I would only use my vacuum with a brush attachment to remove the dust. Usually an artificial tree would not be near greasy and grimy things. I'd be leary of wetting the tree down as well. Maybe a good shake outside before storing it away might be good?

True Confession: I've never dusted my tree LOL!

I would clean it the same way I clean my fake plants. I have a hand-held shower device in our second bathroom and I set the plants in there and spray them down. I leave them in there for a few days, turning them to make sure they are completely dry so that the water doesn't drip onto my floors.

If you wait until summer, you could do it outside with the garden hose, but, honestly, who is going to remember to do that?

I live in the south. A few years ago my tree was horribly dusty. I took it out onto the back deck, sprayed it with hose, simple green, then hose again. Let it dry outside for a few days to make sure it was dry. No harm done, looks great to this day, though it could probably use another shower.
S

We've a Shark "steam cleaner" with a wand that spews out warm fog, steam is a bit of an exaggeration. The fog is about skin temperature at 12-14 inches. I use it to clean real living house plants. Indeed this about the only use I have found for the gadget.

Perhaps one of these could be used for artificial plants too.

For anything that's hard to dust, try microfiber dusters. I love the idea of blowing if off with a Shop-Vac, but if you've already set it up, you might try one of those microfiber wands or better-yet, the microfiber mops on a handle. My husband has one of these that was purchased at Target. It was made for dusting an auto. It's a big bunch of microfiber terry-cloth strips with a short handle. It's fabulous for picking up dust. Incidentally, microfiber cloths are great for removing the dust from fabric lampshades or the top of drapes.

I have the Shark steam cleaner also and it's great for fake plants. My tree is 10 years old and had never been cleaned. Next year I plan to steam it as I'm putting it together. You could also try vacuuming it with the upholstry brush attachment. You don't want to loosen the needles using too much suction but I would think that the upholstry brush would be gentle enough.

Dusting is a very difficult task for me. I never want to do this. But if you have a cleaner like vacuum or other machinery then u can do.

I would clean it the same way I do my large silk plants, take it outside and spray it with the garden hose. I would cover it with a sheet or something when I put it away. I have never had a dusty tree I guess because I take it apart and store in the box.

Artificial plants and green walls can collect some dust, just like real plants - especially if they are indoors or near sunlight. I like the idea of using the showerhead. I would recommend if it's a plastic plant, to use a mild-detergent or multi-purpose cleaner. This will help bring new 'life' back to the tree. For silk plants, I've seen these wet and notice they can damage quite easily, so would recommend a dry cloth and duster. Unless there are other more durable types out there. Whatever works best I suppose.