So I receive some oh-so-beautiful trumpet lilies on Sunday. I have spent more than a few hours watching them bloom. (Yes, I idle my days away in the simplest pleasure like this.) Lilies however have the dreaded problem of staining everything in their way with their pollen. These yellow-orangey stains are little mean acts of nature! And I have unfortunately just got some lily pollens on my light pink t-shirt! Gasp!
Well, these stains are tricky to remove because water doesn't work on them. (I mean, if something can be removed by just water, it won't be considered tough stains, would it?) So here are some unconventional ways to get rid of the pollen stains.
Firstly thing first. Do NOT try to rub the stain off. This will only serve to push the pigment deeper into the fabric, making it harder to remove it! If you use your finger to rub it, the natural oil produced by our skin will impound the pigmentation further! Not wise.
Do NOT rub it off with a wet cloth either. This also only serves to spread the stain and set it in.
Instead, the best way is to shake it out. Once you realise your fabric has been stained, try to shake the fabric so the loose pollen powder will fall off. I find this awfully useful as much of the stain really does release itself from the fabric!
Next, use a sticky tape to gently lift up any remaining pollen. I have just tried this on my tshirt. It works like magic! Now the stain on my tshirt is but a light yellowish patch! Who would've thought a simple sticky tape has such powerful capability in times like that? Love it!
The last unconventional method to remove pollen is to put your stained fabric in the sun for a while. Not just an old wives' tale, the sunlight will bleach out the pollen! Amazing eh? (Personally I haven't tried this method since it's 2am now as I blog this. But ask mom or grams and they'll tell you this works!
If all else fails,
