Put Away Your Holiday Decorations Before Collecting Them
Before collecting all these holiday decorations, do you a favor: clean them up.
If you have hung wreaths or garlands in your home this year, I can guarantee you that they are now covered in dust. I have a mixture of dust and pet hair because my dog is an expert at smearing himself all over everything.
Cleaning your jewelry now can save you the hassle of cleaning it next year and will make your home improvement much more enjoyable next year.
Obviously, your methods will differ depending on the type of item being cleaned. Most plastic jewelry can be rinsed with water and left to dry before packing. Others can be gently wiped off with a damp paper towel, dust-free, or even tapped with a handheld vacuum cleaner to clean. Here’s a rundown of how to properly clean the various types of jewelry.
The idea here is that when you get your things out next year, they will be fresh and clean, free from summer dust and grime.
I also HIGHLY recommend putting together some plastic storage containers to store everything in. If you haven’t switched to plastic storage yet, containers can be great for keeping things safe and dry during the off-season.
A few years ago, we had squirrels that climbed into our attic and went to town for a lot of ornaments and ornaments that I wish they had. When I was a kid, we used to make tons of cookie cutter decorations, which we then sprayed with some kind of shell to keep them forever.
It turned out that squirrels thought they were still delicious 20 years later. They also ate the cardboard boxes we kept them in, so putting the boxes away next year was … an adventure.
Don’t be me and spend $ 10 on a decent plastic container that can be used forever (or at least longer than a cardboard box).
Aside from being slightly better at keeping out rodents, plastic can also protect your belongings from the elements and give you a chance to fight if a leaking roof / pipe eventually appears in the attic.