After summer ends, the holiday season begins, with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas fast approaching.
According to Statista, Americans spend an average of $140 per year on new seasonal decor. After several years of purchasing seasonal items, most families accrue quite a collection, which can be difficult to manage and store. If you’re ready to set up a system that makes it easy to pull out your holiday items, here’s what to do.
Declutter Decor at the Start of Each Season
Seasonal decor can be timeless or trendy, and most people have a mixture of both.
Naturally, your tastes change as you change, and new trends come and go. But that doesn’t mean you need to hang on to stuff you don’t like. For example, if you purchased only pink items five years ago but are sick of that color scheme and know you won’t decorate with them, it’s time to let them go.
Try purchasing mostly classic, quality items, throwing in only a few trendy pieces each year. Then, at the start of the season, go through everything and donate or sell the pieces you no longer want. Storing these items only makes it harder to find and organize what you use.
Store All Decor in Clear, Labeled Containers
Clear containers are best for storing seasonal items. They allow you to easily peek in the box without having to unstack or shuffle everything in the way. Labeling the boxes is also helpful, which you can do with label stickers or a permanent marker.
Your labels can be as simple as “Christmas Decor” or more specific, like “Glass Christmas Ornaments.”
If there are mice or other rodents in the area you store your decor, it’s very important to choose containers with lids that lock into place.
Consider Your Storage Solutions
If you store your decor containers in a garage, consider investing in a metal shelving unit that makes everything easy to access. If you store your seasonal decor in the attic or basement, you don’t necessarily need a shelving unit (although having one won’t hurt); just organize the containers by season.
Protect Fragile Pieces
Fragile pieces like delicate glass Christmas ornaments need to be handled with care. While you can wrap these pieces in bubble wrap or paper, purchasing an ornament organizer with slots is one of the easiest ways to prevent them from rolling around and breaking.
Also, consider how you store inflatables. If possible, fold them up and put them back in their original box to prevent unintentional holes.
Clean Decor Pieces Before Placing Back in Storage
Wash stockings, hose down inflatables and let them dry, dust glass pieces, and launder throw pillow covers and blankets before you store them. By doing this, they’ll be ready to use the next season and you won’t have to worry about spreading dirt to other decor pieces.
