Holiday preparations such as tree trimming, present wrapping and hanging lights help get us in the holiday spirit and are lots of fun. But thoughtful packing of seasonal decorations and materials at the end of the holidays for the next year, can keep the fun in what is for some, a stressful time.
Here are some tips to keep in mind while packing away holiday decorations:
Delicate items
- Wrap breakables in paper or bubble wrap. Do not use newspaper – the print may wear off on ornaments. Use tissue or packing paper. Instead of throwing away used paper or junk mail, run it through a paper shredder, it makes great packing filler.
- Decorations that contain photographs or food should be sealed in an air tight bag to keep them safe. Sealing photos preserves them and the scent from any food item will attract insects or mice where ever they are stored.
- Boxes with dividers are best to pack ornaments in. There are cardboard boxes made especially for fragile items. They come with adjustable inserts that forms individual cells for delicate items. These “Dish Pack” boxes are very popular at all our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK branches
- Keep extra hangers, hooks and ornament parts in a labeled bag or box.
Lights
- To prevent tangles, wrap lights around empty gift wrapping paper tubes.
- Leave the plug accessible by taping the ends of the light strands to the end of the tube. Next year you can quickly test the lights before unwinding them.
- Store colored lights in a dark place to prevent fading –- especially blues, greens and purples.
All our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK branches offer a variety of storage boxes and packing supplies suitable to store all your decorative treasures.
photo credit: alexmartin81 via flickr
