The holidays have come and gone, and once again it’s time to put away those holiday decorations. This year, don’t just throw them all in a box and stick them down in the basement! Instead, keep things organized!
Do yourself a favor and implement some (or all) of these 7 helpful tips for storing holiday decorations.
Top 7 Practical, Organized Ways to Store Holiday Decorations
1. Invest in Ornament Boxes
Ornament storage boxes are an inexpensive and incredibly efficient way to store your Christmas tree ornaments during the off-season. These boxes include adjustable dividers so you can create appropriately sized compartments for individual ornaments. They are a great way to store a lot of ornaments in a small amount of space. Plus, they’re an excellent way to protect delicate and breakable ornaments.
2. Use Clear Storage Bins
Plastic storage bins are ideal for storage of all kinds, including the storage of holiday decorations. Clear plastic bins, while sometimes slightly more expensive than their non-transparent counterparts, are definitely the best way to go! You’ll be able to see exactly what is in the bin, making it much easier to find what you’re looking for and to figure out if there might be space for a few more items inside.
3. Label Everything
When it comes to keeping things organized, labels are key! Labeling new ornaments you may have received as gifts with the date they were received and who they were received from, labeling specific decorations with notes on where you typically display them, labeling light strands that might only partially work – adding little notes can make a huge difference when it comes to keeping your decorations as organized as possible.
4. Store All Holiday Items Together
One of the most challenging things about storing decorations in the off-season is finding a place to put them. Sometimes it’s tempting to store various holiday decorations in various different places, wherever you can find room. While this works for some people, storing your holiday decorations all together in one place is the best way to go. This makes it easy both when you’re putting items away, and when you’re getting things out to decorate for the holidays. You’re less likely to forget anything and, if you can’t find something specific you’ll know exactly where to go to look for it.
5. Replace Bulbs Before Putting Away Lights (and Discard Strands that Don’t Work)
Do your future self a favor and take care of those burned out light bulbs on your decorative light strands now, instead of waiting until next year. Don’t save strands of lights that have so many bulbs out you’ll likely never use them again. You’ll avoid making yourself crazy next season when you’ve spent hours stringing up lights only to find out that half of them don’t work!
6. Use a Small Plastic Case for Hooks, Fasteners and Small Accessories
Holiday decorations tend to come with lots of accessories. Ornament hooks, light fasteners, nails and screws, extra light bulbs – the list goes on and on. The worst part about all of these accessories is that it is often nearly impossible to find them when you need them. Change that by investing in a small plastic case with various compartments to keep them organized. You’ll be able to keep all the accessories together and logically arranged so you can simplify the decoration installation process.
7. Make Lists
If you have lots of decorations, take some time to create an inventory list. On the list, include where each item can be found in storage. This will make it easier to find what you’re looking for each year when it’s time to decorate, and it will help you figure out how to repackage and store everything once the holidays are over.
Holiday Decoration Storage Made Easy
Make the holidays just a little bit less hectic next year by taking time now to organize your decoration storage strategy. You’ll be glad you did!
Looking for more tips and tricks for keeping your house organized?
Check out our Tips and Tricks for Homeowners for other creative ideas for keeping your house organized before, during and after the holidays!