How To: Make Holiday Decorating Easier with a Glue Gun

You've probably tried just about every method of hanging your holiday decorations: nails, thumbtacks, sticky hooks, and, in desperation, even tape. Each method can leave a host of complications when removed, though, from chipping paint to visible holes.

Your holiday adornments shouldn't be an ugly reminder for the rest of the year. With a bit of heat and the right kind of glue, you can ensure your decorations stay where they're meant to—and come down easily when Christmas is over.

Use a Glue Gun to Hang Outside Decorations

Outdoor Christmas lights can be perhaps the biggest pain of all to hang. From stapling the strands into your home's eaves to installing special hooks to hold the lights, putting them up can seem like a permanent decision. Yet hot glue makes attaching lights of any kind simple on almost any outdoor surface.

Christmas Designers, a company that specializes in high-quality Christmas lights, shows just how easy and effective hot glue is when used to hang outdoor decorations.

One of the most frustrating problems with outdoor lights is the variety of surfaces on the exterior of your home. With tough, bumpy materials like stucco and brick, it's not easy to make hooks, or even nails, a part of your hanging process. Hot glue solves these problems by adhering to even the oddest of surfaces—and no special glue is needed. According to Christmas Designers, regular hot glue sticks are just fine for the job.

There is one surface that can't handle hot glue, though. Avoid applying the glue to vinyl siding, as the heat of the glue gun will cause the material to melt, creating more of a mess than problem-solving solution. So, no matter your surface, try testing out the hot glue in a small area first. Once you know it's up to the task and won't cause any odd or averse effects, you can use it to light as much as you'd like.

When you're ready to remove your light display, it's simple to get both your decorations and the hot glue residue off of your home. The smoother your surface, the easier the glue will peel away. Tougher areas, like stucco, will put up a bit more of a fight. If your hot glue application isn't allowing for easy removal, try isopropyl alcohol or a heating source such as a hairdryer. These will soften the hardened glue and make removal less difficult.

According to Christmas Designers, stucco can be the trickiest surface. Though the hot glue adheres well, the bumps can create problems during removal. Take your time when removing glue from stucco walls, as it's very easy to leave behind some damage if you rush.

Hot Glue Can Be Used Indoors, Too

Hot glue isn't only helpful outdoors. With a few dabs of your glue gun, you can keep your indoor decor where it belongs as well.

Can't get garland to stop sliding down your slick, smooth walls without a nail or two? Hot glue is the perfect solution, and it is extremely easy to remove from smooth surfaces. Apply a few dabs of glue to the surface and stick your garland in place. When it's time to take everything down, the glue dots can be scraped off gently, or even peeled away from the wall.

A glue gun is also great for tackling odd surfaces in your home, such as a brick fireplace and mantel or lacquered shelves. No matter what you're hoping to hang, hot glue will adhere to the surface—and it won't cause any damage afterwards.