Where to Store Halloween Decorations:
How to Pack Them So They Survive
The best place to store Halloween decorations is somewhere dry, off the floor, and out of your way for the other eleven months of the year. For a lot of Lubbock families, that's a storage unit.
Halloween decorating has gotten big. Twelve-foot skeletons, animatronic witches, fog machines, and yard inflatables the size of a minivan are now just a normal October in plenty of neighborhoods. Then November 1st rolls around and the question hits: where is all of this supposed to go?
If the answer has been "wherever it fits," you've probably opened a bin next fall to find a tangle of fake spiderwebs, a cracked tombstone, and a skeleton missing a hand. Here's where to keep your spooky stuff and how to pack it so it comes back to haunt the yard in one piece.
Why a Storage Unit Beats the Attic, Closet, or Garage
Halloween decor is bulky, awkward, and only out for a few weeks. That makes it a perfect fit for storage.
You get your house back. A giant skeleton in pieces takes up a whole closet. Moving it offsite frees up room for things you actually use.
No more attic wrestling. Hauling a coffin prop up a pull-down ladder is a recipe for broken props and a sore back. A drive-up unit lets you load straight from your truck or trailer.
Everything stays in one place. No more hunting through three closets and the garage for the fog machine remote.
Room for every season. Plenty of folks rotate their storage: Halloween goes in as Christmas comes out, and it all shares space with patio furniture and Fourth of July gear the rest of the year.
How to Pack Each Type of Halloween Decoration
The trick (and the treat) is packing each type of decoration the way it wants to be packed.
Giant skeletons and tall props: Break them down to their smallest pieces, following the original instructions if you still have them. Wrap joints and hands in bubble wrap, bag the screws and bolts, and tape the bag to the largest piece so nothing goes missing. Keep the original box if you can; it's the best fit you'll ever find.
Animatronics: Pull out every battery before storing. Wrap the moving parts and any sound boxes in a towel or bubble wrap, and store them upright so mechanisms don't get bent.
Inflatables: Make sure they're completely dry before folding, since trapped moisture leads to mildew. Keep the fan, stakes, and tethers together in a zip bag tucked inside the folded inflatable.
Foam tombstones and lightweight props: Foam dents and chips easily, so stand tombstones on edge like files in a drawer instead of stacking them flat. Slip a piece of cardboard between each one.
Lights and fog machines: Wrap string lights around cardboard or a light reel and tape the plug end down. Empty and rinse fog machines before storage, since leftover fluid can gum up the heating element.
Fake spiderwebs, fabric, and creepy cloth: Most stretchy webbing doesn't survive a second season, so don't feel bad tossing it. Fabric decor and tablecloths can be folded into sealed plastic bins to keep dust out.
Costumes and masks: Wash or spot-clean fabric costumes first, then store them flat in plastic bins. See below for which masks are better kept at home.
What to Keep at Home Instead
Lubbock summers get hot, and a standard storage unit follows the temperature outside. Most Halloween decor handles that just fine, but a few things are better off staying in the house:
Latex and rubber masks and props, which can get sticky, warp, or melt together in the heat
Candles and wax decor, which soften and lose their shape
Fog machine fluid and other liquids, which can leak or break down
Leftover candy, which will attract pests faster than trick-or-treaters
Real or craft pumpkins and gourds, which rot (store the faux ones instead)
Handmade kids' crafts and keepsakes you couldn't replace
A good rule of thumb: if it's squishy, edible, or sentimental, keep it at home and store the rest.
Organizing Your Unit So Next October Is Easy
Future you will thank present you when setup day rolls around.
Use orange or black bins. Color-coding makes Halloween gear easy to spot from the door, even if it's sharing space with other seasons.
Label every side. Write the contents on the top and at least two sides, like "Skeleton: legs and arms" or "Yard inflatables + stakes."
Snap a setup photo. Before you take everything down, take a picture of your yard display. Next year you'll know exactly where every piece goes.
Keep a parts kit. One small bin for extension cords, timers, zip ties, stakes, and spare bulbs saves a midnight run to the store.
Get everything off the floor. Pallets or plastic shelving protect against condensation and keep bins from crushing each other.
Stack heavy on the bottom, fragile on top. Skeleton parts and inflatables at the base, animatronics and foam props up high.
What Size Unit Do You Need?
For a typical yard setup with a few inflatables, some tombstones, and a dozen bins, a 10x10 is plenty, even with a disassembled 12-foot skeleton in the mix.If your house is the one the whole neighborhood drives by to see, with multiple animatronics, a full graveyard, and props that don't break down small, a 10x15 gives you room to store it all without playing Tetris. Storing Halloween alongside Christmas and other seasonal gear? A 10x15 or 10x20 keeps every holiday organized in one spot. Check out our size guide for a closer look at what fits in each unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a 12-foot skeleton fit in a storage unit?
Yes. Once it's broken down into its pieces, a giant skeleton fits easily in a 10x10, with plenty of room left for the rest of your decorations.
Are plastic bins better than cardboard boxes for Halloween decorations?
Yes. Plastic bins with locking lids keep out dust, moisture, and pests, and they stack without caving in. Cardboard breaks down over time and attracts bugs.
Will the heat damage my Halloween props?
Most decorations, like plastic props, inflatables, lights, and foam tombstones, hold up fine. Latex masks, rubber props, and candles are better kept at home.
Do I need to sign a long-term contract?
Nope. Our month-to-month rentals mean you can rent only as long as you need and size up or down whenever your storage needs change.
Give Your Halloween Decor a Home at Storage in Lubbock
Don't let your skeleton crew take over the garage. Storage in Lubbock offers discounted drive-up units in 10x10, 10x15, and 10x20 sizes, so you can back right up to the door and unload props straight from your truck. With gated access, 24/7 video surveillance, and gate hours from 6:00am to 12:00am every day, your decorations stay secure and are easy to grab when it's time to start haunting the yard again. All at the best price in Lubbock.
Reserve your unit online, call us at (806) 866-4540, or stop by 7314 82nd St, Lubbock, TX. A real neighbor will help you find the right fit.
