There's truly nothing better than a real Christmas tree over the festive season – there's just something about the look and smell that can't be replicated by faux alternatives. But, there is one major drawback – falling pine needles.
Your tree will begin dropping slowly, but soon, there will be a mass of needles pooling under your tree. This will be amplified if you have pets or children and if you have carpeted floors, it can be a real nightmare to capture them all without blocking or damaging your vacuum cleaner.
How to Easily Get Pine Needles Out of Carpets and Rugs
1. Use a Carpet Scraper and Broom to Loosen Embedded Needles
It's best to avoid vacuuming pine needles altogether.
Cleaning up Christmas tree sap and resin can be tricky, but if there's one thing you really want to avoid doing, it's ruining your best vacuum.
As Dan Fauzi, our home tech editor and resident vacuum expert here at Homes & Gardens, advises, 'For so many reasons, I do not ever recommend vacuuming pine needles.
'Firstly, these sharp materials can scratch up the vacuum's internal parts, which will cause wear and tear over time, similar to vacuuming glass. Pine needles also contain sap, and no moisture should ever go inside a vacuum unless it's designed as a wet/dry vacuum, as it'll clog up the airways and damage the motor.
'And if you think it's fine if the pine needles are dry, this is where it gets the most dangerous, as dry pine needles could ignite next to a warmed-up vacuum motor.'
This is something that Punteha van Terheyden, Head of Solved, learned the hard way.
'A few Christmases ago, I got my first real Christmas tree, and towards the end of its life span, the pines began to drop en masse,' she says. 'I vacuumed the high volume of pine needles with my canister vacuum. That was a big mistake. It entirely clogged up the bendy pipe that attached the floorhead to my canister. I had to stick a broom handle through to break up the clog.'
So, how best to avoid these issues once your Christmas tree starts dying?
For starters, advises Karina Toner, cleaning expert and operations manager at Spekless, use a carpet scraper to loosen embedded needles.
'Pine needles wedge deep into carpet fibers, especially dense or looped carpets,' she explains. 'Hold the scraper at a low angle and pull toward you in short strokes to lift needles to the surface. I personally love the FURemover Original Rubber Broom available at Amazon, because the rubber edge creates static that pulls debris up, instead of pushing it down.'
Karina advises using firm, short strokes to gather the needles into a pile, then pick them up by hand or with a dustpan.
If you do need to vacuum up any pine needles, ensure the numbers are minimal.
'Reducing the volume of pine needles you're vacuuming is the key, as a high volume will quickly cause a sizeable block due to the intermittent stickiness of the tree sap on some of those needles,' continues Punteha.
And, to avoid any issues altogether, vacuum pro Dan advises simply sweeping them up and disposing of them. The OXO Good Grips Dustpan and Brush Set available at Amazon is ideal for this.
2. Use Packing Tape or a Lint Roller for Delicate Rugs
Delicate rugs can become damaged by more aggressive tools and methods.
Some rugs, such as wool runners or flat-weave rugs, aren't suitable for brushing or scraping, says Karina, as aggressive tools can cause pulls. For that reason, doing so is a carpet cleaning mistake to avoid at all costs.
'Instead, tape or a lint roller lifts needles gently,' she adds. 'Press the tape firmly into the fibers and lift straight up; replace tape as it fills. The Scotch-Brite Everyday Clean Lint Roller available at Amazon is safe for delicate fibers, and catches the tiny broken-off tips that other tools leave behind.'
Ultimately, being more gentle and careful on more delicate surfaces, like when cleaning a wool rug, for example, will prevent you from having to fix a ripped carpet.
3. For Shag Rugs, Use a Blow Dryer on Cool
Shag piles can easily trap needles like Velcro.
Finally, for cleaning pine needles off of shag rugs without making any rug cleaning mistakes, use a blow dryer set to cool air.
'Shag piles trap needles like Velcro,' explains cleaning pro Karina. 'Airflow helps lift them to the top for easier removal. 'Set the dryer to cool or low, blow across the rug while combing your fingers through the fibers, then use a rubber broom [such as the TidyBliss Broom available at Walmart] or a lint roller.'
The gentle and cool airflow will separate rug fibers without causing heat damage and make those pine needles visible and easier to reach and remove.
How to Reduce Pine Needle Drop
There are a few ways to reduce the pine drop of your real Christmas tree.
You can also take steps to stop your Christmas tree from shedding needles.
'I keep the tree away from radiators and turn off the one that's closest to it,' says Punteha. 'My tree is in a cast-iron tree stand from Amazon with a water reservoir, and I make sure it is well watered as pine drop increases when the tree is dehydrated.'
You can also cleverly use hairspray to stop needles from dropping. In general, it's crucial to care for your Christmas tree correctly to stop it dying before the big day, going brown in places, becoming smelly, or having lots of pine needles dropping off.
Pine Needle Cleaning Essentials
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This tastefully designed dustpan and brush is made with dense and durable bristles, and won't scratch your hardwood floors or damage your delicate carpets. It's also easy to store with a hanging loop.
This carpet scraper reaches deep for every embedded pet hair, and works just as efficiently when it comes to pine needles. It's also infinitely reusable and easy to use. It's brilliant for removing pet hair from carpets and rugs, too.
Add a touch of cozy personality to your tree with this knitted tree skirt, which also makes it easy to pick up fallen needles and put them straight into the bin as they fall.
To save you crawling under the tree, this long-handled broom effectively sweeps both fine and large debris, with broom fibers made from recycled PET derived from recycled water bottles.
This pet lint roller uses an extra sticky surface to pick up lint, hair, and debris without damaging clothes or fabrics, and is conveniently reusable and designed to fit comfortably in your hand.
This 3-in-1 cleaning tool is suitable for removing needles, pet hair, dust, and spillages, and features an adjustable pole length for convenient customization at any length or height.
Meet the Experts
As the operations manager at Washington-based Spekless, Karina is an expert in both commercial and residential cleaning, with particular expertise in seasonal cleaning tasks from summer to winter.
Dan is the home tech editor here at Homes & Gardens. They have spent over 300 hours testing vacuums, including wet/dry and mop-vacuums, and know everything there is to know about great performance, keeping them running smoothly, and how to use them safely.
Punteha has had a real Christmas tree for the last five years, and has learned to look after them correctly so they last from mid-November all the way until January. This includes cleaning up the pine needles properly, without damage to her vacuum, carpet, or flooring.
Additionally, avoiding these real Christmas tree mistakes will keep yours looking fresh and fluffy all season long.
