Christmas tree needles will 'disappear' with 65p trick that saves vacuum
Christmas tree needles should not be cleaned with a vacuum as it can cause damage to the appliance - but one 65p trick could make them 'disappear'.
If you've bought a real Christmas tree this year, you might have started to notice a small pile of needles on the floor underneath your tree. And while you might want to clean them up, you should be careful when you do.
Evergreen conifers, such as fir or pine trees, are the most common types of Christmas trees, known for their characteristic needle-like leaves that cover their branches. Just like any other tree, these needles fall off as the Christmas tree begins to die, which results in a pile of needles on your living room floor.
Although the trees wouldn't normally shed these needles since they are evergreen and retain their leaves all year round, chopping the tree down and transporting it into your home initiates the process of shedding.
Your first instinct might be to use a vacuum cleaner to quickly suck up the needles that fall to the floor, but according to the experts, you absolutely should never do that.
Pine and fir tree needles can get stuck in your vacuum and cause damage. In some circumstances, this could lead to a broken vacuum, which is not something you want to be dealing with over Christmas!
In a TikTok video shared by the cleaning experts at Clean My Space, they recommend simply using a broom to carefully sweep the needles into a dustpan and dispose of them. However, needles can be tricky to sweep up without a little help.
According to Emily Barron, a cleaning expert at Property Rescue, there is something you can do to make sweeping up your needles even easier. What's more, you only need one item that you probably have in your kitchen already - but it costs just 65p if you need to buy it.
The expert recommended using baking soda to clean up the needles. All you need to do is sprinkle the powder on the floor to cover the pine needles and make them easier to pick up, and then use a broom or a lint roller.
Once collected, the pesky needles should then be thrown away in the garden bin, and the remaining baking soda can then be vacuumed up, leaving your floors clean once again.
Emily also said it's essential to keep your Christmas tree watered to prevent excessive needle dropping, but noted that according to another expert, the type of water you use on your tree could be doing even more damage.
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She said: "Make sure you top up the water every other day and be sure not to let the base dry or a seal can form and it might not take up further water. And be careful about the water you're topping it up with.
"According to Gene Fitzgerald, a home water treatment expert, if you have a water softener at home, then your water can be high in sodium, which is bad news for conifers and may cause your tree to drop needles faster.
"You could consider using another water source or bottled water to top up your tree - but check the label for sodium levels!"
The expert also suggested keeping your Christmas tree away from radiators, as the warm temperature could accelerate the needle-dropping process.
She added: "Make sure your tree is in the coolest part of the room it's in and away from any fires or radiators. Heat will speed up the needle-dropping process."
