Have you often wondered if there is an easy way to remove blood stains? It can happen so quickly – a nosebleed, an injury or even your period – and you have a stubborn stain.
But don’t worry, because blood stains are actually not that difficult to get rid of. The only thing you need is some patience and a few old home remedies.
In this article we have collected simple tips and tricks for you that have always been tried and tested and are guaranteed to help you too. We’ll show you how you can remove blood stains with little money and, above all, in an environmentally friendly way, without having to resort to aggressive measures.
You will also find out which mistakes you should definitely avoid when removing stains.
The essentials in brief
- Blood stains are often particularly stubborn, which is due to the blood pigment hemoglobin. This consists of protein, which makes stain removal difficult.
- But the quicker you react, the easier it is to remove blood stains. For very fresh stains, cold water is usually enough, but for dried stains you should prepare a cold water bath and let the affected area soak in it for a long time.
- Never use warm or hot water to treat blood stains and do not put laundry in the washing machine without pre-treating it!
What are blood stains?
Our blood – so vital, but also so annoying when it comes to stains! But is it actually why blood stains are so difficult to combat?
Blood consists of almost 50% water, also called blood plasma. The rest consists of red and white blood cells, platelets, protein, fat, sugar and salt.
Blood is irreplaceable because only the body can produce it itself or it can be supplied through blood donations.
The reason for the stubbornness in removing stains is particularly due to the hemoglobin contained in the blood.
This is a protein that consists of several protein compounds and gives the blood its strong red color. Hemoglobin is also known as a blood pigment.
What you should know about bloodstains
Before you start removing your blood stains, you should know how to proceed.
First of all, it is important to know whether the stains are old or fresh, what material they are on and how you can protect your clothing when cleaning.
Here you can find out what makes the differences between blood stains.
When did the bloodstains appear?
Removal of fresh blood stains
As long as the blood stains are still relatively fresh, you’re in luck. In most cases you can get this under control very quickly.
You need to hold the affected area under cold running water until the blood stains are no longer visible.
The pressure of the tap ensures that the stains can be easily washed out. You also shouldn’t rub too much as this will only make the blood stain bigger.
If nothing is visible anymore, you can wash the item of clothing or fabric in the washing machine as normal and you should no longer see any traces of blood.
Otherwise, you can prepare a cold water bath and let the stain soak in it overnight.
What to do with non-washable textiles?
But we know from experience that things that are not so easy to wash are often affected.
How can you proceed if a mishap happens to you on the mattress, the couch or, for example, the car seat?
- Get a bottle with a spray nozzle and fill it with cold water.
- Then wet spray the blood stains with it.
- The water will loosen the blood; you now have to dab the stain with a dry cotton cloth.
- Dab until the affected area is dry.
- Repeat this process until no more blood stains can be seen.
- Always work with the dry side of the cotton cloth.
Removal of dried blood stains
If the blood stains have already dried up, just cold water alone is no longer enough to get rid of them.
In such cases, it is best to prepare a cold water solution.
To do this, dissolve some detergent or liquid soap in cold water and soak the affected area in it.
Depending on how big your textiles are, you can do this in the bathtub or in the sink.
The fabric should be completely submerged in water and gently rub the blood stain to help the solution penetrate the fabric.
The exposure time should be at least one hour, but you can also soak the textiles in the solution overnight.
You can also treat the stain with gall soap. After soaking, you can wash your textile again as normal.
What to do with non-washable textiles?
To do this, you can mix a thick mixture consisting of water and washing powder and apply it to the affected area.
Now let it work for a little longer (1 hour or more). Then remove them again with some kitchen roll or a cloth.
Then spray the blood stains with cold water and carefully dab them with a dry cotton cloth.
Spray and dab the dirty area until no more blood comes off. Always work with the dry side of your cloth. If you can’t see anything anymore, you’ve done it.
| Type | method |
|---|---|
| Fresh blood stains | Simply rinse under the tap with cold water until nothing can be seen anymore. Avoid too much friction on the stain. For non-washable textiles, spray the blood stain with cold water and dab it with a cloth. |
| Dried blood stains | For washable fabrics, you can prepare a water bath with some washing powder and soak the affected textile completely in it. Best for at least 1 hour or overnight. For non-washable fabrics, mix a paste of washing powder and water. Apply this to the blood stain and leave it on for 1 hour. Then remove with kitchen roll or a cloth, spray with cold water and pat dry. |
What caused the blood stains?
