The tree comes down, stands stripped in the hallway for a day or two, and everyone glances at it wondering whether it’s a keep or a bin. There’s a genuinely simple answer, and it depends on one thing: is your tree real or not.
Cut, real tree, needle-drop already started? Skip storage, go straight to disposal below. Potted or rooted living tree? It goes outside or somewhere cool, not into storage. Artificial tree? This is the one worth storing properly, keep reading.
Is Your Christmas Tree Actually Worth Storing?
A cut, real tree isn’t a storage candidate, it’s a recycling or disposal item once the season’s over. A potted or rooted living tree, or an artificial tree, is the one worth storing and reusing next year.
That’s the whole test. Nothing more complicated than that decides it, and it’s worth answering honestly before you spend any time on packing, rather than half-heartedly boxing up a tree that was never going to make it to next December anyway.
What to Do With a Real Tree Once the Season’s Over
Gov.uk guidance is direct on this: recycle it, don’t try to keep it. Check your local council for collection dates, take it to a chipping point, or compost it if you’ve got the space.
Gov.uk estimates around eight million Christmas trees are disposed of in the UK every year, at an estimated landfill cost of roughly £22 million. Recycling rather than binning one, even a single tree, genuinely helps.
Where a Potted or Rooted Tree Actually Belongs
A potted or rooted tree lives outside or in a cool spot between Christmases, not in a storage unit. This isn’t a self storage case at all, so there’s no need to book anything for it, and putting it in a unit for eleven months would do it more harm than good.
How to Pack an Artificial Tree Properly Before It Goes Into Storage
Strip it, clean it, take it apart the way it came together, then box it. That’s the whole process.
Strip and coil lights separately
Take everything off first, lights, baubles, tinsel. Coil the lights round a piece of card or a reel so they don’t tangle or crush over the next eleven months.
Wipe down and disassemble
Wipe the tree down with a dry or barely damp cloth to remove dust before it goes away, dust left on for a year is much harder to shift than dust removed now. Take it apart the same way it came together.
Box or bag it
Use the original box if you kept it, or a new one from our online Box Shop, delivered straight to your door, wherever you are.
Why Moisture, Not Temperature, Is the Real Storage Risk
Damp is what actually damages a stored tree, not cold. A damp loft or garage is where mould sets in and metal tree stands and pre-lit wiring start to rust or fail, and that’s the real risk worth avoiding, not temperature. We keep our units clean, dry and secure, which is what a tree actually needs, and it doesn’t need to be climate-controlled to get that.
The Wigwam-Specific Case for a Small Unit Over the Loft or Garage
A small alarmed unit, booked for our two-week minimum with unused days refunded, and accessed 6am to 10pm, is a lower-effort home for a bulky tree box than eleven months in a damp garage or a cramped loft.
| Garage or loft | A small Wigwam unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture exposure | Real risk, especially over winter | Clean, dry and secure |
| Minimum commitment | None, but takes up space year-round | Two weeks, book only what you need |
| Access hours | Whenever you can get to it | 6am to 10pm, smart entry |
| If plans change | No way to get the space back | Unused paid days refunded |
If a small unit sounds like an easier home for the tree than the garage or the loft, get a quote.
Keeping the Rest of Christmas Out of the Way Too
A tree is rarely the only bulky seasonal item taking up space. Baubles, lights and general decoration boxes belong on our guide to storing the rest of your decorations, not repeated here.
Get a quote whenever you’re ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A cut real tree should be recycled, composted or taken to a council collection point once the season’s over, not stored.
Keep it somewhere clean, dry and secure rather than a damp garage or loft. Moisture, not cold, is the real risk to watch for.
No. Clean, dry and secure is what a tree actually needs, and that’s what our units offer without needing climate control.
Our minimum stay is two weeks, and if you leave earlier than expected, unused paid days are refunded.
