How To Store An Artificial Christmas Tree

One of the biggest advantages of an artificial tree is that you can reuse it year after year—no need to haul a fresh tree home from the local lot and scatter needles all over the place when you pull it indoors. You save time, money and energy. That is, if you store your artificial tree properly.

There is no shortage of products on the market today to make the process a little easier. But before we delve into bags, boxes and brilliant ideas to ensure your artificial fir lasts as long as possible, it all starts with the right prep work. Here’s what to do.

1. Disassemble

Remove all lights, ornaments and other decorations. As tempting as it is to leave them on and pull out the tree next year with no assembly required, you run the risk of breaking ornaments and lights in the process. Stash them in their own organizational bins for easy takedown, storage, and reassembly next year.

2. Clean

For the easiest cleaning, you can quickly vacuum and/or wipe the branches with a microfiber cloth. For trees with no light, you can even fill a spray bottle with dish soap and water and give it a spritz before wiping down. Alternatively, the experts at The Maids note that some trees (made of waterproof material and without lights!) can even be placed in the shower for a thorough rinse. For trees with lights, The Maids recommend a soft bristle brush, gentle vacuum or microfiber cloth. Regardless of your method, just make sure all parts are clean and dry before storing them

3. Pack and store

Intelligent storage starts early – like when you buy the tree. Except for the height, lights, and flocking (AKA the fun stuff!) there is One important thing to keep in mind when purchasing your artificial tree is how you will eventually store it. Sure, this towering tree might fit in your living room, but does it fit in your closet the other 11 months of the year?

Once you have a tree that you know will fit, you can buy a bag – and all kinds of matching containers for ornaments, wreaths, wrapping paper and more – to keep the tree organized and tucked away. Go ahead and throw away the crate the tree came in, as the tree most likely cannot be compressed back to its original packaging size no matter how hard you try. Bags like those from National Tree Company make storage as easy as closing a holdall. Pro tip: Balsam Hill experts recommend storing your artificial tree with a container of baking soda or fresh coffee grounds as a precautionary measure to keep the tree from acquiring a musty odor. Load up your clean and compressed parts, cap them, store them in a cool and dry place and you’re good to go until next year!