Blood stains on clothing
Especially on a white blouse, a nice dress or simply on your favorite shirt – most people don’t know what to do when it comes to blood stains.
But it’s actually not that difficult to get rid of them if you react quickly and correctly.
What you should definitely not do is wash the item of clothing normally without pre-treating it.
This would really cook the blood stain into the fabric fibers with the hot water, making it almost impossible to remove afterwards.
Blood stains on the mattress
But if the blood stains are on non-washable textiles such as the mattress, it is often particularly annoying.
But with a homemade paste made from washing powder and a little water, you can also fight against such blood stains.
Make sure that the paste is not too thick, as it should be able to penetrate the fabric easily.
You can also use an old toothbrush to ensure that the washing powder is distributed well over the blood stain.
Blood stains on fabric upholstery
Caution is particularly advised when it comes to fabric covers on sofas and armchairs! It is not uncommon for such covers to be colored and lose their color if you use too aggressive methods.
That’s why it’s always very important to check beforehand whether the material is colorfast.
Simply test the product on a hidden area and if the paint comes off, you will need to use a milder method.
Blood stains on leather
You can also make a solution for blood stains on leather textiles. For this you need distilled water and neutral soap.
Mix both well and pour back into a bottle with a spray nozzle.
Then spray the affected area with it and dab it with a dry cotton cloth. Be careful and rub very gently!
For blood stains on suede, you can prepare a thick mixture of aspirin and water.
You then apply this to the stain and can gently work it in with a toothbrush.
Then let the whole thing take effect for a few minutes and then remove the mass with a clean cotton cloth.
If there is still any blood residue in the leather, simply spray it again with cold water and pat dry.
Blood stains on natural stone
Blood stains on untreated natural stone can be very stubborn. These include, for example, marble, sandstone, granite and the like.
If the stone is natural, it has a rough surface, which makes it particularly easy for blood to penetrate.
All you can do here is react quickly and treat the stain with cold water. If you’re lucky, if you have fresh blood stains, you can remove everything without leaving any residue.
If the stains are older, you could try using washing powder, but first test to make sure it doesn’t attack the stone.
You can also use professional garden cleaners, but these are less suitable for natural rock.
How can I protect colors and patterns on my clothing when removing stains?
You must always check color fastness before cleaning a delicate fabric!
As soon as you work with household remedies such as aspirin, salt or baking soda, the fabric can be damaged by cleaning too hard.
Furthermore, it is extremely important never to clean the blood stains with warm or even hot water. This would cause the protein in the blood to clot and eat into the fabric.
You should proceed with caution, especially when dealing with a delicate fabric such as silk. The best way to do this is to take a fine cotton cloth and dab the blood stain with alcohol or spirit.
Once the stain has come out well, you can blot with cold water until everything is completely gone.
Removing blood stains: These tips are the quickest way to get rid of them
Now you already know a few tricks that are particularly important when removing blood stains.
If cold water alone is not enough or the stains turn out to be more stubborn, we have summarized valuable tips for you here.
You will find out what other home remedies are available to remove blood stains cheaply and in an environmentally friendly way.
How can I remove blood stains using professional products?
If you want to use professional cleaners right away, there are a variety of providers. Of course, we also have a product recommendation for you (see above).
The advantage of this is that you can get rid of your blood stains quickly and without much effort.
Simply treat the dirty area according to the instructions and wash normally after a short exposure time.
A special formula breaks down organic dirt and makes it easier to remove.
However, how good the result is also depends on the sensitivity and nature of the material.
How can I remove blood stains with home remedies?
Cold water
Cold water is the best and most natural home remedy to remove blood stains.
The following applies: the sooner the stains are treated, the better they can be removed. The method always remains the same.
Either quickly put it under the tap and rinse with cold water, or if there are dried blood stains, prepare a water bath with a little washing powder or liquid soap and soak the textile in it for several hours.
Salt water
A water solution with table salt is particularly suitable for clothing and jeans. You prepare a cold water bath again and add additional salt.
You can be generous with the salt and stir well so that it is well distributed in the water. Then soak your textile in it.
You can do this for several hours or even overnight.
When you take them out again, you can treat them with gall soap if necessary and then wash the textiles as normal in the washing machine.
Gall soap
Gall soap is one of the oldest home remedies when it comes to removing stains. It is made from curd soap and beef bile and is available for less than €1.
