Christmas Light Storage Ideas

Every homeowner with Christmas lighting systems has found themselves struggling with a mound of tangled lights in a heap at the bottom of a storage box.  It takes the “cheer” right out of decorating for Christmas.  If finding jumbled lights makes you want to shove the box right back in the attic and settle down with a cup of hot cocoa, then it may be time to rethink your holiday lights storage routine.    

Label your holiday lights
The best way to begin proper, hassle-free storage is to get organized.  Step one – labelling. Wrap a bit of masking tape around each strand of lighting.  Each label should include:

• Length of the light strand
• Location the strand was decorating
• Flashing or solid
• If any bulbs need to be replaced

Tangle-free reels
There are products you can purchase for your Christmas lights to make sure everything is wrapped securely.  Proper wrapping is essential to ensure your lights remain in one piece and untangled.  Look for zippered, insulated bags that hold reels for your holiday lights at local home decorating or hardware stores.

Make your own reel
If you'd rather make a reel at home to save some money, then there are a few things you'll need.

• Rectangle of cardboard.  This could be from the top of a shirt box or a large shoe box
• Utility knife
• Cutting surface
• Your Christmas lighting system

Once you have collected these things, you're well on your way to storing your Christmas lights neatly and hassle-free.

Take the cardboard and make a slot into the long side, close to the end of the board.  This should be about 1½" long.  Then, cut another slot into the other long side close to the opposite end of the board.  Take your lights and slip one end into the slot, with the plug acting as an anchor so it doesn't fall through.  Begin wrapping your lights around the board, using the slots as holders for your strand.

You now have your very own holding system for your holiday lights!  Once you have this, wrap it up in a cloth to protect the bulbs and tuck it away into a storage box.

Newspaper reels
Another free and easy way to roll your lights up is with a few pieces of newspaper.  Line them up and roll them.  Put one end of the strand inside the roll, and then begin wrapping the rest of the strand around the outside.  Once your Christmas lights are completely rolled around the newspaper, stick the other end inside the roll and plug the two ends into one another to secure. 

Once it's time to put the lights up again, you can simply unroll them right off the newspaper reel.  Easy storage converts to easy decorating!  Your next step to making Christmas cheer hassle-free is to hire one of Christmas Décor Ottawa's experts to take care of the job for you!

Hanging icicle lights
Icicle lights are a completely different story when it comes to wrapping up your Christmas lighting systems.  It's a bit more difficult to keep the many different strands from tangling with one another. 

You'll need a roll of plastic sheeting, which you should be able to find at any hardware store.  Cut a length of plastic sheeting about 1 foot longer than the strand of lights.  Lay the icicle lights flat on top of the plastic near the long edge and fold all the icicle strands so they are parallel with the main strand.  Begin rolling from the long side into the center so that all the bulbs and strands are covered.  Place the next strand beside this roll you've created and repeat.  Do this until the whole sheet of plastic is rolled. 

To have the Christmas Decor professionals install your holiday lights in Ottawa this year, book your appointment today to beat the Holiday rush!