As the holidays approach with lightning speed, we thought we’d give some tips on storing your Christmas and other decorations.Have you seen all of the cool gadgets out there to help keep you organized?
How about this $59.99 duffel bag to store your $10 strings of lights?
If you’re interested, you can purchase it here. Otherwise, you might try this simple and nearly free solution from Martha Stewart to store your strands of lights.Simply cut a piece of cardboard to fit inside a plastic bin. Cut a slit at the top of one long side and the bottom of the other long side of the cardboard. You can secure the cord in one of the slits, wrap the cord around the piece of cardboard, and secure the other cord end in the opposite slit. Repeat for as many strands of lights you need to store, and stack them in a plastic bin separated by layers of bubble wrap. One commenter who stores lights on a much larger scale recommends this theater trick: put two orange plastic soccer cones in the bottom of a large plastic bin, and wrap the lights in a figure eight.
Now, how about storing all your ornaments? You might choose to purchase specialty ornament storage boxes such as the one below. The Snapware Snap N’ Stack Ornament Storage Box is available for $29.99 and allows you to store up to 48 ornaments.
If you’d like a more economical solution, this DIY from Design a la Mod is pretty great! And it turns out, she got the idea from Martha Stewart too, originally. Start by cutting several pieces of cardboard to fit inside a plastic storage bin. Use a hot-glue gun to affix plastic cups to each piece of cardboard. For extra security, you can wrap each ornament in tissue paper before inserting it in the cup. After you’ve filled each cup, simply stack the cardboard flats inside the bin and close the lid.
Here are a few more tips to store your holiday decorations:
- Store extra stemware or glassware in boxes sourced from the liquor store. If they were sturdy enough to protect glass bottles for shipping, they should work well to protect your glassware in your storage unit! Look for ones with a lid that closes.
- Did your kids make any special ornaments out of macaroni or dough? Those can attract pests, so store them in resealable plastic bags.
- If you want to store candles, you might choose a climate-controlled unit… unless you like the Salvador Dali look. If you are storing tapers, try putting them in an empty paper towel tube. They’re the perfect size to help keep them from getting broken. Candles should be put away flat and in a fairly cool area to prevent warping and preserve color.
- Storing lawn ornaments or other bulky figurines? Save the zippered garment bags you get when you buy a new suit or dress, and use them to protect plastic figures, such as sleighs and reindeer.
- Label all your boxes clearly! It will save you so much frustration next year! You might even try labeling the boxes you need first: “Open First!”
As always, we at North Texas Self Storage would love to help you with any of your storage needs throughout the holiday season or at any time. We have units ranging from the size of a closet to ones big enough to store a car, so give us a call at any of our DFW locations.
















