Safely Storing Holiday Decorations

The holiday season is coming to an end and all of the decorations need to be put away. Putting up holiday decorations is one of the downsides of holiday décor. There’s so much to put away and it’s important to do it properly. While you may be tempted to quickly put items away, a bit of planning can help simplify the holidays next year. Here are a few tips for putting away holiday decorations the right way.

Putting Away Holiday Decorations the Right Way

When you are putting away holiday decorations it’s about more than just boxing items up. Putting away your holiday décor with a bit of pre-planning can leave you prepared for the coming year. It can also mean that items are safe for the next holiday season. We have a few tips to help you make the most of your holiday cleanup.

How to Safely Store Ornaments

When you are planning to clean up after the holidays, the tree is typically the first to be taken down. There’s something about taking down the Christmas tree that says the holiday season has finished. When you are working on taking down the tree, it is important to properly store your ornaments. Spending a few minutes on this can help to avoid any breaking and help to make decorating easier next year. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Save your wrapping paper - Do you have extra wrapping paper from the holidays? What about leftovers from Christmas morning? Wrapping paper is a great way to wrap up ornaments that might be more fragile. Old wrapping paper can be perfect for keeping ornaments from being damaged while they are stored.


• Clean ornaments before storing them - Ornaments can quickly collect dust while hanging on the tree during the holiday season. Use an all-purpose cleaner sprayed onto a microfiber cloth to safely wipe down ornaments. *Important disclaimer - It is important to look at the type of ornament you are dealing with before cleaning it. Not all ornaments will hold up well when cleaned. In this case, dust them as much as possible without using any cleaning products.


• Use an ornament storage option - If you are not keeping ornaments in their original packaging, it is important to use one of the many ornament storage options on the market. There are a variety of containers designed to safely store ornaments for future use. Find the one that best fits your needs and space.

How to Safely Store or Dispose of the Christmas Tree

When you start to take down the Christmas tree it is important to safely store or dispose of it. If you use a real tree, check in with your local ordinances for proper disposal. If you are using a fake tree, place it in its original box or use a Christmas tree storage box to hold it. Once the tree is safely stored, you will want to clean the area the tree was stored. Use a stain treater for the floors and the 5-minute CleanWalls Bundle to quickly wipe down the walls.

How to Safely Store Miscellaneous Holiday Decorations

When you are cleaning up after the holidays, it’s typically about more than just the tree and the ornaments. There are a variety of decorations that get placed throughout the inside and outside of the home. These items can be fairly easy to clean up with a few simple tricks. Properly storing miscellaneous holiday decorations doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few simple tricks to try out:

• Christmas lights - Lights are often used in décor both inside and out. Instead of throwing a jumbled bundle of lights into a container, take a few minutes to organize them for a simple year next year. One easy way to keep lights from getting mixed up is to wrap them around an old wrapping paper roll or an old piece of cardboard. You can then tape each end to keep the lights from falling off.


• Check for damaged items - A lot of the extra décor items can get damaged over time. Take some time to either repair, replace, or dispose of damaged items. Don’t store items you won’t use in the future.


• Villages, statues, and knick-knacks - The holidays are a great time to put out villages, statues, and knick-knacks that hold sentimental value. When putting these items away, it’s incredibly important to clean them first. These items can quickly collect dust and dirt. Use an all-purpose cleaner sprayed onto a microfiber cloth to wipe down all of these items before storing them in their containers.


• Fabric items - Items such as tree skirts, stockings, and other fabric items will need to be washed with an eco-friendly laundry detergent before being stored. This will remove dust and other messes these items may have collected during the holiday season.

How to Safely Store Outdoor Holiday Décor

When the holidays are over, it’s time to remove all of the outdoor decorations. This can include, lights, inflatables, statues, and more. Spending a few extra minutes cleaning these items before storing them will help you to have an easier time next year. It can also help to preserve these items for longer use. The good news is, it doesn’t have to take long to clean these items. Here are a few tips to consider:

• Clean yard statues and inflatables before storing - Because these items are exposed to the elements, they are more likely to grow mold if stored without being properly cleaned first. Use an all-purpose cleaner to spray these items. You can then wipe them down. Make sure items such as inflatables are completely dried before being stored.


• Storing electrical items - When you are putting up light-up items it is important to store these in a sealed container away from the elements. Make sure to test all cords before storing to assure there is no damage to the item. Then you will want to store them in a sealed container in a garage or storage shed.


• Clean the gutters/house after you are finished - Putting up a variety of decorations can leave behind small messes. This could include items used to attach these decorations to the gutters or outside of the home. It can help to use the Clean Gutter Bundle to quickly wash the gutters and exteriors of the home after you have removed decorations and stored them properly.