After a peaceful night’s sleep, finding bloodstains on an otherwise immaculate bed sheet can cause anyone to wince. And you’re right to be disturbed; the major concern is that blood stains are difficult to get rid of completely. If this is your present situation, put your mind at rest because you’re about to discover 15 tried and true ways to remove blood stains from your sheet. Sit tight.
15 Ways to Get Blood Out of Sheets
Admittedly, getting blood out of your bedsheets can be tricky because first, you need to consider the kind of material your sheet is made of. Because some sheet textiles are very delicate, you cannot clean them using bleach or enzymatic cleaner or else you risk ruining them; silk or bamboo sheets for example.
On the other hand, if your sheet is made of linen or other synthetic materials, then you will find most of the following techniques to be very useful. Bed sheets may come with specific washing guidelines; don’t forget to check out your manufacturer’s instructions on what’s prohibited (in case they’re listed here).
Depending on your material type, some methods may work better than others, similar to getting blood stains out of clothes. When you find a method that works for you, you may find that the blood doesn’t quite come out completely on the first try. In that case, just repeat the process until it is completely clean.
With that out of the way, let’s now focus on 15 ways to get blood out of your beloved sheets.
1. Cold Water Treatment
So you woke up to blood stains on your beautiful bed sheet, the blood is still fresh, and you don’t know what to do first. Well, here’s what you should do: Immediately remove the sheet before the blood travels to stain the mattress. Next, rinse the sheet under cool running water to remove the excess blood.
Washing blood-stained sheets with cold water will not necessarily restore your sheets, you should see it as a first-aid treatment for bloodstains. It prevents the blood from drying and allows other washing techniques to be effective.
Warning: You should never use hot water to wash your blood-stained bedsheets. This is necessary to avoid cooking the protein in the blood, making them set into the sheet fabric.
2. Wine Away Stain Remover
If you’re looking for something that will effectively remove blood stains that isn’t bleach or doesn’t contain phosphates, then look no further than Wine Away Stain Remover. According to the manufacturer, ‘it magically lifts fresh and dried-on stains’. This amazing stain remover is extremely effective for removing a variety of stains including blood.
First, wash off the excess blood then simply apply a generous amount of Wine Away to the affected area on the sheet. When done, put the sheet in the washing machine along, turn it on and launder normally.
Wine away is effective as a bleach while also being color safe so you can use it on colored materials – not many bleaches can beat that.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide
If hydrogen peroxide is all you’ve got, then you can use it to quickly get the bloodstains out of your sheet. Hydrogen peroxide works like a regular bleach, only milder.
It is ideal for colored sheets but still, you have to confirm if it’s safe to use on your sheet fabric. To do this, apply a tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide to an inconspicuous part of the sheet. If it doesn’t discolor, then it’s safe to use hydrogen peroxide on your sheet.
Application is easy. After washing off the excess blood with cold water, apply a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide to the bloodstain using a small rag or sponge. Then wait about 20 minutes to allow the chemical to act, then machine or hand-wash the sheet normally.
Note: Chemistry tells us that hydrogen peroxide will turn to water in the presence of sufficient light. Bearing this in mind, keep the curtain down during the 20 minutes of waiting while the chemical works.
4. Vinegar
Granted, you might not have special stain removers like wine or hydrogen peroxide, but if you’ve got vinegar in your pantry, you’re game. Vinegar is a mild, plant-based cleaner that can be used in place of hydrogen peroxide.
Simply dab the affected area with enough vinegar to cover it. Wait a few minutes so the vinegar can act on the stain, then pop it in the machine to wash normally.
5. Enzymatic Stain Remover
If anyone told you that enzymatic stain removing cleaners works brilliantly for removing blood stains, they’re right. Blood is a protein-based liquid mixture. Incidentally, enzymatic stain cleaners can completely act on and break down the protein, protease, contained in the bloodstains.
If after treatment with household items like vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and the bloodstain won’t go out completely, you may have to get your hands on an enzymatic stain remover. If you are looking for a good enzymatic stain remover, try your hands on Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odour Remover
Most enzymatic cleaners will break down a variety of protein stains from organic materials including blood. Simply wash off the blood-stained area of the sheet, then spray the enzymatic cleaner on the affected area. Wait a few minutes before tossing it in the machine or wash it by hand.
6. Ammonia-Based Window Cleaner
It works! If you have a window cleaner with ammonia content, it can effectively act as a bleach to remove stubborn blood patches on your sheet. Again, you may have to do a spot test on a small area of the fabric to see how well it works. This method is not suitable for colored fabric as it may induce fading.
If you’ve confirmed that the window cleaner is compatible with your sheet fabric, spray the affected area and then wait for about 15 minutes for the window cleaner to act. Next, wash the sheet under cool running water. Repeat this process as many times as it takes to completely remove the stain.
7. Baking Soda
Baking powder is not only an ingredient for conditioning pastries, but they are also versatile for a range of uses around the house. If you have baking powder at home, you can work it into a paste using a tiny amount of water.
Saturate the blood spot with baking powder paste and wait until the fabric dries out. For more effect, let the baking powder-saturated spot dry out under the sun’s heat. Next, wash the spot with cold water and wash the sheet as usual.
