I love to decorate my apartment for Christmas, but, like most people, find little joy in taking down the decorations and putting them away.
For ease, I throw all of my ornaments and lights into a storage basket. This system works well for socks and sweaters, but has limited utility when it comes to holiday decor. Why? Because holiday decor gets tangled. Always.
This week, I entirely reorganized my setup, without giving up my basket: I sorted my holiday decorations using a roll of VELCRO® brand ONE-WRAP® ties: long, cuttable ties that wrap around just about everything and fasten to themselves. Everyone at Remodelista plans to follow suit. Here, the before and after:
Photography by Meredith Swinehart.
Above: At the end of the holiday season, I toss all of my Christmas decorations into a basket. Not the worst organization solution I've seen, but not the best either. Photography shot with the Canon EOS 70D digital SLR camera, with Dual Pixel AF technology and built-in Wi-Fi.
Above: I'd moved the basket several times over the year, and fished through it for extra extension cords. So when I pulled everything out last week, I found a tangled mess of cords, lights, and garlands.
Above: The solution for keeping tangle at bay: Velcro One-Wraps. (I admit, I initially wondered what advantage, if any, One-Wrap ties have over string. But I soon discovered definite advantages: I can gather decorations in one hand and fasten them with One-Wraps using the other. And One-Wrap ties don't stretch or loosen—at all—so whatever I secure stays put.) $9.34 for a 12-foot roll from Amazon.
Above: Extension cords, Christmas lights, and beaded garland will now keep to themselves.
Above: Sometimes the tiniest cords are the most annoying; these were constantly getting tangled in the wicker trees they're attached to. For these smaller decorations, I used Velcro One-Wrap Self-Gripping Cable Ties; $6.49 for 100 ties at Amazon.
Above: One-Wraps come in handy even for less obvious items, like candles and dried berries.
Above: My holiday napkins and leather gift wrapping string—previously "organized" by being thrown in a paper bag—also benefit from Velcro ties.
Above: Though I had grand plans for finding shelf space for my decorations, I just tossed everything back in the basket. But this time, there are no tangles in my future.