Best way to organize & store Christmas decorations

Getting all the Christmas decorations out from storage can be the first time in the festive season that you really get that Christmassy feeling. But that festive feeling can quickly dissipate when you find the mess you left your decorations in last January when you put them away. Tinsel is tangled, lights won’t illuminate, baubles are broken… The good news is that if you organize and store Christmas decorations safely and effectively, unpacking them when the holidays roll around again is easy and exciting. Lights and tinsel go up much quicker when you don’t have to spend time untangling and changing bulbs! So, when you come to pack up your decor this holiday season, follow our tips on the best way to organize and store Christmas decorations.

Organize and store baubles in your recycling

Baubles are pretty on a tree, but a nightmare to store. The flimsy plastic boxes they come in aren’t the best option for actually protecting them. They tend to collapse under any weight. They also bow inwards when packed in with many other items. Instead of throwing all your baubles back in the boxes they came in, pack them in your recycling instead! 

Small, round baubles are a perfect fit for egg cartons, and you can also easily order them by colour this way. Larger baubles fit better in cardboard coffee cup holders. So when you’re on your coffee run, remember to stockpile these rather than throwing them out.

Recycling can help you do more than just organize and store baubles…

You can find so many helpful bits and bobs to organize with in your recycling. For instance, string lights and strings of beads are a huge pain to organize and they always seem to end up tangled anyway! The good news is that there are very easy methods to get around this, and all you’ll need is some recycling and a knife!

Here’s how to organize and store string lights:

• Wash out a metal instant coffee can with a plastic lid. 
• Cut a slit in the plastic lid long enough to push the plug through. 
• Push the plug of the lights through the lid so the plug is inside the can. 
• Wrap the lights around the outside of the can and secure the end with tape.

Voila! This will stop your lights from tangling and make wrapping them around the tree so much easier. Take a look at our blog post on decorating your tree for top tips on how to add lights to your tree.

Plastic bottles are terrible for the environment,  so let’s repurpose them!  Tip Junkie has a great, easy tip for storing string beads. To organize and store strings of beads, carefully coil string beads into a plastic bottle. The average plastic bottle holds two strings of beads. Storing the strings doesn’t have to be any more challenging than this, but you could also take an extra step. You could cut a hole in the bottle top and feed the end of the piece of string through, and then tie it in a loose knot. This means when you come to use the beads, you can just gently pull them through the hole in the lid. No tangles, no worries!

Get busy DIY-ing

The DIY continues with DIY storage boxes. Of course, you can buy storage boxes with multiple compartments, but this costs money that you may not have right after Christmas. Instead, you can adapt storage boxes you already have with items you have around the house. 

To make DIY ornament storage boxes, all you need is a large plastic storage bin, plastic cups, cardboard, and a glue gun.

Cut the sheets of cardboard to fit flat in the box. Glue the base of the cups to the cardboard in equal rows. Place one sheet of cups in the bottom of the box. Fill each cup up with your small baubles and other ornaments. Then place the next sheet of cups on top and repeat the process! 

If you find you need a little extra protection, add tissue paper or bubble wrap. Larger cups can be used for larger ornaments. 

When you organize and store decorations, be transparent

When you’re organizing and storing your decorations, use clear containers. Clear plastic storage bins will do the trick. When you can see what’s inside your containers, you can stack them high up on top of each other without having to try and dig around and lift lids.

Clear resealable bags are also a great way to go. If you want to keep all your ornaments in one large container but, for instance, you want to separate them by colour and size, use clear gallon bags. 

Invest in more storage space

All the storage tips in the world won’t help if you actually just don’t have enough space. The holidays are a time of year when space gets even tighter. All the food, presents and house guests can start to make you feel like you haven’t got one spare square inch of space. 

If you feel like you haven’t got the room to keep things organized neatly and securely, it’s worth looking into self storage. It’s a great way to shift the clutter that you can’t get rid of but rarely use, which makes it the perfect storage option over the festive season.  It not only gives you a little extra space for your holiday decorations, but it’s a great way to keep presents away from prying eyes and curious hands until the big day!

Contact us or get a quote today and let us help you make the festive season even merrier!