If you spent your weekend decorating the perfect Christmas tree, you might already have a trail of needles leading in your living room - and you’ll know that your real tree will continue to drop them in the run-up to the big day. While you may be inclined to grab your vacuum cleaner and clean them up in seconds, experts warn that you should NEVER vacuum Christmas tree needles.
Choosing a real Christmas tree over one of the best artificial Christmas trees offers you the chance to add a natural, festive flair to your home, and if the smell of a real tree doesn’t get you in the mood for Christmas, then nothing else will. But they also require a lot of care and attention, and cleaning up the needles is a big part of that - especially if you have furry friends in your home.
However, experts are urging homeowners to think twice before grabbing their vacuum cleaner to get the job done, as using this appliance can pose a serious threat to your house, your health, and even the vacuum itself. But while you should never clean up Christmas tree needles with a vacuum cleaner, there are many other ways to keep your hard flooring and carpets needle-free throughout the festive period, as we explain.
Why you shouldn’t vacuum Christmas tree needles
Falling needles are part and parcel of a real Christmas tree’s life cycle. And while cleaning up after them can be a boring and laborious task, it’s fair to say that the benefits of a real Christmas tree certainly outweigh the time and effort spent cleaning up Christmas tree needles.
You need to be careful how you do that, though. Nick Ee, product and training manager at BLACK+DECKER, warns, ‘Using a vacuum to clean up Christmas tree needles can lead to clogging from their small, dense nature, damage from their sharp edges acting like splinters, and blockages.’
If this were to happen, it’s highly likely that your vacuum would lose suction, which would render the appliance completely useless - unless you’re confident in how to unclog a vacuum cleaner. But that’s not the only problem associated with vacuuming Christmas tree needles.
The experts at PHC Vacuum Service add, ‘Additionally, needles can quickly fill the vacuum bag or bin and may puncture the material of paper bags and the hoses of the vacuum, particularly the softer, flexible hoses found in most modern vacuum brands.’ So, it’s especially important to resist this task if you have chosen a bagged vacuum cleaner.
And while we’d love to say that the risks end there, vacuuming Christmas tree needles can also pose a threat to those living in your house.
Nick explains, ‘It can even result in mould growth if the needles are damp, all of which can reduce the vacuum's effectiveness and longevity or cause overheating.’ As a result, this could lead to a smelly vacuum cleaner. And in a worst-case scenario, it could even result in mould spores (and the other allergens and dust carried by the needles) re-entering your home.
You never want to risk your vacuum cleaner overheating, either - especially as the experts at PHC Vacuum Service warn that vacuuming Christmas tree needles is already a fire hazard. They say, ‘Dry needles are highly flammable and could ignite if they collect near the motor or electrical components and overheat.’
Because of this, you should avoid vacuuming them at all costs. And that means you'll need to choose a safer, more reliable option to clean them up.
How to clean up Christmas tree needles
1. Use a lint roller
Lint rollers are ideal for getting hair and fluff off your clothes, but what many people don’t realise is that they’re also one of the best tools for cleaning up Christmas tree needles - both on hard flooring and carpet. However, this cheap product shines the brightest on the carpet.
Nick advises, ‘To use a lint roller to pick up Christmas tree needles, start by ensuring the roller has a fresh, sticky sheet. Roll it gently but firmly over the carpet, pressing down slightly to ensure the adhesive picks up even deeply embedded needles. ‘
You’ll need to rip off and replace the sticky sheets as they collect the needles, but this is a small price to pay for a home that’s free from potentially dangerous tree debris.
Nick even adds, ‘This method works particularly well in corners, along skirting boards, and in tight spaces where other cleaning tools might struggle to reach.’
If you find that the needles are a little stubborn, the experts at Online Carpets suggest using bicarbonate of soda - like this Arm and Hammer Baking Soda from Amazon. They say, ‘The bicarbonate of soda will coat the needles, which creates friction and stops them from clinging to the carpet fibres.’
This lint roller comes with five sticky replacement heads, which means you technically get six lint rollers for just £4.99 - making them 83p each. So, you can clean up Christmas needles safely for less than £1.
