Check out our tips on packing, storing and protecting your artificial Christmas tree, and you'll have no worries come the next festive season
© Adam C Bartlett
The big day has officially been and gone, so it's time to get organised post-New Year!
When it comes to storing your Christmas tree, many of us simply bung it in a box, sling it in the loft and hope for the best next year. But now it's time to break old habits and store your artificial tree the professional way!
We've spoken to the team at Christmas Tree World to bring you the top tips on preserving the beauty of your artificial tree.
It may sound obvious, but don’t forget to take all the decorations and lights off your tree before you pack it away. If you don’t, then both your tree and the decorations are likely to get damaged during the storage process, meaning you’ll have to replace them next year. Obviously if you have a prelit tree then they can stay on!
You should also store lights and decorations in a completely separate box or bag to ensure they don’t get damaged over the course of the year.
Many people will store their Christmas tree in its original box, and while this isn’t necessarily a problem most of the time, a dedicated storage bag is a good idea. Cardboard can break down over time, particularly if it becomes damp, which can leave your tree prone to damage and deterioration, but using a plastic, strong polyurethane bag will prevent this.
To see a range of Christmas tree bags, click here.
Virtually everyone with an artificial Christmas tree will store it away in the loft or cellar if they have one, but it’s important to make sure it won’t be kept somewhere that’s damp. As we’ve mentioned, moisture can make the box deteriorate, but it can also damage the tree, especially if it’s so bad that mould can build up.
Similarly, if the tree is stored somewhere too warm, such as in an airing cupboard or next to the heating pipes, the tree can become warped or even start to melt.
If you want to do things a bit differently, you could try wrapping the tree up in cling film.
Obviously you’ll need to take all the decorations and lights off first, but then you can fold the branches up or down – providing they can bend (if they don’t, then don’t do this!) and wrap the whole thing in clingfilm. When next Christmas comes, you can just cut the cling film off and you’re ready to go!
For more information, head to: www.christmastreeworld.co.uk