How to pack away YOUR Christmas lights so they stay untangled for next year

by

How to pack away YOUR Christmas lights so they stay untangled for next year: Experts share their tips – including wrapping the cord around an old clothes hanger or cardboard box

  • Experts at ElectricalDirect revealed their top tips for storing Christmas lights
  • One tip is to wrap your Christmas lights around cardboard keeping them tidy
  • Another suggestion was to keep hold of the original box the lights came in

By Sam Baker For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Christmas lights look beautiful but they can be notoriously difficult to keep neat. 

But British experts have shared their advice for how to pack away your fairy lights so they are easy to unpack for next Christmas. 

Speaking to FEMAIL, the pros from Essex-based electrical firm ElectricalDirect revealed how old coat hangers and cardboard boxes are perfect frames to wrap the cord around. 

Otherwise there are handy bunching techniques and cable ties that can help make life easier. Here are their seven top tips…

British experts have shared their advice for how to pack away your fairy lights so they are easy to unpack for next Christmas. (Stock image)

1. Use cardboard

A simple trick that will prevent headaches in 12 months’ time. Either chop a large rectangle of card with a little notch in each end, and wrap your lights around them so they stay nice and neat. 

Or do the same thing with an old kitchen roll tube. The notches keep your lights in place, the sturdy cardboard keeps them safe. Next year just unwind and enjoy.

2. Try twist ties or Cable ties

Twist ties and cable ties are dirt cheap, and are more commonly used to tie garden plants to canes or tidying and securing cables. You only need three of either of them for this festive trick. 

3. Wrap the whole tree up 

Yep. You read that right. Why bother putting your lights away at all when you could just wrap them up – tree and all – in cling film? Then just put your tree away and get it out next year, all ready to sparkle. 

Of course, this only works if you have a fake tree.  

First, wrap the lights around your fist so they form loose loops about 30cm long. Then tie one twist or secure one cable tie at each end and another in the middle. 

Store them in a bin bag until next year and give yourself a mince pie to say well done.

4. Tie around the box

Still got the original box your lights came in? Wrap the lights around it with a bit of tape at each end to keep them in place. 

A simple storage solution that recycles something instead of throwing it away.

5. Re-purpose clothes hangers

Wrap your lights around an old clothes hanger, tying the ends over the hook to keep everything in place. Then you can hang them up in a cupboard to keep them out of the way and secure. 

Just don’t mistake them for clothes – it’d be a daring look for 364 days of the year.

6. Bunch them up

This one takes a bit of explaining. First, grab hold of one light, then a second light two lights away. 

Bring those two together and repeat the process until they’re all tightly packed in. Wrap the remaining cord around the middle to keep everything compact.

7. Use a cord reel

Typically used for really long extension cables, a cord reel is also a handy way to keep your Christmas lights tidy. Just attach one end of your lights to the reel and wind them up. It’s as simple as that. 

They can cost as little as a couple of pounds, making them an inexpensive way of solving stress.