Artificial Christmas trees and dust

[wishesuponastar]

So we put up the tree last night and my 19yr old daughter who helps DH put the lights on came down with sneezing and stuffy nose while she was helping. This tree is at least 5 years old (it is a hand me down) and even though it's stored in a zipped bag I guess there's just too much dust on it. Can this tree be cleaned somehow?

Edit- I just googled and it seems like trees can be vacuumed using the upholstery brush. Has anyone had luck vacuuming the tree and not getting all stuffy and sneezing anymore? Also read that you can put non- pre-lit trees in the shower to clean off the dust or Take it outside and use your hose on light spray. That I would do before the cold weather sets in. Just wondering has any tried these methods and does it help with not getting all sneezy?

 

[tvguy]

I might think about taking it outside and shaking it off, but our artificial tree is wrapped tightly in the plastic bag it came in after Christmas, so dust hasn't been an issue. The real tree would create more issues with allergies in my house, not to mention the HUGE fire hazard real trees are.

 

[BunsenH]

Could it be mold as well as dust?

 

[Wishing on a star]

You can try cleaning the tree...
But, simple dust might not be the issue.
If the tree was a hand-me-down, what other allergens could it have?
Or maybe it is something else about the materials in the tree?

Whatever you do... whether you try vacuuming or not, I would do it outside.
I am not sure exactly what the tree is made of, and the quality of the tree, but I might not want to use a lot of water and hose/shower it down unless I knew that this would not affect the tree, and that it would be as good as new.

Anyhow, I live in a house with two guys... An idea that strikes me, if you have one, is to get out your leaf blower and blow any dust out of it!!!
Need a photo of that one... "BLOWING out the tree!!!" Hahaha!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Use a damp cloth and then a dry cloth. Depending on how dirty the tree is will determine how much time you need to spend working on it. You just have to take a branch, clean it and see.

So important part of storage is to use a dust cloth on the tree BEFORE you put it away this year. If you can take it outside and dust it off that would be ideal, otherwise dust off in the garage. I would be hesitant to use the vacuum for fear of losing too many "needles". Also I would not use water to clean it before storage, just dust it off.

I just got 2 NEW trees this year. I have not put up a tree in 2 yrs, now I am going to put up 2.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, branch by branch with a damp cloth or towel sounds good too.
But, man that sounds like a lot of time-consuming work!

Good luck with the tree!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Could it have been sprayed with a Christmas Tree Scent?
And, being in an enclosed bag would not let that air out?

 

[Disneefun]

Take it outside and blow it off with a leaf blower. Lot less time consuming than dusting every branch by hand.

 

[Hikergirl]

I would take it outside and use one of those compressed air cans (for keyboards), or an air compressor, and blow off the branches with it.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I might think about taking it outside and shaking it off, but our artificial tree is wrapped tightly in the plastic bag it came in after Christmas, so dust hasn't been an issue. The real tree would create more issues with allergies in my house, not to mention the HUGE fire hazard real trees are.[/QUOTE]

The Christmas tree fire hazard comes from the lights, not the tree type. As long as you buy fresh cut and keepnit well-watered, it isn't any bigger a hazard than a fake tree. Fake trees can catch fire too, and the smoke they emit is toxic.

OP, I don't hve a fake tree, but I would imagine setting up an air purifier near the tree might help?

 

[jdb in AZ]

We took ours outside and hosed it down. Worked great. We also had an artificial tree that was flocked with "snow." Loved that tree, but it eventually got so dusty the snow looked brown (and couldn't be washed/or air-brushed clean) so we sprayed some more "snow" on it. That gave it one more year, then we got rid of it.

 

[Topper]

Just spray it on and let it dry. Gets rid of dirt and dust.
Sold at Walmart