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How to Clean Pollen Stains

LAUNDRY TIPS

Spring has sprung, and with it comes pollen. Allergy sufferers know the struggles of dealing with heavy pollen, but you don’t have to have sniffles and sneezes to have a problem with pollen. If you’ve been spending time in your garden lately, you might have noticed another problem with pollen – sticky stains on your clothes. 

The Problem with Pollen Stains

Why are pollen stains such a problem? If you looked at some pollen under a microscope, you’d be able to see why. Particles of pollen have barbs and tendrils that can easily attach themselves to fibers, like those in your clothes, and make the pollen difficult to remove. Pollen has these structures to help ensure that it spreads, propagating more plants. If you want to nurture a bigger garden, it’s ingenious. If you want to get the pollen stains off of your clothes, it’s a nuisance. 

How to Treat a Pollen Stain

Treating pollen stains starts while you’re still wearing the stained item. Take the garment off carefully. Try to avoid touching the stained area to other parts of the garment or to anything else. Remember, spreading is what pollen is designed to do. If you don’t want multiple pollen stains to handle, be careful. 

Next, dilute the stain by running cold water over it. Then pre-treat it with laundry detergent; you can use the same detergent that you’ll put into the washing machine. Pour a small amount directly on the stain and let it sit for about five minutes.

Wash and Dry

Don’t rinse off the detergent before washing the garment. Just put it directly into the washing machine. Choose the usual wash cycle you would use for that garment, but choose the hottest water setting that can be used on that garment. The care tag inside of the garment should tell you which water temperatures can be used on the clothing in question. 

When the wash cycle is complete, check the pollen-stained garment before putting it into the dryer. This is important – if there’s any pollen still on the clothing, putting it into the dryer will set the stain, and you’ll never get it out. So if you see any remaining pollen, repeat the previous pre-treatment and washing steps. Once you’re certain that the stain is gone, then you can put the garment into the dryer.