How to Pack Away & Store Your Christmas Lights Safely

New Year’s Eve is with us and the festivities are quickly coming to an end. Whether you have already taken your Christmas light decorations down or are going to during the next week, there are ways you should pack away and store them safely.

The last thing anyone wants is the recurring theme each year when you open the box of lights and they are all knotted up, messy and beyond saving. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to untangle knotted Christmas lights, apart from when you do manage to untangle them to find out they no longer work!

No one can promise Christmas lights will continue to work year after year, but there are ways to prevent them from malfunctioning, and that is by packing them away and storing them correctly.

Here, we will look at the top tips for packing away and storing your Christmas lights to ensure they are put away safely and hopefully in fully working order for the next Christmas season to come.

Check Your Christmas Lights

The first thing you should do before putting your Christmas lights away is to check that all the lights are still working. If you have any broken LED light bulbs replace them now so you don’t get caught out next year. If there is a problem with the lights, you can take advantage on the sales now and replace the lights for less, instead of paying full price at the beginning of next year’s festivities.

Clean Your Christmas Lights

If your Christmas lights have been outside for the past few weeks, the chances are they are dirty with all the rain, sleet and frosty weather conditions we have been having. Obviously, don’t submerge them in water, but give them a good wipe to clean off any dirt, as it can get into the lights and damage them for future use if left uncleaned.

Ensure Your Christmas Lights Are Dry

Before your pack away and store your Christmas lights, ensure they are completely dry. This is very important and storing damp lights can damage the internal mechanics or cause rust, preventing them from working for you in future years. To ensure they are dry, bring them inside and leave them in a warm room to dry off before packing them away. This is the same for any indoor lights that you have cleaned before packing them away.

Store in a Dry Place

It is important to ensure you store your Christmas lights in a dry place. If you store them where there is any damp or moisture, rust will set in and they will not work next time you try to use them.

Store in a tight sealed container

If you are storing your Christmas lights in the loft and are concerned about moisture getting into your lights, use plastic airtight containers to pack them away in. This adds that extra bit of protection compared to carboard boxes. They are pretty inexpensive nowadays and can be bought at most hardware or home stores.

How to Prevent Tangles

If you are fed up of having to detangle your Christmas lights year after year, then here are a few at home methods you can use.

  1. The Cardboard Method – Use a piece of rectangular cardboard, cut slits down each side, and wrap your Christmas lights around it using the slits to slot them in. They can then be stored flat.
  2. The Coat Hanger Method – Wrap your Christmas lights around a coat hanger to prevent tangles. If you have space in the wardrobe to store them you can also hang them there.
  3. The Kitchen Roll Method – Use an old kitchen roll and wrap your lights around them. Make a slit at either end to secure them into place at each side.

We hope you have had a lovely Christmas and have an amazing New Year! See you in 2018!

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