Blood from clothes is easy to remove if you don’t delay washing. As time passes, it will be more difficult to remove blood stains, and the more time passes, the harder it is to do so, even using chemicals. But this does not mean that the item can be considered irretrievably damaged. Often, even after time, bloody stains can be removed, and for this you do not need to buy special expensive compounds.
General washing recommendations
Depending on the type of fabric, you should use certain products to remove blood stains from clothing. In addition, you must adhere to several rules:
- Before completely washing the clothes using the selected product, a small amount should be applied to an inconspicuous area of the fabric. After 15 minutes, the clothes should be washed and the treated area should be inspected for color changes and deformation. This way you can check how the fabric will react to the product and whether the item will be completely damaged after such washing.
- You can only wash off blood with cold water. When in contact with hot water, blood molecules are further absorbed into the tissue.
- If you use purchased products, you should use them strictly in the quantities specified in the instructions.
- After the procedure for removing blood stains, clothes should be washed additionally in the usual way.
What not to do
Hesitate too long washing if blood gets on the fabric, you should not, but at the same time you should not try to wipe off fresh stains, which in such cases will only be absorbed more strongly and spread. The best option is to remove excess blood with a cotton pad or napkin, blotting the contaminated areas. It is better to perform the main cleaning after 4-5 hours.
You should not use the first means that come to hand: any of these products can have a negative effect on different types of fabric. At best, the stain cannot be removed; at worst, new defects will appear on the fabric.
How to remove blood from different types of tissues
Depending on the type of fabric and its color, it is necessary to choose the right product for removing blood stains. In such cases, tidying up white items is easier than washing colored ones, since dyed fabrics lose color and brightness under the influence of chemical compounds. You can remove such stains from white clothes as follows:
- Turn the item inside out and rinse the contaminated area under cold running water;
- after the bulk of the blood has disappeared, the stain remaining in its place must be rubbed with laundry soap;
- After 20 minutes, clothes can be washed in cold water.
If blood gets on your jacket, it is not necessary to choose the most delicate methods, since jacket fabrics are dense enough to withstand the effects of aggressive chemical components.
If the stain is fresh, it must be treated with hydrogen peroxide, any stain remover or rubbed with laundry soap, and after 10-15 minutes - wash in washing machine, but the water temperature during washing should not be higher than 30 degrees.
If the stain is small, you can try blotting it with a cotton pad soaked in glycine. Usually this is enough for large dirt to turn into a barely noticeable stain, and it, in turn, can be completely removed by washing the jacket in the machine on a delicate cycle.
Blood that gets on bed linen can be removed after preliminary soaking (for 2-3 hours) in a solution of laundry soap or hydrogen peroxide. If you use soap, to prepare such a solution you need to cut half a bar into a basin with 10 liters of water and stir the mixture until the soap is completely dissolved. Instead of soap, you can add a teaspoon of peroxide to the same amount of water - this will help remove blood from a sheet or duvet cover, even if they are made of thin fabric that requires delicate handling.
You can get rid of blood stains on denim clothes in this way:
- Add a tablespoon of baking soda to half a liter of cold water and stir the solution until the soda is completely dissolved.
- The liquid is applied to the blood stain for half an hour.
- After 30 minutes, the item must be washed in the washing machine using the same cycle that is usually used for washing denim.
Methods for removing old blood stains
Old blood stains on clothing are more difficult to remove, since the protein contained in the blood becomes thoroughly embedded in the fibers of the fabric over time. One of the effective ways to eliminate such contaminants is the following:
- the dry surface is carefully treated with a stiff brush to remove keratinized blood particles;
- the clothes are completely soaked for 12 hours in water, which should be as cold as possible (ideally it is better to use pre-chilled water in the refrigerator);
- after the first three hours you need to add 8 tablespoons of soda to the water, and after another three hours - a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
Shaving foam
This product can be used to remove old and new blood stains from leather goods and upholstery made of natural and artificial leather. Blood stains are first treated with a cotton pad or rag soaked in cold water, then foam is applied to the contaminated areas for half an hour. You can remove it after this time with a dry cloth.
Salt
Freshly squeezed lemon juice is mixed with enough table salt to form a thick paste. It should be evenly distributed over the blood stain and left for an hour.
EIf you don’t have lemon on hand, you can pour sparkling mineral water over the stain and then cover it thickly with salt. After 30-40 minutes, the surface can be cleaned and the clothes can be washed in cold water. Salt is best used to remove stains on white linen.Colored clothes may change their shade from this product.
Glycerol
This substance must be preheated in a water bath, then applied to the blood stain using a cotton pad and wiped off a little. First, the inner surface of the clothing is processed in this way, then the front surface. After cleaning the blood, greasy stains may remain on clothing, which are especially noticeable on jeans. These stains can be removed by additional treatment with soapy water or dishwashing detergent.
Dishwashing liquid
It is better to use such products in gel form, applying it in an even thick layer to the blood stain. After half an hour, the gel can be wiped off with a napkin, and the item must be washed in a machine. This is the most effective method for removing numerous and large stains of old blood on colored clothing covering a large area.
Carpet cleaning products
Such compositions can be used to clean blood from not only carpets, but also clothes made of thick fabrics, as well as towels. Such products should be applied to contaminated areas in small quantities and according to the recommendations in the instructions. After a few minutes, the product is washed off with cold water, if necessary, the procedure is repeated several times, and the stain is additionally treated with a stiff brush after each application.
Toothpaste
The product is suitable for any fabric. It should be applied in a thick layer, but not thoroughly rubbed into the clothes. The paste should dry completely, after which you can scrape it off, wash off its remnants with cold water, and additionally wash off your clothes. wash in a solution of laundry soap.
Aspirin
You need to dissolve one aspirin tablet in a glass of water and soak the blood stains with this mixture for half an hour. If the blood is fresh or the stains are not very large, you can wash the clothes in the machine, but add five aspirin tablets, crushed into powder, to the washing powder container in the bleach compartment. This procedure can be repeated several times if after the first cycle there is still blood on the clothes. This is a gentle product that is suitable for removing blood from bed linen.
Meat tenderizer
These products contain enzymes that soften protein compounds. A tablespoon of softener should be applied to the blood stain and left for a day. Every 2-3 hours, apply another half teaspoon of the product to the contaminated area and rub it into the fabric. After 24 hours, treated areas can be cleaned with a brush, and clothing can be cleaned. machine wash.
Ammonia
A teaspoon of the product should be diluted in 100 grams of water and soak the bloody trail with the solution. After an hour, clothes can be washed under running water. This method is not suitable for linen, wool and silk, since ammonia corrodes such fabrics and the dyes used to dye them.
Steam treatment
This method is suitable in cases where it is physically impossible to wash the item or place it in the washing machine. For example, if blood needs to be removed from the upholstery of a sofa, carpet, mattress or winter jacket. You can use a clothes steamer or an iron with a steam function for this cleaning. It is necessary to treat the contaminated surface for 5-7 minutes, until the stain becomes wet and the blood begins to lag behind the fibers.After this, you can use any of the described methods to completely remove the blood.
If the fabric is resistant to several of the proposed substances at once, you can try their combinations at home. This will increase the chances of complete removal of even old blood stains. Unfortunately, the older such contamination is, the less likely it is that it will be possible to get rid of it without a trace. If none of the described methods worked, all that remains is to take the item to dry cleaning, where special compounds are used, and such procedures can be quite expensive.
