Christmas Lights Storage Ideas

(441 Words)
Christmas lights can be expensive, and you want to maximize your investment by using them year after year. They can be fragile and easily tangled, however, and if stored incorrectly can break, make a mess and become completely ruined. There are a number of ways that you can easily store Christmas lights so that they are safe and secure and ready for next year.
Plastic bags
You can store your Christmas lights at practically no cost by placing them in individual zip lock bags. The advantage of this method is that you only have to incur the costs of the bags. The bags will also keep them away from each other so they stay untangled. You want to carefully coil them up first. One way to do this is to wrap them around your arm and then slide them off before placing them into the bag. One disadvantage is that the bags do not protect them from getting crushed, so you will need to make sure to put them somewhere where nothing heavy will destroy them.
Light keeper
A light keeper might be a great investment. These are specifically made for you to coil lights around them. They range in how many feet of lights they can accept, but you might be able to buy one big one for all of your lights.
Rods
You can make your own light keeper of a sort by buying plastic rods or poles, which you can then wrap the Christmas lights around. You can keep these on their own or place them into boxes or containers. Wrap them one at a time and put a little space between each one so that they do not get tangled with each other. Do not coil them so tightly that you stretch the wire.
Bins
You can use bins with one of the above items or on their own. Some bins have individual compartments where you can put the individual coils. They sell red and green bins that are specifically made for holiday decorations.
Small boxes
Small boxes are advantageous as they can protect both against tangling and against crushing if they are strong enough. You can get cardboard gift boxes or small plastic boxes and put one set in each one.
Plastic draw set or organizer
They sell many multi-use organizers with small drawers or compartments. Look for one with the right size compartments to each fit a coiled set of lights.
There are many different easy ways to store Christmas lights. Make sure that you place them in an area where they will stay safe so that you get the maximum life out of them.