As you start the new year, you must apply the same level of time and organization to your storage and breakdown efforts that you did to setting up your holiday storefront and salesfloor. Here are a few cost effective tips to help you store your season-specific marketing items and decorations.
Pile It All Together
The first tip to ensure speedy packaging is to take down all your decorations and holiday marketing items and items to be packed and place them in a specific space. Putting all of the decorations together will help you break down the decor faster and easily spot items that need to be stored together.
Categorize And Sort
The next important step is to group similar items together. Different items require different methods of storage. Breaking your items down into categories will streamline the breakdown process and help you easily locate the items for next year. You can group your accessories and ornaments while banners and holiday sale signs can form a separate group. You can organize item groups according to your needs.
Discard What Is Worn Out
We know it is difficult to let go of your holiday decorations, even if they are worn out or are starting to show signs of wear. However, hoarding unusable items will take up your space and be of no value to you when next year rolls around. Keep a few garbage bags handy during the assortment process and dispose of what you will not need. You can make a list as you go to record which items you will need to purchase for the next holiday season.
Pack Away Your Banners And Stands Carefully
Larger items can be a hassle to pack away. When considering banners, their original packaging is the best way to store them. Rolling up vinyl banners helps you keep creases at bay and ensures high durability. High-quality printed cloth banners can be easily folded for storage, as their prints are wrinkle-resistant. Be mindful to keep your banners away from sunlight and dampness.
Banner stands can be more difficult to store. Retractable banner stands are a great option for seasonal promotions because they have an easy assembly and breakdown process that creates convenient storage options.
Wrap Up Your Artificial Christmas Tree
Christmas trees can be very expensive to replace if yours are damaged. You can avoid such a costly situation by protecting your artificial Christmas tree in plastic wrap. Some people prefer to leave the lights attached for easy set up. If you choose to go this route, just be sure to store your tree in a position that won’t break the bulbs. With a plastic wrap, setting up your tree for next year is simple. All you have to do is cut off the wrap and fluff the tree back to its usual shape.
Carefully Store Your Custom Signs
Premium-quality printed custom signs can last for more than a decade, if they are stored properly. Roll up your vinyl banners and holiday flags and keep them away from harsh sunlight and damp surroundings to prolong the life of your marketing materials.
Crushed Wreaths? No, Thank You!
Undoubtedly the best way to store wreaths is by putting those old wire hangers to use. Using old wire hangers to pack wreaths ensures that they do not lose shape. Additionally, with plastic bags, you can add additional protection for your wreaths and prevent frayed ends.
Ornaments And String Lights
Storing ornaments and lights can be a tedious task, but organizing these items with the right materials will streamline the process. Storing these delicate ornaments can be difficult, so use packaging supplies and cardboard to create a buffer for breakable ornaments. An efficient and cost-effective way to keep them is by using egg cartons. While you can store tiny embellishments in disposable coffee cups, the baubles can go safely in Styrofoam or cardboard egg cartons.
As for string lights, you can either wrap them around store-bought storage reels or use DIY methods. Old cans and pieces of cardboard or even paper plates are economical alternatives to wrap string lights around.
Storing Gift Supplies And All Things Small
Gift wrapping supplies can be costly. However, you can preserve your leftovers for upcoming seasons if you keep them on rolls and stored in plastic containers. Packing cubes can be a great way to store small items like bows and gift tags.
Use Labels Extensively
Last but not least is creating labels for everything stored. As a good rule of thumb, label all of your boxes with the item and promotion type so you can easily find them when the need arises. The process of organization is incomplete without labeling because labels reduce the hassle of looking for particular items. With proper labels in place, you can save time and keep your storage organized.
Wrapping Up
You can take pictures of your décor to be used as a reference when you decorate your space again next year. Taking down your holiday and marketing items is a time-consuming process but is definitely worth the effort as it prolongs the life of your décor. It also eliminates the need to procure new decorations for the following year. Use these simple yet effective tips to effectively store your holiday decorations for many years to come.
