How To Store Christmas Ornaments The Right Way So They Dazzle For Years To Come

We’re unpacking everything you need to know about storing your Christmas ornaments.

Ornament collections are a thing to be treasured. Whether they’ve been passed down, collected over time, or even purchased in bulk, ornaments require proper care and storage consideration to ensure they’re around to dazzle your tree for years to come. Proper storage is key to reduce breakage and cut down on dust, deterioration, moisture, and mildew. Here, we're unpacking the best ways to store Christmas ornaments each year.

How To Store Christmas Ornaments

Save Original Boxes

After you bring your ornaments home from the store, it might be tempting to ditch the bulky packaging they came in. After all, the house will soon be overflowing with packages, boxes, and wrapping paper galore. While eliminating the extra cardboard can be a worthwhile space-saving tactic, it might not be the best option for your ornaments. The packages that ornaments come in are oftentimes suited perfectly for the balls, figures, and icicles that hold them, meaning they’re one of the safest storage solutions out there.

To keep your ornament boxes organized, store them in a larger plastic container. Place a label on each larger storage box so you can easily determine its contents. You can even label the individual ornament boxes within so your favorites are easy to grab. This is a particularly helpful strategy if you don’t use all of your ornament every year.

Invest in Dedicated Ornament Storage Boxes

All hope isn’t lost if you don’t have the original boxes for your ornaments. There are plenty of dedicated ornament storage box options that will safely nestle each piece of your tree décor so it will be safe from shattering, scratching, cracking, and more. When determining the right storage box for your ornaments, consider where you’ll be storing your ornaments, space constraints, and how much protection your ornaments will require. Follow those guidelines and you’ll have a Christmas ornament storage inventory that would even make the pros proud.

Use Protective Materials

Materials like bubble wrap, tissue paper, or even soft fabric can all be effective means of protecting your ornaments, even if you’ll be using a dedicated ornament storage box. These materials can keep any paint, glitter, or embellishments from chipping away through bumping, jostling, or even slight fright friction. They can also provide an additional layer of protection for particularly delicate or precious pieces.

Wrap each item in a piece of your desired protective material, securing the end with a piece of masking tape that can easily be removed when it’s time to decorate the tree once more. If you’re storing your ornaments in a dedicated ornament storage box, ensure the wrapping isn’t too bulky to keep the ornament from properly fitting in its compartment.

Consider Airtight Containers

Just as it’s important to consider protecting your ornaments from breaking, it’s equally important to protect your holiday treasures from moisture that can cause mold or mildew. Airtight containers can help in that aim, though it’s best to also store your ornaments in a cool, dry place. If you’re working with limited storage space you might have to get a bit crafty when determining the best home for your out-of-season ornaments. Storage closets, basements, attics (if they don’t get too warm) and even safely tucked under the bed are all fair game, just try to avoid the garage as it likely isn’t temperature controlled and therefore could wind up too hot and humid for proper ornament storage.

Organize and Label

Keeping your ornament collections organized can help make easy work both of holiday decorating and cleaning up once the holidays are over. When determining how to organize your collections whether by color, size, shape, or theme, keep in mind how you typically decorate. Your strategy for decorating should inform your process for storage in order to maximize efficiency both before and after the holiday season.

Alternate Ornament Storage Ideas

Vacuum-Seal Delicate Ornaments

You can prepare your ornaments for the off seasons ahead by vacuum sealing your most delicate treasures. You’ll need to remove all hooks and clips, and then wrap in tissue paper before gently placing each item in your vacuum sealer bag. For very delicate pieces, use a vacuum sealer than has a pulse option so you can ensure your holiday treasures don’t get crushed.

Not all items will work well in a vacuum sealed bag. In some instances, opting for a vacuum-sealed container might be a better solution.

Think Outside the Box with DIY Storage Solutions

• Apple Containers – Those plastic or cardboard containers that you can sometimes find apples stored in at the grocery store make a great storage solution for round ornaments. Plus, they store neatly as they’re meant to be stacked.

• Coffee Filters – For smaller, shallow storage boxes, coffee filters can be used to corral individual ornaments and keep them from bumping into one another. Double- or triple-up each filter to provide some extra cushion where needed.

• Egg Cartons – Smaller round ornaments can be safely stored within egg creates, whether Styrofoam, plastic, or cardboard.

• Plastic Cups – If you have a large bin without dividers, you can make your own with plastic cups and cardboard. Simply arrange the plastic cups atop a sheet of cardboard that’s cut to fit in your storage container. Glue the cups to the cardboard to secure them. Once dry, place the cardboard with attached cups into your storage box and place individual ornaments in each cup. Add as many layers of the cardboard cup dividers as your container will allow.

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