How To Clean Up Christmas Tree Pine Needles

Fresh Christmas Trees are beautiful but the clean up can be anything but pretty. Save these tips for how to clean up Christmas Tree Pine Needles and your home will be back to pre-Christmas in no time.

Tips and Tricks for How To Clean Up Christmas Tree Pine Needles

My initial clean up when we first unboxed the tree was with the vacuum but that was not the smartest idea.  The needles are sticky and they caused a clog in the tube before even getting to the canister area.  My vacuum started to overheat before I realized there was a problem. I was singing Christmas carols to myself and not really paying attention.

Because the vacuum wasn’t an option I’ve tried a few other things and here’s what’s worked.

My favorite item for cleaning up the needles from the tree skirt is a simple whisk broom and dustpan.

You can be gentle with the whisk broom and clean only the areas you wish.  I sat on the floor and whisked the tree skirt clean in just a few minutes.

For carpeting, tile, and linoleum a rubber broom works wonders for removing the needles.  I have had a set of rubber brooms for years and they are by far my preferred tool for sweeping.

The set I purchased also included a small brush which you can use to get into tight spaces.  If you’re trying to remove the needles from carpeting use short strokes.  The short strokes will help to work up some static electricity and that will help to lift the needles right out of the carpet.  If using the rubber broom on wooden floors you can use longer strokes but the magical static electricity tip should work for those as well..

For small space cleanup and furniture, there are several great options

First up, a handheld sweeper.  These are great to have on hand for cleaning furniture, steps and small areas.  The bristles work to pick up the needles much like a larger cordless sweeper and after the holidays are over you can use this little gadget for cleaning the carpeting in your car.  It's especially great for trunks and the back in SUV's and crossovers when you make a mess but don't feel like pulling out the big Shop Vac.

Lint rollers designed for pets will work as well.  We used to have these in all of our closets growing up to use on dress clothes and coats.  In my home, now, we only have one-we are far less "fancy and much more casual so we don't have much of a need for these but they do work great on pine needles and pet hair.  If you don't have a lint brush or don't feel like buying one you can wrap some duct tape, sticky side out, around your hand and use a dabbing motion to remove the needles.

I don't have a cordless sweeper, but growing up my Mom had several (she was a cleaning machine) and I remember these working really well.  They don't pick up deep dirt but would be the perfect way to clean up pine needles without even having to bend over.

If I find any other tips and tricks that work I’ll update this post! So far, this is all I’ve needed.  Do you have any tips you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them!

You can check out all of my other cleaning tips here and if you're looking for tips on How To Care for a Fresh Cut (Real) Christmas Tree you can find that here!