A christmas light takedown service is the easiest money in this industry. You already know the house. You already have the equipment. And the customer already trusts you. Yet most installers treat takedown as an afterthought. Some give it away for free. That is a profit leak you need to plug.
| Takedown Element | Approach | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Service Included | Red carpet service | Included in $8-$12/ft price |
| Bulbs & Clips | Don't remove — keep assembled | As installed |
| Labeling System | Zip ties with labels | During takedown |
| Volume Target | 10-20 takedowns per day | January scheduling |
- Schedule 10-20 takedowns per day during January
- Leave bulbs and clips assembled (don't remove individually)
- Carefully disconnect light strands while keeping assemblies intact
- Label each assembly with zip ties and descriptive tags
- Coil and store in organized bins by room/section
- Charge takedown as included red carpet service in $8-$12/ft package price
We offer a red carpet service. We do everything from put up to take down. The customer does not have to worry about a thing. That is the business model. You provide a complete light service — you bring the lights, you put them up, you take them back down, and the customer never has to think about it.
Takedown generates revenue in January and February when installation work dries up. It extends your season by 4 to 6 weeks. It locks in repeat customers for next year. And the margins are better than installation because material costs are near zero. Being that you do not charge for lights in January and February, you do not have money coming in, so you need to make sure you have that money set aside from the install season.
Watch These Takedown and Removal Videos
Watch these videos from our YouTube channel covering takedown techniques and tips.
How Should You Price Christmas Light Takedown?
Takedown pricing is part of your overall service. If you are going to charge separately for takedown, it is going to be $75 to $200. But this is already part of your $8 to $12 per foot price. We offer a red carpet service — install and takedown are included in one price. The customer does not have to worry about a thing.
The only time you would charge $75 to $200 separately for a takedown is if you did not put the lights up. If someone else installed the lights and now they need them taken down, that is when you charge for takedown as a standalone service. You do not know what you are walking into. Different clips. Different layouts. Potential damage from weather.
Red Carpet Service (Install + Takedown Bundle)
The best approach is bundling everything into one price. Your $8 to $12 per foot covers installation, the lights, takedown, and storage. The customer gets a complete service. They never have to worry about a thing. This is how you build a real business with repeat customers year after year.
How Many Takedowns Can You Do in a Day?
Typically, you can take down anywhere from 10 to 20 houses in a day if you put them up right. That is the key — if you installed them correctly, takedown is fast. If someone else installed them with staples or made a mess, it takes much longer.
Book takedowns in geographic clusters. Monday you do the north side of town. Tuesday the south. Minimize drive time between jobs. Five takedowns in one neighborhood is more profitable than five takedowns across five zip codes.
Start scheduling takedowns the week after Christmas. Send a text or email: "Ready to schedule your takedown? We are booking January and February now." First-come, first-served creates urgency.
What Is the Takedown Process?
Efficient takedown follows a system. The key thing to understand: we are NOT removing the bulbs from the sockets. We are NOT removing the clips. The bulbs and clips all stay on the light set. That is why you pre-bulb and pre-clip your strands before installation — everything stays assembled for takedown and storage.
Step 1: Disconnect and Remove
Work in the reverse order of installation. Start at the farthest point from the power source and work back. Disconnect power first. Then pull the strand down with the bulbs and clips still attached. Everything stays together as one unit.
Step 2: Mark and Label with Zip Ties
Use zip ties to label your strands so you know exactly where they go next year. Here is the system we use:
- Right side: Put a small red zip tie on the right end of the line, so you know that end is the right side.
- Peaks: Use a different color zip tie for peaks so you can identify them.
- First floor: One red zip tie means it is a first floor strand.
- Second floor: Two red zip ties means it is a second floor strand.
This labeling system saves massive time during next year's installation. You pull out the strands, see the zip tie markers, and know exactly where each one goes without guessing.
Step 3: Coil and Store
Wind lights onto reels with the bulbs and clips still attached. Label every reel with the customer name, address, and any notes. Store at your facility. These are your lights — you are technically leasing them to the customer as part of the red carpet service.
Should You Offer Light Storage?
If you are running a red carpet service, storage is built in. These are your lights. You bring them, you install them, you take them down, and you store them until next year. The customer never touches the lights.
Storage also creates a lock-in effect. Customers whose lights are in your warehouse call you next year. They do not shop around. They do not switch contractors. Their lights are with you.
Storage Best Practices
- Wind all lights onto reels with bulbs and clips still attached (no tangled piles in bags)
- Label every reel: customer name, address, strand count, zip tie color codes, notes
- Store in a climate-controlled space if possible
- Inventory everything digitally — a simple spreadsheet works
- Contact customers by August to confirm next season's install
How Does Takedown Create Year-Round Revenue?
The Christmas light season has a natural off-season problem. October through January is busy. February through September is quiet. Takedown and storage help fill that gap. But you need to plan for it — January and February you do not have money coming in from new installs, so make sure you have money set aside from the busy season.
January-February: Takedown Revenue
Takedowns keep your crew working for 4 to 6 weeks after install season ends. If you can do 10 to 20 takedowns a day, that is significant revenue to carry you through the slow months.
March-April: Permanent Lighting Season
Spring is prime time for permanent lighting installations. Homeowners who saw their neighbors' lights all winter now want their own. Year-round systems sell best in spring and early summer. For more details, see our Christmas light installation pricing guide.
May-September: Planning and Prep
Use the off-season for marketing, quoting next season, and pre-ordering materials. Storage customers need August outreach to confirm bookings.
October-December: Install Season
Back to full production. With takedown bundled into every install as part of your red carpet service, you have already sold the January revenue before December starts.
What About Takedown-Only Customers?
Some homeowners installed their own lights or hired someone else. Now they need them taken down. This is when you charge $75 to $200 for the takedown. You did not install the lights. You do not know the layout. You do not know what clips were used. You are walking into someone else's work.
Takedown-only customers are also warm leads for next year's installation. Do great work. Leave a card. "Next year, let us handle the whole thing — our red carpet service covers everything from install to takedown."
Related Guides
- Christmas Light Installation Pricing Guide
- How to Hang Christmas Lights on a Roof
- Equipment List: Everything You Need
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for Christmas light takedown?
If takedown is part of your red carpet service, it is included in your $8 to $12 per foot pricing. If you are doing a takedown-only job where you did not install the lights, charge $75 to $200 depending on the size and complexity of the job.
Do you remove the bulbs and clips during takedown?
No. We do not remove the bulbs from the sockets. We do not remove the clips from the strand. Everything stays assembled as one unit. This is why pre-bulbing and pre-clipping your strands matters — the whole strand comes down and goes back up as one piece.
How do you label strands for next year?
Use colored zip ties. A small red zip tie on the right end marks the right side. A different color marks peaks. One red zip tie means first floor, two red zip ties means second floor. This system lets you reinstall quickly without guessing where each strand goes.
How many takedowns can you do in a day?
If you installed the lights correctly, you can take down 10 to 20 houses in a day. The key is clustering jobs geographically and having a system. If you are taking down someone else's installation, expect it to take longer.
Should I offer free takedown to win installation jobs?
No. Do not give away takedown for free. Include it in your red carpet service pricing. The customer gets one price that covers everything — install, lights, takedown, and storage. That is a complete service, and it is how you build a real business with repeat customers.