Cleaning & Organizing
8 Common Items That Remove Blood Stains
Wondering how to remove blood stains? Work as quickly as possible with these household items to save your soiled clothes.
Vinegar
Whether you nick yourself while shaving, or receive an unexpected scratch, it’s important to treat blood stains on your clothing as soon as possible; blood stains are relatively easy to remove before they set but can be nearly impossible to wash out after 24 hours. If you can get to the stain before it sets, remove blood stains by pouring full-strength white vinegar on the spot. Let it soak in for 5-10 minutes, then blot well with a cloth or towel. Repeat if necessary, then wash immediately.
Ammonia
Rub out perspiration, urine, and blood stains on clothing by dabbing the area with a half-strength solution of ammonia and water before laundering. You should also know these simple solutions to remove sweat stains.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This works only on fresh blood stains: Apply 3% hydrogen peroxide directly to the stain, rinse with fresh water, and launder as usual. Here are more ways to use household items to remove ink stains.
Cola
This trick is great to remove blood stains that happen outside of the home. Instead of waiting to treat the stain when you get home, grab the nearest bottle of cola (yes, soda pop!) and begin soaking the stain. Aim to soak the stain in cola overnight for best results. These are 8 other items that can help remove stains.
WD-40
Pretreat bloodstains with WD-40. Spray some directly on the stains, wait a couple of minutes, and then launder as usual. The WD-40 will help lift the blood stains so that it will come out easily in the wash. Try to get to the stain while it is still fresh, because once it sets, it will be harder to get rid of. Use WD-40 to pretreat other stubborn stains on clothing, such as lipstick, dirt, grease, and ink stains.
Cornstarch
The quicker you act, the better. Whether it’s on clothing or table linens, you can reduce or remove blood stains with this method. Make a paste of cornstarch mixed with cold water. Cover the blood stains with the cornstarch paste and rub it gently into the fabric. Now put the cloth in a sunny location to dry. Once dry, brush off the remaining residue. If the stain is not completely gone, repeat the process.
Talcum Powder
To remove blood stains from clothing or furniture, make a paste of water and talcum powder and apply it to the spot. When it dries, brush away the blood stains. Substitute cornstarch or cornmeal if you are out of talcum powder. If you ever get deodorant stains, make sure you know these hacks on how to get them out.
Cold Salt Water
As quickly as possible, soak a bloodstained item of clothing in a pot of cold salt water. After it soaks for 3-4 hours, rub the blood stains with liquid detergent and throw it in the wash. Next, learn the best ways to save your teeth from coffee stains.