Holiday & Christmas Decoration Storage Tips
From Dianne Hadaway,
Your Guide to Single Parents @ About.com
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Tips For Safely Storing Your Ornaments & Holiday Decor
Have you ever been lazy about properly storing your Holiday or Christmas decorations? I admit, I'm guilty of it. I thought I'd just stick them in the garage and handle them later.
Unfortunately, my procrastinating meant disaster for some of my precious and irreplaceable ornaments and decorations. When I finally searched through the boxes I had stuffed things in after the holidays, I found some items were broken, some were sticky, and some I just never found - they're still in a box somewhere that I can't locate.
That was a hard lesson, but it did teach me not to wait when it comes to taking care of these precious and treasured ornaments.
Each year I add new holiday ornaments and decorations to my collection. The kids make new ornaments with their pictures in them and I find new ones in the after Christmas clearance sales. All those ornaments must be stored as efficiently and properly as possible, so now I have a tradition of buying new storage items to contain them safely too. Below are some of the wonderful organizers and containers I found to choose from.
COMPARE PRICES ON THESE STORAGE ITEMS:
Christmas Ornament Storage XL, hunter green storage box divided into 75 compartments
]Clear Plastic Ornament Chest and Wreath Bags
Ornament and Trimming Storage Box from Orvis
Snap N' Stack Ornament Storage Box by Snapware
Gift Wrap Storage Bag - Nice cylindar style inexpensive protection for Holiday Gift Wrap
Gift Wrap Storage Box
Rubbermaid Holiday Wreath Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Frontgate Rolling Canvas Storage Cart, holds holiday wreaths, garlands, and all those oversized decorations
Upscale Frontgate Canvas Covered Holiday Storage Boxes, black-and-tan jacquard pattern, black leather handles
Heavy-duty vinyl gift wrap organizer, from Lillian Vernon or Miles Kimbal
Rubbermaid Holiday Tree Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Proper storage of your ornaments and decorations keeps them in perfect condition year after year. Purchase sturdy storage containers and resolve to store your treasures properly this year!
FIRST: WHAT NOT TO DO!
Don't wrap ornaments or decorations in newspaper, printed tissue or other printed papers. The inks can rub off on the ornaments and ruin them.
Keep glass ornaments away from damp environments, like basements, garages, storage units, or attics. These treasures need to be kept inside to avoid mold or mildew damage.
Avoid using plastic shopping bags for storage as they tend to break down or weaken over time.
CONTAINERS
Compartmentalized ornament boxes are wonderful and can be found at discount department stores or ordered online.
Specially made containers are great, but you can also use sturdy cardboard boxes and inexpensive plastic bins with lids. It's a good idea to save your original ornament boxes whenever possible, especially for breakable items as they are usually packaged to prevent damage.
POSITIVE PACKING TIPS
Save and organize your gift wrapping materials and in a plastic organizer made especially for this purpose. You won't have to buy all new materials next year, and you'll know exactly where your papers and bows are when you need them.
Long rolls of paper can also be stored by tying the rolls together with string or ribbon (don't tape them or use rubber bands that can mark or tear the paper) and lying them flat on a closet shelf. Store gift bags by removing any tissue paper from the bags, fold bags carefully and store the folded bags in your largest gift bag or in a large department store bag. Hang or place the bag so that it won't be crushed or come into contact with moisture.
Sturdy cardboard inserts (like the ones packed inside all those toy packages!) work great for wrapping garlands around to keep them flat and untangled. Layer in paper bags for protection and easy handling next year.
Wrap individual strings of lights around cardboard inserts. Check for broken or burned out lights and replace or mark with a colored twist-tie for replacement next year. Buy replacement bulbs in the after Christmas sales!
You can quickly make a cloth bags to store and protect your lights by cutting the legs from a pair of old, worn out jeans and either sew, glue or use fusable web to seal one end. Place lights inside the bag and secure the open end with a large rubber band and by tying a length of string securely around the end. The bags can then be securely hung up in your storage area on a hook or nail. Store smaller strings of lights (for wreathes, or other decorations) in plastic containers marked to identify what the lights are used for.
Store extension cords with lights so you can locate them next year when you need them. Use acid free tissue paper to wrap loose ornaments and place in shallow, sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic ornament containers.
Important Safe Storage Tips for Holiday Ornaments, Trees, Wreaths, and Decorations
Use acid free tissue paper to wrap loose ornaments and place in shallow, sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic containers.
Many home/school made ornaments have candy (peppermints, etc.) that can deteriorate, get gooey or sticky, attact pests, and are generally not easily stored. If you want to try to keep them, place each in a ziplock baggie to protect other items from direct contact.
Cushion ornaments by using lots of tissue between them. I don't recommend styrofoam peanuts as packing material because they can get wedged into an ornaments tiny openings and cause breakage, and moisture can also cause the material to stick to your ornaments
Avoid overcrowding a box of ornaments or making too many layers.
Use sturdy cardboard boxes to store antique or fragile ornaments rather than airtight plastic containers.
Ornaments with photos, natural materials (pinecones, dog biscuits, macaroni, etc.) should be wrapped in acid free tissue paper and stored in airtight containers to avoid attracting insects. Note that some natural materials may not store well from year to year.
Place small packets of silica gel (available at arts & crafts stores) in storage boxes to avoid mildew.
Wreaths should be wrapped in tissue paper and can be stored in cardboard boxes; avoid stacking wreaths.
Separate out any ornaments or objects in need of minor repairs and set aside for to fix before packing them away.
Store collections or like items together, snow globes, nutcrackers, bells, etc. so that each collection can be easily put together next year.
Label boxes for easy identity next year.
Use a clear plastic shoebox to organize and store extra gift tags, tape, scissors, small ribbons, trims, ornament hangers, cookie cutters and other small miscellaneous holiday items.
Ribbons and bows are best stored in a large plastic box so they won't be crushed or exposed to moisture.
STORAGE ENVIRONMENT
A cool, dry area where the temperature remains fairly steady is preferable for storage of your treasured collectibles.
Avoid storing holiday decorations in laundry rooms, garages, outside storage buildings, basements, or attics that are not temperature regulated.
A high closet shelf or indoor under the stairs storage area where the boxes can remain undisturbed is ideal, especially for fragile items.
COMPARE PRICES ON THESE STORAGE ITEMS:
Christmas Ornament Storage XL, hunter green storage box divided into 75 compartments
]Clear Plastic Ornament Chest and Wreath Bags
Ornament and Trimming Storage Box from Orvis
Snap N' Stack Ornament Storage Box by Snapware
Gift Wrap Storage Bag - Nice cylindar style inexpensive protection for Holiday Gift Wrap
Gift Wrap Storage Box
Rubbermaid Holiday Wreath Storage Bag - 6 Pack
Frontgate Rolling Canvas Storage Cart, holds holiday wreaths, garlands, and all those oversized decorations
Upscale Frontgate Canvas Covered Holiday Storage Boxes, black-and-tan jacquard pattern, black leather handles
Heavy-duty vinyl gift wrap organizer, from Lillian Vernon or Miles Kimbal
Rubbermaid Holiday Tree Storage Bag - 6 Pack
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