(ABC 6 News) – Every November when it’s time to get out the Christmas decorations I wish I had done a better job of putting them away the year before.

Lights for the tree were tossed into multiple bins. The tree-topper somehow got into a plastic tub
with plastic Halloween pumpkins and a Thanksgiving tablecloth. Decorations for three separate
holidays are mixed in a half-dozen green plastic bins. As usual, next Halloween we’ll go from
bin-to-bin sorting through all of the decorations we’ve thrown in multiple plastic tubs.

There must be a better way.

Here’s a cheap solution: QR codes.

You can pick up a pack of QR code stickers online. I bought a pack of 48 for $16. Here’s how
they work:

The stickers connect to an app that both reads and labels them. It’s fairly simple to use.
Place one of the stickers on a storage bin and then scan it with the app. Once in the app, you
can label it simply “Christmas decorations”, or my recommendation is to be more specific. I put
all of the Christmas tree lights in one bin and used the app to label a sticker as “Christmas tree
lights” and are kept in a green bin. You’re also prompted to add a description to the sticker for its
location such as ‘storage room’, ‘closet’, or ‘basement’.

You can then summarize what’s stored in the bin and take at least one photo of the contents.
Now we can close it up and put the tub away.

I used another bin to hold assorted decorations and random ornaments. Another bin is
specifically for special ornaments that have been passed down through the family, and another
is for a nativity scene and tabletop decorations.

Next November when you’re ready to begin decorating, just use your smartphone’s camera
and the app to scan a QR code sticker to see exactly what’s inside a bin before taking it down
and opening it.

You can always re-scan the QR code and re-label it with what goes in it the next time you put
things away.

It’s a good idea to do the same with other holiday decorations too. Rather than opening every
bin looking for plastic Halloween pumpkins, just scan the code to locate the bin. And you can
use the stickers for many other things such as paint you use in rooms, or one of my favorite
uses, labeling charging bricks so I always know which charger goes with which tech gadget.

It takes a little work doing this the first time, but once bins are labeled and things put away
correctly, you’ll shave time off your decorating