Learn how to properly store faux pumpkins, tabletop accessories, and other seasonal accents so you can use them for years to come.

What I do with Halloween decorations the rest of the year?

Front yard displays full of ghouls and goblins now draw just as much attention from onlookers as the festive light shows of the holiday season.

Whether you decorate with classic black and orange both indoors and out or showcase just a handful of seasonal accessories to get into the spirit, it’s important to have a system to store Halloween decorations for the remaining months of the year.

If you haven’t considered a storage strategy for your spooky items, there’s no time like now to start. Use the following organizing tricks to make storing Halloween decorations a treat.

1. Sort into Categories

Just like any home organizing project, the first step is to pull everything out that you want to organize and separate the items by type. This can be done any time before fall or after Halloween before putting things away.
The type of decorations you have will influence the categories but, as an example, the groupings might look something like this:

String lights
Inflatables
Statues and signs
Tabletop decor
Child and adult costumes
Party favors

Another option is to sort by indoor and outdoor Halloween decor or by room of the house. Ultimately, the storage system has to make sense to you or whoever is the one who pulls the decorations out and puts them away each year. Depending on the number of items, you might be able to combine multiple categories into one container, or if you’re a Halloween enthusiast, it’s possible that each section is large enough to be assigned its own bin.

2. Prep Halloween Decor for Storage

Before storing anything, do a bit of prep work. This ensures that you’re not storing any unnecessary clutter while also preserving the things you want to keep for the foreseeable future.

First, go through each category and assess what can be decluttered, whether it’s damaged, irreparable, or the kids have grown out of it. Remember that if decorations, for any holiday, are in good condition, they can be donated to your local charity. If you know you’ll have Halloween donations, it’s best to go through this process sooner rather than at the end of the season.

Next, protect items that are delicate or messy. Wrap porcelain or ceramic figurines in bubble wrap and secure with a piece of painters tape. Use plastic bags to contain glittery items so that they don’t rub off on other things. If you own heirloom Halloween decor and it’s fragile, consider investing in archival paper or boxes to keep them as safe as possible.

Lastly, challenge yourself to save as much space as possible by getting creative. Place smaller items, such as decorative bats, into something larger, like a pumpkin basket. Use a storage reel holder for string lights. Fully collapse all inflatables before attempting to fold them. Vacuum-seal soft items, such as costumes, table linens, or spiderwebs.

3. Decide Where to Store Halloween Decor

Ideally, all holiday decorations should be kept near each other. For most, the attic, basement, or garage is the go-to spot for seasonal stuff. If you live in a predominantly hot or cold environment, however, you might want to use a spare bedroom in the house, an empty closet under the stairs, or even a climate-controlled storage unit to avoid damage to Halloween decorations.

If you must separate seasonal decor by holiday due to lack of space, at the very least keep as many Halloween things together as possible to make decorating (and storing) as simple as possible.

4. Seal Seasonal Items in Totes

Once you’ve chosen a storage spot, it’s time to place your items in bins. The best containers to use, regardless of where they are going, are storage totes with latched lids, which you can find at most big-box stores. This helps keep out dirt, dust, moisture, and pests year-round. These containers also generally stack flush on top of one another, allowing you to make the most of vertical space.

Take your totes to the next level and search for bins in orange or black. This way, if you’re storing them alongside other holiday items, they’ll stand out as an easy Halloween identifier.

If you prefer and have the space to hold the original boxes, feel free to reuse those for storage, even in conjunction with lidded bins. This particularly applies to large or more fragile pieces, since the packaging is often designed to protect them.

5. Label Clearly

For no-fail labels that are easy to replace, use tape from a label maker to mark the main contents of the container. Keep the label general with words such as “Halloween Costumes” or “Outdoor Halloween” as opposed to “Ghost Costumes” or “Skeletons.” This way, if you have room to add new decorations down the line, you’re not completely locked into what the container label says. You can also take your organization up a notch by creating an inventory list. Open an Excel sheet or Google sheet on the computer and create a new tab along the bottom for each bin. Within the tabs, note which items are in each one. Be sure to update your spreadsheet each year as you add to your Halloween collection or get rid of something.

By following this simple guidelines and choosing the right self-storage facility, you can ensure your halloween decorations will be safe and secure until you’re ready to use it again next year.

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