Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Christmas Storage - Declutter It All

I spent most of yesterday putting away all of our Christmas decorations indoor and outdoor. It was a pretty big task but I try to go in with a strategy. I am a big advocate of organizing for a purpose and most of the times it is to make things easier for the future. So when it came to putting Christmas decorations away my main goal is to store it so that it is easy to take out next year. There is nothing most time consuming than going through cardboard boxes that you cannot see inside and that are thrown about in a haphazard fashion. I have also found that not using good, sturdy storage boxes leads to breakage and damage to precious heirlooms.

Before I start packing I take all of the containers down and clean them out. I throw (donate) away ornaments or decorations that are either broken or I no longer use or want. The remainder that I keep gets sorted out. If I am short of a containers I can usually find them on sale at Target, Walmart, or some other type of store. The containers must be clear and must have locking handles to be airtight and waterproof. I also buy packing peanuts for the breakable stuff. A little thought goes a long way.

Once the items are all packed up, they go back into the attic in an order such that I can easily retrieve them when next Christmas rolls around. The method is especially clutter free and I feel good that all of my items are well protected and useful.

Here are a few of the types of containers that I use.


Basic Ornament Box that keeps ornaments from breaking:

http://www.stacksandstacks.com/christmas-ornament-storage-box-iris-bcb-60

This is a basic container box for various decorations. I fill with packing peanuts to keep it safe from breakage:

http://www.stacksandstacks.com/iris-holiday-box-with-buckle-up-lid-iris-100800

This container is very nice for storing lights and keeping them separate:


http://www.stacksandstacks.com/holiday-light-box-with-wing-top-lid-and-4-dividers-wl-45f

A lot of organization is about how you want to leave things for the next time you need to use them.

Happy Organizing!

2 comments:

Janet Barclay said...

Great suggestions!

I think one problem many of us run into is that by the time Christmas is over, we just want that stuff out of the way, and we don't take the time to get rid of decorations or other items we didn't use, but instead just stuff it all back in the box until next year.

Terry said...

Janet, so true. It's kind of a vicious cycle that needs to be broken! Luckily the container makers are doing a really good job of coming up with these great looking containers that almost make you want to organize it.