5 Smart ways to store christmas lights

Are you looking for expert advice on the BEST way to store Christmas lights? Do you want your decorations well-organized to make sure everything is stored safely and is easy to get out of storage for use next holiday season? No one wants to drag decorations out of storage to discover that some of the lights are damaged or need lots of detangling.

You know we have to stay on brand with sustainability and there are so many great ways to reuse items that we would normally throw away, so here are some creative, sustainable, ways to store your Christmas lights.

1. Power cord wheel or holiday light reel

These are large plastic wheels that you can carefully wrap a string of holiday lights around for storage. They look similar to a garden hose reel. To store your lights, you can tuck one end on the inside of the wheel and wrap the lights gently around and around. Be careful not to wrap them too tightly as that could damage the lights. You can use several smaller wheels to store individual strands of lights. Or you could use larger wheels that might fit a couple of strands still connected together. Some light reels come with storage bags. Those are fine if they have padding. If the bags aren’t padded, then a large plastic storage box is safer. With more rigid sides, a storage box gives lights added protection against breakage if other boxes accidentally bump into it.

2. Smaller light storage wraps

There are smaller versions of light storage wraps (sometimes also called reels) that are flat and shaped like a large letter “I”. These are designed to store one strand of lights at a time, not multiple strands or longer strands. Beginning at one end of the lights, you would wrap the lights around the narrow middle part of the wrap. Once all your lights are wrapped, you could store them in a box, neatly stacked together.

3. Cardboard wrapping paper tubes

You may have come across people mentioning that you can wrap Christmas lights around empty paper towel rolls, but those seem small for most strands of lights. The cardboard from an empty roll of wrapping paper is a better fit for holiday lights. To store your lights, cut a small slit on one end of the cardboard tube. Slide the end of a strand of lights inside the slit, so the plug sits inside the tube. Then, wrap the lights over the outside of the cardboard tube, shifting down the tube as you wrap. On the other end of the tube, cut a small slit and tuck the remaining end of the light strand inside.

4. Velcro straps

This storage method takes a bit more work to wrap the first time, but once your lights are wrapped up, they’re not as bulky as other storage methods. Plus, velcro ties are reusable and will last longer than cardboard. When you’re taking down your Christmas lights, hold one end of the strand of lights in your hand. Then wrap the strand around your elbow and then back into your hand, creating a loop. Keep wrapping the strand of lights this way, so it doesn’t get tangled. When your loop is complete, secure it in a couple of places with velcro straps. Depending on the size of your strand of lights, you might need 3-4 velcro straps. These should wrap around a small part of the strand of lights, so the loop stays held in together. 

5. Clothing hanger

If you have extra clothing hangers in your closet, you can use them to store Christmas lights. You will want to use bigger plastic hangers that have large notches on each side (the ones meant for shirt straps). Begin by hooking one end of a strand of lights into one of the notches on the hanger. Then wrap the lights around the outside of the hanger. Keep wrapping until you go from one side of the hanger to the other. You will probably need to continue wrapping back to the side of the hanger you started on (unless your strand of lights is quite short). Be sure to tuck the other end of the strand of lights into the opposite notch from where you began. Ta-da! Now you can hang your lights to store them. You could also wrap the entire hanger in tissue paper for a bit of added protection, depending on where they will be stored.

I hope these tips were helpful! Remember that repurposed items (like cardboard or hangers) are always a more sustainable choice. Also, sturdy, reusable containers are more eco-friendly when they can be reused year after year. 

Xoxo

Michelle