Christmas ornaments do a lot more than fill up your space during the holiday– they make a statement. If you’re looking to style your 8-foot artificial Christmas tree to look just like the best, then you’d need our guide.
Regardless of your taste, check out the following tips to clean and store up your ornaments after Yuletide:
Cleaning hacks
Dust. Dust is usually the first thing to look out for and get rid of. For vintage Christmas ornaments, wipe out the dust particles using a dry dust rag. Use a makeup brush or a feather duster to clean hard-to-reach places. Do the same for glass bulbs and wooden ornaments and pick out debris stuck in crevices out using a toothpick or hard brush.
Glass Cleaner. Apply a small amount of glass cleaner to the rag or a soft cloth for more. For painted glass bulbs, a glass cleaner might smudge the paint so be careful not to apply the cleaner directly on the bulb. A safer approach is the gel glass cleaner.
Soaking. Fabric Christmas ornaments need more than dusting or wiping. First, get rid of loose threads, and fix beadings where you can. Then soak them in a mixture of water and Eucalan then air dry. You can also soak plastic and ceramic ornaments in a mixture of warm water and degreasing dish soap. After soaking, wipe plastic and ceramic ornaments with a soft rag or air dry.
Be sure to put on protective gloves to avoid staining the ornaments with oil from your hands.
How to store
The next step after you have cleaned and dried your Christmas ornaments is to store them away properly. It is a good idea to store them in groups. Storing them all together in their varieties can subject them to cracks, scratches and fabric tear. Separate them with acid-free tissue paper or cardboard and place silica gel in each box and store them in a temperature-stable area such as a closet.