate Décor with Plenty of Cushioning
Delicate decorations are often the most beautiful but also the easiest to damage. For that reason, using plenty of packing paper, peanuts, or other cushioning while storing them is your best choice. Be sure to fill any box or bin you use with a layer of paper cushioning on the bottom, and use tissue paper for the most fragile pieces.
8. Use a Tree Bag to Store Artificial Christmas Trees
Although the best choice is the original box they came in, if you’ve tossed out the box (or it’s old and destroyed), storing your artificial Christmas tree in a tree bag is a great choice. Not only will it make transporting the tree easier, a bag will usually last much longer than a cardboard box.
9. Don’t Store Holiday Decorations in Your Basement or Attic
Although there’s a lot of storage space in both, the attic or basement are 2 spots you should avoid when storing holiday decorations and other seasonal items. The reasons are simple; the attic is far too hot for most seasonal decorations, while the basement is far too damp. If you truly have a lot of holiday decorations, renting a climate controlled storage unit could make a lot of sense. These specialized units keep the temperature and humidity stable throughout the year, ensuring your delicate holiday decorations stay in perfect condition.
10. Use Storage Racks or Shelves if Needed
If you have a large amount of holiday decorations it might be best to purchase storage shelves or racks to store everything. The benefits of storage shelves include being able to stack things more easily, use more of the vertical space in your home or storage unit, and access items more easily when the new season comes around again.
11. Store Heavy Holiday Items on the Bottom and Lighter Items on Top
This last tip is something many folks accidentally forget when they’re storing holiday decorations and lights; stack heavy things on the bottom. If you don’t, heavy items can often smoosh and, sometimes, destroy lightweight and fragile items underneath. Even if you need to rearrange poorly stacked items, take the time to do it as you might save some decorations from a smashed fate.
Store Your Holiday Decorations with Moove In Self Storage
If you’re in need of extra storage space to store your holiday decorations but don’t have the space at home, Moove In Self Storage is a perfect solution. At Moove In, our storage units are safe, clean, affordable and, if you rent a drive-up unit, easy to pack and unpack. If you’re ready, you can reserve a storage unit online right now to store your holiday decorations. It’s easy, secure, and will ensure your precious holiday trimmings and decorations will be around to delight you and your family for many years to come!