Great picture yourself standing in front of your open full artificial Christmas tree…surprise! You may notice the “not-so-great” things. Perhaps your bulbs have broken, and those gorgeous evergreen needles look faded and askew. So who is the culprit causing all this havoc? Well, it all comes down to improper storage. Luckily with the following steps, you can prevent this from happening again.
Step One Invest in a Storage Bag
The biggest mistake you can make is putting your fake Christmas tree back in the original box it arrived. First, getting that tree back in the box is difficult as it will be a very tight fit, and shoving it leads to branch and light damage.
Secondly, that cardboard box is not durable and flimsy, disintegrating with time. It will not protect your artificial tree from moisture, dust, changing temperature, or pests. We recommend investing in a storage bag to keep Christmas trees neatly packed. The best bag is large enough to place your tree without forcing it.
Second Step Inspect the Lights
Now that all the decorations are off the tree, you need to store them. When your tree has no embellishments, it is the best time to spot if there are some light issues if you have a pre-lit tree. You can now replace those burned bulbs. Of course, you can do the same before removing your strands of lights for storage. However, replacing them will make things simpler before the next Christmas season arrives.
Third Step Dissemble Your Tree
The majority of full artificial Christmas trees come in three sections to disassemble. Start with the top tier and move your way down. For your pre-lit tree, unplug each unit before pulling the sections apart. The best practice is to leave your tree unplugged for the lights to cool off about 30 minutes before storing.
Fourth Step Fold the Branches Up
You must fold the branches up by doing the opposite when you take them out of the box. Keep folding the branches down nice and neat into place. If storing is a tight fit, you will need to take your time with this step as it will need to sit compactly. If you use a storage bag, you can do this quickly and spend less time stopping at this step.
Fith Step Find The Best Storage Location
We recommend storing your full artificial Christmas tree in a clean, dry, temperature-controlled spot. Hence, keeping it in a closet or the basement is better than in the attic or your garage. The basement needs to remain dry. You want a spot where you can avoid sunlight as it results in discoloration, while moisture can cause damage to lights.
When you look at temperature fluctuations, it can result in faded colors on white flocked trees. We also recommend storing your tree horizontally where piling does not take place or can be knocked over. If you must keep it vertically, find a designated stand to prevent it from getting knocked over.