Caring for Christmas Ornaments
Proper storage of your Christmas ornaments will keep them unharmed for next year as well as for decades to come. This is especially true for antique glass ornaments, which are quite fragile. Modern ornaments that are made from treated glass; they are stronger but they are still susceptible to damage.
Handling Glass Christmas Ornaments
Glass decorations must be handled carefully. Whenever they are removed from storage, it should be done on a padded surface. There should also be a padded tree skirt under the tree to soften the impact of any glass ball that falls from the tree. You should also use an old-fashioned Christmas tree fence to keep your young children and pets away from the ornaments. Otherwise, place your delicate glass balls near the top of the tree. Make sure that these ornaments are also positioned away from sunlight so that the paint will not fade.
Cleaning Christmas Ornaments
The colors of antique ornaments are from favorite family recipes, which were not very durable and with age they become even more fragile. Most of them are water-soluble, so they should never be washed or have any type of chemical solution used on them. Instead, gently flick them with an ostrich- feather duster to clean them.
Storing Christmas Ornaments
Strong, acid-free cardboard storage boxes with close-fitting lids are needed to store your Christmas ornaments. You should try to find one that has been specifically designed to store ornaments and thus has appropriately-sized compartments. Plastic boxes are sturdier than cardboard boxes, but the completely airless space they create is not necessarily suitable for valuable or antique ornaments. Of course, you will still want to individually wrap each piece with acid-free tissue paper, or acid-free paper towels before placing it in the storage container. Bubble wrap or crumpled paper towels should be placed at the bottom of the storage container before placing your wrapped Christmas ornaments inside.
Even with all this padding and protection, it is still possible for ornaments to be damaged by extreme temperatures and humidity levels. These elements can cause stress fractures to eventually occur in your ornaments. This is why you do not want to store your Christmas ornaments in unheated attics or cellars. Instead, you should keep them inside of a closet.
Taking time to care and properly store will ensure that your Christmas ornaments go undamaged. This is not something that is difficult to do; consider it as an investment in preserving heirlooms for generations to come.
