Whether you have scraped your knee or accidentally cut yourself, blood stains are notorious for being difficult to remove. Follow these two methods, and find out how easy it can be to remove blood stains. 

• Fresh blood 
• Dried blood

Fresh blood

As with most stains, it’s easier to remove blood stains when they are fresh. 

To remove a fresh blood stain you will need:

• Cold water
• Washing up liquid 

Begin removing your stain by flushing it with cold water. Make sure that you’re using cold rather than hot water as hot water will only set your stain further into your clothing. 

Once you are satisfied that you have removed as much of the blood as possible via flushing, pour a small amount of washing-up liquid on the stain and gently work it in with your fingers. Be wary of being too rough with your fabric as this can damage the fibers of your clothing and cause the stain to set further into your item. 

After working your washing up liquid into your stain, rinse it off with cold water. If you can still see your stain, add more washing up liquid and repeat the process. 

When you are satisfied that your stain has been lifted, wash your garment as you usually would. Before drying your item, check that your stain has been completely removed. If it hasn’t, repeat the whole process. 

Dried blood

Unfortunately, dried blood stains are a lot harder to remove than fresh blood because they have already set into the fibres of your garment. That does not, however, make them completely impossible to remove. 

To remove a dried blood stain you will need:

• A blunt knife
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Paper towel
• A clean cloth
• Cold water 

To begin removing your dried blood stain use a blunt knife to scrape off as much of the blood as possible. Be careful that you don’t push too hard whilst scraping as this can cause rips in your garment. 

Once you are satisfied that you have removed as much of the dried blood as possible, apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide directly on top of the stain. Before putting the peroxide on your stain, test it first on an unseen area of your garment, such as an inside seam. Hydrogen peroxide can cause discoloration on certain clothing items, so it’s best to check its effect on your stained item before placing it directly on your stain. 

Leave your hydrogen peroxide for 5 minutes, before using a paper towel to blot at it. You should notice your stain lifting from your garment and transferring on onto your paper towel. Be careful when blotting that you don’t push too hard as this could push the hydrogen peroxide and blood further into the fibers of your clothing. 

When you have lifted the majority of your hydrogen peroxide, and, subsequently, your stain, use a clean and damp cloth to gently rub the remaining stain until it has completely lifted. 

Finally, rinse the remaining hydrogen peroxide off of your garment using cold water. After this, wash your stained item as you usually would. If, after washing, your stain remains, repeat the process. 

The best way to guarantee the removal of any stain is by letting us lift it for you. Book your Laundryheap order by heading to the Laundryheap website or downloading the free Laundryheap app.