Please don\u2019t use your vacuum to suck up pine needles from your Christmas tree or wreaths this year. You can cause major problems for your device and end up making the situation worse. I have a few ideas to clean up those dry, crunchy needles without busting up your vacuum\u2014plus a foolproof method for preventing the mess in the first place.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve never had a real Christmas tree, but I have <\/em>had bunny rabbits, which means I\u2019ve had a lot of hay in my home and, for our purposes here, that\u2019s similar enough to pine needles that I can say a vacuum is not the answer. Step away from the vacuum.<\/p>\n Long, inflexible debris quickly clogs the head and pipes of your vacuum, making it difficult for anything to pass through. You can see an example of how this looks in this TikTok video<\/u><\/a>. At best, you\u2019ll end up constantly detaching the head from the machine and shaking it all out over a trash bag to clear it out, which is tedious and makes clean-up take forever. At worst, you\u2019ll eventually impact your filter, busting up the vacuum entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you are <\/em>going to use a vacuum, make sure it\u2019s been cleaned out beforehand, just to give the needles and all the dust that will clump around them some space. Traditional vacuums are way better than robot vacuums, too, as those little guys are simply never going to be able to handle this.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hopefully, you won\u2019t use a vacuum to clean your pine needles at all. You do have some other options. Try these:<\/p>\n A broom with rubber bristles can remove pine needles from carpet\u2019s grooves much easier than traditional, stiff bristles, so try the FURemover pet hair carpet rake<\/u><\/a> ($12.98), which is designed to do just that (and can be used year-round to eradicate dog and cat hair, too).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n A rubber squeegee broom is also a good option for quickly corralling pine needles, as it won\u2019t let them slip through like traditional brooms would. Here\u2019s one for $9.69<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n An ultra-wide, long-handled lint roller<\/u><\/a> ($26.98) for your carpet and furniture will pick them up easily, too.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The simplest way to prevent a messy Christmas tree situation is to utilize the big plastic bag it came in to begin with. When you\u2019re putting your tree up, do it with the plastic wrapping still on, then roll it all the way down the tree and lay it around the base while it\u2019s still secured to the trunk. Put your tree skirt over<\/em> the bag to hide it and when the end of the season arrives, lift the skirt gently and shake it into the plastic bag hidden below.\u00a0<\/p>\n Then, pull the bag back up<\/em> the tree before taking the whole thing down. Secure it at the top and you\u2019ll be good to go, able to haul that sucker out without leaving needles behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Please don\u2019t use your vacuum to suck up pine needles from your Christmas tree or wreaths this year. You can cause major problems for your device and end up making the situation worse. I have a few ideas to clean … Continue reading What to clean pine needles with instead<\/h2>\n
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Preventing a pine needle mess<\/h2>\n
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\nSource: LifeHacker – How to Clean up Christmas Tree Pine Needles Without Wrecking Your Vacuum<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"