Decorating for the Christmas period is supposed to be an exciting task shared with family and friends but is too often fuelled by the frustration of careless packing techniques from the year before.
If you find yourself having the same fight with your tangled Christmas lights every year, now is the time to change.
Say goodbye to miserable piles of knotted lights once and for all with our easy Christmas light storage techniques.
There are many creative ways to store your Christmas lights and proactive organisation is sure to make for a smooth, seamless decorating process the following year.
For effective and efficient Christmas light storage methods that guarantee your lights will remain knot free, keep reading!
Storing Christmas lights with cardboard
Using cardboard to store your Christmas lights is an easy and efficient storage method.
At the end of the festive season, you’re sure to have some unwanted cardboard boxes or packaging laying around waiting to be taken to the recycling centre.
Cut a piece of cardboard into a recitable shape roughly the length of a 30cm ruler. Ensure the cardboard is rigid and will be able to take the weight of your Christmas lights.
Make a slit on one side of the cardboard where you will tuck in one end of the lights. Continue to wrap the lights around the rectangle. Wrapping neatly around the cardboard will ensure unwrapping the lights next year is a seamless process.
Once you have finished wrapping the Christmas lights, make another slit and tuck the end of the lights in to secure them.
To help protect your lights while they are in storage you can wrap a layer of tissue paper around the cardboard.
Storing Christmas lights with a Pringles can
Pringles are a festive snack and the empty cans have been turned into everything from Christmas crackers to cookie cans. This year, try using your handy leftover can to store your Christmas lights!
Cut a vertical slit around an inch long on the top of the can. Use this slit to secure one end of the Christmas lights in place. If the slit is not large enough, cut it to size for your lights.
Begin to wrap the lights around the outside of the can. Wrap toward the bottom of the can and then work back to the top depending on how long your lights are.
You should then secure the loose end of the lights in the slit at the top of the can like earlier. Place the lid back on the Pringles can for added security and wrap it in tissue paper to protect your lights while in storage.
Storing lights with a coat hanger
A day-to-day item that doubles up as the perfect tangle-free Christmas light storage solution, plastic coat hangers are the answer to seamless, stress-free decorating.
For best results choose a plastic coat hanger that has hooks on either side to make the wrapping process easier however, you can still use this method if your coat hanger doesn’t have hooks.
Firstly, tuck one end of the lights into one of the hooks. If your hanger does not have hooks, tie the end of the lights to the body of the hanger.
Carefully begin wrapping the lights around the outside of the hanger working your way back and forth until the hanger to covered and the lights are fully wrapped around.
Tuck the loose end into the other hook or tuck in between the strands of lights to secure. Choose to hang up your lights or store them in a box with other items until next Christmas.
Storing lights with a power cord holder
A popular way to organise and store large cables and wires is by using a power cord holder. Available in a variety of shapes and sizes from a variety of home improvement stores, this is an effective Christmas light storage method.
Insert the lights into the holder and begin to wind them up. Ensure your power cord holder is large in size and designed for heavy outdoor electrical cables.
You should do this carefully to make sure no lights get caught or broken in the process. Once all of the lights have been rolled up, place the power cord holder on a shelf, hook or store it in the loft until next year.
Storing lights by wrapping carefully
Maybe the most obvious way of storing Christmas lights is by simply wrapping them carefully. If Christmas lights are wrapped neatly, they will be easy to unravel the next year avoiding a Christmas light wrestling match.
Begin by pinching the second light between your finger and thumb letting the light on either side hang down beside your palm. Pull the fourth light up and place it between your fingers with the second light.
Continue to the sequence by pulling up the ‘even’ lights and letting the ‘odd’ lights hang beside your palm. Once done, wrap the cord around the plug to hold it in place.
Use wrapping paper tubes
A similar technique to using a Pringles can, wrapping paper tubes are an inexpensive Christmas light storage technique.
At the end of the Christmas period, you’ll probably have at least one or two empty tubes of wrapping paper looking for a purpose, so this is the perfect time to start prepping your tube to become your new Christmas light storage holder.
Begin by cutting a vertical slit at one end of the tube and then insert one end of the Christmas lights into the slit to hold them in place.
Wrap the lights around the outside of the tube. Wrap toward the bottom of the tube and then back to the top depending on the length of your lights.
Insert the loose end of the Christmas lights into the slit made previously to secure the lights. As there is no lid for extra security, wrap the lights in tissue paper for added protection and to ensure the lights do not unravel in storage.
How we can help
Titan Storage Solutions lets you store your items for as long as you want and keeps them clean and dry, and safe, so that next year, your Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations are ready for you to reuse every year.
If you’re thinking about storing anything with Titan Storage over the coming months, visit our website to find out more about the different services we offer or get a quote to start storing today!
