A WOMAN has been left horrified after discovering how much dirt came off her Christmas tree after she gave it a wash.
Getting your artificial Christmas tree down from the loft each year and adorning it with decorations, is one of the most beloved festive traditions.
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But do you give your tree a wash before decorating it?
One woman, Tanja Bentley Ward, was left in shock after she decided to give her tree a scrub before putting it up in the living room.
Taking to social media, she said: “You might be surprised by the amount of dust on your Christmas tree.
“How dusty could it possibly be?!
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“Last year, I mentioned how dusty the Christmas tree appeared.
“This year, Johnny setup a system for me to rinse and dry the branches before we decorate the house.
“Have you ever cleaned your Christmas tree?!
“Ours was much worse than I thought.”
She then shared a video of herself washing each section of the tree in the bath.
As she gave it a scrub, the bath water turned a murky brown colour, with bits of debris and dust floating in the water.
Tanja then hung the branches out to dry on a washing line, so they were nice and clean for her to decorate.
Her post likely left many aghast as it racked up a whopping 7.3 million views on the video sharing platform.
Instagram users raced to the video’s comments section to share their thoughts, with many stating that they had never thought of washing their tree.
One person said: “My mum’s tree is over 50 years old.
“I think if we washed it, it itself would crumble to dust.”
A second person said: “Oh not another thing I have to add to my to do list.”
A third person said: “The dust is holding our tree together.”
A fourth added: “I’d rather buy a new tree every year than do this!”
How to look after your real Christmas tree
HERE’S what you need to know if you’re buying a real Christmas tree:
First thing’s first: buy a pot (if it doesn’t come in one already).
You’ll need to treat your tree just like a houseplant and give it water and attention.
Make sure the container has good drainage – and it’s a good idea to put something underneath to catch the excess water.
Check the soil everyday to make sure it’s not drying out.
If it feels dry, give it some water. If it still feels moist, leave it alone as too much water can also kill a tree.
Also check the LED bulbs on your tree lights aren’t too hot as they could burn it, and keep your tree away from radiators.
When Christmas is over, try planting it in the garden so you can dig it up and use it again next year.
It’s a good idea to take it out of its pot when you do re-plant it though, as large trees don’t survive well in pots as their roots need space to grow.