Christmas Trees - How To Choose The Right One?

For many of us getting a live Christmas tree is a tradition and an important element of Christmas celebrations. You need to find your perfect tree, bring it to your flat, install it and decorate with Christmas baubles and tree lights. That’s a ceremonious event not only for children, but also for many adults, who always wait impatiently to bring the tree along with its beautiful smell and the Christmas atmosphere into their homes.

Measure your room

First, you need to measure the space and decide how your tree will be installed – there are various types of stands that you can buy.

People usually prefer trees which offer some space between branches for decorations and have several sturdy branches which will hold heavier ornaments. But most of all, you need to be aware of how to care for the tree and your hardwood floor, which can get damaged if you fail to stick to several simple rules. Read on to learn our tips for taking care of your carpets and floors and preventing dislocation of needles.

Firstly, measure the space where you would like your Christmas tree to stand and remember about taking a tape measure with you, as it may come in handy when choosing a tree.

Location of the tree

Secondly, consider the location of the tree. If it’s placed somewhere in the middle with people moving past it, the needles may drop quicker and you’ll have to vacuum the floor or carpet more often!

Type of the tree

Thirdly, choose a type of a Christmas tree depending on your preferences. Many different sorts of trees are available on the market, and apart from the visual aspects you should take into account their characteristics – some varieties of trees will retain their needles longer than others. Ask the shop assistant to advise you on that or browse it online to get more information and make the right decision. But, remember that having a live tree always entails more cleaning and vacuuming, as all trees naturally lose their needles regardless of the tree type.

Cut or rooted tree?

Moreover, you can also decide on the sort of a tree that you want to buy. You can go for a cut, rooted or container tree. Based on that you should chose the type of the container or stand to use and the methods which you are going to use to take care of a tree. For instance, in the case of trees that are cut – cut 2 centimetres from a tree trunk, as this will enable the tree to better absorb water.

Fresh trees are best. Always, check it before purchasing such a tree – carefully check the branches, which shouldn’t be brittle, and look at outer needles – the tree should not lose needles when gently shaken.

Protecting the wood floor

The next aspect which is very important from the perspective of proper protection of hardwood flooring is the safety of a tree stand. Always ensure that the tree stand size is adjusted to the tree and get a container where water will accumulate. You should have a special plan if you’ve got kids, as they usually touch and play with the decorations, or pets, which often can’t resist the temptation of jumping at the tree or at least giving it a good scratch.

The stand should be stable and adjusted to the size of the tree. If you need to hew the tree trunk to fit the stand, then you probably need a larger one, to avoid a disaster.

Protecting the carpets

And then, there is also the issue of carpets, which can suffer damage as well. To protect them, you can use a big and solid piece of wood that the tree will be able to stand on. You can use a tree skirt or Christmas wrapping paper which will help you hide the wood and the tree stand. Simply get a plastic sheet and a piece of an old carpet, placing it under the tree stand. This will prevent water spills, leaks and weight marks and perfectly protect the floor. In this way, it’ll be very easy to clean up when you remove the tree after the Christmas season is over.

Even more important than the carpet is your hardwood floor, as carpets can be more or less easily replaced even if they get damaged, which cannot be said about repairing or replacing a floor – it is obviously a much more complex and costly process. A tree stands can leave scratches and holes in your hardwood flooring, so protect it, by putting a piece of a carpet or a different material underneath. This will help you avoid an unpleasant surprise when Christmas comes to an end.

Temperature of the room

One thing that you need to keep in mind is to avoid very high temperatures in the room where the Christmas tree stands and avoid direct heat. A tree which gets dry, due to the proximity of radiators or open heat sources or due to inadequate watering loses its needles, so you need to sweep them more often. But, more importantly, it’s also a fire hazard. There’s a risk that you and your family get involved in Christmas preparations and forget about it, leaving it close to open fire.

Don’t forget about watering the tree

As we’ve already mentioned, don’t underestimate the importance of proper watering. The tree needs to get a proper amount of water every day, as this will prevent needle shedding and the tree will maintain its shape and fresh look for a longer time. No matter if the tree is cut, rooted or if it’s a container tree. All sorts of Christmas trees require frequent watering, or else they’ll not look beautiful for a long time. It may be surprising for you to see the amounts of water they absorb. But, be careful when watering it and don’t exaggerate, as excess water can cause spills and leakages, which can damage the carpet or the hardwood floor, leaving wet spots or even developing mildew and mould.

Cleaning around the tree

Live trees obviously require more attention than artificial ones. Therefore, you should sweep or vacuum the floor or carpet on a regular basis, to remove the needles. When cleaning the area around the Christmas tree always be very careful not to damage or knock over the tree and avoid touching the branches, as this may cause more needles drop off.

When trying to remove the needles which have lodged into carpets, rugs and in the gaps between the boards of a wooden floor get the smaller attachments of the vacuum cleaner. This should do the job. If some needles are still left on the carpet, use duck tape to get rid of them.

Having considered all of the above, we would conclude that even if a live Christmas tree requires some more effort, it’s really worth it. It not only smells great, introducing the Christmas atmosphere to your home, but also looks wonderful, with its green branches decorated with tree lights and other colourful Christmas decorations. And if we stick to the above tips, we can rest assured that our tree will not bring us any unpleasant surprises in the form of floor scratches and holes, only the joy of having a small piece of a forest in our house that creates a great Christmas atmosphere throughout the house.