The presents have been opened, the food has been eaten (or, let’s be honest, occupying eight different containers in your fridge), and your extended family has gone home. Now what?
Well, with another holiday season in the books, it’s time to clean house. That means taking down the holiday decorations and placing them in storage for next year. However, as you might have noticed, storing holiday decorations in an intuitive way can be tricky. If you do it wrong, you can end up with a lot of wasted time next winter when you pull them back out.
Luckily, the storage pros at The Storage Place have a couple of tips and tricks to help you organize your holiday decorations for safekeeping between seasons and save yourself some stress next winter!
Strings of Christmas lights are one of those things that are easy to love and if packed poorly, easy to hate. They are infamously easy to get caught up in tangled knots. This can create a lot of stress and waste a lot of time next holiday season, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Try this: take one of your used holiday wrapping paper tubes or a broken-down cardboard box, and wrap your lights around it. It sounds simple because it is. Next winter when the time comes to decorate your house again, all you need to do is uncoil the string and you’re done!
Let’s talk wrapping paper and everything that usually goes along with it: scissors, tape, bows, etc.
There are a lot of quality wrapping stations you can buy, with their own shelves, compartments, and hooks as an optimized storage option. But if you’re on a budget and want to save some money, let us make an alternate suggestion.
You’ll need a big bag and a bunch of smaller bags. Place each type of wrapping-related item in one of the smaller bags to separate bows from ribbon (for example), and then place each of the smaller bags inside the large one. Now you have an organized, easy-to-move wrapping station!
When it comes to the wrapping paper, be sure to either stand them upright in an unused trash bin or invest in a large, plastic storage container where they can be laid down flat.
Depending on the type of tree you use, the best storage method is subject to change. Obviously, if you use a natural tree, you won’t store it because they need to be disposed of in appropriate locations, either out in the woods, or in a location predetermined by your city or county.
For artificial trees, keep the box or bag that came with it, if at all possible. This is an easy, safe container for storage that you know will fit the tree.
Be delicate when folding up each individual branch on the tree, and start from the top, going down to the bottom. If you have bandage wrap, use that as an additional level of safe adhesive so that each branch is fastened tightly to the center mass of the Christmas tree. This reduces the chance of anything breaking off when you put it in or take it out of storage. In the case that your tree disassembles, don’t tug or yank any of the branches off, but carefully remove each and place them parallel in your storage container of choice.
Like with the Christmas tree, the name of the game here is using the right storage containers, preferably the plastic inserts that likely came with the ornament at the time of purchase.
If ornaments are thrown lazily into a bin, they are likely to rub and scratch against each other in storage, tarnishing their appearance and value. Plus, the sentimental value your ornaments may have to you or your family should be considered at all costs. When storing these items, if you don’t have their original cases, make sure you have soft, inoffensive materials between each of your ornaments so they never come into direct contact. This can include packing peanuts, packing tissue, bubble wrap, or even towels and blankets.
While you’re at it, take a moment to organize your holiday decorations by labeling each individual box with the type of contents inside it so it’s all organized and easily accessible next year. This can be as simple as writing “ornaments” on one box or using color-coordinated tape to distinguish between each item-type.
Now that you have all of your holiday decorations neatly packed away, it’s time to find a place to store your items until next season. Rather than keep your items in your home for the next 10 months, try renting a storage unit this year!
At The Storage Place, we offer long-term and short-term storage options whether you simply want to store your holiday decorations or add a few extra items that have been cluttering your Texas home. Offering robust features and a variety of unit sizes, you’re sure to find an affordable, convenient, and accessible storage solution at The Storage Place.
If you have questions about what we offer, feel free to check out our storage services or browse our Frequently Asked Questions for more information. Ready to store holiday decorations or tackle clutter? Contact us online or find a location near you to rent your unit today!
Rent or reserve your unit at a location near you today!
