I Sprinkled This Kitchen Ingredient on the Carpet Under My Christmas Tree – Cleaning Pros Say It’s a Game-Changer for a Quick Clean Up

I love having a real Christmas tree in my home to add a real touch of festive magic, but the pine needles are a constant nuisance, especially as my tree is on carpeted floors.

But I’ve just learned about a carpet pro’s expert trick to make the inevitable pine drop clear up that much easier, helping you enjoy your tree for longer without the frustration of being on your hands and knees and manually digging out pine needles from carpets and rugs.

And the easy cleaning tip for this annoying festive problem is hiding in your pantry, say carpet and cleaning pros.

Why Sprinkling Baking Soda Under Your Tree Helps With Clearing Pine Needles

Pine needle drop is not just plentiful when a cut tree is sitting in your warm home, but it is also sticky and easily trapped in carpet and rug fibers. That’s why experts are urging homeowners to sprinkle a little baking soda under their festive trees this year.

Professional cleaner and operations manager at Spekless, Karina Toner says, ‘Baking soda can be surprisingly helpful under a Christmas tree, but it’s important to understand why it works and how to use it safely. Pine needles are naturally sticky because of sap, and that tackiness is what makes them cling to carpet fibers.’

She says that a light sprinkle of baking soda helps coat the needles as they fall, reducing the stickiness and preventing them from gripping onto the carpet. ‘This essentially creates a dry barrier,’ Karina adds, ‘that keeps the needles sitting more on the surface, which makes them much easier to sweep, brush, or vacuum up.’

This is especially helpful on carpets and rugs.

James Higgins, an expert from Online Carpets with 14 years in the industry, and extensive knowledge and expertise on flooring design and trends, adds that using bicarbonate of soda [available at Walmart in a resealable tub], is 'great for removing pesky needles easily and quickly, while preventing damage to carpets, rugs, and being safe for skin and pets. It coats the needles and stops them from clinging to the carpet fibers.'

I’ve felt the pain of having to go backwards and forward when removing dropped pine needles from my carpet and some refusing to lift due to the sticky sap the tree produces. No matter how well you care for your Christmas tree, the sap won't stop.

I Tried Baking Soda Under My Tree

I spread a little baking soda, which can be used for cleaning all over the home, under my tree, which was cut from fresh in the second week of November, and despite standing in a base with a water reservoir, is feeling a bit tired and dropping pines quicker than ever.

My carpets are dark gray and even so, the baking powder is not visible, especially as my tree is quite bushy in the lower areas.

Cleaner Karina adds, ‘On carpeted floors, I recommend using a very light dusting, just enough to coat the needles, not enough to leave a visible layer. Too much can make vacuuming less effective or leave residue. The bonus is that baking soda also helps neutralize any musty tree odors, so you get a little natural deodorizing benefit as well.’

The natural powder I had sitting in my pantry for festive bakes worked so easily to coat the needles. I put some down after clearing the last batch, and shuffled my brooms under before sweeping to make sure newly dropped pines were adequately coated.

It worked really well and halved the time it took to get all of the pine needles into my long-handled dustpan, available from Walmart. I was then able to empty these into the trash more easily than without baking soda, as the sappy leaves were not sticking to the inside of the pan.

Then I vacuumed the few left and crucially, did not have to get on my hands and knees, something I find very hard due to chronic pain and medical conditions, to pick out any stuck-in pines as the powder had neutralised the needles’ sticking power.

Verdict: All in all, I rate this baking soda tip 10/10. It’s natural, non-toxic, safe around my two cats, and did exactly what was promised.

Other Ways to Clear Up Pine Needles

There are a few easy floor cleaning tips you can combine with the baking soda hack to make picking up pine needles easier than ever:

• Sticky tape: Believe it or not, sticky tape can be an effective way to remove pine needles from your carpet, whilst also making use of an everyday item that many will already have in their home. Wrap sticky tape around your hand (I swear by the wide packing tape available from Amazon) with the sticky side facing out, and stamp your hand across the floor to pick up the pine needles on your floors. Consider wearing cloves to avoid the sharp needles from nipping your skin.
• Lint roller: As a cat mom of two, I have one of the MR.SIGA Lint Rollers, available from Amazon, in every room. It’s a quick way to remove pine needles from your carpet, but it may take a lot of replacing and works best on low-volume removal. Simply roll the lint roller across the affected carpet, and the stickiness should pick up the pine needles.
• Tree-skirt: To prevent the needles embedding into your carpet or rug, add a tree skirt, which is a gorgeous, circular fabric you lay under your tree. This barrier method stops the sticky needles reaching into the fibers of your carpet or rug in the first place. Then you can lift the lot and tip into the bin, or use any of the methods mentioned above to easily get rid of pesky pines.

Cleaning pro Karina adds, ‘If you have a high-pile or shag carpet, I’d skip this hack and instead place a tree skirt or mat beneath the tree. Those carpet types trap powders more easily, and you don’t want buildup at the base of the fibers.’

What to Shop

Delve into our post-Christmas cleanup checklist to help you easily restore calm and order to your home after the festive fun, and chaos, is over.