Protecting holiday decor in the off months

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About 38 percent of Americans are currently taking advantage of self-storage for a variety of reasons, but not all storage options hold up over long periods of time.

For example, many people assume that plastic seasonal storage will help sustain the quality of Christmas ornaments. Even in plastic, humidity and temperature levels can ruin ornaments.

Whether from damaging the finish of ornaments or the structure of them, it can be difficult to find a safe place to house them during the off months. When it comes to protecting your seasonal valuables, there are a few storage tricks that you should give customers to keep decorations in good condition and protect them from pests, according to Big News Network.

PMP “Callback Cures” columnist and director of training and education for the National Pest Management Association Dr. Michael Bentley touched on a lot of this in his January 2023 article, but here’s some more tips to protect your decor in the off months.

Use acid-free tissue paper to protect fabrics

Variants of acid-free (archival) paper can last longer than a millennium. Acid-free tissue paper in general is an effective option for protecting precious fabrics. It has a high level of biodegradability and is better for the environment because of that.

For your decorations specifically, it will protect them from stains. This tissue paper will also provide prime protection and it’s very versatile so you can use it for more than just fabric.

Making use of elevated storage

Elevated storage gives you more designated space for your belongings, but it also allows you to take advantage of additional space. You don’t have to have a pre-setup room to do this. You can utilize temporary hooks, shelves, racks and stands to make it easier and more affordable.

You can even incorporate this into a self-storage unit if you decide to use one. Elevated storage gets fragile items off of the ground. It also protects your decorations from potential issues the ground can present such as insects or water damage.

Store decorations in a climate-controlled environment

It’s not possible to get adequate seasonal storage for your belongings during the non-holiday season. In many homes, it can be a standard option to use your attic or basement for storing holiday decorations.

The problem with this is that you are likely going to subject those things to harsh temperature changes throughout the year. This can cause damage to the finish of your ornaments. It can even make pest control and pest treatments difficult to handle.

Overall, it’s better to store your decorations off-site and in a climate-controlled environment. For example, using a storage container offers controlled temperature. You will also get more than enough adequate space to store what you need.

Use seasonal storage containers that match what you store

There are a variety of different plastic boxes, tree bags and encasements for ornaments to protect your seasonal valuables. The reason this is important is that you will be getting options specific to what you want to store. This means that size, fragility, and type would be considered.

Having storage solutions contoured to the shape and size of decorations will decrease breakage and keep things from being misplaced. Another benefit is that you can do this based on material as well.

For example, if you have custom knit decorations, they should go into their own box or pouch. Soft fabrics or tissue paper should be used to separate them.

If you have a wreath, it might not be wise to store them with those knit decorations. This is because the two would likely become tangled. The material of the wreath would also clash with the knitted material and potentially cause fraying or pulling of the fabric.

The concept is the same for glass pieces as it would be beneficial to put them in a durable box away from heavier or larger items. This box should also be structured rather than a zippered option.

Each storage choice will have a specific purpose for your decorations. This is often better than something universal that may not prevent loss of or damage to them.

If using an artificial tree, shrink-wrap it

Shrink-wrapping your artificial tree will protect it from environmental damage during the 10 to 11 months that it’s stored away. Doing this will also provide additional protection against humidity, dust and dirt.

All of this will make it easier to unwrap and use right out of the material during the next holiday season. Even if you store your tree in your home, you should still treat your decorations for protection from the elements. What’s even better is that you can shrink-wrap your tree while it’s fully decorated as well.

This will keep your tree intact and in line with how you like to decorate it each year. Shrink-wrapping usually doesn’t take any longer than five minutes to store away and the same amount of time when unwrapping it. It helps to reduce clutter and maintain clean decor.

Keeping your ornaments fresh, intact and well-preserved

If you’ve thought about how we only use seasonal storage during a certain season out of a 12-month year, yet they are so difficult to keep in good condition, you need professional storage. Self-storage allows you to take control of the sustainability of what you own.

You regain space in your home. You also save money on possible replacements and prevent loss or damage to the things that simply can’t be replaced. If you found this helpful, keep reading our content to get more hacks, tips, and helpful information.

The post Protecting holiday decor in the off months first appeared on Pest Management Professional.

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2023/08/01/protecting-holiday-decor-in-the-off-months/
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