Holiday decorations are like a beautiful fungus, they seem to multiply year by year. The problem is that while boxes of holiday decorations may multiply, your home’s storage space does not. That means you need to get creative about where and how to store them.
Rather than using interior storage space, which is best left to the things you use on a more regular basis, we recommend storing your holiday decoration collection in the garage. The trick, however, is to store them safely.
Too many boxes stacked one on top of the other pose a hazard to both the people and pets who traverse your garage, as well as the possessions stored around them.
1. Organize your garage. If your garage is already too-crowded-for-comfort, make a New Year’s resolution to organize it. Use one of the bay area’s beautiful, crisp, clear winter days and haul everything outside of the garage so you can assess what needs to stay and what can go. Read or post, 8 Tips For Making Space in That Cluttered Garage for more detailed instructions on a simple, no-nonsense approach to de-cluttering and adding storage space.
2. Ditch the cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes are fine for moving and temporary storage but not for permanent collections – like holiday decorations – which are used every single year. For one thing, cardboard has a tendency to collapse – especially when stacked - which can mean breakage of valuable or sentimental ornaments and decorations. Also, cardboard boxes harbor pests. Spiders and cockroaches are particularly drawn to them, and rodents will happily chew their way in if they smell a hint of anything edible or sense there is potential nesting material or space inside. Instead, upgrade to durable, plastic storage containers in uniform sizes.
3. Opt for clear containers. When you go to select your new storage containers, spring for the ones with clear plastic and red or green tops. The colorful tops are indicators that holiday decorations are stored inside. The clear plastic allows you to get a better idea of what is stored inside so you have quick access to the tree stand, for example, and can leave the wrapping paper or table setting boxes alone until you’re ready for them.
4. Purchase high-quality shelving. If you haven’t done it already, invest in high-quality metal shelving that is easy to assemble and high storage options. The shelves should be wide enough to accommodate the depth of your boxes with only a very minimal amount (if any) of the box bottom extending over the edges to avoid toppling. Use the top and corner shelves, the most difficult to access, for holiday boxes.
5. Test and wrap lights. Get rid of any light strings that don’t work. Then, wrap each strand of your holiday lights around a section of cardboard to avoid the frustrating tangle that always ensues, regardless of how carefully you wrap them in loops. Then store the lights in plastic tubs as well to prevent breakage or exposure to moisture and/or cord-chewing rodents.
6. Utilize the rafters. If you aren’t handy, hire a local handyman to use plywood and/or 2x4s that can be installed to reinforce the rafters. The “shelf-space” you acquire this way will become invaluable extra storage space and makes an excellent spot for storing decoration boxes, the artificial Christmas tree and so on.
7. Heavy duty hooks. Does your artificial tree come with a sturdy bag? If so, you can use heavy-duty garage storage hooks and suspend the tree from its bag handles. This can be an easier option if lugging it into the attic or into the rafters is too cumbersome.
Safe storage of your holiday decorations will pay off in a more organized home and garage space, and the assurance that your favorite decorations and ornaments will be protected from breakage, pest damage and dust.
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