How to Get Blood Stains out of Clothes

Blood stains can be a real pain and if you have kids, you know how wild and reckless they can be. So, it’s no surprise when they sometimes come inside with a scraped knee, bloody nose or scraped elbows and hands.

After cleaning up the kids owie, it’s time to get to work on the blood stains left behind on their clothing.

But hey, some of us adults are kids at heart, right? We can be just as tough on ourselves as kids. I can’t tell you how many projects I work on where I’ve cut a finger or gotten pretty scraped up working in my gardens.

No matter who or how, we can help you get the blood stains out.

Why Are Blood Stains So Hard to Remove?

Blood stains are essentially protein stains. Protein holds tight to the fibers in fabric; that makes it more difficult to remove. It’s not as simple as removing mud or dirt, which stays on the surface of the fibers and rinses out with just water.

With blood stains, the best bet is to treat the stain before it has a chance to set in and becomes a permanent stain. Once treated and washed correctly, always check the stained area before throwing clothes in the dryer.

If the garment is heated in any way, it will be almost impossible to remove blood stains from clothing items.

Blood Stain Removal Tips

No matter what method you try, it’s always best to get stains taken care of as soon as possible. The less time stains have to set in the fabric, the better your chances of removing it.

The second piece of essential advice with a blood stain, is to use cold water. Never run the stain under hot water or you will effectively lock it in and make it permanent. So, remember, always use cold water, not lukewarm or hot, with blood stains.

Saliva – Science or Old Wives’ Tales?

When it comes to removing blood from fabric, there are several methods that can be used, all without using any special commercial product. You can actually use your own saliva on the stain to remove the blood. Human saliva is mostly water, so I can see this method helping if you have no other option and if it’s a small blood stain. As a matter of fact, I have had to do this on my shirt when I slopped on it and it did help remove the majority of the stain.

So, if you prick your finger or get some other kind of small nick and get a small amount of blood on your clothing, saliva could help. Anything more than a small drop of blood though, you should probably try some other method.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is inexpensive and it’s the ultimate multi-tasker. When it comes to blood stains, it works quickly and its effects are pretty amazing and it works on a wet or dry blood stain.

Fresh Blood Stain

• Rinse the blood-stained area under cold water. This will rinse away much of the stain.
• Pour hydrogen peroxide over the blood stain then cover with a clean white cloth.
• Let sit 15 to 20 minutes then check the progress.
• Repeat if necessary.
• Wash as usual.

Dried Blood Stain

• Pour hydrogen peroxide over the dried blood stain and cover with a clean white towel.
• Let sit 20 to 30 minutes then check the progress.
• Repeat as necessary.
• Wash as usual

If you’re treating colored fabric, test in an inconspicuous spot first. Although hydrogen peroxide does not remove color and is safe for whites and colored fabrics, it’s still a good idea to do a little patch test first.

Hydrogen peroxide, when exposed to light, will turn to water so that is why it should be covered when using and also why it comes in a dark container.

Soap and Water

It doesn’t get much more basic than this next method; cold water, dishwashing soap and a little elbow grease will help get the job done.

• Just wet the garment with COLD water, add soap and lather up using your fingers or an old toothbrush or rubbing between your palms.
• Keep using cold water and soap until the stain is gone.

These are a few of the best bets for getting out blood stains, but if you’ve got a stain that has set into the fabric, you may be willing to try anything to get it out.

Some other methods for getting blood stains out are:

• Use a white toothpaste to get the blood stain out – apply a small amount of toothpaste (not the gel kind) and wet with a little water. Using a toothbrush scrub the stained area, occasionally add a little more water.
• Soak in meat tenderizer and water – put some meat tenderizer on the stain and sprinkle with a little water, how long you leave it on depends on how set in the blood is, rinse with cold water.
• Pour ammonia over most fabrics – ammonia does not damage fabrics the way bleach can – let sit a few minutes and rinse with cold water. Ammonia has a very strong smell so some of you may not want to try this method.

If, after using any of these methods there is still some discoloration, try the hydrogen peroxide method and see if that help remove the last of the staining.