How to store string lights so they work next season

Quick answer: coil each run loosely around your forearm or a card, keep the plug and controller outside the coil, label the set, and test it before you put it away — not when you bring it out.

Coil it, do not fold it

Folding a strand back and forth creases the wire at the same points every year; that is where they fail. Coil loosely around something round — a forearm, a cardboard card, a jar — and tie the coil with a soft tie, not a thin cable tie pulled tight.

Keep power parts out of the coil

The plug, adapter, solar panel and battery box are the parts that fail first. Coil the light separately, then place the power part alongside it in the box, so the joint is not bent every time you move the bag.

• Remove batteries from battery boxes before storage. Leaking cells destroy the contacts.
• Wipe the solar panel with a dry cloth so dust does not bake on over the summer.
• Do not store outdoors, in a shed with a damp floor, or in a loft that swings between hot and freezing.

Label the set

Write the product name, the length and the year on a strip of tape and wrap it around the coil. Two seasons later, "the warm-white one, about 10 metres" is not enough information.

Test before storing, not before using

Plug in for two minutes. If a section is dead or flickers, you have months to claim it rather than discovering it on the evening you wanted the lights up. Check the returns window — unused, uninstalled items are usually returnable for 30 days.

A five-minute storage routine

1. Wipe the strand and the panel dry.
2. Test the run.
3. Remove batteries.
4. Coil loosely, tie softly, label.
5. Store in a sealed box indoors, off a concrete floor.

Next season

Uncoil from the plug end so the strand pays out instead of knotting. Plan lengths in advance with the length guide, and check outdoor ratings with IP ratings explained.

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