2. Use a dustpan and brush
As the experts from Online Carpets explain, ‘A more traditional method of cleaning, a dustpan and brush, is another easy way to clean up the pine needles.'
This one is pretty self-explanatory, and there’s a high chance that you already have a dustpan and brush at hand to sweep up the Christmas tree needles from your floor and straight into the bin.
A dustpan and brush typically work best when you have hard flooring, such as wooden flooring or laminate.
This dustpan and brush can sweep up both wet and dry debris, meaning it'll be able to handle your Christmas tree needles in no time.
3. Use sticky tape
We’re going to assume that you’ve stocked up on sticky tape to wrap your Christmas presents this year, but if you haven’t, it’s well worth adding some to your weekly shop. That’s because it's really handy for quickly cleaning up Christmas tree needles.
Online Carpets says, ‘To do this, you can wrap sticky tape around your hand, with the sticky side facing out, and stamp your hand across the floor to pick up the pine droppings.’
This should be enough to pick up the majority of Christmas tree needles in one go, but you may need to repeat the process - and replace the sticky tape - every so often to ensure you pick all of them up.
It’s best to be cautious when trying this hack out, too. Experts from Online Carpets suggest to ‘use some strong and thick gloves whilst doing this, as the sharp needles could end up nipping your skin.’
You'll need a good quality sticky tape to clean up Christmas tree needles, and it doesn't get any better than Sellotape. So, stock up if you don't already have some.
4. Use a rubber broom
One of the best ways to keep a home clean with pets is to have a rubber broom on hand at all times. This is a great alternative to vacuuming pet hair, as the rubber bristles will pick up smaller hair, dirt, and debris compared to a traditional broom.
But did you know a rubber broom can also work wonders on fallen Christmas needles? These brooms can also be used on both hardwood flooring and carpets, so you don’t have to worry about any stray needles embedding themselves into your carpet fibres forevermore.
You can also buy smaller, handheld brush options - like this Beldray Pet Plus Brush from Dunelm - so it’s up to you whether you’d prefer a full-size broom or a smaller tool.
It may be designed for pet hair, but you'll be surprised how handy a pet broom can be, even if you don't have pets. In fact, the rubber bristles are perfect for Christmas tree needles.
5. Use a tree skirt
One of the best ways to decorate a Christmas tree is to use a tree skirt - but it turns out that this addition won’t just make your tree prettier. It can also prevent water damage to your floor when you have a real tree and help you clean up the needles too.
Using a tree skirt is the easiest way to get rid of these fallen needles, especially if you opt for a proper skirt (i.e. one made of fabric that lays on the floor) rather than a wrap-around metal or wicker skirt that wraps around the tree base only.
The experts from Online Carpets agree, stating, ‘An easy way to quickly remove pine needles from the carpet is to simply not let them get on the carpet at all. Many people prefer to include a tree skirt or rug around their tree, and this makes it easier to remove the pine needles by simply lifting it up and pouring it into the bin.’
This is suitable for any flooring type and is perhaps the best fuss-free method of getting rid of Christmas tree needles.
This tree skirt is big enough to catch any falling tree needles. Then, you can simply untie it and carry the needles to the nearest bin.
FAQs
What happens if I don't pick up pine needles?
Leaving your real Christmas tree’s pine needles on the floor will make your house look messy and often ruin the aesthetic of the tree itself. But choosing not to pick them up can also be a health hazard.
For starters, Christmas tree needles can be incredibly dangerous if ingested by animals. And if your pets accidentally eat them, the effects could be fatal.
As these needles are also incredibly sharp, you don’t want them getting into the hands of babies or young children. So, it’s always best to pick them up when they drop.
Can a Dyson vacuum pine needles?
Although Dyson is generally considered to be a market leader in the vacuum world, you should never use any vacuum to clean up pine needles - including a Dyson vacuum.
You risk serious damage to your vacuum by doing this, and it can cause anything from a blockage to mould growth. Because of this, and the price tag of buying a new vacuum cleaner, it’s just not worth the risk, and it is better to find an alternative method of clean-up from our list above.
