It can be challenging to deflock Christmas trees that have already been flocked. You can’t throw them in a bathtub or flush out the flocking with water using a garden hose. If not carefully done, the entire branch may come off the tree. Follow these steps to carefully de-flock your flocked Christmas tree.
How to de-flock your tree step-by-step
De-flocking can be messy. Lay a plastic drop cloth or a number of cut-open trash bags so you can easily collect and clean up the flocking after de-flocking. De flocking is best done outside the house.
Remove the Christmas ornaments and decorations on the tree and neatly store them away in their categories for easy recollection.
Takedown all electrical decorations as well. Carefully detach the lights on pre-lit trees in sections.
Before you begin de-flocking, ensure you are wearing a face mask for eye protection. You don’t want to inhale the flocking while removing it. Also, protect your skin by wearing a vinyl kitchen glove, rubber boots, and old clothes.
When your tree is free of all forms of decorations, use an upholstery brush attached to a vacuum hose to brush of the flocking. Gently brush the branches from the inside out. Always look out for the bristles and don’t twist the branches.
After you have brushed out as much as you can, use a cloth you’ve dampened with acetone nail polish to remove residual flocking. Be on the lookout for any adverse effect of the nail polish on the branches.
Now, gently rinse off the acetone residue with a wet cloth or use a garden hose to speed up the process. Airdry the tree and get rid of flocking residue before packing up the tree. You could spray paint the tree to hide any excess flocking.
You could also scrape off the flocking on each bristle using your fingernails.