Every spring, the plants and trees begin to bloom and we all hit the pharmacy aisle to protect our noses from the pollen that trigger hayfever. While you’re medicinally protected from pollen outdoors, you may not realise that your indoor plants, like your lilies, still have plenty of pollen on their anthers. One wrong move, and your clothes are left with bright yellow stains.
If you have lilies, you’ll find that most florists recommend that you remove the anthers when they begin to produce pollen. This isn’t just to save you when it comes to allergies. The pollen from lilies can be deadly to your pets and can cause stains on your clothes if it comes in contact with them.
Of course, accomplishing this task increases your risk for staining your clothes. Before you remove the anthers, you need to understand the pollen is a powder, not a liquid. If it gets on your clothes, your first instinct may be to wipe it off. Don’t. Don’t blot it, touch it or wet it down, either. This will only make it worse.
- Shake off as much pollen as possible
- Vacuum it off your clothing
- Choose a Cold Power detergent and stain remover suitable for the fabric and colour type
- Pre-treat with your Cold Power Liquid detergent
- Wash and rinse at the hottest temperature safe for the fabric
- Check to see if the stain is gone
Because pollen is a powder, shaking the clothing will dislodge most of it. Be sure to take the clothing outside to shake it off though, so you don’t end up with yellow lily stains everywhere inside you home.
After you’ve shaken off as much powder as you can, use a hand-held vacuum to vacuum up as much as you can.
When choosing a detergent for lily stain removal, consider the fabric colour and type you’re working with. Cold Power should be safe for use on most fabrics, but always read the instructions and garment care label. For fine or sensitive fabric, consider using Cold Power Sensitive detergent.
After you remove the pollen, apply a good amount of your Cold Power detergent to the stain. Let this settle into the fibers for 30 minutes, providing the detergent with enough time to cover the entire stain.
Wash the pollen-stained clothing in the hottest water possible safe for the fabric. Check the garment label to determine what the highest temperature can be.
Check to see if the stain is gone after washing the clothing. If it isn’t, soak it in a mixture of cold water and your detergent, then wash again.
Light yellow pollen stains on fabric can be particularly hard to get rid of. For these stains, the best option is to mix your Cold Power detergent and cool water in a tub and let the stained clothing soak for at least an hour. When you wash the clothing again, you should notice that the stain has faded.
Yellow lily pollen can wreak havoc on your allergies and your clothes. If you’re dealing with stains on your clothing, use these tips to get the pollen out effectively.