To remove blood stains, wet the affected area and then apply the soap directly, working it in carefully.
Then wash them out again with cold water. If necessary, repeat this process until the stain has completely disappeared.
For vegans, there is also vegan curd soap with which you can achieve the same effect!
Baking powder or baking soda
Another commonly used home remedy is baking powder or baking soda. To do this, you must pre-treat the blood stains with cold water.
It’s best to place the textiles in a cold water bath for at least half an hour or even longer.
Then put some baking soda on the affected area and let it work for at least 2 hours.
If you remove it afterwards, nothing should be visible. Otherwise, simply repeat the process with baking powder.
If you find blood stains on wool textiles, baking soda is a great way to work. To do this, mix a thick paste of water and baking soda and apply it to the stain.
You can also use a soft toothbrush so that the baking soda penetrates the fabric fibers well.
The exposure time should be at least 15 minutes, after which you can rinse the material under cold water.
The wool textile is then washed by hand as usual. Alternatively, you can use potato or cornstarch instead of baking powder.
Citric acid (aspirin)
For small blood stains, you can also squeeze a lemon and apply the undiluted juice to the affected areas and then leave it to act for a few minutes.
After the exposure time, wash the fabric again with cold water.
You can do the same with an aspirin tablet. Simply dissolve it in a glass of water and then let it work on the blood stains.
If you make a cold water bath, you can also dissolve the aspirin in it.
Soda water
If you want to remove blood stains in an environmentally friendly way, soda water is also ideal for this.
This is a natural product consisting of water and sodium carbonate.
In most shops it is sold as “washing soda” and is also quite affordable.
Simply prepare a cold water bath, add the soda and make sure it dissolves completely.
Now put your blood-stained clothing or textiles in and let them soak again for up to 30 minutes.
By the time the time is up, the blood stains should either be completely gone or at least be easy to rinse out.
Then put the pre-treated laundry in the washing machine as usual.
Chlorine
Chlorine is also used to combat residues from various types of stains. This method is particularly recommended for white laundry, bed sheets, etc.
You simply have to let the chlorine act on the blood stain – preferably in a cold water bath – and then rinse and wash the fabric.
However, chlorine is not recommended for bright colors and patterns because it would most likely cause discoloration.
Vinegar and ammonia
If the blood stains are so stubborn that hardly anything helps, you can try vinegar or ammonia. Vinegar may still be able to save something if the stains are very dried out.
Soak the affected area in it and then try to get the stain out with cold water.
If it doesn’t work right away, you can let the fabric soak in the vinegar for a little longer.
Since ammonia has a very strong effect, it is better to dilute it 1:1 with water. Before you apply it, you should quickly test whether it is compatible with the material.
If everything goes well, the ammonia solution should have destroyed the blood stain after a short time. Then rinse the fabric with soap and water and throw it in the washing machine.
Why didn’t the blood stains come off when washed in the washing machine?
What else you should know about blood stains
Why does dried blood turn brown?
Quite an interesting question, don’t you think? Fresh blood is usually a nice red color, but once it dries it turns a brownish tone.
The red blood cells contain iron, which, as we know, rusts and takes on this color. This means that blood also rusts in a certain way as it dries.
Why are blood stains visible despite cleaning under UV light?
This applies more to forensics, but did you know that traces of blood can still be visible years later, despite the most intensive cleaning?
However, this is only possible with certain lighting methods.
By using a contrast enhancer in combination with leukocrystal violet, the structure of the blood can be detected and made accessible for forensic evidence.
This even makes cleaning measures visible, as the blue-violet light makes the wiping marks in the blood visible.
Luminol, a chemical mixture, is also used that makes it temporarily visible when it comes into contact with blood.
The chemical contrast enhancers then make these traces permanently visible through special color reactions.
The way blood traces and stains look provide valuable evidence of the crime.
Conclusion
In conclusion, blood stains can be very stubborn on the one hand, but on the other hand they can also be very easy to remove with the right treatment.
The procedure is almost always the same and should be done as quickly as possible. Fresh blood stains can usually almost always be washed out with cold water.
Removing dried blood, on the other hand, is a little more complicated, but can also be done with a little patience.
Regardless of whether a textile is washable or not, almost any blood stain can be removed with one or two home remedies.
The most important thing, however, is to always only work with cold water, because warm has the absolute opposite effect.
You should never wash your laundry with blood stains in the washing machine untreated, but should at least pre-treat it with cold water beforehand.
