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Pro Tip: How To Remove a Christmas Tree without Excessive Vacuuming

Maybe it’s just me, but I vacuumed my living room 3 times the day we take the tree out and I still find pine needles around. Those little guys get everywhere. This Pro Tip took me a few years to figure out. I would always take our tree out after Christmas and the poor dead thing would leave a trail of needles directly from our apartment door to the front of the building. (So there was no option to even have bad manners and blame it on your neighbor.) We keep these $1 plastic wraps on hand for messy projects. Just wrap up the ol’ tree before you take it out, simple as pie and no long vacuuming sessions.



  1. Jessica

    December 28, 2010

    GENIUS!

  2. Anonymous

    December 28, 2010

    Um, but then you're using plastic.

  3. "hi, i'm ginnybranch stelling and i love love."

    December 28, 2010

    THIS IS AMAZING! I LOVE THIS!

    and p.s, if someone doesn't want to use plastic than i'm sure they could come up with their own eco interpretation…

  4. C

    December 28, 2010

    brilliant. loving your pro-tips!

  5. Timmi

    December 28, 2010

    Yea a painters drop cloth would work too. And you look so sad standing on that plastic sheet.

  6. jordan

    December 28, 2010

    @anonymous I don't have a problem using plastic. This drop cloth that we used we also used to protect the ground on a painting project in the backyard later that day.

  7. janeannechovy

    December 28, 2010

    Yeah, it's not like the plastic is disposed of with the three, it's only used for transport down to the curb, right?

    My favorite tree-disposal technique: When I lived in NYC, we were in a third-floor walkup. Instead of leaving needles in our narrow front hall, and all the way down the stairs to the street, we tied a string to the top, shoved it through the window and gently lowered it to the sidewalk (with my roommate down below to guide it). That way the needles were only around the window.

  8. mushbelly

    December 28, 2010

    Wow – you are so smart! I am definitely doing that from now on

    When my husband and I were first married we lived in a condo on the 4th floor. We just tossed our tree right off the balcony onto the street below then went down and put it on the curb where the city would pick it up. It was mess free – and lucky for us, nobody got hurt.

  9. oh dear watson

    December 29, 2010

    Great idea… love the pics

  10. Anonymous

    December 29, 2010

    Please tell me this is NOT this year's tree that is already down. I hate that we are so rushed to put it up, then its gone before New Year's. It's like the holiday equivalent of the senior's Early Bird Special….dinner by 4:30, and bed by 7:00!

  11. Nicole

    December 29, 2010

    We do something similar but we put the plastic christmas tree disposal bag underneath the tree stand when setting up the tree (poke the trunk through a hole in the bottom so the bag is over the tree stand). Then you just stretch the plastic up over the tree when you are taking it down- no needles anywhere!

  12. Laura@acquiredtaste

    December 30, 2010

    Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

  13. Anonymous

    December 31, 2010

    I hope the plastic is reused. There are MANY issues with using plastic, especially for such mundane issues.

  14. Presley family

    December 31, 2010

    This is my first time to your blog and can I just say that you are way too cute!!! What a sweet family you have!!!!

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    January 1, 2011

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    January 1, 2011

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  17. Anonymous

    January 2, 2011

    I hope all of the people who are complaining about the plastic use made sure that their gift packaging was reused or recycled, that they brought their canvas totes to the store when buying gifts, and that they served a locally grown, vegan, organic meal.

  18. Anonymous

    January 2, 2011

    Oh snap! Good one(above)Because if you can't do it all than you should do nothing!

  19. Anonymous

    January 2, 2011

    No, you should still try but if you aren't perfect then you better not be judgemental. (above)

  20. Lissa (The Wedding Bistro at Bellenza)

    January 3, 2011

    I would still love to see Jordan's next Pro Tip! She always has such wonderfully creative ideas…and now very helpful hints, too. Keep it up!

  21. Ashley

    January 3, 2011

    So very, very smart, Jordan. I think you just saved me hours of tedious vacuuming! Hope you and your family had a lovely Christmas (looks like it by the photos!).

  22. Globe trottin' mama

    January 3, 2011

    This is the punishment I get for not catching up on my blog reading earlier today BEFORE we took the tree out this afternoon. Found this lovely nugget at designmom.com. I'm definitely remembering it for next year.

  23. Stacey

    January 4, 2011

    Genius! Pine needles are like nature's glitter, no matter how much I vacuum I find those pesky things for months.

  24. geoff with a G

    January 10, 2011

    worked like a charm. bought my tree black friday and got rid of it today (jan. 10), so it was plenty dry and needles were coming off like crazy. thanks to my wife (and avid reader of your, http://love-lola.blogspot.com/) for helping us on this project.

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