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How to Store Decorations – Halloween

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These tips on how to store decorations for Halloween are time and military move tested. They’re simple to do and include frugal ideas. 

Since we move every one to three years with the military, our family holiday traditions are closely tied to our holiday decorations and not to places or community activities. Packing and storing our holiday decorations has always been important to me since those decorations are the only continuity we have each time we move and celebrate a holiday in a new location.

Several different Halloween decorations sitting on floor in front of orange and black storage tub with title text overlay reading How to Store Decorations for Halloween

Since we move every one to three years with the military, packing and storing our decorations safely is important to me. I’ve shared tips on packing Christmas decorations to survive a military move and how to store your decorations to survive a military move.   Over the 20+ moves I’ve made, I’ve picked up tips that have safely moved our decorations all around the world (a couple of times). 

How to Store Decorations – Halloween

Use Plastic Tubs

I use plastic stackable tubs for storage. Plastic tubs are better than cardboard boxes because:

  • They are sturdy.
  • They’re stackable. 
  • They protect from moisture. Unless you live in the desert, there is humidity and moisture in most storage areas that can damage your decorations over time. 
  • They protect from water.  Anyone ever had a basement flood? Anyone ever had cardboard boxes and the contents not survive a flood?
  • They protect from bugs and pests.
  • They come in holiday themed colors. This makes them easier to quickly find in a basement, attic or storage unit. 
2 different style orange and black storage tubs next to each other on floor

Use Repurposed Padded Bags

2 cute witch figurines, one in bubble wrap bag and one halfway in bubble wrap bag

It’s important to wrap delicate decorations in bubble wrap or protective paper. I save money (and the landfill) by repurposing these plastic padded bags that come with mail order prescriptions and many other mail order items. They’re perfect for medium to small decorations. If you don’t collect bubble wrap bags they way I do, you can simply purchase them. 

collage of colorful worksheets with featured cover page with 3 ghosts with party hats.

Use Plastic Bags

skeleton arm in plastic bag labeled "crawling skeleton arm"

It’s important to protect fabric items from moisture and pests. I use zippered plastic bags to keep our treasured decorations save from damage.  They come in a range of sizes so you can find the perfect size for almost anything. 

Identify Storage Bags

I label, often simply by writing with a permanent marker, all bags and packing materials with the name of the item. It makes it much easier to pack decorations away at the end of the month. I immediately know which items fit perfectly in which bags or wraps.

Use Decorations as Containers

overhead view of Halloween-themed toys in a jack o'lantern treat bag

To minimize how much storage space you need, place smaller items inside of larger items. Many Halloween decorations are containers and perfect for holding smaller items. It helps protect those smaller items, consolidate and reduce the amount of storage space you need. 

Add an Inventory

close up of variety of Halloween decorations on floor in front of stacked orange and black storage tubs

Place a simple inventory sheet of which items are stored in each tub. This saves time (and headaches) when you pack everything back away after Halloween. I’ve spent countless wasted hours trying to remember what went in each tub and how it all fit so that I could get them closed again. I don’t know about you, but if I want to do a puzzle, I’ll pick a pretty one that I can do sitting at a table and enjoy.

Label the Tubs

orange and black storage tubs with Halloween-themed organizing labels on the front

Use labels to identify tubs that are not holiday colored. Use labels to list tub contents so that you can quickly find what you’re looking for. I created free Halloween labels printable that you can use. They’re cute and useful. 

Learning how to store decorations for Halloween, or any holiday, is truly a lesson in “a stitch in time saves nine”. Ask me how I know.  I know you and I have better things to do with our time, so every minutes saved can be better used doing something fun and Halloween-y.

For all my favorite Halloween crafts, games, printables and recipes see the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.

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