How to Take Down Your
Christmas Tree Without the Mess

If you use a real tree and want to know how to take down your Christmas tree without making a mess, you’ve come to the right place. For those of us who venture out into the forest (or simply the local tree lot!) to pick out our Christmas tree each season, we understand there’s something special about the tradition. There’s nothing quite like the aroma of a fresh evergreen in your home to get into the holiday mood. But once you get your tree in the perfect spot and adorn it with ornaments and lights, the inevitable shedding begins.

As beautiful and festive as a live Christmas tree can be, firs and pines come with a real mess when it’s time for the Christmas tree cleanup. Pine needles are the biggest offenders because once they start shedding from the tree, they just keep coming. Pine needles embed themselves into the carpet and seem to scatter into every crack and crevice.

At The Maids, we can get your home clean for the holidays, but it’s up to you to handle the tree. Read on to learn how to make your real tree last longer and how to take down your Christmas tree without making a mess.

Mess-Free Christmas Tree Clean Up Hacks

We all love decorating a Christmas tree and admiring our beautiful, one-of-a-kind decorative display, but no one enjoys taking it down. We have to carefully pull off each ornament, remove the lights, and take apart the stand — all while pine needles rain down onto our floors and everywhere else. But when you know how to take down your Christmas tree the right way, you can wrap up the holidays nicely and neatly. Here’s how.

• Remove the tree skirt (if you have one), being careful not to scatter any pine needles that have already fallen.
• Lay an old sheet on the area beneath your Christmas tree.
• Add a few towels for cushioning falling ornaments.
• Remove ornaments working from the bottom to the top of the Christmas tree to minimize falling ornaments and prepare them for storage.
• Use paper towel rolls or cardboard pieces to wrap your lights around as you remove them from the tree.
• Remove the water from the tree stand using a turkey baster.
• Recruit a helper or two to lift up the tree while removing the stand.
• Pull the sheet up (towels and all) around the Christmas tree and take it outside.
• Shake out the towels and sheet before bringing them back into the house.

Finally, you can likely leave your Christmas tree by the curb for pickup. Most communities offer some tree pickup service, but double-check if you’re unsure.

Even when you know how to get a Christmas tree out of the house without a mess, there are always some pesky pine needles lying around. Sweep them up from hardwood floors and try this next nifty trick for getting pine needles out of the carpet.

When you’re doing your final Christmas clean-up, check for ornament hooks and other debris first, and then sprinkle baking soda all over the carpet or rug. The baking soda will stick to the gummy pine needles, making them much easier to vacuum up.

Easy Christmas Tree Clean Up Takes a Proactive Approach

Now that you know how to take down your Christmas tree without a hassle, let us show you even more you can do before, during, and after the holidays to make things easier. Use these Christmas tree tips to make your tree last longer, know when and how to take a real Christmas tree down without the mess!

• When you want to make your Christmas tree last longer and shed less during the holidays, skip the old wives’ tales. You don’t need to cut the tree at a specific angle, add sugar to the water, or anything else really — all you need is sufficient water and a few helpful hints.
• While cutting down a Christmas tree is optimal for enjoying a healthy and beautiful tree all season long, you can still find plenty of candidates at local tree lots. Just be aware that the trees may be weeks old by the time they hit the lot, so ask the seller which ones were harvested most recently.
• If you haven’t set up a space in your home for the Christmas tree, sit it down in a bucket of water outside while you prepare the area inside. When you’re choosing a spot for your Christmas tree, choose an area away from fireplaces and heating vents. If the temperature around the tree stays consistently warm, it can dry out faster than you can water it.
• Check the water level daily and ensure that the water is at least two inches above the bottom of the tree. As the holidays wind down, be on the lookout for signs that it’s time to take down your Christmas tree. When your tree stops taking in water or the pine needles turn brown or shed, it’s time to get to work.

Put these tips to work this holiday season and have some fun while you remove your tree. Now that you know the best way to take down a Christmas tree, you can make sure it’s always a festive holiday tradition instead of a dreaded chore.

Play some lively Christmas music or put a classic holiday movie on while you work. Make some snacks and warm toddies or hot chocolate to help keep things moving. Whatever you do, make it fun and enjoy your mess-free Christmas tree takedown!

Don’t forget to check out our other handy holiday housekeeping guides to learn how to clean an artificial Christmas tree. Whether you do it yourself or let The Maids keep your home in shape, you can count on us to make cleaning easier.

Want to learn more about our holiday cleaning service or weekly maid service? Learn how you can enjoy a clean home more often with a free,no-obligation quote. You’ll find affordable residential cleaning services that fit your needs and your budget.