Drive through almost any Georgia neighborhood in October and you will notice it: Halloween decorations have gotten enormous. A few plastic pumpkins on the porch have given way to skeletons tall enough to peer over the gutters, inflatable monsters that tower over the mailbox, and life-size animatronics with glowing eyes and motion sensors. Some yards look like a movie set. It is a lot of fun — right up until November 1, when every one of those props needs somewhere to live for the next eleven months.
A 12-foot skeleton does not fit on a garage shelf. A pile of deflated inflatables, a crate of foam tombstones, and three animatronic witches can swallow half a two-car garage by themselves. Here is how to break giant Halloween decorations down, protect them from damage, and find them a home until next fall.
Why Halloween Storage Has Become a Real Problem
Seasonal storage used to mean a couple of orange totes. That changed when giant yard props went mainstream. The 12-foot skeleton became a cult favorite and sells out nearly every year, and it brought a whole category of oversized decor with it — towering werewolves, giant reapers, inflatable spiders the width of a driveway. Collectors add a new piece every season, and nothing ever gets smaller.
These props are also expensive. A giant animatronic can cost as much as a piece of furniture, and it has electronics, motors, and LCD eyes inside. Treating it like a box of decorations — tossed in a damp corner of the garage or a sweltering attic — is how a several-hundred-dollar centerpiece stops working by year two.
Step One: Break It Down Before You Pack It Up
Almost every giant prop is designed to come apart. The trick is doing it carefully, because the hardware you lose in November is the hardware you will be hunting for next October.
Giant skeletons and tall poseable figures
Tall skeletons are built in sections — typically the skull, torso, arms, legs, and a weighted or staked base. Before you start, take a few photos of how everything connects; you will thank yourself next year. Then:
- Pull the batteries from the head or control box first.
- Separate the sections and wipe each one down. Pollen, dirt, and leaf debris hold moisture against the plastic.
- Let every piece dry completely indoors before wrapping it.
- Put all bolts, pins, and stakes in a zip-top bag, label it, and tape it directly to the torso or base so it can’t wander off.
- Wrap the skull and any piece with light-up eyes in a moving blanket. That is the most fragile and most expensive part of the figure.
If you still have the original box, use it. It was engineered to hold those exact pieces, and it stands upright in a storage unit with a small footprint. If the box is long gone, stack the long sections flat on a pallet or shelf with a blanket between them, and never put heavy bins on top of them.
Inflatables
Inflatables are the most common mildew casualty in Georgia. They come down damp from dew or rain and get stuffed into a bin while still wet, and next fall you open the lid to a spotted, musty mess. Run each inflatable on the first dry, sunny afternoon after Halloween until the fabric is bone dry. Then deflate, fold loosely rather than tightly, and pack it in a breathable bag. Keep the blower, stakes, and tethers bagged together with the inflatable they belong to.
Animatronics
Animatronics need the most care because they are part decoration, part electronic device. Remove every battery — leaking batteries are the number one reason an animatronic is dead on arrival the next season. Unplug and coil the power adapters, bag any detachable props (lanterns, axes, candelabras), and store the figure upright if it was designed to stand. Costume fabric and latex masks last longer when they are not crushed under other items.
Foam tombstones, props, and lights
Foam tombstones and graveyard props are light but surprisingly bulky, and they dent easily. Stand them on edge like books in a bin rather than stacking them flat. Wrap string lights around a piece of cardboard instead of balling them up, and test them before you pack them so you are not storing a strand that already stopped working.
The facility itself is clean and well-maintained, and it’s clear that Dee Dee truly cares about providing top-notch service.
— Swurve Apparel, Ark Self Storage reviews
Where Giant Halloween Decorations Should (and Shouldn’t) Go
The attic: the worst choice in Georgia
The attic is the default for a lot of families, and for big Halloween props it is the worst option. Georgia attics bake through the summer, and that heat warps foam, makes thin plastic brittle, melts the adhesive on decals and printed faces, and shortens the life of the batteries and circuit boards inside animatronics. Hauling a 12-foot skeleton up a pull-down ladder is its own problem.
The garage: works until it doesn’t
A garage is easier to reach, but it has the same humidity problem as the outdoors, plus the space problem. Giant props eat the room you need for cars, tools, and the rest of the year’s gear. And with Christmas decorations coming out of storage right now, November is exactly when the garage is the most crowded.
