Douglas firs might be evergreen (especially the plastic kind), but you can’t exactly deck the halls year-round. Soon, the weather will be warming up, and you’ll be itching to start decorating for spring. And if you need to make room for all of your seasonal décor in your tiny space, try these six clever storage ideas for small apartments!
Carefully wrap strands of lights around cardboard pieces.
Don’t throw out all those shipping boxes just yet! With a pair of scissors, they can quickly become cheap Christmas decoration storage. To ensure your twinkly lights don’t turn into a tangled mess, wrap them around squares of cardboard. You can even cut notches into the sides of the carton to hold the strands firmly in place. Not only will this save you a migraine when it comes time to decorate next year, but it’ll also allow you to save some space by storing them flat.
Hang up your wreath with a clothes hanger.
If you’ve got any room to spare between coats in your hall closet, you’ve got a safe space to store your Christmas wreath! Slip it over a sturdy hanger and throw a clear garment bag over it to keep it from collecting dust in the time between holidays. This is a simple (and space-saving) method for tucking your wreath away.
Shrink-wrap your fake tree.
Protect your tree and minimize how much space it takes up in your apartment with a little help from a roll of shrink wrap. Disassemble your tree and bend all of its branches in toward the trunk. Then, wrap each piece of the tree with shrink wrap – loose enough not to damage anything, but snug enough to make it compact. Keep in mind that you don’t need to put the whole tree in one spot; you can disassemble it into smaller pieces and put those wherever they fit—from under your bed to behind the couch!
Store fragile ornaments in egg cartons.
Don’t throw out that carton once you’ve cracked the last egg! These handy little containers make perfect storage options for your fragile ornaments. Wrap the ornament in tissue paper if you want some extra protection, and pop them into each little compartment. Collect a few egg cartons, and you’ll have enough for all the ornaments on your tree! Put them in a box or stack them on a shelf, and they’ll be safe until next December.
Don’t underestimate all of that under-the-furniture storage space.
Apartment dwellers need to take advantage of every square inch of space, and that includes the precious space under your largest pieces of furniture, like your bed and your couch. Invest in a few under the bed storage boxes, and fill them to the brim with things like your lights, ornament cartons, wrapping paper tubes, and so on. Slide the boxes under your bed or sofa to keep them out of sight till next year! Need more under-bed storage? Use bed risers to prop your mattress up higher, making more space for plastic storage bins!
Hang up simple floating shelves.
Many apartments simply don’t offer enough storage space, so why not add some? Clear stacking tubs and extra clothing racks can make your place look cluttered, but there are chic ways to add storage space. Consider adding a few floating shelves to any empty wall space, and pop a few wicker baskets on them. You can fill these with things like gift tags and Christmas candles, and they won’t make your space look like a storage unit.
With these six DIY storage solutions, you’ll have no trouble hiding the holiday cheer until next year. But, if your apartment has so little storage that you’re forced to have Christmas every single month, you probably need more space! Find an apartment with plenty of closet space with ApartmentSearch.
