Before you look around the house and start feeling overwhelmed about putting away holiday decorations, take a deep breath because we’ve got you covered. Packing up the remnants of holidays can take a toll on you and your family. Not to worry! Here are a few ways you can pack it all up more efficiently without doing major damage to the interior of your home.
Start Strong
Before you start disassembling every bit of holiday cheer in your home, make sure you have all of the tools you need to get going. When packing decor, it is always best to be equipped with things like boxes, scissors, packing tape, scotch tape, storage bins, newspapers, bubble wrap, and a few permanent markers to label items along the way. If you have kept most of your original decor boxes, you’re in great shape! Even if you haven’t, there’s always a way to successfully wrap things up.
Let’s Start with Lights
After you have removed the lights inside of your home, wrap them around a cardboard cutout. This is not only similar to how they usually come when you purchase them, but will keep them untangled until you are ready to bring them back out the next year. Place your wrapped lights in a box with a little room left over. Keep track of all of your spare bulbs and extra fuses by placing them in a plastic bag and placing them inside the box with the rest of the lights. Write the type of lights that the box contains. For example, “Mantle White Lights” or “Tree Snowflake Blue Lights” so that you’ll know exactly what they are.
Paper Arrangements & Cards
Many people like to leave their holiday cards on display. Keep your precious keepsakes from becoming damaged by folding them and placing them back in their envelopes (if you still have them). Stack them gently and use a binder clip to hold them all together. You can do the same for small paper decorations throughout your home. Place your paper decor and cards in another box you can stack and store.
Delicate decor
Ornaments can easily become broken or chipped in the process of packing up. Avoid this by placing them in an egg carton. Wrap the egg carton in bubble wrap and tape it together. For larger ornaments, individually wrap them with bubble wrap. Get a clean, empty storage bin and place them one by one on top of a generous layer of bubble wrap. Do not place anything else in this bin.. Close and properly label your box to avoid confusion in the future. For heavier glass or porcelain items, use more bubble wrap to contain each item before storing them. Place them in a bin or on a shelf for safe keeping.
Tree Storage or Disposal
If you have an artificial tree, do your best to follow the instructions on the box it came in to put it away. If you do not have the original box, you can purchase a tree storage bag for around $30 or less. Be certain that it is free of decorations and debris, fold down each branch carefully, and store it until next year.
Don’t Forget the Outdoors
Try to follow the same packaging rules when it comes to outdoor decorations as well. Keep bulbs in tact and lawn ornaments good to go for the next year by packing them as carefully as possible and storing them away in an area that will not be open to the elements such as water damage or extreme heat.
The task of cleaning up after the holidays can seem daunting. But with this easy-to-follow packaging guide, you can carefully wrap and secure the items you love until you are ready to pull them out again for the next holiday season.
