How to Clean Holiday Decor Items

If you use an artificial tree each year, it will naturally accumulate dust that can activate allergies, according to Patrice Boyce, owner of the residential cleaning service From The Heart Cleaning Solutions based in Greensboro, N.C., who suffers from them. That’s why it’s best to start the cleaning process by taking your bare tree outside so that you don’t spread dust around your home. Consider wearing a mask as you do this. 

Using a clean microfiber cloth, preferably one that’s big enough to hold in both hands, approach cleaning in sections, Boyce suggests, assuming that your faux tree is assembled in parts (if it’s not, just work from top to bottom). Using the cloth, “wrap your hands with the cloth in it around each limb,” she says, in a motion that’s similar to combing through hair. Examine each section and lightly wipe away any residue like tinsel or glitter with the cloth or even a soft duster, says Katerina Mayfield, partnerships coordinator for King of Christmas, a purveyor of holiday decor. Do this gently, both experts say, “particularly with pre-lit trees to avoid pulling on any wires during the cleaning process,” Mayfield says, or ripping out any tree fibers. 

Go branch by branch, “fluffing it all out, making sure nothing is broken or damaged before packaging it away,” Walters says. Move “from the base of the branch outward. So you’re not getting any [debris] trapped deeper, closer to the frame.”

Hold the wreath in one hand. With a soft microfiber duster or cloth in the other, work around the circle. “Microfiber dusters that look like there are fingers on them, they help get into those [tricky] areas” to grab dust and dirt, Boyce says. “Use a back-and-forth dusting motion and go around the wreath.” You can shine up the little lightbulbs with a microfiber cloth, Walters says, because they often harbor dust. The main goal is to be careful not to pull on the tips or damage the circular structure, Mayfield says, adding that if you encounter stubborn debris, scrub it off with a toothbrush. Choose a storage container that won’t force the wreath out of its natural shape.

You’d approach an artificial tree garland in much the same way you would a wreath, with a dry microfiber duster or cloth in hand. If any embellishments are removable, you can take them off and dust them each individually. “If it’s 360 type garland, like nothing that’s flat, just pick an end and then start at the middle and just pulling outward toward you to fluff and get all of the dust that might have accumulated through the season,” says Walters. Boyce says that if your garland has lights, “take your time with that, and definitely I would wipe off each little bulb as it comes by and check for outages.”

Menorahs are made with many different materials—like wood or metals like copper, brass, nickel, or silver, to name a few—so read any care instructions you have before attempting to clean it. To keep a metal menorah looking its best, you can buy polish to treat it. “If you do have a tabletop menorah that’s made of a real silver or gold finish, just make sure to get the right polish for that so that you are helping more than you’re hurting,” says Walters. 

In terms of cleaning wax off, time really is of the essence. “Don’t leave it,” says Miriam Gopin, administrator and director of Chabad Women’s Organization at the Chabad House of Greater Hartford in West Hartford, Conn. “The minute we’re finished using it, I clean it right away.” She does this by dousing her silver menorah in extremely hot water. It’s best to do this in a bin near a sink to catch the waxy water so that you don’t send the wax down the drain. “Pour the hot water over it and wipe it immediately. The wax melts, spreads, and I wipe it off,” she explains. “Pour another time to get that thin layer of wax [off], and I usually have a paper towel roll right next to me while I’m doing this” for wiping.

Another easy option for cleaning wax is to place your menorah in the freezer after use, or if you live in a cold climate, place it outside after candles have been blown out and removed. “That hardens or makes the wax go brittle, then it just sort of breaks off and you can get rid of it,” Gopin says. 

Cleaning ornaments—from the top where the tree hooks are to the very bottom—will help them last, but longevity will also depend on how they’re stored. In terms of storage boxes, “you definitely want something that will support each ornament individually, especially if you’re dealing with any of those specialized-type ornaments,” says Boyce, who also does home organizing for clients and recommends wrapping priceless pieces carefully in bubble wrap, with the smooth side facing the ornament. “You don’t want [ornaments] clinging against each other while you’re storing them.” Here’s how to clean different types of ornaments:

Glass
With glass “it’s especially important to be delicate,” says Walters, who recommends using a microfiber cloth from the top to the bottom. To tackle smears or smudges, use a gentle glass cleaner like Windex with a cloth to wipe the ornament down and then “take a clean cloth to buff that shine in there,” Boyce says. 

Glittered 
Boyce says a car detailing brush that’s made for dusting the inside of your car is ideal for cleaning ornaments embellished with glitter. “They’re really fat and they’re soft,” she explains. “Almost like a soft paint brush to kind of brush off the extra glitter that may have gotten loose, and it gets the dust off that’s gotten into those little crevices.”

Wooden
Boyce recommends warm water and a soft cloth for wood ornaments. “If it’s unfinished, it may snag your microfiber cloth, so you definitely want to go with the grain of the wood.” For finished wood, specifically, she’d use Murphy Oil Soap in a spray bottle: “You can actually spray a spot on the microfiber cloth, and you use it for all your wood ornaments.”

Gold, silver, or metal
Cleaning your ornament with mild soap or water can work on tarnished spots, says Boyce, but a liquid jewelry cleaner specific to your metal can bring out a next-level sparkle. Follow the directions that come with any jewelry cleaning products you buy. “I would just treat it like a piece of jewelry,” says Boyce. “Jewelry cleaner will definitely make those gold and silver ornaments shine.” Walters’ team recommends wiping ornaments with jewelry cloths. “They have cloths that are specific to different metals,” she says.

If your skirt doesn’t have a care instruction label and you’re unsure how to clean it, Boyce says, “I would say the safest move you can make with a specialty or an intricate or valuable tree skirt is to dry-clean it. Make sure it’s a dry cleaner that you trust.”

You can also dust a tree skirt to remove debris. “We suggest gently dusting off or using a lightly damp cloth on select [dirty] areas and, if possible, resort to a handheld vacuum or lint roller” on areas without sequins, glitter, gems, or other embellishments, Mayfield says.