Teardown & Storage

How you tear down and store your props determines whether they last one season or ten. A little planning now saves hours of repair work next year.

Teardown Order

Electronics first — Unplug, disconnect, and bring in all electronics, controllers, and wiring. These are the most moisture-sensitive items.
Sound equipment — Speakers, MP3 players, cables
Fabric and cloth elements — Costumes, cheesecloth, draped fabric. Wash or at least dry before storing to prevent mold.
Small props — Skulls, bottles, accessories
Large props — Coffins, figures, creatures
Foam props — Tombstones, foam panels
Structural elements — Fencing, PVC frames, stakes

Label everything. You will not remember which unlabeled box has the tombstone mounting stakes 11 months from now. Masking tape and marker on every box and bag.
Take photos before teardown. Document your layout, wiring, and prop placement. Next year you'll thank yourself.
Store in dry locations. Garage, attic, closet. Not a damp basement or leaky shed. Moisture causes mold on fabric, rust on metal, and softening of monster mud and paper mache.
Stack foam carefully. Foam tombstones crush under weight. Store vertically or with rigid dividers between them.
Remove batteries from all props and controllers. Batteries corrode over months of storage.
Coil extension cords properly (over-under method) and store in a dry bin.
Fog machines — Run a mixture of water and white vinegar through the machine before storage to clean the pump and heating element. This prevents clogging from dried fog fluid.

While it's fresh in your mind, write down:

Use the planning calendar to schedule off-season building and early prep.