November 26th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

For many, it doesn’t feel like Christmas is coming until they first venture up into the attic to get their Christmas decorations. If you’re like most people, cleaning your attic regularly won’t exactly be a priority; this means that, even if you keep your Christmas tree in a box or a bag, it could still be covered in dust and grime when you go to put it up. There’s nothing less festive than a dingy Christmas tree, but there’s no need to worry – you can follow this guide and clean your Christmas tree in just five simple steps.

Step 1: Set Up Your Christmas Tree

Put your tree in its base and set it up, unfolding all of its branches. This will make it easy for you to get to every part of your tree. If your tree is really dusty, you can put it on some plastic sheet to keep your floors clean. If your tree has lights or other electrical components built into it, you should make sure they’re not plugged in before you start cleaning your tree.

Step 2: Gently Vacuum Your Tree

Vacuum your tree as gently as you possibly can, making sure you use a bristle brush nozzle on your vacuum’s hose. Handheld vacuum cleaners are usually better for this as they tend to have less suction. If your vacuum cleaner has multiple suction settings, use the least powerful one. When vacuuming your tree, work from top to bottom and run your vacuum along the length of the branches – don’t insert the branch into the end of the hose. Most trees should be able to cope with a gentle vacuuming unless your tree is really old and the bristles are coming away from the branch. If your tree is too fragile to vacuum, go over it thoroughly with a feather duster rather than a vacuum cleaner. If your tree has lights built into it, don’t vacuum them. Use your fingers to hold the bulbs out of the way are you work around your tree.

Step 3: Wash Your Tree

Mix together some gentle washing up liquid with some warm (not hot) water. It’s important that you don’t use any cleaning chemicals or caustic detergents as these can damage your tree. Soak a dishcloth or microfibre cloth in your soapy water, wring it out so it isn’t dripping, and use it to gently but thoroughly wipe down your tree. Again, work from top to bottom, and make sure you regularly wash your cloth off to avoid spreading wet dust over your tree. Don’t forget to wipe down your tree’s base, too! Again, if your tree has lights built into it, you should clean around them without getting them wet.

Step 4: Allow the Tree to Dry

Wait for your tree to dry completely before you start decorating. While you’re waiting, you can clean up the dust that will be scattered around the floor under your tree. If you put some sheets down, it should be easy to clean this up. It may be worth putting the vacuum around your floor, too.

Step 5: Decorate!

Once the tree is dry, it’s completely safe to plug in your lights and start decorating! Your tree will look better than ever after a quick clean, so go all out and make it as festive as you can.