Hydrogen peroxide is an excellent blood stain remover that works well on both fresh and set-in blood stains. However, hydrogen peroxide can have a bleaching effect on some textiles, so it's important to perform a spot test before using it for stain removal.
Create a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the still stained area. Allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes. Spray the baking soda with straight white vinegar and allow it to bubble. Blot up the mixture and stain with a clean white cloth.
The trick to removing dried blood is trying a simple method (soap and water) and moving on to more complicated methods if needed. If at first you do not succeed… Use an enzymatic cleaner. If soap and water do not adequately remove the stain, move on to an enzymatic cleaner, which will biodegrade the stain.
Many dye stains are permanent, but you can try heavy-duty detergent and soaking. With ink, you can get lucky with rubbing alcohol. These tips tend to only work on fresh stains, but sometimes you can get lucky, so give it a shot.
Greasy / Oil Stains – such as hand lotion, hair mousse, lard and butter. Oxidisable Stains – key ingredient in alcoholic drinks, coffee and tea (without milk) and soft drinks. Particulate Stains – such as mud and ground in dirt. Combination Stains – these stains can be a mix of two or more of the above stain types.
The longer a stain is left untreated, the less likely it is to be removed. When a spill first occurs, it sits on the surface of the fabric, but over time, that spill can start to react with the fabric causing the fabric to actually change colors.
Old blood stains can be especially difficult to remove, however it's not always impossible. If the blood stains have been washed in hot water or put through the dryer, this could have set the stain and made them permanent.
These stains are removed by using a bleaching agent, for example, hydrogen peroxide. These oxidizing agents break down the color-causing components of chemical structures so that the stain becomes invisible!
Dawn. If you have some Dawn dish soap, you can also use that to help remove blood stains. Dawn recommends applying a few drops of dish soap directly onto the fabric, covering the entire stain, and then rubbing it in with your fingers.
First, pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain and scrub it with a clean rag, and let it sit for about five minutes. Then, take a hot iron and put it over the stain until it disappears. Spray the stain with water, and iron it again to remove the ring the peroxide may have left.
Natural products like vinegar can actually help get out blood stains from clothing. To use vinegar to remove blood stains, all you need to do is pour the vinegar over the stain until it is completely covered and start gently blotting at it with a clean cloth or sponge.
Freshly dried bloodstains are a glossy reddish-brown in color. Under the influence of sunlight, the weather or removal attempts, the color eventually disappears and the stain turns grey.
Are Dried-in-Blood Stains Harder to Remove? Yes, unfortunately they are, and this task often needs something stronger than soap and water. The most effective method is to use hydrogen peroxide, an oxidizing agent that removes old blood stains via a chemical reaction, breaking it down.
Even when you can't treat a stain immediately, the five powerful Stain Fighters in OxiClean™ Max Force™ Spray tackle tough stains like dried-in blood. Rinse blood stain in cold water. Spray directly onto the spot or stain until saturated.
Ammonia. Rub out blood stains on clothing by dabbing the area with a half-strength solution of ammonia and water before laundering. This is a great method for how to remove blood stains, but it can also help get rid of perspiration and urine. You should also know how to whiten a yellow-stained pillow.
First, scrape off all the remnants of dried blood over the garbage can or sink with a dry sponge or scrub brush. Cover the discolored area with hydrogen peroxide. It will bubble up as it attacks the stain, just like it does with fresh blood.
Blood stains and hydrogen peroxide
But it's better than straight-up bleach because it's usually color-safe. Still, you should always make sure it won't discolor the fabric in question by placing a small dot on a hidden area.
Apply rubbing alcohol to a clean white cloth, white paper towel or cotton ball. If the spot extends deep into the pile use a blotting motion until the spot is removed or no color is transferred to the cloth. Do not allow the alcohol to penetrate into the backing as this will destroy the latex bond.
A blood stain is an organic stain, which means it's full of proteins, and proteins are programmed to bind together when heated, making them set fast into our clothes. This means it's important to resist the temptation to wash blood stains out with hot water and instead approach with slightlmore caution.
When blood dries, it loses oxygen and turns a brown rusty color. Usually we don't see it quite like that because it's often in a concentrated scab form.
Heat activates the proteins in blood, causing it to set quickly and permanently stain.
Dried stains should be soaked in cold water (with detergent applied) for about 30 minutes. Then, rinse the stain. Yet another trick is to treat wet tea stains with a generous amount of baking soda. Ideally, the powder will pull the color out of the clothing!
Try one of our alternative stain removers for dried-on, tricky marks that don't come out in a regular wash: Baking soda: make into a paste with water and scrub into stains. Leave for a few minutes then rinse. White vinegar: soak clothes in water then scrub with a solution of a equal parts baking soda and white vinegar.
Staining over stain is easy and works beautifully if you're applying a dark stain over a lighter stain on the wood. Remember, it's the same principle as dying your hair! This rule applies to oil-based stains, water-based stains, and gel stains.