Heather asked, “Anyone have tips for removing lily pollen stains from carpet?”
Flowers are lovely to look at and lilies are one of the few flowers that will keep nicely indoors for quite some time. The only problem is that while lilies continue to look beautiful, they do drop pollen as they age in the vase. Pollen from lilies contains dyes that can make removal seem difficult, but try some of our tips below to remove the pollen stains from your carpet.
Removing Pollen Stains
Always test a cleaning solution for carpet on a small out-of-the-way area before attempting to clean the stain.
You Will Need:
- Handheld vacuum or vacuum with upholstery attachment
- Tape
- Rubbing alcohol
- Old toothbrush
- Shaving foam
- White paper towels or cloths
Steps to Remove the Pollen Stain:
- Gently vacuum the pollen from the carpet.¹ Do not rub the vacuum over the stain; rather, use a handheld vacuum or a vacuum hose to hold it off the stain so the suction picks up the pollen and does not rub it in.²
- Take a piece of tape and gently lay it over the stain, pushing slightly to grab any pollen left, and lift it away.¹
- Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to a white paper towel or cloth and blot the stain from the outside edges toward the middle.³
- Continue blotting with a clean section of the towel until the stain is removed.
- If stain is still there apply a small amount of shaving foam and gently work in with an old toothbrush.¹
- Use a new cloth and rub the extra foam off the carpet. Rinse with cold water. Blot dry with white paper towels or cloths.
- When stain has been removed, rinse area well with cold water.
- Use white paper towels or cloths to absorb any remaining dampness.
- Allow the area to air dry.
- Vacuum to raise the carpet fibers.
Additional Tips and Advice
- Do not use ammonia or products that contain ammonia as it will cause the stain to set, making it nearly impossible to remove.³
- Do not use water to clean the stain as this can push the pollen further into the carpet and help to set the stain.
- A nifty trick is to cut off the anthers, the parts that hold the pollen, as soon as the flower opens.
- You can also spray the anthers with a hair spray, but be careful as this trick will shorten the life of the flowers.
Sources
- Stain Removal by Stephanie Zia
- Stain Rescue! by Anne Marie Soto
- The Queen of Clean’s Complete Cleaning Guide by Linda Cobb