January has arrived, the grand holiday light show is officially over, and it's time for the least glamorous part of the hobby: tearing down the display. Your GEUSA coro props and 12v pixel nodes represent a solid investment. Taking a few deliberate, protective steps during teardown ensures that when you pull them out of storage next November, everything plugs in and fires up perfectly on day one.
Coro plastic is incredibly tough, but summer heat, improper stacking, and sneaky attic pests can ruin a display over the off-season. Here is how the pros store their gear.
Step 1: Clean and Dry Before Packing
Never pack your props away while they are still wet from winter rain or melted snow.
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The Risk: Trapping moisture inside the plastic corrugated channels or sealing wet pixel pigtails inside airtight tubs leads to corrosion and mold over the summer.
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The Fix: Bring your props into a garage or basement for 24 to 48 hours to dry completely. Wipe down any mud or dirt with a soft microfiber towel (avoid harsh chemical cleaners, which can degrade any custom printing on the coro faces).
Step 2: The Right Way to Stack Coro Props
Corrugated plastic has a memory. If you lean a massive snowflake or singing face against a wall at an angle under a heavy box, the hot summer heat in a garage or attic will cause the plastic to permanently warp and bow.
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Flat Stacking: Store large, flat props completely flat on a uniform surface (like a sheet of plywood laid over rafters or a flat shelf).
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The "Hanging" Trick: For awkward, dense props like wreaths, arches, or smaller shapes, the absolute best method is hanging them vertically. Screw basic bicycle hooks or heavy-duty utility hooks into your garage ceiling joists or wall studs and hang the props by their built-in rigging holes. This removes all pressure from the plastic and keeps them completely straight.
Step 3: Protecting Your Pixel Connections (Pigtails)
The waterproof xConnect or EasyPlug pigtails attached to your props are rated for outdoor winter weather, but they can still fail if left exposed to pests. Mice and squirrels love to chew on low-voltage wire insulation during the spring.
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Cap Your Ends: Always screw the waterproof caps back onto your controller pigtails and extension cords when you disconnect them. If your extensions don't have built-in caps, wrap the open metal pins tightly in a layer of electrical tape.
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Dust Protection: Keep your main controller boxes stored indoors (like a closet or climate-controlled basement) rather than a scorching hot attic to preserve the lifespans of the internal power supplies and capacitors.
Step 4: Storing Loose Pixel Strings (The Over-Under Method)
If you have loose strings of pixels that you pulled out of temporary window outlines or stakes, do not just bundle them into a giant tangled ball. You will spend half of next November crying trying to untangle them.
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The Extension Cord Reel Trick: Buy cheap extension cord reels or plastic cord wraps from the hardware store. Wind your loose 50-count or 100-count pixel strings cleanly onto the reels, ensuring you don't pull tightly against the pixels themselves (which can damage internal data connections).
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Clear Tote Organization: Drop the reels or loosely coiled strings into clear, heavy-duty plastic storage totes. Toss a few packets of Silica Gel (moisture absorbers) into each tote before snapping the lids shut to lock out any lingering humidity.
💡 GEUSA Pro-Tip: Use a silver Sharpie or a label maker to label the input end of your pixel strings and the specific ports they belonged to before packing them away. Future-You will thank you tremendously when your layout maps instantly next season!