The holidays have come and gone and the last thing you want to deal with is how to organize, declutter, and re-pack all those decorations. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to save every ornament, keep every strand of tinsel, or store every supposed keepsake. That’s why we’ve created 3 questions to help you declutter, and even dump some of your holiday stuff so that you don’t end up an episodes of Hoarders. Are you ready? Here’s what should ask yourself when organizing, decluttering, and storing holiday decorations:
1. Is it Useful?
If the item does not serve some kind of obvious purpose then you can get rid of it. If it is not useful you can donate it or throw it away. Once you’ve decided has a purpose, then designate a place to store the item. Label everything, or keep your decorations in their original packaging so it’s easy to tell what the item is.
2. Does it Work?
Have you ever strung up a whole strand of Christmas lights only to plug them in and find that they no longer work? If your lights are on the fritz, fix them before storing. And if you haven’t used something in a couple of years, consider donating the item or throwing it away. It may sound easy to throw it in a box and deal with it next year, but space is precious. Kick the clutter and give yourself the gift of more room.
Packing Tip 1: Wrap your lights to cardboard
When taking down your lights, wrap them around a piece of cardboard or a wrapping paper tube to prevent them from getting tangled in storage. Tape the ends to the cardboard with masking tape to keep them secure. Next year you’ll be thanking yourself.
3. Does it make you happy?
This may be the most importation question. Ask yourself, “is it beautiful or meaningful?” If it is, keep it (even if it doesn’t pass rules #1 and #2). If it isn’t, throw it out.
Packing Tip 2: Number Your Containers
Another trick, for those with multiple containers of holiday paraphernalia, is to number and color code your containers. Do you have one container for outdoor holiday décor and one container for indoor decorations? Number them 1 and 2 and make a list with the corresponding numbers and details of what is inside each container. Instead of keeping the list to lose in your house, tape the list to the top of container number one. This is nice for those with lots of holiday containers.
Packing Tip 3: Store It
Yes, storage means boxing it up then hauling everything to the basement, crawl space, closet, or attic. But, if you do not have enough room, you could also schedule a Stow Simple bin drop off and we will store your stuff for you!
