When it comes to owning an artificial Christmas tree, there are a few things that you need to take into consideration. The first is obviously the style of tree that you want, the second may be the room that you are setting it up in and the size, and the third may be whether you want it to come with or without Christmas lights. Very few people realize that although knowing the size of the space that you will be setting up in, it is also important to take into consideration how and where you will be storing this.

Knowing the latter will not only helps with space problems, but it will also help in ensuring the longest life for your artificial Christmas tree. If you already purchased your tree this year, you may want to follow a few of these tips to make sure your tree is stored properly.

If you have the room, cut down on the work:

It might be surprising but many stores now offer wonderful bags for artificial Christmas trees. At one time, this meant that you had a sturdy bag to store the unassembled tree in but now it means that you can store the assembled tree. All you need to do is cover the artificial tree, along with all the decorations and store it, either in a roomy basement or in a storage room that has the space. When Christmas comes again, you don`t have to do anything but move the tree and remove the bag. Fast, easy and clean. Not to mention, it cuts down on the number of ornament boxes you have stored away.

Purchase a plastic storage bin:

If you don`t have the room to store your tree fully assembled, then I would strongly recommend purchasing plastic storage bins. You can find many that will fit a disassembled Christmas tree and they will keep the tree protected from any moisture or rodent problems.

Make sure you keep those instructions:

Somewhere over the last year or two, my Christmas tree has lost it`s instructions. This isn`t a huge deal for me since I have put it up enough to remember which branch goes where and it is a fairly straight forward tree to set up, but losing the instructions can be devastating if your tree is fairly complex. For this reason, you should take extra care in ensuring that your instructions are always with your tree when you store it. If you have plastic storage bin for your tree, tape the instructions to the lid of the bin so you never have to worry about where it is.

Leave a little room in the bin:

Last and certainly not least, you should make sure that your plastic bins have enough room for the tree. You shouldn`t have to flatten the branches to get the tree in and you shouldn`t have to cram the branches into the bin. The more room your tree has, the less straightening of the branches you will have to do in the year to come.

-Sirena Van Schaik