Unless every single one of your decorations is made of the same exact kind of plastic, you’ve probably found yourself facing the age-old question of how you’re supposed to make some of these decorations last. Wood can rot, metal can rust, and wires can fray over time. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can keep your holiday decorations safe, weather proof (or at least weather-resistant) and help them stick around for a long time to come.
Protective Cord Covers
We’re not sure why these protective cord covers haven’t been around forever, but if you’re concerned with water or other elements getting in your plugs and shorting things out, these will be great for you. These green pill-shaped devices are simple clamshell cases that store the business end of your plugs in the center, with rubber at the point where the plugs exit the container, to help seal them off from water. These cord covers also feature a fold-out hanger, in case you need to put these on a roof or somewhere besides your lawn.
Clear Coat
Polyurethane and acrylic clear coats are a great way to help keep moisture off of your decorations, which can shorten their life span. Even for natural wreaths or other decorations with a limited life, a good clear coat can keep them dry, hopefully lasting throughout the holiday season. You should test whatever clear coat product you choose on a small patch of whatever you want to coat first, though, to make sure it doesn’t cause any unexpected problems.
Add Waterproofing
This is for metal signs and other décor that say they are waterproof, but for which you suspect otherwise, and will be getting snowed or rained on directly. No one wants to ruin a holiday tradition by letting a great metal sign or wooden decoration fall apart slowly in the weather, so you can try any kind of waterproofing, like Scotchguard, to help keep them safe. Just make sure to test your surfaces as well.
Don’t Decorate with Metal
We’ve been talking about metal decorations, because a lot of us are indeed used to putting up metal decorations, but especially if you live somewhere that gets humid or has salty air, decorating with metal is simply not a good idea. You can use a product like Rust-Oleum, but that won’t always prevent the worst of it. Also, bear in mind that many other products may have metal screws, etc, in them, which can also rust over time.
Add Some Weight
If you live somewhere even slightly windy, you may find yourself with crooked or even missing decorations because of the weather. Even inflatables, which can be remarkably weather resistant, have weights in them to keep them from going everywhere, so consider doing the same to other decorations. Whether you’re putting some rocks or bricks or sand into the bottom of something, or tethering something down, use what you’ve got to prevent your lightest decorations from floating away.