Decorations spend about two weeks in use and fifty weeks in a box. What happens during those fifty weeks determines whether they come out looking presentable or creased, mildewed and squashed.
The Three Things That Cause Damage
Damp, which produces mildew on fabric and rusts anything metal. Crushing, which permanently creases linen and flattens anything three-dimensional. And temperature swings, which make plastics brittle and cause condensation inside sealed containers.
Lofts and garages deliver all three, which is where most decorations are stored.
Fabric Items
Tablecloths, runners and banners should be completely clean and completely dry before they go away. A cloth stored with a food stain sets it permanently, and one stored slightly damp develops mildew that does not wash out.
Roll rather than fold where possible, since rolling avoids the sharp creases that folding sets over a year. Where folding is unavoidable, refolding along different lines each year prevents permanent lines in the same place.
Care guidance published with a range, of the kind at ohomestore.net, is worth reading once for the fabric types involved, since polyester, burlap and linen-look blends behave differently in storage.
The Storage Rules
- Everything clean and bone dry before packing
- Roll fabric rather than folding, where space allows
- Breathable containers rather than sealed plastic bags
- Somewhere with stable temperature, not a loft or garage
- One labelled box per occasion, not a general decorations box
- Heavy items at the bottom, fragile and fabric on top
Why Sealed Bags Are a Mistake
Airtight plastic seems protective and traps whatever moisture was present when it was sealed. Over a year in a variable temperature, that moisture condenses and redistributes, which is how a perfectly dry cloth develops mould in a sealed bag.
Cardboard boxes, fabric storage bags and lidded plastic crates that are not airtight all work better.
Labelling Properly
A box marked “Christmas” is less useful than one marked “Christmas: table linen and runners”. The second can be retrieved without opening four boxes.
Photographing the contents and taping the picture to the box is faster than a written list and considerably more informative.
The Annual Review
Packing away is the natural moment to discard what did not get used, what is damaged and what you no longer like.
Doing it then rather than at unpacking is better, because the occasion is fresh and you remember what worked. It also means next year’s box contains only things worth putting out.
Where to Store
An indoor cupboard, under a bed, or on top of a wardrobe beats a loft every time, because the temperature and humidity are stable.
Where a loft is the only option, raising boxes off the joists and choosing containers that breathe reduces the worst of it.
