Holiday Storage Ideas

Though general storage can be used to store routine items that are used in the house, there are special requirements for thing used in holidays like Christmas. After the Holiday season of Christmas, the packing of decorative items that were used during the celebrations become difficult if it is not planned properly. You may somehow manage to get away with the decorative items; the idea is to store them in a fashion that they are retrievable and usable whenever required. The items used for decorations are more often than not very fragile and if not stored properly can be damaged when subjected to small jerks.

Some of the important tips for storing items used in Christmas decoration are:

1. Plan well: The key to successful storage is careful planning. You should collect all the items that need to be stored in one place and access the need for storage place before you actually start packing.
2. Group items together: It is a good idea to group similar items together. This helps in retrieving items when required. For example, you can pack all the lighting together. You can also pack all the wreaths and garlands together.
3. Separate items packed in one box by using bags. It is advisable that independent items that are being packed together in one large storage box should be individually packed in separate bags. This helps in avoiding comingling of items. This is especially useful in case of lightings and garlands as they tend to mingle together. When retrieving goods from the storage, only item that are required can be independently unpacked.

4. 

   Use small boxes for fragile items: Fragile items are best stored in boxes rather than bags. If boxes of exact size are not available, shredded paper can be used as filling. The boxes can then be stacked in larger storage box. Such storage, though takes larger space, can help in preserving the fragile items from damage.

5. Use labels: It is advisable that each bag and box used for storage should be labeled well with the content of the bag. The label can include details like color of the item stored or the place where the item was used or the condition of the item. The details can also be entered sequentially to form a list that can be referred to while retrieving the things. Labeling is not a time consuming activity, however, it helps.
6. Store similar size objects together: There can be various sized objects that were used for decoration. It is good to store similar sized objects together. Plastic bins or boxes can be used to store snowflakes, icicles, wooden cutouts separated by paper. Multiple bins can be stored together in larger bins. Egg cartons are very effective in storing tree ornaments as they are designed to handle delicate items. The larger ornaments can be stored in boxes with paper shreds as filling.
7. Use original packing wherever possible: It is a good idea to use the original packing for storing the decorative items as they are designed keeping the specifications of objects in mind. The same packing can be used year on year. Do not throw away the original packing as it can be reused. Also, in case the items were packed last year, do retain that packing for reuse.
8. Keep the weight and size of the box in mind before packing: Very heavy boxes are difficult to manage. It is therefore not advisable to use very large boxes just to keep the number of boxes minimum. Medium size boxes that are easier to lift should be used for storage. In order to distribute weight, you can distribute the heavy items into multiple boxes. Remember to pack heavy items at the bottom of the box and light items on top.
9. It is good to have the outside of the box labeled indicating clearly which side should face upwards. As heavy articles will be stored in the bottom and lighter items at the top of the box, lighter items that are supposed to be stored on top can be damaged if the box is kept upside down.
10. Lastly, pack essential decorating tools like wire, hooks, scissors, light bulbs and cutters along with the packing. These items will be required next time you decorate your house.