Decorating the home for the holidays is essential, and with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas around the corner the next few months are going to include the frequent packing and unpacking of decorations. Despite their importance to the season, these decorations are only used once a year. After their short life in the home they are stored back in a box and placed in the garage until next year. The proper packing and storing of holiday decorations can ensure their safety and organization, making it easier to find next year.

Boxes within Boxes:

Large plastic bins are extremely helpful when storing any seasonal decoration. We run into a problem when we realize that not all decorations are square, and very few stay organized and stacked within these large bins. In order to prevent your more delicate decorations from moving during transport, place specific items into smaller boxes, which will later be placed into the plastic bin. This allows you to stack several oddly shaped items on one another to maximize organization, and to ensure the preservation of the decoration.

Wrapping/Storing:

Delicate Christmas tree ornaments and other fragile decorations should be wrapped before placing them into a box. In order to protect against breaking, water damage, mold, or mildew, it is crucial that the large plastic tote is stored in a cool dry place. When wrapping ornaments and other decorations use paper tissue instead of plastic, because plastic has the potential to trap moisture.

Save Time:

This piece of advice depends on how extravagant your holiday decorating is. If you place seasonal holiday decor in various rooms, it may be worth it to store each room’s decorations in a separate clear bin. To save you time from rummaging through each box, take a picture of the decorated room, and place it on the box. This is not only a reminder of what each box contains, but helps you recreate your favorite in-home designs. You can also use handy labels that can be attached to the outside of each bin.

Make a Detailed List:

When you are out shopping for Christmas decorations, it is hard to remember what you already have stored away at home and what you need to purchase. Make 2017 easier by making a detailed list of decorations you already own as you pack everything away. This helps prevent purchasing the same type of decorations each year, forgetting we already have several stored back at home.

Not Enough Room:

This is one of the biggest impediments to effective organizing and storage. The lack of perceived space may prevent many people from creating organized storage. Without maximizing available storage space, many homeowners find Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations stored in the same box. This doesn’t have to be the case, and the solution doesn’t involve you storing your plastic bins in a self-storage unit. Using storage solutions like garage shelves or overhead storage racks will get items safely off the floor. Investing in garage shelves that have a high weight capacity will allow you to store more in less space, effectively maximizing available storage space. Overhead storage solutions are perfect for decorations simply because they are very seldom used. Storing decorations on an overhead storage rack keeps them out of the way during the non-holiday months while staying close enough to pull down easily during the holiday season.

The holidays are an exciting time that should be spent with family! Stop stressing about where to store your items, wondering if you have everything you need, or trying to figure out where you placed that decoration your Grandma got you. These helpful decoration storage tips will save time and money for years to come.

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