Top Tips on How to Store Christmas Lights Like a Pro

TL;DR: Proper Christmas light storage prevents frustration, extends lifespan, and reduces fire hazards. Use tangle-free solutions like reels and labeled containers. Store lights in a dry, cool space and create a repair kit for easy maintenance. Christmas World offers smart storage solutions to keep your lights in top condition.

• Why Proper Storage Matters – Prevents tangles, breakage, and fire hazards.
• Best Storage Methods – Use a light storage reel for easy winding/unwinding.
• Storing Christmas Tree Lights – Keep them dry and protected in a padded container.
• Storing Icicle Lights – Roll them in plastic sheeting to prevent tangling.
• Additional Hacks – Label storage with location and create a light repair kit.
• Shop Smart Solutions – Christmas World offers top-rated storage products.

The holiday season brings joy, warmth, and dazzling Christmas lights. What happens when it’s frigid and dark outside, and it’s time to take them down?

If you’ve ever found yourself wrestling with a tangled mess of lights, you’re not alone! Knowing how to store Christmas lights properly can save you hours of frustration next year. The best storage solutions also keep your lights (and those delicate bulbs) in perfect condition.

Smart storage solutions can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll share tips for storing Christmas lights like a pro, featuring must-have solutions from Christmas World!

Why Proper Storage Matters

Preparing for the Christmas season should involve gleeful anticipation, not frustration over tangled wires and broken bulbs. Not only do these common issues create safety hazards, but they take the fun out of an annual tradition. Storing Christmas lights properly at the end of the season saves you time and frustration the following year, so festive fun can prevail.

Additionally, proper Christmas light storage can extend the lifespan of your holiday lights. Ideally, you’ll keep your lights in a cool, dry, temperature-controlled space. They should be completely dry when you put them away and, ideally, kept away from heavy humidity.

Why? Moisture can cause string lights to short circuit. Thus, when you take them out at the start of the season, they may be damaged, leaving you in the dark.

In the worst-case scenario, wet lights can even become a fire hazard. Damp lights can be particularly dangerous if they aren’t rated for outdoor use. When they talk about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, they don’t mean a house fire!

Thus, choose tangle-free storage solutions that protect lights from the elements. The right solutions are key to many bright holiday seasons to come!

Best Ways to Store Christmas Lights Without Tangling

A best practice in storing Christmas lights is to wrap them in a loose coil while in storage. If you wrap your light strands too tightly, you can damage the delicate wires within.

Some people wrap their lights around household items like cardboard, plastic hangers, or a coffee can. While these are serviceable solutions, they don’t make your lights any easier to hang.

According to the CPSC, there are about 160 Christmas decorating-related injuries each day during the holidays. Nearly half of those incidents involve falls, often while hanging lights. The simpler and safer you can make the decorating process, the more likely you are to avoid getting hurt. That’s why we prefer a more user-friendly alternative to jury-rigged storage solutions.

For easy winding and unwinding, even while on ladders or the roof, we recommend a light storage reel. Our pick is the sturdy Install N Store™ Christmas Light Storage Reel. It includes multiple reels plus a hook for hands-free decorating. It even comes with a high-quality polyester storage bag to keep moisture out in between seasons.

It is, hands down, the safest storage and hanging solution for Christmas lights!

How to Store Christmas Tree Lights Properly

It’s important to store Christmas tree lights properly because, unlike weather-proof outdoor lights, indoor lights are particularly susceptible to moisture and humidity. This is extra important if you are hanging lights on a live tree. If live trees get too dry, they can catch fire very easily.

Our first recommendation is to unplug and check all of your Christmas tree lights for damage before you store them. Both frayed wires and broken bulbs can potentially cause fires. It’s always best to repair and replace damaged lights as soon as possible.

Then, you’ll want to store your lights in a durable storage container with padding to prevent damage. The padding will prevent bulbs from breaking or shattering in storage. Ideally, your storage container will keep out moisture to keep lights in working order.

How to Store Christmas Icicle Lights Without Hassle

Because of their unique shape and design, storing Christmas icicle lights requires some creativity. Because they have more strands, they are often more susceptible to tangling than traditional string lights.

One way to store Christmas icicle lights is by using plastic sheeting. Lay your icicle lights across the sheeting, then roll them up like a burrito. Once rolled, store your lights in a dedicated Christmas decoration storage bag to protect them from the elements. That should keep them safe from both tangling and moisture in between seasons.

Additional Christmas Light Storage Hacks

Looking for more Christmas light storage hacks to make your life easier when it’s time to decorate? Here are our favorites.

Label with a Location

There’s a reason nearly every holiday décor solution from Christmas World comes with room for a label. Clear labeling ensures you can find what you need at a glance when it’s time to decorate. Lights are no exception!

Our hack isn’t just labeling, however—it’s specificity. Rather than labeling your containers “Christmas Lights,” label them with the location where those lights go.

A label like “roofline” or “front porch” will ensure your lights get where they have to go the first time! It will save you a step so you can get to decorating sooner!

Create a Repair Kit

Even with due diligence, accidents happen, lights get old, and bulbs can sometimes shatter. We recommend maintaining a repair kit featuring all the replacement bulbs and fuses you might need. It makes repairs simple and stress-free, ensuring you can get the decorations up on your schedule. Have a few of each on hand, and keep them labeled to make repairs a breeze!

Shop Storage Solutions from Christmas World

Are you ready to enjoy the most stress-free holiday season yet? Christmas World’s Install N Store™ Christmas Light Storage Reel is a must-have for easy, tangle-free storage. If you only make one storage upgrade this year, add these storage reels to your holiday arsenal!

Looking for a total storage upgrade? At Christmas World, we go beyond storing Christmas lights. From storage containers to hanging solutions, you’ll find what you need to eliminate every source of storage-related stress.

Shop now to improve your holiday storage system and enjoy a relaxing, bright holiday season!