These tips make it easier to keep your Christmas collection in the best possible condition for years to come
- Choose a day when you are not in a hurry. Many people have a special day for removing their tree I personally like to leave my tree up for a few weeks after Christmas as I really enjoy the festive feel however I don’t want to leave it too long and get sick of it.
- Take photos of your tree and ornaments. Each year at Design Inn we have hundreds of people say that they can’t remember what ornaments they have or what they need. If you take a few pics you can easily look them up when you are adding to your collection the next year. This is also a great precaution for insurance value if you ever need to make a claim.
- Use a safe sturdy ladder to remove ornaments from the top of the tree. This might seem obvious however you only have to look at you tube to see what a mess people end up in when they don’t take this simple precaution.
- Remove your favourite ornaments and pack them carefully in bubble wrap then into a vermin and dust proof box. There are heaps of options for storage crates available at discount stores however I use an old set of cases which work perfectly for both protecting and moving the decorations around.
- Remove any ornaments which are unloved or unlovely to a separate box for charity or to give away to friends. Christmas clutter is no different to the rest of the house if you haven’t used ornaments for a few years let them go to a new home where they may be useful again.
- Lights Safety - please remove them from the power before taking them down. Never remove strings of lights by pulling on the wires. This causes the wires to break free from the sockets and the bulbs to break.
- As you remove your lights wind them onto a cord winder, cardboard box or piece of board. If you start from the furthest end and work your way until you get to the transformer or power lead you will be able to simply wind off and straight onto your tree without any tangles next year.
- Wear cotton gloves as you dismantle your tree and clean the branches with your hands as you pack it away. This will keep your tree in optimum condition for years to come.
- Store your tree and ornaments in an area away from vermin. If you can’t guarantee that this is the case put down some pest baits when you store your items. Mice and rats particularly like the plastic which covers the light cords.
- Label your boxes with descriptions of the contents or even use the images you took of the items inside.