A woman has left people gobsmacked after she washed her Christmas tree and revealed the shocking amount of dirt that has been living on it.
As the festive season rolls around each year, many of us go up into our attics, lofts, garages, or other storage spaces to pull out our artificial Christmas trees – they can often be a lot easier to handle and set up than the real ones.
You may have bought an artifical stunner last year that you are ready to set up again, or have had the same tree in the family for years.
But, have you ever wondered how dirty your Christmas tree gets each December? One woman, Tanja Bentley Ward, took to social media recently to share the disgusting sight she found after giving her artifical tree a bath. The results were “much worsr than I thought,” Tanja said.
It comes after she noticed that her tree was looking dusty last year – and it was in need of a makeover.
Tanja, who took to her Instagram page @tanjatalks to share what she had done, showed her putting each Christmas tree section into her bathtub and giving the branches a rinse. The bath water turned dark brown, and she hung up the branches to dry.
She said: “How dusty could it possibly be?! Last year, I mentioned how dusty the Christmas tree appeared.
“This year, Johnny setup a system for me to rinse and dry the branches before we decorate the house. Have you ever cleaned your Christmas tree?! Ours was much worse than I thought.”
People rushed to comment, as many admitted that they have never thought to clean their tree. “My tree’s dust is none of my business,” said one. Another added: “My mum’s tree is over 50 years old. I think if we washed it, it would crumble to dust.”
“The dust is where memories live,” joked another. “Oh, not another thing I have to add to my to do list,” commented another individual.
Others offered their suggestions, and one said: “Take it outside and spray it with the hose before it gets too cold out, dry it off with the leaf blower then take it in and decorate it.”
“I hoover mine every year,” wrote anoher. Another added: “I take mine outside and use the leaf blower on it.”
“Real trees only please,” suggested another.
How to clean your tree
According to popular cleaning expert site The Spruce, we should be cleaning our artificial trees every year. An expert said: “Clean a pre-lit or unlit Christmas tree at the end of the holiday season and again when it is reassembled.”
The expert said to clean one section at a time before assembleing and decorating it. You can use a microfiber cloth or duster to gently dust each branch. You can get a pack of 10 microfibre cleaning cloths from Amazon for £4.99.
You can also use a blow dryer or vaccum to blast out any dust in hard to reach places.
It is also sugggested that trees are stores in a sealed bag or bin to deter pests; mice are attracted to cardboard. Also placing the bag or bin in a cool, dry place will stop it from getting damaged.
Ensure that you unplug your tree and remove all decorations before attempting to clean it.
