Receiving a bouquet of flowers is a wonderful thing. But the pollen in the flowers can cause stains that can become deeply ingrained in your carpets. Of course, prevention of pollen stains is the best option and you can do this by removing the pollen-laden stamens from your flowers. But if the stain has already formed, then you need to roll up your sleeves and get busy because pollen stains can be quite unsightly, especially on your carpets. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the methods you can use to remove pollen stains.
Are pollen stains permanent?
The answer to the question of whether pollen stains are permanent will depend on how quickly you deal with the stain. If immediate action is taken, the chances of permanent damage are greatly reduced. However, the longer you leave the stain untreated, the more difficult, if not impossible, it will be to get it out.
Can pollen stains be removed?
Ready to take a look at some of the methods for how to get pollen stains out of a carpet? Let’s first look at a couple of important tips so you know what not to do:
- *Don’t touch the stain with your fingers because the natural oils in them will enable the pollen to set deeper into the fabric. Ultimately, this will make it much more difficult to remove.
- *Don’t blot the stain. Unlike other stains, pressing pollen into the carpet will mean you’ll face much more difficulties getting it out of the fibres. Instead, you need to keep the pollen as close to the surface of your carpet as possible.
- *Don’t wipe the pollen stain. Doing this will simply spread it out across a wider area.
- *Don’t add water to the stain right away. This will dissolve the powder and lead to the stain spreading out further.
- *Don’t use ammonia or products that contain ammonia. These can lead to the stain setting in and this can make it practically impossible to remove.
And now that we’ve gotten a few disclaimers out of the way, here are some of the ways for removing pollen stains from a carpet.
- 1.Look at the size of the stain. If it’s small, shake it out, vacuum and then use sticky tape to lift the pollen grains on a carpet. If it’s a larger stain, you’ll want to vacuum it, use sticky tape and follow the remaining instructions below.
- 2.Check the care label on your carpet. If it’s dry clean only, you should take it to the dry cleaners and point out the stain. If you know what type of flower was the culprit, let them know this as well.
- 3.For the home-cleaning method, you’ll want to fill a tub or bucket with a solution of cold water and oxygen-based bleach. Always be guided by the instructions on the bleach bottle in terms of the ratio of bleach to water to be used. It’s also important to remember that oxygen-based bleach, as opposed to chlorine bleach, is safe for white and coloured fabrics. Mix the two together and do a patch test on an inconspicuous part of the carpet to do a colour test. Also important to note is that oxygen bleach should not be used for silk, wool or leather.
- 4.Using a sponge or a clean white cloth, blot the solvent onto the carpet. Work from the circumference to the centre so that the stain doesn’t spread. Continue transferring the pollen stain onto your cloth. Leave the wet stain for about an hour.
- 5.If the oxygen bleach solution does not work, consider applying a small amount of rubbing alcohol to a white paper towel and then blot the stain in the same direction as mentioned in the previous step. As an alternative, you may wish to try a small amount of shaving foam which you’ll gently work in with an old toothbrush. Again, use a cloth to blot the foam off the carpet.
- 6.Next, you’ll want to rinse the carpet with a new, clean cloth..
- 7.Allow the area to air dry and as a final touch, vacuum the carpet to raise its fibres.
Rely on our trusted carpet cleaning specialists
Looking for a better alternative? Why not try our professional carpet stain removal services? You can always try to attempt cleaning pollen stains off your carpet but it’s best to call in a professional. With high-grade equipment and knowledge of practically all types of stains and spills that can happen on your carpet, our trusted specialists are great at professional carpet stain removal. All that’s left to do is to get in touch with us for a quick and hassle-free service that will effectively leave your carpets smelling and looking clean once again.