If you wake up with blood on your pillowcase or sheets, then the question of “how to get blood out of sheets” is one you need an immediate answer for. If you are prone to nosebleeds or recently had an injury taken care of, but accidentally got blood on your sheets, then you might be worried about getting it out.
Washing blood out of your sheets is a real concern because it is nearly impossible to take a bloodstain out of material; since blood leaves stubborn stains.
The first thing you need to do is strip the sheets off your bed which will prevent the blood from seeping into the mattress or the comforter. The faster you get the bloodstain off, the better chances of removing the stain as blood is prone to clotting. This means that it will get sticky and become much harder to remove the longer it rests on the sheets.
Rinse the areas of the sheet that have blood on them. The best tip is to always use cold water because contrary to popular belief, cold water is better at getting bloodstains out than warm water. If you use warm water, you will set the stain into the sheet instead. Focus on getting out most of the blood before you scrub at the stain. Rubbing it with all of the blood inside will spread the blood further into the sheet fibers making it that much harder to remove.
Since the next step is to choose a stain remover, let’s discuss some of the potential ones you can buy or things you can find around the house that might be used as one.
Hydrogen Peroxide is the most popular and easiest way to remove blood from any surface. There are chances that you might have this laying around because there are so many uses for this product. Once you get hold of it, spot test to make sure that it will not bleach your sheets. If there is no change in the color of the sheet for up to fifteen minutes, it is safe for you to use it on your sheets.
Pour the hydrogen peroxide on top of the stain and wait for it to work its magic as you will get to see the process of stain removal; since the liquid will start bubbling on the sheet. Once the bubbling dies down, which usually takes fifteen minutes, clean the sheet with a wet sponge or a tissue. Now the sheet is safe for machine wash.
Enzyme-based stain removers are great for removing urine, grass, or bloodstains. Spray an appropriate amount of enzyme remover on the stained area and let it sit for fifteen minutes or as per instructions written on the bottle. Using a tissue, a piece of cloth, or a damp sponge; blot the stain. Rinse and repeat as many times as needed and then put the whole sheet through a final wash with your usual detergent and settings.
Vinegar is one of the best cleaners and also a great replacement for hydrogen peroxide. The best part is that you probably have vinegar in your house, which means you don't have to spend additional money on buying stain removers.
Pour a generous amount of vinegar over the stained area and let it sit for up to twenty minutes. Then rinse out the vinegar and wash as you usually would. Avoid using the dryer until you are sure that the whole stain is completely out because you might set it into the sheets.
There is a household hack for almost everything, which means that there is one for blood stain removal as well. All you need to do is mix one part baking soda with two parts lemon juice and let it sit for twenty minutes. Next, dab it off with a clean cloth and cold water. In the end, give the whole sheet a thorough rinse.
Make a simple paste with cornstarch, cold water, and baking soda, and apply it over the stain. Clean the area with a wet sponge. If it doesn't work once, then repeat it as many times as needed and then wash the sheet with cold water and detergent to take away any of the remaining stains.
Crush some aspirin tablets and mix them with cold water to create a paste. Using the paste, scrub at the bloodstain with a toothbrush. Wash the sheet once you are satisfied with the stain removal.
This might sound completely bizarre, but it works. Try soaking the stain in Cola and rinsing it with water. Do this at your own risk because the Cola can sometimes damage light fabric so you need to be careful where you are using it. On the other hand, it can be a great alternative to products that could potentially bleach your sheets such as hydrogen peroxide.
You can choose whatever technique is necessary to remove the bloodstain, you can even combine them for a more efficient result. One thing you need to keep in mind is that both enzyme cleaner and hydrogen peroxide come with their instructions, so follow whatever is the most suitable for your sheets. In addition, always remember to do a patch test before dousing your sheets in any of the above-mentioned products and household hacks to save them from getting ruined permanently.
Soak the stain in cold water for at least an hour because it helps soften up the dried blood. Scrub the area with some detergent and water from both sides of the fabric. If the stain persists, then apply an enzymatic cleaner.
Yes, vinegar is a great household hack for removing fresh bloodstains. Pour some onto the stain and watch the magic happen.
If your sheet is completely white, you can simply bleach the whole thing to get the bloodstains out.
Applying toothpaste to the stain is another popular hack. You simply apply it, let it dry, and then rinse for best results.
The best way is to pour a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide over the stain and let it sit for twenty-four hours. If the stain persists then try doing it again. Wipe the area with cold water after you are done.
OxiClean does a good job of getting blood out of sheets. You need to run the stain under cold water to rinse out the excess blood and then submerge the sheets in the OxiClean solution. Once the stain disappears, wash the sheets however you usually do.
When you have bed bugs, they leave blood stains or dark rusty stains on your sheets which is often their fecal matter. So if you have bed bugs, there is a high chance that your bed will be stained with reddish-brown spots.
Even though it is hard to remove an old and dried blood stain, unless the blood has been set with hot water or heat, removing it might still be possible.
You can try removing it with soap and water but if it doesn’t come off, try using some white vinegar and let it sit in your hair for a bit before rinsing it off.
If you get to the stain while it is fresh then you can easily remove it. If it has dried then try soaking it in cold water before applying a stain remover.
Make a thick paste with some salt and cold water, apply it to the stain, and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Then use some more cold water to rinse out the paste.
Let the stain soak in cold water and then scrub with soap and water.
Make a paste with some cold water, let it sit for 30 minutes, and rinse it with cold water.
OxiClean is a heavy-duty stain remover and works great on dried bloodstains.
Take some cold water, dab at the stain, then use any stain remover and pat off the excess.
Hydrogen peroxide is great at removing dried blood so pour some directly on the stain and dab with a cloth.
Hydrogen peroxide isn’t bleach but it does have mild bleaching properties.
Nobody wants to wake up to bloody sheets, but life happens. We hope this comprehensive list helps you keep your sheets clean and tidy as we’ve covered every eventuality short of murder! Hopefully, that last category will never apply to you.