How to Clean Holiday Decor Items

Cleaning ornaments—from the top where the tree hooks are to the very bottom—will help them last, but longevity will also depend on how they’re stored. In terms of storage boxes, “you definitely want something that will support each ornament individually, especially if you’re dealing with any of those specialized-type ornaments,” says Boyce, who also does home organizing for clients and recommends wrapping priceless pieces carefully in bubble wrap, with the smooth side facing the ornament. “You don’t want [ornaments] clinging against each other while you’re storing them.” Here’s how to clean different types of ornaments:

Glass
With glass “it’s especially important to be delicate,” says Walters, who recommends using a microfiber cloth from the top to the bottom. To tackle smears or smudges, use a gentle glass cleaner like Windex with a cloth to wipe the ornament down and then “take a clean cloth to buff that shine in there,” Boyce says. 

Glittered 
Boyce says a car detailing brush that’s made for dusting the inside of your car is ideal for cleaning ornaments embellished with glitter. “They’re really fat and they’re soft,” she explains. “Almost like a soft paint brush to kind of brush off the extra glitter that may have gotten loose, and it gets the dust off that’s gotten into those little crevices.”

Wooden
Boyce recommends warm water and a soft cloth for wood ornaments. “If it’s unfinished, it may snag your microfiber cloth, so you definitely want to go with the grain of the wood.” For finished wood, specifically, she’d use Murphy Oil Soap in a spray bottle: “You can actually spray a spot on the microfiber cloth, and you use it for all your wood ornaments.”

Gold, silver, or metal
Cleaning your ornament with mild soap or water can work on tarnished spots, says Boyce, but a liquid jewelry cleaner specific to your metal can bring out a next-level sparkle. Follow the directions that come with any jewelry cleaning products you buy. “I would just treat it like a piece of jewelry,” says Boyce. “Jewelry cleaner will definitely make those gold and silver ornaments shine.” Walters’ team recommends wiping ornaments with jewelry cloths. “They have cloths that are specific to different metals,” she says.