They are among the most stubborn stains of all: blood stains. But with a few tricks even these disappear. How to remove blood stains? We tell you which home remedies work.
When blood gets on clothing, upholstery, or carpeting, the number one rule is: the sooner you wash the stain out, the better chance it has of disappearing. But which home remedy is the right one if you want to treat textile and fabric because of a blood stain?
Remove small blood stains along the way
The knee is bleeding, the elbow is bruised – and the piece of clothing lost forever? No, small, fresh blood stains can certainly be removed, even when you are out and about. Saliva has proven itself as an immediate aid. It prevents the stain from drying out. In addition, enzymes in the saliva break down certain proteins and can dissolve the blood stain:
- Collect saliva in your mouth.
- Put some on your index finger and use it to dampen the blood stain and the area around it.
- During the exposure time, try to remove the stain from the clothing with circular and rubbing movements.
- If necessary, repeat the process several times.
If you are currently near a well or a lake, soak the affected part of the fabric in cold water. If you are back home, put the garment immediately in the machine wash.
Remove fresh blood stains from clothing
At home, you should rinse the stains out immediately after the accident. But important: Blood contains protein that must not come into contact with hot water. Otherwise the protein will coagulate, fix itself in the textile and form an inseparable chemical bond with the fibers.
Our tip:
Therefore, pretreat the stains with cold water and gall soap, curd soap, stain remover or mild detergent and put them in the washing machine after the exposure time.
Bernd Glassl from the Industry Association for Personal Care and laundry detergent (IKW) recommends washing with solid universal or heavy-duty detergent. The important thing is to use a product in powder, granule or tablet form. This usually contains bleaching agents that ensure a higher washing effect than liquid products.
You should also have the bloody garment cleaned at the maximum washing temperature specified on the label – but at least at 40 degrees, according to Glassl.
However, it becomes a bit more difficult when the blood stains are older and possibly even dried up.
Home remedies for dried blood stains
In this case, there are special tips. In addition to stain removers from the drugstore, old household remedies such as
Proven. To do this, you should soak the garment in cold water and sprinkle the stain with baking soda. The exposure time should be about two hours. Alternatively, you can soak the fabric in cold water with a dissolved effervescent aspirin tablet or in brine for a while.
The textiles are then pretreated with curd soap or gall soap or put in the washing machine. An insider tip: spread a fine paste of salt and lemon juice over the blood stain, leave to work, rinse with clear water and machine wash.
How to remove blood stains on the mattress
Is it a fresh bloodstain on a sleeping mattress, you can treat it with cold clear water. The best way to do this is to use a spray bottle to spray water on the stain, or a damp cotton cloth to dab at the stain.
Our tip:
Avoid getting too much moisture deep inside the mattress because the water is only meant to thin the blood.
Then dab the blood stain diluted with water with a dry cotton cloth. Repeat the procedure until you only suck up clear water. Then the blood stain is completely removed.
If the bloodstain is older and has dried, various cleaning agents and home remedies are recommended:
- Mix detergent and cold water into a paste and rub it into the blood stain. The exposure time should be around 60 minutes. Then scrape off the paste and spray the stain with a spray bottle filled with cold water. Now blot away the moisture with a dry cotton cloth or kitchen paper. Repeat the spray-and-blot procedure until the blood stain is gone.
- Mix cornstarch (cornstarch) or potato flour and cold water into a paste. Then proceed as with the detergent-water variant.
- Mix salt and the juice from the so-called plastic lemon (you can find it in the supermarket and it contains water, lemon juice and citric acid). Then apply the salt-lemon paste to the blood stains as with the previous home remedies.
- Instead of the agents mentioned, you can also mix baking soda or baking powder with water and proceed as with the previous variants.
Treat blood stains on carpet and sofa
From time to time you have to remove blood stains not only on clothing, but also on non-washable objects such as carpets or upholstered furniture. The best tip here is to first brush out the stain with cold water and then treat it with upholstery or carpet shampoo.
Dried blood stains can also be removed with a glycerine solution or some cornstarch or potato starch mixed with water. Gall soap and special commercially available stain removers are also a good tip, but in this case you should not forget to test the color fastness of the carpet or sofa on a hidden spot.
How To Remove Blood Stains Video
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