Removing blood stains from clothing can be tricky, but with the right techniques, you can often salvage the clothing item. The key is to act quickly while the stain is fresh using cool or cold water. With a little bit of effort, it is often possible to get blood stains entirely out of fabric.
Evaluate the Fabric
First, you’ll want to consider the type of fabric that has the blood stain on it. Certain fabrics are easier to remove stains from while some more delicate materials require special care.
Delicate Materials
For silks or wools, you’ll want to be very gentle as aggressive rubbing can damage fibers. Blot these fabrics instead of rubbing. Avoid hot water on these as well which can set in stains by cooking the proteins.
Sturdy Materials
Synthetics, denim, and cotton blends can typically handle a bit more vigorous cleaning efforts. You can soak and rub these fabrics more aggressively, but still avoid hot water.
Act Quickly with Cool Water
As soon as possible after the blood stain occurs, rinse the fabric under a stream of cool or cold water. This helps prevent the stain from setting in by diluting it. Gently dab and blot the stain while rinsing – do not aggressively rub it at this stage which can grind the blood deeper into the weave.
Be sure to rinse from the underside, so the stain is pushed out of the fabric rather than further embedded by the water pressure. Continue this blotting and rinsing process until the runoff water is clear.
Pre-Treat the Stain
For blood that has begun to dry, create a pre-treatment solution to help lift it before washing.
Water + Dish Soap: Add a few drops of clear dish soap like Dawn to cold water in a bowl or spray bottle. Let the fabric soak for 10-20 minutes. The soap helps break down fat and protein residues.
Enzyme Cleaners: Commercial enzyme cleaners like OxiClean also break down proteins in stains. Dilute it per instructions in cold water and soak the fabric before standard washing.
Wash with Cold Water
Once you’ve pre-treated the fabric, launder it in cold water using an enzyme-based detergent. Avoid using hot water which can cook the proteins into stains. Let it air dry, as high heat from a dryer can also set in stains.
You can repeat these cold water washing steps as needed if any residual staining remains. With synthetics and blends this is often successful for complete stain removal through repeated rinse cycles. More delicate materials may retain a slight hint of staining no matter what after such trauma.
Seek Professional Cleaning
For valuable and delicate fabrics that retain stains even after home treatment, take them for professional dry cleaning. Let them know what caused the staining. They have access to more powerful spot cleaners that can penetrate deep into fabric weaves. This gives the best chance for removing stubborn blood stains fully.
So in summary, when facing blood stained clothing:
- Act quickly to rinse in cold water
- Gently dab, don’t rub vigorously
- Pre-treat with enzyme cleaners made for stains
- Wash in cold water, air dry
- Repeat as needed
- If stains persist in delicates, seek professional cleaning
With the proper technique and products, even serious blood stains can often be successfully removed from fabric. A bit of prompt effort can save an expensive silk blouse or beloved blanket. Remain gentle with delicate materials and persistent on heartier fabrics, adjusting efforts based on weave and material.
Laura has had an enthusiasm for laundry ever since she was a teenager experimenting with wash cycles. She went on study textile science in college before working in product testing.
Soon, Laura found friends and family constantly asking her laundry advice, realizing she had become an unofficial laundry guru. The questions kept coming in, so Laura decided to start sharing laundry tips online to help more people. The enthusiastic response led her start the blog “Laundry How”.
Now in her late thirties, Laura uses Laundry How to tackle all kinds of laundry topics – stains, fabric care, detergents, and more. She provides advice from both her studies and experience testing techniques out firsthand. Laura continues to grow an engaged community of laundry learners, feeling fulfilled empowering people to make laundry an easy, confidence-building ritual rather than a dreaded chore.