Flocked tree shedding: how to stop the mess (mostly)

Is your flocked tree leaving a trail of white everywhere? Some shedding is totally normal, and I’ll be honest, you can’t get it to zero. But you can cut it way down! Most of the mess happens while you’re putting the tree together and fluffing it, and it settles once the tree is standing and you stop handling it. So today I’m sharing everything I do to keep the shedding to a minimum, in the order you’ll need it.

The main idea is to touch it less. Set it up once, in its final spot, over a sheet, with gloves on, and then leave it alone.

Step 1. Set it up exactly where it’s going to stay

Every time a flocked tree gets moved, scooted, or bumped, flock comes off. That includes adjusting the stand after it’s decorated! So decide on the spot before you open the box, and build the tree right there.

If you think you might want it two feet to the left, figure that out with the empty stand first. Once the sections are in, it’s staying put.

Step 2. Sheet down, vents off, gloves on

Lay an old flat sheet or a plastic drop cloth under and around the stand. Go at least a couple of feet past where the branch tips will be. A hard floor is easier to clean than carpet, so if you have the choice, set up there.

Then:

• Close the vent nearest the tree and turn off the ceiling fan while you work. Loose flock is light, and moving air carries it into the next room.
• Wear old clothes, not fleece. Flock sticks to fleece and you’ll be lint rolling yourself for days.
• Wear gloves. Bare hands tend to grab and squeeze, and squeezing is what pulls flock off. I use rubber coated garden gloves because they’re thin enough to feel the branch tips and grippy enough that I don’t have to squeeze.

When you’re done, fold the sheet in toward the middle and shake it out outside.

Step 3. Fluff gently, and fluff once

On a green tree I tell you to really go for it when you fluff. Not here! A flocked branch was shaped before the flock went on, and bending it cracks the flock along the bend. Bend it back the other way and you crack it again.

So separate the tips lightly, shape each branch one time, and move on. The tree won’t be quite as full as one you’ve worked on for two hours, and that’s okay. If there are gaps left, fill them with picks instead of reworking the branches. I show you how to do that without making a mess in how to add picks to a flocked tree.

Step 4. Decorate light

Heavy ornaments pull branches down, and a sagging branch bends, which (you guessed it) cracks the flock. Keep the glass and heavy ornaments close to the pole where the branches are strongest, and put the lightweight ones out toward the tips.

Every time you rehang something, you’re brushing branches. So plan where things go before you start, and try to hang each ornament just once.

Step 5. Keep it away from heat and humidity

Flock is held on with adhesive, and heat and moisture both soften it. Keep the tree out of the direct path of a floor vent, a space heater, or a fireplace, and don’t run a humidifier right next to it.

In Florida we run the AC well into December, and the vent over our usual tree spot blows right down the side of it. I just close that vent for the season. One closed vent isn’t going to change your whole house!

Step 6. Skip the hairspray

You’ll see “spray it with hairspray” all over the internet, and I’m sorry to be the wet blanket here! Hairspray is flammable. You’d be coating a tree with lights running through it, and there are often tiny bits of exposed wire at the bulb sockets. Some people say it helped, but it’s still not something I’ll put on a lit tree.

The option that comes up from flocked-tree sellers is a light mist of watered-down fabric glue. If your tree is shedding a lot and you want to try it:

1. Unplug the tree.
2. Test it on a branch in the back first and let it dry overnight. Make sure it didn’t yellow, clump, or turn shiny.
3. Mist lightly from a distance. Don’t soak it, because water reactivates the flock’s adhesive and the flock can start to slump.
4. Let it dry completely before you plug the lights back in.

I’d skip it on most store-bought trees, though. Most are already sealed at the factory, and some brands say any liquid on the tree voids the warranty. Definitely read yours first.

Step 7. Clean up dry

For the tree itself, use a feather duster or a dry microfiber cloth. Go top to bottom, following the direction of the branches, with a light hand.

For the floor, vacuum. (A little handheld vacuum makes the quick touch-ups around the base so much easier.) Don’t wipe flock with a wet rag first, because it turns into a sticky paste that’s much harder to get up. A lint roller is perfect for the tree skirt. (A shaggy white skirt also hides the flock that does fall, which is my favorite lazy trick!)

If you vacuum near the tree, use the lowest suction setting and keep the nozzle about a foot back from the branches.

Step 8. Store it so next year is better

How you put it away decides how much it sheds next November.

• Dust it off before you pack it, so loose flock and dust aren’t sitting in the bag for eleven months.
• Don’t crush it. If you can’t get the sections back into the original box without forcing them, don’t force them. Folding the branches up tight is just bending them again.
• Use something breathable. Wrap each section loosely in an old flat sheet, or use a tree storage bag. This one fits trees up to 7.5 ft and has wheels, which is so helpful because flocked trees are heavy.
• Skip the hot attic or damp garage if you can. Heat softens the adhesive and moisture can lead to mildew. An inside closet is best.

I share the rest of my storage setup in Christmas decor storage picks.

If it’s already bald in spots

If a few branches have lost most of their flock (it happens, especially on the ones that get bumped every time you walk past), you don’t need a new tree! Tuck a frosted pick into the bare spot so it covers the branch. That’s the same trick I used to get the flocked look on a green tree in the first place, and nobody will ever know which branches are which.

Do you have a flocked tree up this year? I hope these tips help keep the mess under control! Be sure to post on Instagram and tag me @sugardesignco because I love seeing the beautiful decor y’all create!

-Ciera

Made something with this? Tag me @sugardesignco — I love seeing them.