How to store seasonal decorations

Holidays and seasonal celebrations may only occupy a short period in the year, but during that time, the holiday decorations and lights fill your home with warmth and happiness.

Once the holiday is over, proper storage of your seasonal decorations can alleviate headaches until next season. Organisation saves time sorting through boxes searching for a certain decoration or untangling lights.

The following suggestions will help you store your seasonal decorations safely, organized and in a manner that keeps them on hand and ready for the next holiday.  So if you don't know what to do with your Christmas Decorations, keep on reading.

Organising Before Storing

First, sort through all your holiday decor. Keep only what you love, and discard broken items.

Donate items that still have no use for so that someone else can enjoy them, instead of throwing away.

Also, sort your holiday decorations by seasonal use; Christmas, Halloween, Easter or summer functions. This will be helpful to remember what you have and avoid buying doubles in the future.

When you are ready to store, clean everything. Wipe down ornaments, dust faux florals and garland, and test all lights. Remove batteries so they do not leak while in storage. Ensure that everything is dry before storing to prevent mould or rust. Fixing issues at the time prevents problems when you pull out your storage box next year.

Choose Appropriate Storage

Select a robust container or plastic tub with a tight fitting lid. A clear storage box is a advantage for visibility without opening. Do not select a flimsy cardboard box, especially for fragile or heavy items. To safeguard fragile ornaments, wrap each piece in tissue paper, bubble wrap, or soft fabric. If you still have the original packaging for special or valuable ornaments, they provide the best protection in storage.

For lights or garland, you can wrap them around a piece of cardboard, peg, or even a small piece of wood to knot or tangle them. When storing wreaths, lightweight boxes that are just big enough to fit wreaths without crushing it often hold the shape better than other forms of storage.

Labels and Inventory

Clearly mark or label what is in each box and for the season it is for. It is best to use a larger marker or printed label that is easy to read. Some people also prefer to keep a digital inventory. You can take a picture of each container and digitally save in a proper folder or spreadsheet to keep track of what container has what items in it. This way you are not looking in every box looking for your seasonal decor when needed.

Maximizing Vertical and Above Ground Storage

Use shelving, stackable bins, and reasonable storage items to store your decor in an organized manner. Heavier boxes on the bottom, and lighter boxes on top. If you create a small path that allows you to access the back of the storing area, then you can access items without having to take everything in front of the area out. Or use hooks or pegboard for wreaths, strings of ribbon or string lights. Then hanging store access off the ground saves box space and they will not get tangled or damaged. Organization:

If you are utilizing a self-storage unit or your attic, use vertical organization. If you have organized your decorations into designated storage spaces, you will not lose anything for a long time, & it won’t be buried under a pile of unrelated things.

Consider climate control/storage protection

Holiday decorations, and fabric, are sensitive materials that can easily be ruined by extreme climate conditions. In a garage, shed, or a basement that has some moisture in the air, materials can potentially warp, fade, or become brittle.

A climate-controlled storage unit, or a dry closet space, or indoor cupboard can be much less harmful. Try to avoid decorating regardless in spaces that have leaks or large variations in temperature.

Include silica gel packets or another breathable moisture sorbent in each container.

Any acid-free tissues paper layers, or some soft fabric layers, to tenderize/ protect actual delicate treatment surfaces. Let there be no concurrency of propping or solely stacking said heavy boxes upon delicate boxes and maximum contact, and if there is any type of crease on delicate materials, keep those at a minimum if they lose their shape.

Make it easy access

Store the containers you are using most often, close or area that you can simply reach all containers to: for example, many families I know put out Christmas stuff first, so it’s always nice to keep those containers in a reach on hand location. to make the search easier, you can use coloured labels or mark the containers with “first out”.

Keep one small store passage way free in your storage unit, so that you are easily able to reach a specific item in the room, this way you don't increase the chances of damaging your holiday decorations.

When to check, and rotating

Now occasionally check your decoration setting: to checked and gently product. After each season’s checking and inspect the delicate pieces that probably sustain scratches, or could have taken on damage during this years festivities.

Before unpacking your decorations, inspect and check everything before use. Toss pieces if they are damaged, instead of storing them away again. Keep the original box of any large item as it makes it easier to store when the christmas period is over and make sure to replenish some of your decorations every holiday season.

We hope these tips are helpful and if you need extra storage this winter consider hiring a storage container from pink storage.