The end of the holiday season is drawing near. If you are one of those who like to get your house back into proper working order as soon as the holiday is over, you are likely already contemplating how you will store all your precious holiday décor. Unfortunately, storing items for nearly an entire year can easily become vulnerable to destruction from pests if not properly stored. Today, we share with you our top tips for storing holiday decorations.
Storing Holiday Décor to Prevent Pests
1. Check Your Items for Pests
Before you store your items, you should check to see if your décor has any pests on it! This is particularly for décor that was sitting outside, as it likely attracted spiders and other creepy crawlies. We recommend giving it a good shake, a thorough scan, and vacuuming them, if possible.
2. Store Items in Sealed Plastic
While you may have a million cardboard boxes sitting around after the holidays, they are the worst option for storing décor. Not only can they get wet and moldy, but they are easy to chew through. We recommend investing in high-quality thick plastic containers with sealable lids. Make your life easier for next year by choosing clear containers so you can see through or investing in a label maker to mark the boxes.
3. Keep Your Scented Stuff Separate
Holidays are the time of year when people often assault their houses with various smells, from vanilla to cherry. This would be in pillows, candles, or various other décor items to make your house smell extra festive. Unfortunately, pests also love the smell of the holidays and will be attracted to scented items in storage. We recommend keeping anything smelly in a separate sealed container, just in case.
The one exception to that rule is cinnamon. Most pests hate the smell of cinnamon, so it is actually wise to add cinnamon sticks to your storage boxes as an extra natural deterrent.
4. Ditch Any Food Items
We know that it may be tempting to want to keep food décor that took hours to make, like gingerbread houses, cookie ornaments, or popcorn strings. However, these are the items that will quickly attract pests. Chances are, the items will likely be gross by next year anyways, so you are better off throwing them away and making them again next year.
We also advise that any holiday items that held those food décor, holiday-themed plates or containers, be given a thorough scrubbing to remove any excess residue that could attract ants.
5. Ensure You Have a Clean Storage Space
To properly store holiday décor or anything for that matter, the storage space should be clean, neat, and dry. If you are storing in attics or basements, make sure there is no water residue or debris where critters may try to hide. When storing items in the garage, we suggest placing them on shelving or hanging them from the ceiling to prevent easy pest access and protect them from water.
While putting your holiday items away, if you notice any signs of pests, make sure to call Reliable Pest for a solution before it becomes a problem!