Between Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the end of the year brings plenty of reasons to celebrate. Each holiday comes with its own set of festive decorations, from pumpkins and spooky costumes to tinsel and miles of string lights. When it comes time to wind down the decorations and clean out the clutter, keep these simple holiday storage tips in mind. You’ll thank yourself when the next holiday season rolls around!
1.Organize Plastic Containers and Label Them Liberally
Store your decorations in plastic containers instead of cardboard boxes. A plastic layer will help protect your decorations from dust, dirt and moisture and provide a reusable organizational tool for many future holidays.
Plastic containers also make it far easier to stack your holiday decorations in storage. Depending on the type of plastic container you use, lids may be designed to interlock for seamless stacking. If you’ll buy containers, try to stick with the same brand and sizes for your needs to ensure stacked containers remain stable.
Save yourself the future headache of digging through boxes by getting liberal with your labels. List the types of items in each box or section before putting them back on the shelf. You can find labels in various colors and sizes to identify the items inside a container. This step will save you time — you won’t have to remove multiple containers from shelves and open the lids to see what’s inside just to put them back.
2. Wrap Lights and Garlands
Bundling your lights is sure to leave you with a messy knot to untangle next season. Instead, wrap your string lights, garlands, tinsel and ribbons around a piece of cardboard to keep them organized. Secure the ends with masking tape so that you can easily find them for setup next year.
A crucial step for this tip is to disconnect any wires prior to bundling. Many holiday lights and accessories connect together to make longer strands you can use to cover the surfaces you need. Shortening the lengths of wires and cables prior to storing reduces the chance supplies will tangle or break between uses.
3. Store Your Wreaths and Bows on a Rack
Stacking your wreaths in a box with other decorations can leave them bent or tangled. If you have space, try wrapping wreaths in plastic bags and hanging them on a coat rack instead. This method will keep them fresh and smooth for seasons to come.
Storing wreaths and bows on racks is a fantastic way to free up floor space. You can forget about tripping over wreaths and bows since they’ll be elevated off the ground. Storage racks are also effective for protecting your purchases from accidental water damage, pets and dirt you track in from your shoes.
4. Create a Wrapping Station
Tired of running around looking for misplaced scissors, tape, ribbons and wrapping paper? Give yourself an edge with a DIY wrapping station. A convenient wrapping station will save you time and energy — and conserve space in your storage areas.
You can get creative with your wrapping station so that it’s something you look forward to using. Organize drawers to include similar tools. Place things like markers, stickers and tags together so that your supplies are always within arm’s reach while you’re working. Make sure to keep only supplies related to the holiday season at your wrapping station to stay as efficient as possible and quickly retrieve what you need between tasks.
5. Leave Space Between Breakables
Storing your holiday breakables together makes sense so you can take them out together. However, whether you have dishware, ornaments, a nativity set or miniature villages for the holidays, try to leave plenty of space between items when they’re in storage. Placing small decorations in their original boxes is a great start.
Be sure to cover belongings like plates and glasses in bubble wrap before stacking them. You can prevent chips and cracks across your favorite holiday dinnerware and decor when you leave a bumper between breakable surfaces. Also, make sure holiday breakables are stored in a location where they’re less at risk of falling and you can lift them comfortably to prevent drops.
