Getting rid of blood stains on your clothes when accidents happen is possible with a number of different approaches. You should always use cold water, but you can combine it with different things including soap, baking soda, lemon juice, aspirin, hydrogen peroxide or even meat tenderizer.
Getting blood on your clothes seems like such a big deal at the time because the color is so vibrant. Not to worry; there are many ways to treat a blood stain. Whether you are on the go or you happen to get the stain at home, try one of these methods to remove blood stains from clothes.
Just remember to pay attention to what fabric your clothing is made of when determining which methods it can handle.
Table of Contents
Make sure to treat the stain as soon as possible for best results
It’s very important to treat the stain as soon as it happens for an easier more effective result. If you notice the stain right when it happens, deal with it as soon as possible and at the very least, throw your item into a bowl of cold water.
Soaking the stain will make it much simpler to deal with once you have the time. Whatever you do, try not to let the blood dry on your clothes.
Do not treat a blood stain with boiling water
Some people might crank the water nozzle over to hot water right away, but when it comes to a blood stain, the last thing you will want to use is hot water. Hot water will actually do more harm than good.
The hot water will heat up the stain and make the blood seep more into the fabric, spreading the stain on your clothes. Also, hot water can shrink your clothes, which is another reason to avoid it.
Aspirin is for more than just headaches
Surprisingly you can use aspirin to remove blood stains from your clothes. Follow this simple process:
- Crush up 2 tablets of aspirin
- Mix the crushed aspirin with enough water to form a thick paste
- Apply the paste to the blood stain
- Leave the stain on for at least 30 minutes or overnight if the stain is deep and has been sitting for a while.
- Rinse off and clean accordingly
A classic stain remover: baking soda
Baking soda is great at removing many stains on clothing and other surfaces. Simply mix about 1 tablespoon of baking soda with enough water to form a paste.
Spread the paste on the blood stain and leave it on for 30 minutes or longer, depending on how bad the stain is. Rinse off with cold water and let it air dry. If the stain seems to be gone, put your clothing in the washing machine and wash on cold.
Don’t put your clothing into the dryer until you’re absolutely sure that the blood stain is completely gone, or the stain will set.
Hydrogen Peroxide is another wonderful solution for treating a blood stain
If the blood stain is being a huge pain, try hydrogen peroxide. This is great for when cold water or nothing else will do the trick. Mix 1-part hydrogen peroxide and 2-parts water, to create a stain-fighting solution. Soak the bloody clothing for 30 minutes and rinse with cold water.
You will want to stick to lighter colored clothes when using hydrogen peroxide, because it can discolor darker clothing. You do not want to ruin any of your clothes due to not following the appropriate measures.
Use soap (bar or liquid) or laundry detergent
This simple technique uses regular everyday soap or laundry detergent, whichever is more easily available to you.
- Put 1 tbsp of soap or laundry detergent on the stain, or rub it with the bar of soap.
- Lather in the mixture.
- Let soak for up to an hour
- Rinse with cold water
Lemon juice works well on light-colored clothing
Lemon juice is highly effective on white or lighter clothing items. Using it on darker clothes can accidentally leave them lightened.
- Use about 1 tbsp of lemon juice depending on the size of the stain
- Let the lemon juice soak up the blood from the stain
- Leave the juice on for about 10 minutes
- Rinse the lemon juice out with cold water
- Run a cold-water cycle on your washing machine and let air dry.
Battling old, stubborn stains with an unlikely stain remover: meat tenderizer
You are probably going to question this method, but meat tenderizer is a really good choice if you have really old blood stains. Make sure you get the unseasoned one. Although it sounds weird, it actually makes sense because red meat has a lot of blood. Follow these steps:
- Sprinkle enough tenderizer powder to cover the stain.
- Add a few drops of water to make a paste.
- Leave this mixture on for 30 minutes
- Rinse with very cold water.
- Wash your clothing in the washing machine on cold to remove any remaining tenderizer
After this process, your clothing should come out blood stain free, even if the stains had been stubbornly lingering for a long time.
If nothing else is available: saliva
Sometimes you might find yourself on the go and things happen. You look down and notice that you have a blood stain on your clothes. You are not near any water and you do not have any products to use. Well thankfully, you are in luck. Your own saliva can help you out in this predicament. Try blotting your saliva on the blood stain and wait for it to soak up the stain.
Frequently asked questions about blood stains
Why does hot water make blood stains worse?
Heat from hot water can actually heat up the stain, causing the blood to spread even more. The last thing you want to happen is the stain to continuously spread all over your article of clothing. Cold water is always best when treating a blood stain since it stops the stain in its tracks.
Why does cold water remove blood stains?
The proteins in the blood will bind to the fabric of your clothes, whereas with hot water it will adhere to the fabric instead.
Can you prevent blood stains?
To be honest, not really. Blood is usually the result of an accident out of your control. To avoid blood stains, be careful around sharp objects and pay attention to your surroundings.
Do blood stains come out of every type of clothing material?
It all depends on the stain and how long the stain has been on your clothes. Some materials may take more persistence when it comes to removing it. Try a few different solutions until you find one that works.
Make sure you don’t mix ingredients together if your first approach doesn’t work. You’ll need to fully wash the clothing first before trying a new stain-removing process.
Take a look at these articles for information on how to remove blood stains from sheets, carpet or car upholstery for when accidents happen in other surroundings.
No more blood stains
By using simple things like soap, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice, your clothes will hopefully be blood stain free in no time. You can also try more unusual approaches like meat tenderizer or even your own saliva.
