[nyhaunter]

Sorry if this subject has already been said and done. With summer coming, I've been re-thinking my whole storage system (if you can call it that). Basically all my big, lifesize, outdoor decor is stored in one of our garage bays. The inside decor is partly in a dedicated closet, partly in our basement, and mostly all over the place! The problem is, some of the stuff, such as all the extension cords, lights, electronic stuff, I also use for Christmas. Does it make more sense to store everthing together that will be used together (such as..should I store the extension cords and spotlights that I use for my gargoyles WITH my gargoyles or should I store all cords together, all lights together etc). OR..do I spend a few extra bucks and buy duplicate cords/lighting and keep the H'ween/Christmas stuff seperately? I have all my carved funkins stored in garbage bags in the basement and I really just despise looking at those ugly bags when I go down there as well. I'm trying to make life easier so that I'm not scrambling in Oct. and Dec. to find things. Who has a good system to share?

 

[LadyAlthea]

i dont have a good system to share. but that doesnt stop me from posting lol

i dont have anything huge. i made one medium sized tombstone out of a wooden trash bin...lol but i left that out to weather all winter. seems to have done ok and looks creepy as hell to the neighbors. everything else i have is stored in a giant steamer chest i have or breaks down and goes in the small super small storage space in the common basement area.

I dont really do christmas so i dont have to seperate things.

 

[scorpio]

I have a storage shed its the size of a single car garage. Let me tell you it is too small. I keep everything there Halloween related aside from masks and costumes, and fog machines. It is not climate control. I do keep my christmas trees and and my outdoor christmas. What does one do with all the styrofoam heads I have about 20. I store them in a large outdoor garbage bag but would like to do better. Any ideas?

 

[Mr_Chicken]

I don't know about you, but I usually don't use the exact same setup twice, so I just keep all my cords in one place and my props in another. That way, it's easy to get to each thing, and there's no confusion.

 

[BILLY BOGART]

I would purchase dedicated extension cords/power strips just so you don't bury everything. One better idea(can hear your spouse calling the lawyer is to do away with that red, green and white....black, orange and white is much more appealing

Some times when I look at how people store things(not you) I don't know why they waste so much space. Store things to the ceiling. Never bury boxes unless you have a map of the storage layout. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take pictures of what goes in a box, print it out and tape it outside the box. Sounds like revenge of the nerds but organization is wonderful.

Here's what I did last year with some of my props.

My neighbors love me....why I say a prayer for them everytime I visit my graveyard garden!

 

[Junit]

Some stuff in the basement next to a dehumidifier. Some in a shed. Some in a spare room at my parent's... Probably not the best way to do it, but there's not much more space to keep it.

I agree with keeping the electric cords and lights, etc in boxes by themselves so you can find them for any holiday or need and also don't have to buy more.

 

[Ugly Joe]

Well, to be specific on the extension cords - I keep all of my shorter ones in a couple of large, clear containers with snap lids (actually, they're the containers from Costco that the Halloween pretzel packs come in...they're GREAT for storage once those pretzels are out of them)...my collection of power strips goes in another, and the heavier cords (18 gauge and larger) are coiled, and stacked on a couple of posts protruding from the wall (well, the ones that aren't used regularly - I have about 4 that get the most use during the year, and another dozen that get holiday use).

Never know when one will need an extension cord...

Something I'd like to remind people in garages - use the ceiling as well for hanging props that don't pack well...I think I have as much stuff hanging or stored next to the ceiling as I have in storage cabinets...and yes, that's a lot (sometimes I have to actively dodge through my garage to get to the other side).

Hell...I keep my Dremel hanging from the ceiling on a hook, on a pulley on a rail, just low enough that the flex shaft can reach my workbench comfortably...pull the Dremel along the length of the workbench on that pulley, and it's always out of the way, but available.

 

[TheGothicPrincess]

Last year around this time, I was having a storage issue. So I went to Walmart and purchased about ten of those gigantic tupperware containers.

