Store Icicle Lights Without Tangling

Icicle lights make your house look great, but unless you buy new ones every year they are nearly impossible to untangle when you pull them out of storage. This is one way to store icicle lights and make next year's Christmas a little more merry.

Steps

  1. Get a roll of plastic sheeting, at a hardware store or home center. About 4 mil thickness is about right.
  2. Take down one strand of icicle lights and lay it out flat on the ground. Unroll the plastic sheeting and cut off a piece about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} longer than the strand.
  3. Lay the first strand on top of the plastic along the edge. Fold all of the icicle strands in the same direction so that they are parallel with the main wire.
  4. Roll the plastic from the edge until the strand is completely rolled up inside the plastic. Roll up only enough plastic to completely cover all of the wires and bulbs.
  5. Take down the next strand and lay it on the plastic next to the roll that you just created. As before, fold all of the icicles in the same direction parallel to the main wire. Continue rolling up the plastic until all of the wires and bulbs are covered.
  6. Repeat the previous step until you get to the edge of the plastic or you have all of your icicles rolled up. Leave a little extra plastic beyond the last strand to make sure that the lights won't pop out the edge as you handle them.
  7. After you have rolled up all that a plastic sheet will hold, a few pieces of duct tape will hold everything together. Don't forget to tape the ends to keep the icicles from slipping out the end.
  8. After you have your icicle "log" taped up, you can roll or fold it as much as you want without tangling. You can even put several logs together and tape them, creating an even bigger log.

Tips

  • Your icicle lights will emerge from the attic next year tangle-free, but you can still tangle them. Be sure to unroll only enough plastic to get to the next strand.
  • This job is a lot easier with a few helpers. Starting to roll up the first strand by yourself is nearly impossible, but it is easy with some help.

Warnings

  • Hopefully you managed to put up your Christmas lights without falling off the ladder, but it can still happen as you take them down. Ice and snow are a good excuse to just leave the lights up for a while!
  • Make sure that the power is off (unplugged, not just turned off) before you start.
  • This technique will allow you to reuse your lights indefinitely, but they won't last indefinitely! If you see any damage or deterioration, just throw the lights away.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic sheeting, about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} wide and about 4 mil thick.
  • Duct tape
  • One or two helpers

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