Washing your Christmas Tree?
  Virginia Rose Jansen, EGenerations Columnist - November 20th, 2007    Views1: 1322    Rated: 

I know it may be too early to be talking about Christmas trees I just felt it was important to share this information with you before you start decorating for the holidays.  For several years it seemed I always had an upper respiratory infection right when I had planned to do the biggest part of my Christmas baking. I remember the day I had put it all together.

I woke up with a pounding headache, fever, congestion, I had a productive cough with thick green mucous, and I ached all over. Somehow this did not seem like a good time to make cookies. I want to share holiday goodies, not miseries.

I remembered I still had one or two doses of an antibiotic my doctor had ordered for me the last time I had these symptoms. I was shocked when I got the bottle out of the medicine cabinet and saw the date. It was one year and one day ago the prescription had been filled. This is not normal.
The next day, I mentioned this to one of the doctors I worked with and he asked me about what I routinely do this time of the year. I mentioned we always put up the Christmas tree on the evening of my birthday, which is a week before Christmas.

“Wash your Christmas tree!” He said.

“Wash my Christmas tree??” I replied.

It wasn’t as if he wouldn’t try to pull something over on me. I was a little suspicious. I repeated what he said.

“You want me to wash my Christmas tree????”

I thought I was hearing things. He gave me a very serious look and I knew he wasn’t joking.

Doctor Wallenborn was a leading Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. When he repeated the instructions to wash my Christmas tree, I listened. I knew he was serious.  Christmas Tree Allergy is very common. Emergency Rooms and doctors offices start getting an increase of sick children and adults as soon as the Christmas trees start showing up and the closer to Christmas the worse it gets. So people blame it on the change in the weather, but the decorations are responsible for their distress.

These allergies can be ranger from simple runny nose to secondary upper respiratory infection: such as asthma attacks or bronchitis or pneumonia. Over the Holiday’s the families get to gather and share everything. As well as exchanging gifts they share the germs as well. They spend a lot of time in the same room with the tree.

It all begins with the tree its self. The Christmas tree is usually a live tree, grown outside. A person can be allergic to trees or the tree may have captured pollen from other trees. It is sprayed with chemicals to kill pest. Its fertilized, sprayed with even more chemicals to keep the tree from shedding its needle and we may spray the tree with fake snow or added other chemicals to the tree. Individually they may not cause a problem but together they create a completely different substance.

This increases the chances of producing respiratory problems.

Artificial trees have some of the same problems for different reasons. The tree may have an irritant in the composition used to make the tree. We may have sprayed a substance on the tree to make it smell like a live tree.

The things we use to decorate a tree can also cause problems. Dried flowers, cranberries and probably old strung popcorn can mold and grow a multitude of bacteria. If the decorations are stored in a dark warm attic for a year, the mold and bacteria is provided an excellent environment to multiply. When the tree is taken out of storage and placed in the place of honor in our living room or family room, the bacteria and mold is released into the air. We add lights which provide a just the right amount of heat to stimulate more growth so in 2-3 days we have contaminated the whole house or office.

All this made sense to me and after all my cats had already rearranged the lower branches of my tree. I decided to wash my Christmas tree.  What did I have to lose?

I took all the decorations off the tree, took it out side and hosed it down. My tree was 6.5 ft tall and I sweep up a two gallon trash can full of dead needles, dead leaves form other trees, small insects, and other strange things I didn’t want in my house. Instantly I notice the branches seem to come life, the color was better and the tree smelled wonderful. It looks so much better, the next morning I hosed it down again. It’s important to let the tree dry completely. I left it outside to dry while I did some serious vacuuming including the furnace filters. I took the decorations outside. I wiped each ornament before I brought them back inside so I wouldn’t re- contaminate the house. I was ready to put them back on the tree.

Since then I have used both live and artificial trees. I assemble the artificial tree and hose it down just like I do my real tree. I let it dry completely. I decorate the tree as usual. I don’t reuse the dried things. I put them outside for the birds and start fresh each year.

A family with anyone who has Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pneumonia or a tendency toward any breathing disorder should take advantage of this simple procedure.  It only take a few minutes to give take a garden hose and spend a few minutes to get rid of some things you wouldn’t want in your house anyway.

I am sure washing the Christmas tree may reduce the fire hazard as an added benefit. Just make sure it’s completely dry before you decorate it.

I have not had any problems being sick just before Christmas and I no longer have an excuse for not baking Christmas cookies for my friends.
 
 


Read More from Virginia Rose Jansen

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http://www.gotriad.com/article/articleview/16130/1/97/
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