A storage unit: built for exactly this
A storage unit gives oversized props their own dedicated space, at ground level, with no ladders and no fighting the car for room. For Halloween collections heavy on animatronics, inflatables, foam, and fabric, a climate-controlled unit is the safest call — it keeps the heat and humidity swings that ruin electronics and breed mildew out of the picture. Our guide to climate-controlled vs. standard storage walks through where the line falls. Climate-controlled units are available at several Ark locations, including Marietta and Macon.
A standard drive-up unit works well for the hard plastic, resin, and metal pieces — a skeleton’s plastic limbs and steel base, plastic pumpkins, and metal yard stakes — and drive-up access means you can back up a truck and unload a giant prop without carrying it down a hallway.
What Size Storage Unit Do You Need for Halloween Decorations?
It depends on how far your neighborhood has pushed the arms race:
- 5×5: A handful of totes, a couple of folded inflatables, and lights. The casual decorator.
- 5×10: One disassembled giant skeleton, its base, and several bins of decor. The most common size for a family that has added a single show-stopper prop.
- 10×10: Multiple oversized figures, a few animatronics, and a full graveyard setup with tombstones and fencing.
- 10×15 and up: The serious home haunter — a yard display that takes a full weekend to set up.
Not sure where you fall? The storage calculator gives you a recommendation in about a minute. Plenty of customers also find the same unit handles all their holiday decor: Halloween props go in on November 1, Christmas decorations come out, and the swap reverses in January. One unit, a year-round rotation, and a garage that stays usable the whole time.
Packing Tips That Make Next October Easy
- Pack in reverse setup order. The things you put out first should be the last things you load into the unit, so they are right at the front next fall.
- Label the ends, not the tops. Bins get stacked. Label the side that faces the aisle.
- Use sturdy, uniform containers. Matching bins stack to the ceiling safely and don’t collapse under eleven months of weight. Our packing supplies cover boxes, tape, and wrapping, and the packing tips guide covers loading a unit properly.
- Leave a center aisle. You will want to grab one specific prop in September without unloading everything.
- Leave fuel at home. If any part of your display runs on propane or gas — flame effects, a generator for the inflatables — the fuel can’t go in a storage unit. Empty or disconnect it and keep it outdoors at home.
One more thing to ask before you rent anywhere: what happens to the rate over time. Seasonal storage is a long rental, and many facilities quote a low opening price and then raise it every few months. Ark Self Storage doesn’t — our standing promise is that we won’t raise your rent every month like the other guys.
They’re so sweet and kind. They helped my wife and I out and forever grateful.
— Isabella Bellamy, Ark Self Storage reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store a 12-foot Halloween skeleton?
Take it apart. Giant skeletons are built in sections that separate for storage. Remove the batteries, wipe each piece down and let it dry completely, wrap the skull and any piece with light-up eyes or electronics in a moving blanket, and store the sections together with the hardware bagged and taped to the torso. The original box is the best container if you still have it.
Can I store Halloween decorations in a hot attic?
It is not ideal in Georgia. Attics get extremely hot in summer, and that heat warps foam tombstones, makes plastic brittle, melts adhesives, and shortens the life of batteries and circuit boards in animatronics. A climate-controlled storage unit avoids those swings.
What size storage unit do I need for Halloween decorations?
A 5×5 holds a few totes and a couple of folded inflatables. A 5×10 fits one disassembled giant skeleton plus several bins of decor. Households with multiple oversized props, animatronics, and a full graveyard setup usually need a 10×10, and serious home haunters often move up to a 10×15 or larger.
How do I store Halloween inflatables without mildew?
Never pack an inflatable damp. Run it inflated on a dry, sunny afternoon until the fabric is completely dry, then deflate, fold loosely, and store it in a breathable bag or bin. Bag and label the blower, stakes, and tethers so everything is together next fall.
Should I take the batteries out of animatronics before storing them?
Yes, always. Batteries left in a prop for eleven months can leak and corrode the contacts and circuit board, which is the most common reason an animatronic stops working. Remove every battery, store them separately, and start next season with fresh ones.
Give Your Monsters a Place to Rest
The best Halloween displays take real investment — in money, in setup time, and in the props themselves. A little care in November protects all of it, and getting giant decorations out of the attic and garage gives you your space back for the holidays.
Ark Self Storage has eight facilities across Georgia, from Marietta and Norcross to Savannah, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, and Fitzgerald. Browse our locations, check out more seasonal advice in the storage tips library, or get in touch and we’ll help you find a unit big enough for your tallest skeleton.