Do you have a real tree or an artificial one? Growing up we always had real trees. Mom and Dad would put the tree up Christmas Eve after we were in bed and take it down New Years Day. Christmas morning really did seem magical because when we went to bed on Christmas Eve we just had a normal house and when we woke up in the morning it had been transformed. I loved it.
I always wanted real trees for Christmas and in Maryland we always had real trees. Then we moved to Utah. It’s so dry here that within a week I was afraid to turn on the tree lights because I thought it would quickly go up in flames. Needless to say, we are an artificial tree family now.
While I miss the smell of a real tree I don’t miss the mess. Those pine needles have a mind of their own and I would find them for months after the tree was gone. Now I don’t have to worry about pine needles or water leaking out of the tree stand to ruin the carpet.
This doesn’t mean that artificial trees are totally maintenance free, they do at least need to be cleaned every year. Just like all other surfaces in your home your artificial tree will collect dust, sometimes a lot of dust, depending on how it’s stored.
First put up the trunk of the tree and take a barely damp cloth and wipe it and the stand down to remove all the dust. Next add the branches. Once all the branches are on it’s time to clean. Do the cleaning before you shape the tree otherwise you will have to shape it again. I’ve read that some people vacuum their tree using the upholstery brush on the vacuum, I’m not sure I’m talented enough to do that so I use a hair dryer.
With the hair dryer on the cool setting and the lowest speed I start and the top and dust each branch. If you put sheet under the tree it will catch all the dust or you can run the vacuum when you are done. This light dusting should be all your tree needs to be green and beautiful for another year.