How to Remove Blood Stains
Are you seeing red… on your clothing? Whether you cut yourself shaving or had an unexpected nose bleed, blood stains can threaten to ruin our clothes. The important thing is knowing how to remove blood stains as quickly as possible before they set in.
Types of Blood Stains
When we think of blood stains, we often think of small drops on the collar of our shirt from a shaving accident or blood on our child’s jeans from a skinned knee. Fish blood, animal blood or pet blood and period/menstrual blood will create stains just as easily on your clothing and other fabrics in your home. Cleaning blood stains fast, no matter where they originated, is essential for saving your fabrics.
Blood Stain Removal: Step by Step
- Choose the Persil detergent you need based on the type of laundry.
- Pre-treat the stain, checking for color fastness first on colored clothing.
- Wash the fabric immediately to prevent the stain from setting.
- Check the bloodstained clothing to see if the stain is gone before drying.
- Repeat the process as necessary.
Choosing Your Detergent and Stain Remover
Choose gel or powder detergents.
The type of detergent and stain remover you need will depend on the garment you need to remove blood stains from. If the garment is washable and white, consider a product like Persil Universal Gel or Persil Universal Powder. For colored clothing, choose Persil Color Powder. With each of these, you’ll follow the dosage for ‘heavily soiled’ garments on the product’s instructions. Please be always aware about the care instruction of your laundry and following these instructions carefully.
Pre-Treating the Blood Stain
Cleaning blood stains is relatively simple if the blood is fresh. The first thing to always do is rinse the stain in cold water to remove as much as possible. Never use hot water, as this will cause the stain to set. Then, pre-treat the area by applying a small amount of Persil Universal Gel directly to the stain, gently rub in and let sit for 5 minutes.
For colored fabrics, always check the colorfastness in an inconspicuous area first.
Wash and Rinse
After pre-treating, wash the fabric with your selected Persil detergent.
Check the Stain
Check the stain to see if it has disappeared. If it hasn’t repeat these steps.
You can also take additional steps for cleaning blood stains by soaking the garment in a Persil Universal Gel, then wash the fabric again.
How to Get Blood Stains Out of Special Laundry Types and Fabrics
Pre-treating cotton shirts and denim jeans, then washing them with Persil laundry detergent may easily remove blood stains. However, do you know how to remove blood from sheets, underwear or delicate fabrics like wool or silk.
Removing blood, especially period/menstrual blood from comforters and sheets works using the steps above. Pre-treating the stained area is important, and additional soaking may be necessary depending on the stain.
Before pre-treating delicate fabrics like wool or silk, always read the label on your stain remover to make sure it is intended for use with that fabric. If not, you may be tempted to consider a natural approach to removing blood stains: salt. While Persil, is specially designed for stain removal and washing, salt isn’t. If not rinsed thoroughly, it can become a corrosive substance in your washing machine, reducing the machine’s lifespan.
Special Conditions of Blood Stains
Are you dealing with a dried blood stain or an old stain that you didn’t notice before washing and drying the clothing item? Blood stain removal after washing and drying can be difficult, but not impossible. Soak the clothing in a mixture of Persil detergent and warm (not hot) water. Pre-treat the area by applying a small amount of Persil Universal Gel directly to the stain, gently rub in and let sit for 5 minutes. Then wash as usual for effective old blood stain removal. Do not use the bio detergent on delicate fabrics. Instead, soak them in warm water.
After Halloween, fake blood may also be a problem. Fake blood contains oils, so treat it as a grease or oil stain. Blot it to remove as much of the stain as possible, then pre-treat the area and wash at the highest temperature suitable for the type of fabric.
Whether you skinned your knee, cut yourself shaving or were simply a little messy when moving your steak dinner from the refrigerator to the skillet, you don’t have to live with blood stains on your clothing. Tackle any stain easily with these tips.