Whether you go all-out with shop-bought decorations, hang treasured family heirlooms, or favour homemade touches, there’s one shared challenge – come January, storing these delicate pieces safely is no easy task.
If you’d rather not splurge on dedicated Christmas decoration storage boxes, our professional organisers have five clever, budget-friendly DIY storage ideas using items you already own. Each idea makes packing away your festive décor simple, secure, and stress-free – so everything stays protected and ready to shine again in winter 2026.
5 DIY Affordable Hacks to Store Christmas Decorations
Here are five smart, cost-free alternatives to keep festive favorites safe till next year.
1. Use Empty Water Bottles to Store Beaded Garlands
Empty water bottles make brilliant, budget-friendly storage solutions.
As Di Ter Avest, professional organizer and founder of Diisorganized, says, beaded garlands look gorgeous among any Christmas decor ideas, but 'they tangle like nobody's business.'
To combat this, she says, 'Threading them into empty water bottles keeps them contained, untangled, and dust-free – all without paying for specialty storage tubes.
'Rinse and dry the bottles first. Then feed the garland in slowly, letting it coil naturally. Screw the cap on and add a simple label. You can store multiple bottles upright in a bin.'
For this, we recommend using the Avery Multi-Use Removable Labels available at Amazon. Alternatively, you can just use a Sharpie, available at Walmart, and draw directly onto the bottle.
Similarly, as Tracy McCubbin, CEO and founder of dClutterfly, highlights, you can also reuse empty cardboard drink carriers for your Christmas decoration storage.
'One too many peppermint lattes for the office this holiday season is leaving us with cardboard drink carriers,' she says. 'These are great to store those odd-shaped and fragile ornaments, or Christmas table decor ideas.
'Just make sure to wrap them well before putting them in the bin, but they will last forever and keep everything safe.'
2. Wind String Lights Around Cardboard
Keep your old cereal boxes or parcel delivery boxes for keeping your Christmas tree lights untangled when you pack them all away after the festivities.
This is a trick I always do at home, and it's such an easy yet effective way to prevent your indoor Christmas lighting ideas from getting tangled up.
'Wrapping string lights around cardboard is such a great idea because it keeps the lights from getting tangled, which saves so much time for the next year,' says Olivia Parks, owner and lead organizer at Professional Organizers Baton Rouge.
You can store the piece of cardboard with the lights in a bin and then label it, which will also keep the bulbs from breaking or bending between now and the next holiday season.
Olivia adds, 'I'd first recommend cutting a piece of cardboard from a used box [I always use old cereal boxes], cutting two small slits at each end, sticking the plug into one slit, then wrapping the lights around the cardboard, and once it's all used up, securing the end at the other slit.'
You can even take an extra step and label each cardboard piece, so you know if they are indoor or outdoor lights, or if you have multiple trees, which lights belong where.
Then, once you've chosen the perfect Christmas lights, for any particularly fragile strings, use a Christmas Light Storage Bag, available at Amazon, to properly protect them.
3. Use a Garment Bag for Storing Wrapping Paper Rolls
Garment bags protect your clothing, and work to protect your wrapping paper, too.
While garment bags, such as the Protege Garment Bag available at Walmart, are usually used as long-term clothes storage ideas, they're also excellent as a wrapping paper storage solution, says Di.
Wrapping paper tears easily or gets crushed if left loose in a bin,' she explains. 'A garment bag lets you hang the rolls vertically so nothing gets damaged, and it keeps dust and moisture away.
'Place the rolls inside the garment bag; zipper-side up works best. Add leftover ribbon or bows in a small pouch tucked at the bottom. Hang it in a closet or on a hook in your storage space.'
It's a smart space-saving way to use vertical storage, especially in compact homes where space for keeping hold of seasonal items may come at a particular premium.
Keeping porous paper and ribbons away from attics, basements, and garages that are not climate-controlled will also prevent them from absorbing mildewy smells or falling victim to mold. This is especially important for preventing mold as items you are unlikely to check on till you need them again 10-12 months from now, could spend all that time collecting mold and secretly causing a bigger problem.
4. Use Egg Cartons for Fragile Ornaments
Delicate ornaments such as ones made from ceramic or glass can be easily broken and need extra cushioning in storage.
'Egg cartons are great for storing ornaments because they are already designed to keep fragile items safe and protected, making them a perfect choice for small ornaments to keep them from breaking,' advises Olivia, keeping even the most collectible vintage holiday decorations safe from breakage.
'I'd first recommend cleaning the egg carton, if needed, then, super simple, start placing your ornaments in each spot in the carton, close the lid, and then label the carton. You can even tape the lid shut for extra safety.'
5. Protect Holiday Linens with Pillowcases Instead of Plastic
Pillowcases can easily be repurposed for holiday storage.
Finally, as Di explains, holiday linens, such as stockings for hanging, tree skirts, and table runners, do best in breathable fabric.
'Pillowcases prevent yellowing and musty smells better than plastic, and they cost nothing if you’re repurposing extras,' she says. Fold items neatly, slide them into clean pillowcases, then label the open edge. Stack them in a bin or on a shelf. If storing long-term, pop in a small cedar block to keep everything smelling fresh.'
For this, we recommend the Homode Cedar Blocks available at Amazon. This will send opportunistic moths, which can eat holes through natural materials, far away as they hate the cedar smell.
What to Shop
No hard and fast rule says you must use all DIY tricks to pack away your precious festive items. Here are some of our top storage picks if you'd like to mix and match homemade solutions with expertly crafted storage perfect for the job.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This 3-pack set includes different-sized and shaped bags to fit an artificial Christmas tree, wreath, garlands, and various ornaments. Each bag features sturdy, reinforced handles.
This number one bestselling Christmas light storage bag keeps your lights safe and secure to prevent tangling, with a convenient design and reinforced handles for convenient portability.
This garment storage bag protects your wrapping paper from dust and damage, and is lightweight and easy to carry.
This Christmas ornament storage box is compact, sturdy, adjustable, and supported by strong cardboard inserts. It's also water-resistant and tear-proof.
If there's one thing that really does prove difficult to store, it's a Christmas tree, and most times, affordable storage hacks won't work for larger items. This bag is affordable, durable, and made of high-quality materials.
This storage bag has divided sections to keep everything organized, with plenty of space for storing figurines and soft holiday linens alongside your breakable ornaments.
Meet the Experts
Di quickly learned the importance of organization after becoming a wife and mother, and has since helped hundreds of clients rethink their relationship with clutter. She's also the creator behind the Organize Yourself Healthy method.
Tracy is a decluttering expert, author, and speaker, and has been professionally decluttering for over 20 years. She's been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Olivia is a professional Organizer in Baton Rouge, LA. She's worked with over 500 clients to declutter and organize all areas of their homes, and has over 200 5-star reviews.
Still looking for decoration inspiration? Our collection of outdoor decoration storage ideas is festive and enchanting.