8. Talcum powder
Talcum powder can also work in place of baking soda. This mineral is made from talc, a clay mineral that can be found in many baby powders. If you’ve got a blood-stained sheet emergency, don’t hesitate to use talcum powder if you have it nearby. Simply follow the same process outlined for using baking soda above.
9. Baking Powder + Hydrogen Peroxide Combo
Individually, these two household necessities have amazing cleaning abilities. But hydrogen peroxide and baking powder combine to form a much more formidable cleaning agent. Here’s how to go about it:
- Put 1 part each of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and ½ part of water in a spray bottle.
- Shake the bottle until a homogeneous mixture is achieved.
- After rinsing out the excess blood from the sheet, spray the mixture into the affected stain spots.
- Allow about 5 minutes to allow the cleaning mixture to work on the stain.
- Rinse off and repeat the process until happy.
10. Ice Cube Treatment
If heat sets the bloodstains adamantly into the sheet fabric, then extreme cold should do the opposite, right? Right. It all boils down to the human blood’s composition: protein and enzymes. If the bloodstain is fresh, treating it with ice can prevent the proteins from disintegration which can set it permanently into the fabric.
For this method to be effective, make sure the bloody spot is still fresh. Then take an ice cube and with its edge, rub the blood stain spot with it.
The stains will be easier to remove after that; simply wash the sheet normally.
11. Aspirin
Have you tried Aspirin? You haven’t? Well, that would be because you didn’t know that the over-the-counter drug had some other tricks up its sleeves. If you crush a few tablets of aspirin and mix the resulting powder with a tiny amount of water until it forms a paste, you can easily tackle blood stains on your sheets.
Apply the Aspirin paste the same way as you the baking powder paste: right on the blood-stained area. After that, let it stand for about 30 minutes then wash the sheet as usual. If the stain still won’t go completely, repeat the process and let the Aspirin act overnight.
12. Meat Tenderizer
Meat tenderizer is a curious addition to the list, but it is effective for removing blood stains, so we decided to tell you. Since meat tenderizers are so good at making meat soft for cooking, it’s no surprise that they’re also effective at removing blood stains from fabrics – it’s all about enzymatic reactions.
Simply take a measure of meat tenderizer and mix it with a tiny amount of water until a consistent paste forms. Next, smear the bloodstains with the paste until it’s all completely covered, then let it stand for 30 – 60 minutes. Wash the sheet normally afterward.
13. Detergent
Applying detergent to the troubled spot seems like a sensible thing to do – go right ahead. Even better, an enzyme-based detergent will break down protease and allow your sheet to clean better.
Simply work some detergent into the moistened fabric and let it stand for a while. Then throw the sheet in the washing machine or wash it by hand.
14. Shampoo
Let’s face it, it’s an emergency and you can’t risk letting the blood dry on the sheet. If you have a shampoo nearby, you can still salvage the situation. Quickly take out the sheets and rinse away excess blood with cold water, apply shampoo to the stained area, then using a soft brush, work at the stain until it starts to fade.
15. Toothpaste
It’s a weird addition but somehow toothpaste found its way into this list. However, in a situation where the only thing you’ve got nearby is a tube of toothpaste, then there’s nothing to fear.
Simply squeeze a lump of toothpaste enough to cover the bloodstain, then work it into the sheet fabric. Leave it to stand until completely dry then wash off the paste using cold water. Repeat this process until you’re happy.
How To Get Dried Blood Out Of Sheets
Bloodstains on beautiful sheets are an undesirable situation, but unfortunately, it happens. And it gets worse if you don’t discover it on time and you have dried-on blood to deal with. It is easier to remove fresh blood stains than dried blood stains on sheets, but it can be done.
If you have dried blood stains on your sheet, follow the steps outlined below to redeem your sheet:
Step 1
Try to remove as much dried-on blood as possible from the fabric. You can use something hard (not sharp), like a soft brush or sponge to work at the trouble spot.
Step 2
Moisten the affected area with hydrogen peroxide and let it stand for about 15 minutes.
Note: Make sure to do a spot test before using hydrogen peroxide on the sheet to avoid damaging it.
Step 3
Work on the blood-stained spots with a soft sponge until the stain starts to fade. Repeat this step until the blood stain disappears completely.
Step 4
Wash the sheet as usual to remove any hydrogen peroxide and blood particles.
That’s it.
Tips For Removing Blood Stains From Sheets
- You can easily wash white sheets with bleach, but it’s a different ball game with colored sheets. Regardless, do a spot test before using any stain remover on your sheet.
- Ammonia-based stain removers are highly effective for removing bloodstains. If you’re in the market for a stain remover, look out for one that has ammonia.
- Enzyme-based cleaners work wonders for removing organic stains like bloodstains. However, avoid using an enzymatic cleaner on silk, bamboo, or wool bed sheets; being plant-based fabrics, the enzyme in the cleaner might wreak havoc on them.
- Never treat blood-stained sheets with hot water or put them in the dryer. Any form of heat will set the bloodstains deeper into the sheet, making it even more difficult to remove.