Took everything out of storage and put everything inside those containers. Since I built a coffin that summer, the larger things that wouldn't fit in the containers went into the coffin. Now everything is neatly locked inside the containers.

Like so many others, my storage shed is not climate controlled, so I have to battle dirt dobbers, and animals getting to my stuff. I also have christmas decorations in this shed, maybe I can get motivated to organize that stuff.

 

[AshleysAsylum]

We use the storage bins as well, I try to keep groups of things together. Like inside stuff in one, graveyard stuff in another, and then label the top of the box. We have a basement so that helps and we have it all in one corner. As for the cords....we now keep all of them upstairs in the hall closet in a plastic bag.

 

[Scatterbrains]

I describe my storage method as random.

The electrical stuff like fog machines and strobe lights are stored on shelves in the garage. Large props are in the shed. Light (as in not heavy) props are stored in the attic. I've got a couple large plastic storage bins that I stuck all the costumes in and another for random stuff like fake hands and feet. Then I have about 10 big cardboard boxes full of stuff stored on a loft in the garage. The problem is, I don't know what I have....so I'm going to try and organize it in the future. Unfortunately, the future requires my kids to move out, so I can dedicate a spare bedroom to most of it


almost forgot...I store my cords the same way Ugly Joe does

 

[Scatterbrains]

We use the storage bins as well, I try to keep groups of things together. Like inside stuff in one, graveyard stuff in another, and then label the top of the box. .

What is this label thing you speak of?

 

[natascha]

Last year I impressed myself with actually getting everything labeled before putting it away.

I have 63 Large Rubbermaid boxes that I tried to keep silimar things in the orange/black ones, similar in the black ones, simalar in the gray etc. but still found myself going through 10 boxes to find stuff I needed, I do not have a photo on them but did get them labeled.

Best part was I had all of the inside stuff done and labeled and the stuff out in the de-tached garage (that we pretty much built for Halloween three car with a side patio and storage upstairs) was put into the boxes but not labeled, I went to work and when I came home my husband, daughter and two of her friends had everything labeled and stored up stairs.

I look forward to getting everything down tis year!!

 

[The King of Halloween]

Being from the New York City area you need 2 million dollars just to get a decent size piece of property. Space is def limited in my house but much better than I am used to. My old place just had a large rubbermaid shed which I used to keep Christmas and Halloween. Every year I had to empty the entire shed to move Christmas to the back, etc.

Now I finally have an attice and have jammed pack everything in there

 

[Scatterbrains]

I went to work and when I came home my husband, daughter and two of her friends had everything labeled and stored up stairs.

WOW!!! I would freak out if I came home and the kids had put my stuff away...

 

[Frankie's Girl]

No basement, so all of the large stuff is in the garage.

I've got most of the stuff made to break down for optimal storage. My crypt is 4 walls that store flat against the garage wall, my fence folds and fits into a 3 x 4 box, columns stack, etc... Stuff that doesn't break down like the coffin and such are just stored against walls. So far all Halloween takes up almost half of a two-car garage.

I store all the cords and lighting in a box as well. We used to decorate for x-mas too, but my x-mas stuff takes up maybe two boxes total compared to the dozen or so for Halloween.

EVERYTHING new - made or bought - has to breakdown easily for storage.

 

[nightrideproductions]

Luckily, my parents (I'm only 16) let me take our attached sunroom, which is about 16 by 16 feet, and make it my own. It's a bit of a mess right now, since i'm sorting through stuff, but I attached some photos:

I got this shelving unit from Sam's Club. I put all the small props on here, including latex props, lights, fog, tombstones on the top, and misc. decor.

Don't remember where I got the shelf on the left, but I put craft supplies and motors, etc. in the drawers. In the filing cabinet are speakers and wires.

For larger items and stuff I might not use, they go in plastic totes from Big Lots.

Finally, I put stuff inside of other props. One example is my toxic waste barrel.

The really big stuff just goes on the floor. Other stuff, including 7 8-foot sections of my fence and a human grill are in my other sunroom directly below the one shown above.