Self Storage: The Best Home for Your Holiday Decorations

12/29/2021 Organization Tips / Storage Tips

Decorations in Self Storage

Another Christmas is in the books, and it’s time to start thinking about the hardest task of the holiday – packing up and storing the decorations. Nobody enjoys this job. Nothing says “the fun is over” quite as eloquently as spending hours undecorating, packing, and shoving boxes into the back of closets and under beds.

If you coerce family members into helping, halfway into the project they’ll suddenly remember a previous engagement or develop a toothache that needs immediate attention. Get used to it; it’s not going to change. Arm yourself with thoughts of happy holiday memories, a glass or two of a good Beaujolais, and, most importantly, a self storage unit.

Look for a self storage facility that is convenient, secure, and features climate-controlled units. Here at Handy Storage, these units are available in a variety of sizes that are suitable for large or small Christmas trees and all of your other seasonal items. You can outfit your self storage unit with pegboards for hanging your wreaths and garlands along with shelving for plastic ornament boxes and Christmas linens. With climate-controlled storage, you won’t find a pool of hardened wax that used to be a candle or a moldy piece of fabric that was once a treasured heirloom. 

Prepare Your Decorations for Their Temporary Home in Self Storage

Following are some tips and tricks to help you make the most of your self storage experience.

packing tips

Organize 

Begin with a plan. It goes without saying that you should store your boxes strategically and with labels. Not only should each label show a detailed content list, but they should be numbered and stored in the order in which you want to retrieve them. 

Take Pictures of Your Decorations

Did you ever begin your Christmas decorating, suddenly realizing that you can’t remember which decorations you used on the mantel or which centerpiece you used on the dining room table? As you age, this will happen. Before you remove those decorations for storage, take pictures for future reference. Mobile devices make it so easy to take photos. It makes sense to store these pictures in the first box that you pNew

Even though artificial trees are quite durable, storing your tree in its original box is not the best idea. With each passing year, the box will deteriorate, making it prone to insect (and deranged squirrel) infestation, and the tree will not look as nice if it has to be jammed into the box and reshaped every year. There are several different tree storage container options that will protect your tree and keep it in great shape. Climate-controlled storage is perfect for keeping your tree in pristine condition. This is especially important if you have a frosted or flocked tree; they don’t do well in extreme temperatures. Actually, they make a mess at any temperature.

Be Careful with the Christmas Ornaments

In many families, Christmas ornaments are irreplaceable treasures. They represent life events, travel, and tradition. Many were created with little hands out of construction paper, glue, and glitter. Some are given as special gifts. Fortunately, you can find endless options in boxes and containers made specifically to protect fragile ornaments. They’re available in Wayfair, Home Depot, and Target, just to name a few. Remember to leave the hangers on the ornaments, to prevent unnecessary trips to the store next Christmas.

Maintain your Wreaths and Garlandslan to open. 

Keep Your Christmas Tree Looking 

As with all your other Christmas paraphernalia, there are numerous options for wreath and garland storage. Look for sturdy containers that will preserve the shape of these items and protect any decorative bows and ornaments. They can also be hung from hooks on a pegboard in your storage unit. For extra protection, you can cover them with a lightweight dry cleaning bag.

Keep Your Christmas Lights Untangled

Clark Griswold should not be your “go-to” example for Christmas light storage or design. Think “organization.”  The first thing you need to do is to dispose of any lights that are damaged or not working properly. Then, you need to avoid the tangled mess of previous years by wrapping your lights around storage reels. When you’re finished organizing the lights, place them in a large plastic storage bin along with the necessary extension cords. Don’t forget to take pictures as a guide to next year’s light design.

Keep Your Christmas Linens Fresh

Be sure that your Christmas table linens, bed linens, and towels are clean prior to storage.  Stains can oxidize over time and be impossible to remove, so don’t be lazy and store them with wine and gravy stains. Don’t wrap linens in tissue, newsprint, or cardboard as these materials can release gasses that will turn your fabric yellow. Plastic can also damage the fabric, and hangars can cause creases that are hard to iron out. If you have the space, you can store these items on an extra shelf in your linen closet. A better option is a suitcase that you no longer use. You can fill it with linens and keep it in your climate-controlled self storage unit.

Candles Require Special Care

Wrap candles in old socks or cellophane to prevent scratching and color transfer.  Do not use plastic wrap or wax paper as they can stick to your candles. After you finish wrapping, store them in a box or crate. Even your ornament storage boxes will work. It’s important to remember that candles need to be in a climate-controlled environment. You don’t want your beautiful candles to end up as hardened puddles of melted wax.

Final Thoughts

Storing your decorations like the pro that you are is tedious and time-consuming. As a result, you’ll be happy to find everything organized and in perfect condition when next year rolls around. It’s worth the effort.

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