Guest post by Co-Founder NorthStar Moving Company Laura McHolm
The holiday festivities are under way! The radio is playing the classic merry tunes, every other car on the road has a Christmas tree strapped to it and the holiday invites are rolling in. Next, is the joyful task of unpacking your holiday décor to put your home in the festive spirit. Hopefully, every figurine, glass ornament, and holiday dish stayed in one piece! If not, Laura McHolm who is the co-founder of NorthStar Moving has simple solutions to easily pack away your fragile décor like a pro to protect them moving forward.
The jolly news is you can actually put your festive trash to good use! Much of your trash is actually a treasure when it comes to stowing away your holiday décor safely. Follow these six simple steps to reuse Christmas past and pack it like a pro to make sure your décor is in one piece next year!
- Use Proper Boxes
The best way to keep your fragile holiday décor safe is to pack them as if you were preparing for a cross-country move. To properly pack your décor & dishes, start with a sturdy cardboard box called a dishpak. Dishpak boxes are specially designed to protect fragile items such as glass, china, and plates.
You can find dishpaks at moving companies, box stores and home improvement stores. If you can’t find dishpaks use double corrugated boxes.
- Cushion & More Cushion
Before placing any décor items and seasonal dishes in your dishpak, cover the bottom with crumpled paper. Reuse old wrapping paper! You will be adding more cushioning on the sides and top. Just for the cushioning on the bottom, sides and top you can be super green and reuse your old wrapping paper from the holidays!
The crumpled wrapping paper will provide cushioning for your décor & dishes and
prevent breakage. If you don’t have used wrapping paper, you should use plain white
packing paper instead of newspaper. Newspaper will leave ink all over your dishes.
- Pack Holiday Dishes Vertical, not Horizontal
To prevent breakage, always pack dishes vertically, as if you were loading up the dishwasher after a big holiday dinner (only make sure the dishes are clean).
When it comes to your reindeer mugs, pack them in a horizontal row across the box, but be sure to place the mugs on their sides, with the handles facing sideways, not down.
- Wrap and Repeat
After you’ve placed a layer of crumpled paper for cushioning, start packing your largest and sturdiest décor or dishes first. Wrap each item and dish completely with two layers of packing paper, tucking in the sides.
For the dishes, place each one vertically on top of the layer of crumpled paper; make sure the dish is secure. Continue placing individually wrapped dishes vertically. After you’ve finished a row of dishes, place crumpled packing paper in open spaces in the dishpak.
Once a row of vertical dishes or carefully placed décor items is complete, place a few sheets of crumpled paper on top of the row for cushioning. Then repeat, saving your lightest and most fragile décor & dishes for the top layer.
- No Space Left Unfilled
The rule of thumb is there should be no gaps that could allow your décor to shift. Cushion the top and sides with paper to prevent shifting. The steadier the contents, the less chance of damage.
Next, tape your dishpak box with two layers of tape and label it. Be sure to mark which side is up and draw big arrows pointing up, then write “FRAGILE” on each side of the box.
- Packing Holiday Lights
Never again spend hours untangling holiday lights or hunting for that one broken
bulb. Use empty wrapping paper tubes to store your holiday lights and wrap the
lights around the outside of the tube. This way, you can easily check for broken
bulbs without having to untangle the string of lights and it also makes it easy for
stringing along the tree or house next year! Make sure you put the plugs at either
end of the tubes for easy access.
Now your holiday décor & dishes are safely packed for next year! Watch this online video with more packing tips from NorthStar Moving Company.
Laura McHolm is an organizational, moving & storage expert and co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. NorthStar Moving Company is an award winning, “A+” rated company, which specializes in providing eco-luxury moving and storage services. www.northstarmoving.com
