As delightful as the holiday season is, cleaning up shedding needles can be a daunting task. Whether your tree needles are falling early or you're preparing for the inevitable mess when you remove the tree from your home, these cleaning methods can help.
“Trying to reduce the number of dead pine needles that fall to the ground is the best way of keeping your home clean and looking less like a forest floor," shares Aaron Christensen, cleaning expert and VP of Growth at Homeaglow.
Three such ways are:
- Make a path. Clear the way for your tree when you first bring it into your home, as this helps to avoid bumps that result in a trail of needles.
- Keep the tree healthy. Place the tree in a cool area that won’t get too hot and give it a little bit of watering to help it stay fresh and green.
- Try and reduce the amount of traffic and activity around the tree. For instance, keep the tree in a corner of the room and away from high-traffic areas that might lead to it getting bumped into or played with.
"Overall, the more you can prevent your Christmas tree from shedding needles and the amount of space it has to shed them, the easier it will be to clean up.”
Use Vacuum Attachments
Tempting as it is, don't use your vacuum to roll over the pine needles, and don't delegate the chore to your robot vacuum! The bulky needles (and any sap and resin) can jam and clog roller brushes and potentially break your vacuum cleaner. Use a shop vac or handheld extension wand with crevice vacuum attachments instead:
- Pull out the hose and add the crevice attachment to the end.
- Turn on the vacuum and use the hose attachment to work from the outside inwards to pick up the sap-coated needles, this helps to prevent them from accidentally spreading. If you're on hardwood floors, you can also brush the needles into a small pile with a handheld sweeper.
- Empty the canister or replace the bag throughout the process to prevent it from getting overfilled.
- Once finished, clean the canister to eliminate residual sap from the sticky needles. Discard the vacuum bag, if applicable.
Use Lint Rollers
For quick cleans or picking up the odd little trail, use a disposable lint roller. The sticky surface is great at picking up the needles, especially on the tree skirt, upholstery, or even carpets, where the needles can get bedded in.
- Make sure to use a fresh (and sticky) layer of the lint roller.
- Rip off the layer of roller paper as many times as necessary to pick up the dead pine needles.
Overall, lint rollers are excellent for getting small and isolated spots of pine needles, but if you're cleaning a lot of evergreen needles, it's not the most efficient way.
Duct Tape
Similarly, duct tape can help you clean up a trail of needles on wooden floors and upholstered furniture.
- Wrap your hand with duct tape with the sticky side facing outwards.
- Dab and roll your hand across the needles to ensure they get enough stick to lift them from the floor.
- Remove the duct tape from your hand and dispose.
While duct tape will provide the best results, masking tape will also be able to pick up pesky needles here and there.
Rubber Broom
A standard bristle broom will have a hard time picking up pine needs, however, rubber brooms are much more effective than natural bristles at moving them and helping to pile them up.
- Lightly and gently sweep the loose needles to where you want to pile them up, working from the outside inwards.
- Use a pan or even a vacuum to clear up the pile of needles. Wash the bristles on your broom once you're done to remove residual stickiness.
