How to Store Christmas Lights and Ornaments in a Storage Unit

A storage box with the words "Xmas decorations" in felt pen written on the outside

How to Store Christmas Lights and Ornaments in a Storage Unit

Christmas is over and now you may be wondering how and where you’ll store Christmas lights, ornaments and other decorations. Whether you have a storage unit or want to store decorations at home, the following tips will help you organize and safely store seasonal decorations.

Rent a Storage Unit

If you think renting a storage unit just for your Christmas decorations is a little excessive, it probably is. However, if you rent storage, you can also store any other seldom-used belongings, saving a lot of space in your home. Valleyview Storage in Kamloops offers many varied sizes of storage units to suit different budgets and needs. Even the smallest storage unit we offer – 5” X 5” square feet – will become indispensable for keeping your home clutter free.

Bring Shelving into Your Storage Unit

Depending on the size of the storage unit you rent, it may have room for utility shelving. Place boxes of decorations on the shelves. To make items easier to find, label the shelves. Attach eye hooks or other hangers to the shelving frame, so you can hang light strands, storage bags, and extension cords.

Use Smaller Boxes Instead of Bigger Boxes

It’s tempting to pack large boxes, but we don’t recommend it. Large boxes are heavy and awkward to carry, prone to being dropped, and contents are more susceptible to breakage. At Valleyview Mini Storage, we recommend that clients choose small to medium sized boxes. Each box can be used to store one type of decoration, or whatever works best for you.

Storing Christmas Lights

Wrap strands of lights around a homemade spool. For strands of “fairy lights” create a spool by cutting a rigid piece of cardboard into a rectangle. For Christmas tree lights, use a plastic or fairly rigid cardboard tube as a spool, cutting it to size as needed. You can also purchase Christmas tree light spools.

Storing Wreaths

Hang wreaths on coat hangers and hang the coat hanger from a hook in your storage unit. Alternatively, store wreaths in plastic storage boxes and stack on shelving in your storage space.

Storing Christmas Ornaments

Wrap each ornament in tissue and store in a shallow box. Don’t stack too many small ornament boxes in a larger box. You can also purchase ornament soft-storage boxes. Soft-storage boxes are padded and have dividers that help prevent breakage.

Store Your Artificial Tree in an Upright Storage Bag or Large Duffle Bag

While you can store your Christmas tree in the box it came in, Christmas tree boxes tend to become flimsy. Instead, place the tree in a large duffle in sections, or disassemble the tree and use low tack tape or ties to bundle branches of the same length together. This will save you time hunting down the right size of branch when you set the Christmas tree up next year.

Need Help Choosing a Storage Unit? Contact Valleyview Mini Storage

Valleyview Mini Storage rents over 45 different storage unit sizes. If you need help choosing the right size, or would like an estimate, please contact us. Our storage facility is located in Kamloops at #10 – 1967 East Trans Canada Highway. You can access storage from 7 am to 7 pm seven days per week.