Holiday Ornaments Storage Box
Step 4: Protecting your Christmas Tree Ornaments
A holiday ornaments storage box is a small investment that can save you a lot of money in damaged breakables in the long run! Not only are nice Christmas decorations expensive, they are also often times fragile. If your holiday ornaments storage box looks like this (see picture below), it’s time to come up with a better plan! But not to worry, we've got plenty of good tips and ideas for holiday ornaments storage boxes...
For storage of smaller items, a simple egg carton, or even Styrofoam cups filled with shredded paper can work quite well. Another inexpensive option for larger decorations is an apple case, like the one pictured below. Just talk to someone in the produce department at your local grocery store, and they’ll probably give you several of them for free. Apple cases come in several different styles. The ones shown below have trays with indentations for each separate apple. These trays are ideal for holding round, glass ornaments, because you can place one in each indentation of the tray. Some shredded used wrapping paper is great for separating each tray.
Wine or liquor cases also work quite well, particularly if you have long or tall decorations that you need to store (see photo below). Like apple cases, wine and liquor cases are also usually available for free at your local grocery store.
There are some downsides, though, to using cardboard boxes for storage. Cardboard decays with time, and it can draw insects. Cardboard will not keep your ornaments clean; they will get dusty in storage. Also, if you have moisture problems in your basement, cardboard can actually wick up and hold moisture, which can create a problem for some types of decorations. Furthermore, if your basement ever floods, cardboard cartons and their contents will likely be destroyed.
For a better storage option, consider investing in an OrnamentKeeper. This unique zippered bag has four lightweight trays, each with their own separate 4 inch compartments for fragile items. One OrnamentKeeper bag will hold as many as 80 ornaments! An even nicer option is the Telescoping OrnamentKeeper, a larger, wheeled bag with a telescoping handle, just like a suitcase. The fabric trays attach to the telescoping handle and can be raised up for easy access to all four trays at one time. The OrnamentKeeper bags aren’t free like an apple box or liquor case, but they are a much better solution. They will keep your fragile decorations clean and safe, and these bags will likely last you a lifetime.
When storing your ornaments, remember to always pack the most fragile items at the top of the box or bin. A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is, the more you have to dig for something fragile, the greater the chance you’ll damage it in the process.
For food-based crafts like dough ornaments, first place them in a re-sealable plastic sandwich bag to keep humidity out, then place in a cookie tin so pests can’t get at them.
If you are someone who has an large collection of expensive decorations, now is the perfect time to take an inventory and have them added to your homeowner's insurance policy. It’s a good idea to take a photograph of each item (or to save time, just lay them all out on a big white sheet and snap one picture). Keeping receipts, or at least a record of what you paid for each piece, is also helpful to your insurance agent, who will need to know what value to put on the collection for insurance purposes.
Step-By-Step Tutorials:
Step 1: Out With The Old!
Step 2: Store the Tree
Step 3: Tangles of Holiday Lights
Step 4: Protecting your Christmas Tree Ornaments
Step 5: Got Greenery?
Step 6: Holiday Linens - Keep 'em fresh!
Step 7: Wrap It Up - Wrapping Paper & Supplies
Step 8: All That Other Stuff - Candles & Misc. Accessories
More Great Ways to Organize Your Holidays:
Create a Holiday Organization Notebook
Create an “Open First for Christmas” box
Use an old dresser as your Holiday Organization Center
Create a Decorating Tool Kit
Set up a Wrapping Station in your home
Create a Wrapping Supply Hamper
Year Round Christmas Organizing
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