People are only now realizing that you are supposed to clean your artificial Christmas trees
A mother was left speechless when she realized the layers of dirt lurking on her family’s artificial Christmas tree.
Tanja Bentley Ward revealed to other homeowners why they need to routinely clean their festive decorations.
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Tanja (@tanjatalks) is steadily growing her following on Instagram, where she provides a glimpse into her family life.
She unexpectedly went viral on the social media app when she shared a video of herself cleaning her artificial Christmas tree.
“How dusty can it be?!” she said in the caption of her post.
“Last year I mentioned how dusty the Christmas tree looked.
“This year Johnny set up a system for me to rinse and dry the branches before we start decorating the house.
“Have you ever cleaned your Christmas tree?! Ours was much worse than I thought.”
A video showed her washing each branch of the tree in her bathtub by dipping them in and out of water.
It became impossible to see the bottom of the tub as the water turned a grim brown color.
She then hung the branches to air dry on what appeared to be a clothesline set up in her garage.
“You may be surprised by the amount of dust on your Christmas tree,” read the text about the video.
It was viewed thousands of times, with many people admitting they had never cleaned their Christmas trees.
“My mother’s tree is more than 50 years old. I think if we washed it it would crumble into dust,” one person joked.
“The tree my husband and I inherited was a tree my parents bought in Germany in the 1990s and which was never cleaned. I would be too scared to do it,” another commented.
‘Ooh, I had to see this. I bought my tree second hand and never thought about washing it,” said a third.
Other comments on the post admitted that they were shocked but hadn’t bothered to clean their tree.
“I should probably do this but I don’t have the patience because I’m too excited to decorate,” one person said.
“I DON’T NEED ANYTHING ELSE TO CLEAN,” wrote another.
The household items that you don’t clean often enough
If you want to make sure your home is spotless, you need to listen carefully. Below are the household items you forget to clean, and how to get them sparkling…
Remote controls: Wipe with a disinfectant cloth. Use a cotton swab for crevices.
Light switches: Wipe with a disinfectant wipe. For stubborn stains, use a mild soap solution.
Door handles: Clean with an antibacterial spray. Wipe regularly.
Below and behind devices: Vacuum or sweep regularly. Mop with a suitable cleaning agent.
Shower Curtains and Liners: Wash in the washing machine. Use a bleach for stubborn mildew.
Kitchen sponges and dishcloths: Microwave damp sponges for one minute. Wash dishcloths in the washing machine.
Computer keyboards and mice: Use compressed air to remove dirt. Wipe with a disinfectant wipe.
“My parents tree is from before I was born (1991) and I am NOT doing this,” said a third.
“It feels sticky and weird and gross (both parents have been smokers for a long time) and I’m just going to wash my hands afterwards and not think about it for a second.”
However, several commenters said that cleaning the tree does not have to be time-consuming.
One person suggested using wipes, while another said they attach their Christmas tree to the roof of their car and go to a drive-thru car wash.
“Take it outside and hose it down before it gets too cold outside, dry it off with the leaf blower and then bring it inside and decorate it,” a third suggested.
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