Removing Blood Stains

That little cut on the finger, a pimple that burst recently, a shaving cut, or a full-fledged accident. What is common in all these situations? That's right, the blood stain which just soiled your cuffs, mattress, towel or your new shirt. Every one knows that removing blood stains is not easy at all. Grease stains and blood stains are two of the most difficult stains to remove, which you can get on your clothes and hence removing them from jeans/denim is an unusually tough job. And due to the extremely bright color of the stains, they are quite easily visible. Sheets give nightmares to most people, as they do not know the correct technique to remove them.

Blood Stain Removal

The first, most important tip I can give you is that the blood stain is best removed while it is wet. Removing blood stains will become furthermore difficult if the stain is allowed to dry. If the stain dries, it will set in further and your job will become more difficult.

One thing which most people do not know is that a blood stain has to be dipped in COLD water. Most people think only of hot water while cleaning clothes, but for a blood stain, cold water is the way to go. Hence, after you are done with putting a bandage on your wound, the next step must be to dip the fabric in cold water. So do not jump straight to the bleach. Start small! Use a liquid soap or a shampoo or a dish-washing soap and put a liberal amount of it on the soiled area. Now rub the fabric, with your palms facing each other, till you work up a lather. Wash again with cold water. I again emphasize on the use of cold water as hot water will only make the stain set in further.

Okay, so this method worked well on fresh stains, but what about the stains that are a bit older and are more deeply set? How to remove those? Well for such stains, you might need a slightly stronger cleaner. You will need a stronger cleaning agent, especially when it comes to removing blood stains from carpet or silk, as the blood stains set in more stubbornly in these. For this, you will need a slightly stronger cleaner like ammonia. I recommend that you do not use bleach, as it may spoil the fabric and the color of the garment may fade too. Bleach may be used in case of plain white fabrics, but I would still recommend using ammonia. To scrub a slightly smaller stained area, you can use a toothbrush instead of your hands, as that can be a more efficient method. The stain will be gone in no time! But make sure that if you have used bleach on it, you do not throw the same piece of fabric to wash with others, as it may damage the colors on those clothes as well. Other substances which can easily help in removing blood stains from sheets and other fabrics are club soda, baking soda and vinegar.

And lastly, if you do not have any of these cleansing agents at the time of the stain, you could use one of these 'natural' ways of removing blood stains from mattresses. The problem with mattresses is that they are quite large and you cannot lug them around the house to clean them. You may cringe at the suggestion, but human spit is supposed to be one of the most magnificent cleansers around. One little bit of saliva can work wonders in removing that stain. Another good, handy cleanser would be, a bit of salt. A bit of salt works well in a saline solution with a bit of water and can be used as an abrasive. But use it on a fresh stain and make sure your wound is well bandaged. Everyone's heard that one about 'salting the wounds'!

As you can see, there is a plethora of cleansers available to help you in removing blood stains, other than bleach (which often spoils the color of the fabric). But remember, it is better that you remove the blood stain before it sets in, as it can be removed more easily at that time.