Which clothes pick up less pollen, and how do I keep pollen out of the house?

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The answerPollen sticks to fabric through static electricity and surface texture. Wool, fleece and brushed fabrics pick it up easily; polyester and nylon with a smooth surface (slick, shiny outerwear) pick up far less. A Ministry of the Environment survey found that smooth-surfaced polyester collected a fraction of the pollen that cotton or wool did. The steps: (1) when you go out, wear a smooth-surfaced jacket as your outermost layer; (2) when you get home, brush your coat lightly outside the front door, take it off in the entrance hall (genkan) and do not bring it into the rooms — put a coat hook in the genkan; (3) dry laundry indoors, or if you dry outside, take it in at low-pollen times (early morning or night; take care the day after rain, when counts are high) and brush it first; (4) use anti-static spray or fabric softener to cut static; (5) do the same for hair and face.

If you have hay fever (花粉症, kafunshō — in Japan mainly from cedar and cypress pollen in late winter and spring), the clothes you come home in are the pollen's transport. "Brush off at the door" and "avoid wool" are common sense in the Japanese pollen season. This article puts numbers on how much sticks to which fabric, and explains what to do about laundry and drying indoors.

How much pollen each fabric picks up

Fabric / surface	How much sticks	Why	What to do
Wool, fleece, brushed fabrics (knits, corduroy, faux-fur "boa")	Very easily	Pollen catches in the fibre texture; static builds easily	Do not wear as the outermost layer in pollen season. Wear as an inner layer under a slick outer
Cotton (denim, twill)	Easily	Textured surface	Brush off when you get home; wash often
Polyester, nylon (smooth weave)	Not easily (in a Ministry of the Environment test, around 1/5–1/10 of cotton)	Smooth, easy to brush off	The standard pollen-season outer (nylon coat, trench coat, mountain parka)
Leather, synthetic leather, vinyl	Not easily	Flat surface	Can be wiped
Pollen-repellent finishes (fluorine, anti-static)	Not easily	Anti-static plus smoothing	The effect fades with washing; top up with spray

Keeping pollen out of the house

Place	What to do
Outside the front door	Brush coat, hat and bag lightly by hand (beating makes pollen fly up); brush your hair lightly. Keep a sticky lint roller or pollen brush by the door
Inside the genkan (entrance hall)	Take your coat off in the genkan and hang it on a hook. Do not bring it into the rooms. Take off and bin your mask here too
Washbasin	Wash hands, gargle, wash face (pollen on the face); if possible rinse your hair in the shower (more effective straight after coming home than at night)
Changing	Keep outdoor clothes and indoor clothes separate. Wash outdoor clothes the same day, or leave them by the genkan
Bedroom	Never bring outdoor clothes into the bedroom. Do not air bedding outdoors (if you do, brush it and wash the covers)

Drying laundry: during the season, drying indoors is the rule. If you dry outside, hang it early morning to mid-morning when counts are low and bring it in before noon (peaks are around midday and in the evening); brush before bringing it in; use a tumble dryer, bathroom dryer or dehumidifier. Fabric softener and anti-static spray reduce sticking.
High-count days: sunny and warm, windy, rain the day before (Ministry of the Environment and Japan Weather Association forecasts). Rainy days are low, but the next day it all flies at once.
Does washing get pollen out?: most comes out in a normal water wash. Pollen allergens (proteins) are water-soluble, so ordinary laundering rinses them away. But pollen can transfer to wool from other items in the load, so wash wool separately.
Car: brush off before getting in; set the air-con to recirculate and fit a pollen filter.
Children: school blazers (wool blends) — brush off in the genkan and hang on the hook. Hats too.
Pets: wipe them down after walks (pollen sticks to fur).
Face and hair: hat, glasses and mask reduce sticking. Hair wax and spray attract pollen, so cut down or tie hair up during the season. Washing face and hair straight after coming home works better than waiting until night.

[Verify] The ratio of pollen picked up by each fabric is based on test results in the Ministry of the Environment's "Hay Fever Environmental Health Manual"; check peak dispersal times against Ministry of the Environment and Japan Weather Association materials.

Misunderstanding 1｜Pollen sticks to clothes whatever the fabric

Wool and fleece pick up several to 10 times as much as smooth polyester. Make your outermost layer a slick fabric during the season.

Misunderstanding 2｜Beating your coat hard at the door knocks the pollen off

Beating sends pollen into the air and you breathe it in. Brush lightly by hand, or use a lint roller or brush.

Misunderstanding 3｜Laundry has to go in the sun or pollen stays on it

Most pollen comes out in a water wash, and drying outside puts it back on. Dry indoors during the season, or hang early and bring in before noon.

Misunderstanding 4｜The day after rain has less pollen

Pollen washed down by the rain all flies the next day, so counts are higher. Watch out for sunny, warm, windy days and the day after rain.

Misunderstanding 5｜Once I'm indoors pollen doesn't matter

Pollen carried in on clothes, hair and bedding causes night-time symptoms. Stop it at the genkan; keep outdoor clothes out of the bedroom.

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Sources

Ministry of the Environment, "Hay Fever Environmental Health Manual" [花粉症環境保健マニュアル] (pollen on clothing, everyday measures)

https://www.env.go.jp/chemi/anzen/kafun/manual.html

Ministry of the Environment, "Pollen observation system (Hanako-san) / pollen dispersal information" [花粉観測システム（はなこさん）／花粉飛散情報]

https://www.env.go.jp/chemi/anzen/kafun/

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Hay fever measures: what you can do in daily life" [花粉症の対策：生活の中でできること]

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/kenkou/kafun/

⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.

About this article

What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.

This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.

Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.

Follow the care label and the maker's instructions for any garment, shoe or bag. For expensive or sentimental items, ask a specialist cleaner or repairer.

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Which clothes pick up less pollen, and how do I keep pollen out of the house?

How much pollen each fabric picks up

Keeping pollen out of the house

Misunderstanding 1｜Pollen sticks to clothes whatever the fabric

Misunderstanding 2｜Beating your coat hard at the door knocks the pollen off

Misunderstanding 3｜Laundry has to go in the sun or pollen stays on it

Misunderstanding 4｜The day after rain has less pollen

Misunderstanding 5｜Once I'm indoors pollen doesn't matter

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About this article

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