We’ve all been there – it’s December and the time has come to pull out the Christmas lights and decorate the house for the holidays. We pull out our bins of lights to find a tangled, frayed mess and spend the next several hours attempting to untangle knots before hanging our Christmas lights.
Christmas light storage can be difficult, and can also consume a lot of space. Here are some tips to help you keep your lights organized until it is time to pull them out for yet another holiday season. You will be thanking yourself next year!
Purchase Light Strand Storage Reels
If DIY isn’t really your style, you can purchase light strand storage reels for easy storage and installation. Not only will these reels keep your Christmas lights organized and untangled, but they also make installation quick and easy. All you have to do is slowly unwrap the spool, preventing lights from trailing on the ground behind you or getting tangled around legs and ladders while installing. These reels can be purchased from most home improvement stores, especially around the holidays.
DIY Cardboard Light Storage
Instead of purchasing light strand storage reels, you can make them yourself using items found around your home. Strands of cardboard are great for light organization. Simply cut a slit in the top of the cardboard. Then, thread the lights snuggly through the slit. Wrap the lights around the cardboard strip for quick and easy Christmas light storage!
Paper towel rolls work great for Christmas light storage as well. Follow the same process, but this time wrap the lights around the empty paper towel roll.
Pro tip: write a note on the cardboard to remind yourself where these lights go in your home. This will save you planning and prep time next year.
DIY Ziplock Christmas Light Storage
Ziplock bags and twist ties can also be used to keep your Christmas lights organized. Simply wrap the lights around your arm in a neat loop, and add twist ties or zip ties to help keep the rolls from unravelling. Then, stick the lights in ziplock bags and note the location of the lights on the bag. No more jumbled light strings!
These simple tricks can help save you time on your holiday light installation, and space in your storage room. If you are looking for an even simpler solution, call Even Brighter Lights for your holiday light installation this year. Not only can we provide lights for your display, but we can also store them for you all year long.
