How to store Christmas decorations
Is it time to take down your Christmas decorations? Whether you leave your decorations up well into January or take them down right after the holidays, these tips will come in handy to easily take down and store your Christmas decorations. What do you think? You'll have it done in no time!
Take down your Christmas decorations in a single day
We know, putting away your Christmas decorations is not as fun as putting them up, but let's try to see it as a new beginning and fresh start. And organising your home is the first step to starting off the new year on the right foot. Also, Christmas decorations wouldn't be as special if they were up 365 days a year, would they?
Our first and most basic piece of advice is that you put away all of your Christmas decorations on the same day. Set aside an afternoon or morning to get to work and do it all in one shot. It's much easier to do everything at once, so you can properly sort each object, get rid of those that you will never use again and do some general cleaning. Believe us, you'll be thankful later. Oh! Another tip before you start: create a fun playlist and let the magic of music and speakers help you with the task. It will make things more entertaining!
Use boxes of different sizes
Your Christmas decorations may be a few years old and the original boxes may be slightly worn out, or you may have thrown them away for some reason (we'll forgive you if they were recycled, of course). In any case, we recommend keeping a wide array of boxes to store each type of decoration, according to their size or shape.
We especially love organiser boxes to store ornaments (whether traditional Christmas balls or others in different shapes), and then using transparent storage boxes as larger containers to store all the smaller boxes. If you have any spare boxes at home, such as shoe boxes, you can reuse them to store your Christmas decorations. And it's much more affordable!
How to store Christmas tree balls and bulky ornaments
As you will see, we will move from specific to general; from smallest to largest. So let's start with some ideas for storing Christmas balls and bulky ornaments.
There are many ways to store ornaments, but the most important thing to do is protect them well. For example, to store Christmas balls or other bulky or oddly shaped ornaments, which are usually the most delicate, we recommend you put them in a box and separate them by wrapping them with some bubble wrap; or you can use spacers between each ornament for more fragile pieces, such as glass or nativity figurines.
If you want to do this without spending a penny, you can always create a box divider yourself. Simply trim cardboard strips into a width similar to the height of the box. Then make a few slits on the ones you will place crosswise in order to form the spaces where you'll store the Christmas tree ornaments. It's a matter of creating rows and columns, while taking into account the space of the box and the size of the ornaments.
A foolproof idea to store flat ornaments
After putting away the more complicated decorations, storing the rest of your Christmas ornaments will be a breeze. For flat Christmas ornaments, we'll continue with the box method, but with one addition.
How about sorting each decoration according to its shape or the collection it belongs to? It's a great way to neatly store each Christmas ornament and makes it easier to choose which decorations to display next year. To do this, we recommend reusing sealable plastic bags, like our ISTAD bags that you use in the kitchen, as they allow you to see the contents from outside without having to open the bag. And as they come in different sizes, you will have no problems fitting any ornament.
In each bag, you can store ornaments by shape – stars, animals or houses for example – or by colour. We'll leave it up to you!
How to store Christmas lights and garlands without tangling them
Have you ever spent half an hour trying to untangle the string lights you put away last year? Well, with this simple and extremely affordable method, you won't have to go through that again. Look how easy it is! The main mistake people make is wrapping LED string lights without any kind of support or base to ensure that they do not move.
Most of the time, we use our own hand to wrap the lights around in a loop, and this isn't always effective.
Something basic, like a piece of cardboard, can help you quickly store your Christmas lights and keep them perfectly tangle-free until next year. Trim a piece of cardboard into a rectangle or use a leftover kitchen paper roll and wrap your lights around it. At the end, you can secure it with a piece of clear tape or tie it with string so it won't move. Once you've finished, you can store them in a box or a cloth bag, such as the ones you use to store your shoes in your luggage.
Tips for storing and keeping candles
It is important to know how to store Christmas candles (or any other type) so that they do not deteriorate over time—or worse, break.
The best thing, both for scented candles and unscented candles, whatever their size, is to store them in a box lying flat and keep them in a cool, dry environment. If you want, you can place a piece of paper on the bottom so there is no danger of staining the surface.
Storing table linens and other textiles
Aside from your Christmas decorations, you probably have a lot of Christmas-themed textiles around the house: tablecloths and table runners, cloth napkins, cushion covers, blankets and even Santa stockings… If you want to group and store all your Christmas table linens and other textiles in a specific way, we suggest that after washing and folding them you place them in an anti-moisture bag inside your storage box.
How to store Christmas wreaths
This year you may have decided to decorate your home with a Christmas wreath. If you don't know how to store it without it getting damaged, the most important thing to remember is not to crush it, so that it does not run the risk of losing its shape. You can do this in two ways: store it in a box so that there is no danger if you put something else on top of it , or place it on a hanger. If you use this last idea, you can cover it with a cloth or plastic bag so that it doesn't collect dust. If it's a smaller size, you can always use a children's hanger so it takes up less space.
Label and store decorations in a generic box
Now that you've finished sorting all the small Christmas decorations into both boxes and bags, the best thing is to label them so you know what's inside without having to open them.
We recommend a handy and affordable trick like using stickers or adhesive labels and writing what's inside (like red balls, white stars, nativity figurines, blue ornaments etc.). If you want it to be even more affordable, you can always write the name on the box itself with the help of a marker. Trust us, you'll be thanking yourself next Christmas.
To prevent the risk of leaving each box or bag in a different place, we recommend that you group all these containers into a larger, sturdier box, so that you can rest assured that all your decorations are in one place. We love the practicality of transparent storage boxes, but you can always choose opaque ones so that the contents are not visible.
Tips for storing the Christmas tree
It's easy to think that because it's the bulkiest object, the Christmas tree will be the hardest to store. We're here to show you otherwise!
To store your Christmas tree, keep the original box you bought it in, as it is usually larger than normal and ultimately designed for your tree. Depending on your Christmas tree model, you may be able separate the branches. If so, take it apart layer by layer, folding up the branches as much as possible, and group those from the same level so that they don't get mixed up when you put them away. You can use a string or a piece of fabric to identify them more easily.
Once you're done taking apart the tree, we recommend that you put a cloth on the inside of the box before storing the branches, so you can wrap everything up once you're finished and protect it from dust. You can also use a large sheet of plastic, particularly over the top of the tree, to protect it from moisture. Another option, especially if you cannot separate the branches, is to put the cloth on the floor, lay the tree on top, fold up the branches and wrap it all with the fabric. Just before you put it away, tie it up with some rope or string so it doesn't move, and then slide it into the box.
Don't forget to clean the house thoroughly
You're almost there! The last step after taking down your Christmas decorations is to give the living room a quick clean to remove any dust, especially the area where the tree was, which will likely have accumulated a decent amount of dirt and dust.
It doesn't need to be a deep clean, but it does need to be enough to finish the task and have the peace of mind that everything is organised. Once your living room is back to normal, you can enjoy a well-earned rest, safe in the knowledge that next year you will have all your Christmas decorations properly sorted and ready to be displayed without the hassle.
Did these ideas help you? Don't forget that, as with decorating the living room, putting away Christmas decorations is also a task to do as a family. And you'll finish much quicker. If you're after more inspiration, be sure to check out these articles.
We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products will prevent them from being resold or used for their original use, thus invalidating IKEA product warranties and your right to return.
