Holiday Storage Tips for Washington, DC & Arlington, VA Homes
The tree is down. The lights are packed away. Your Capitol Hill rowhouse or Georgetown townhouse finally looks like your home again, but now you’re staring at a dozen plastic bins. Holiday decorations need to go somewhere, but where?
Climate-controlled storage protects your decorations while your living space stays clear. Next November, when you’re ready to decorate, they will be ready and accessible.
Why DC and Arlington Homes Struggle With Holiday Storage
Living in Washington, DC and Arlington means you’re minutes from the Smithsonian, world-class dining, and downtown. The downside is that space comes at a premium.
Even if you have space to store your holiday gear, it’s not unusual for DMV-area basements to be too damp to store delicate items safely. You don’t want your next holiday to smell like mildew. If you live in a high-rise, your basement cage storage may be dry but a hassle to access.
With hot, humid summers in the DC area, attics can get very hot. Artificial trees warp. Candles melt, and your kids’ handmade ornaments fall apart.
The Holiday Items That Benefit Most From Climate-Controlled Storage
From ornaments to embroidered stockings, your holiday decorations represent memories and traditions. Even if you don’t have heirloom decorations or sentimental items, holiday decorations can be expensive and time-consuming to replace. Storage gets them out of the way and safely in a climate-controlled environment.
Here are the items that can easily be damaged without the protection of climate control:
- Artificial trees
- Glass and ceramic ornaments
- Fabric decorations
- Collectible villages
- Animated displays
- Candles
- Photos and albums
How to Organize Your Holiday Decorations For Storage
November arrives, and you’re ready to decorate. You get your bins from storage, but where is the wreath for the front door? You open the first bin to see a random mix of everything. Forty-five minutes later, you find the wreath at the bottom of bin five.
A little organization now makes next year’s preparations a breeze. It’s as simple as properly labeling and packing. As experienced movers and packing experts, here are our recommendations:
- Label all four sides of each bin, not just the top. Be specific about which items are in each bin.
- If you can use clear bins, you’ll be able to see the contents without digging through.
- You can photograph each bin’s contents and tape the picture to the outside. As an alternative, some people like to create a numbered inventory list to keep on their phone or computer.
It’s important to wrap fragile items individually. You’ll want to use tissue paper or packing paper for sturdy ornaments, and bubble wrap for delicate ones. You can also use ornament storage boxes with dividers to prevent round ornaments from smashing together, and egg cartons work great for small pieces.
Avoid the annual untangling nightmare by winding light strings around cardboard or using cord reels. Use zip ties to keep each strand separate.
If you keep wrapping paper, there are tall containers that allow you to stand it upright, which keeps it in the best condition.
What Is Full-Service Storage?
If you only need to store holiday decorations and nothing else, you can get a short-term monthly rental and pay for the time you use. With Georgetown Moving and Storage, we’ll pick up your items, store them securely, and then bring them back to you when you need them. You pay for the months you use, and we’ll come and pick everything back up when the holidays are done.
The process works in any DC neighborhood, from Capitol Hill rowhouses to Rosslyn high-rises. We know how to coordinate with building management and navigate parking permits. You don’t have to lug your bins downstairs, load your car, or drive to a storage facility.
Our secure, climate-controlled facilities maintain consistent temperature and humidity year-round. Your decorations are protected and stay in great condition. If you don’t have time to pack or want help, we can pack everything up for you as well.
You can also choose a PODS-style portable storage. We deliver it to your home, you pack at your own pace, and we pick it up and store it at our climate-controlled facility until you need it back.
However, storage isn’t just for the post-holiday season. Long-term storage gives you the lowest rates, and we can still deliver your seasonal items to you when you need them. Military families, families who downsize, people who want to protect their items during home renovations, and students can all benefit from storage for a few months or a few years.
When to Schedule Holiday Storage
Whether it’s January 1st or mid-July, if your holiday bins are still stacked in a corner or using up precious closet space, it’s not too late for holiday storage. Storage works on your timeline.
Most people schedule pickup in early January while the motivation to declutter is still strong, but January doesn’t work for everyone. Some families keep decorations up through Epiphany on January 19th, or just don’t get around to taking them down right after the season.
If you’ve stored your holiday decorations in the attic or a basement, May is a great time to transfer them to climate-controlled storage. Your items will be protected through the hot, humid summer.
When should you retrieve them? Whenever you want. Let us know your timeline when you book storage, and we’ll coordinate delivery so you have everything when you need it.
Enjoy Every Inch of Your Living Space This Year
The holidays happen once a year. Kids are only young once, and parents aren’t around forever. Your holiday decorations are part of the backdrop that makes these gatherings feel special, but you don’t want to spend precious time digging through boxes for the nativity set or realizing half your ornaments cracked in a hot attic. You want to focus on the fun parts of the holidays with as little stress as possible.
Climate-controlled storage makes your holiday season easier. We pick up in January when you’re done. We deliver in October or November when you’re ready. In between, everything is secure and protected.
We’ve been serving Capitol Hill, Georgetown, Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, Clarendon, Ballston, Rosslyn, Pentagon City, and the DMV area for over 20 years. As a GSA-approved moving and storage company, every single team member has passed comprehensive background checks and thorough training.
Ready to get those boxes out of the way? Call us at (703) 889-8899 or contact us online for a free estimate.
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Georgetown Moving and Storage Company provides expert local, long-distance, and climate-controlled storage solutions throughout the Washington, DC area—helping homeowners reclaim space while keeping their belongings protected year-round.
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