Cleaning Up After the Holidays: 10 Christmas Decoration Storage Ideas
Christmas decorations certainly make the holiday season feel more special, but there’s no denying it—they’re also a serious amount of work. If you’re desperate for new holiday storage ideas, here are 10 genius ways for storing Christmas decorations in the garage during the off-season. We’re certain these tips will make the decoration packing process go off without a hitch this year.
1. Store Ornaments in Apple or Egg Containers
Have you ever opened up your box of Christmas ornaments, only to find that half of them broke while in storage? Avoid the issue by storing ornaments in plastic apple containers (like the kind you find at Costco) or cardboard egg containers. They’re the perfect fit for most ornaments, keeping them protected and organized until Christmas comes around again.
2. Wrap Holiday Lights around Cardboard
Holiday lights look great when they’re lighting up your home or Christmas tree, but they can be a major pain to set up. Make it easier on yourself by wrapping lights around a thick piece of cardboard. This free storage solution is an easy way to save yourself a great deal of headache when you pull the lights out of storage next year.
3. Put Gift Bags in a Magazine Rack
Does your collection of holiday gift bags seem to grow with every passing year? Reusing gift bags is a great way to save money and protect the earth, but it can be tricky to store your growing pile. Keep gift bags organized and protected by placing them in a handy, inexpensive magazine rack. You can do the same for birthday gift bags you’ll want to access throughout the year.
4. Hang Your Wreaths on a Rack
Wreaths pose an especially tricky storage conundrum. They’re so delicate they might easily crumble if you leave them laying flat, and so big you probably don’t have many places to put them. Solve the issue by wrapping wreaths in a plastic garbage bag, then hanging them in the closet or on a rack in the garage. They won’t take up much space, and they’ll be preserved all year long.
5. Collect Wrapping Paper in a Garment Bag
If you have an unused garment bag laying around, put it to use as an efficient way to organize your wrapping paper. Garment bags are often clear, so you can see your wrapping paper without having to unzip the bag. They also come with a hanger, so you can store the wrapping paper rolls right next to your wreaths.
6. Store Garland in a Wide-Mouth Bottle
If you have tinsel-style garland or shiny beads that you hang on your Christmas tree, you may be familiar with the struggle that comes from untangling this festive decor. Luckily, you can resolve the problem by storing each string of beads or garland in a plastic bottle. (Don’t put two strings of beads together, or you’ll still be untangling them when you take them out next year!)
7. Preserve Your Decor With Solid-Color Containers
Many people like to store Christmas decor in clear plastic bins so they can see where everything is without opening it. While this is a great idea in theory, it can fade the Christmas decor over time. Choose opaque, solid-color containers to keep your decorations out of the sunlight while in storage.
8. Shrink Wrap the Christmas Tree
Faux Christmas trees are practical and economical, but they also pose the issue of finding a place to store them all year round. And sometimes even putting them back in the box they came in can feel harder than wrestling a bear in the wild. Make your tree ultra-compact by shrink wrapping the branches before you return them to the box. Genius.
9. Hang Ornaments on Wooden Rods
If you’re not keen on storing ornaments in apple or egg containers, we have another solution for you. Carve out holes in a storage box, then fit several wooden rods into the holes. Now you can easily string your ornaments along the rod, keeping them in tidy rows during the off-season.
10. Store Ribbons in a Box
Do you find yourself with tons of ribbon scraps while wrapping Christmas presents? If so, don’t throw them away. Instead, store all of your ribbons in a shoebox and keep them around for next year. You can also use them for projects or to make bows throughout the rest of the year.