Tips For Storing Your Holiday Decorations The Right Way

Taking down holiday decorations is never quite as fun as hanging them. Although it is a chore, make sure you are taking down and storing your holiday decorations with care. The more care you put into storing your decorations away properly, the longer they will last you. Being able to reuse your old decorations can help you avoid the stress of fighting through the holiday shopping crowd and save you money.

Tree Storage

If you have an artificial tree, how well you store it determines how many years of use you can get out of it. After the holidays, take your tree apart and count how many difference pieces it breaks down into. Head out to a local thrift store or look through an old box of clothes in your garage and find at least two belts for each part of the tree.

Wrap the belts around each part and fasten them to keep the branches together. The more secure the branches, the less likely they will get bent out of shape. This is also helpful if your storage space, such as at Security Self Storage, is limited. The tighter the belt, the more compact the tree becomes. If your tree is pre-lit, make sure you adjust the lights so that the belt is not pressing down on them. Otherwise, the pressure could permanently damage the lights.

Holiday Lights

Whether your holiday decorating style is like the Griswolds or you're more modest and believe less is more, hanging lights is a great way to let your holiday light shine. If you hang lights during the holiday season, it's important that you take the time to store them away correctly. This will keep the lights in better condition and make them easier to handle the next year.

Take a cardboard box and cut it into several squares. Take a string of lights and wrap it around the cardboard square. This will prevent the lights from tangling once you store them away. Next, write down the location where the lights were used, such as "front bedroom window" or "garage door." When you take them out next year, you won't have to spend as much time trying to figure out which lights fit what area.

While it will take some effort, the time it takes to put away your decorations will be well worth the effort—not just for next year's holiday season, but for many years to come.