A scraped child's knee here, a small kitchen or shaving mishap there, a nosebleed in the middle of the night, or a period arriving earlier than expected: blood stains happen quickly and easily in everyday life. And just as quickly, you're faced with the question of how to get rid of them. The good news: you can remove blood stains simply, reliably, and completely without harsh chemicals. At least, that is, if you know what you're doing.
And our follow-up blog article uses simple step-by-step instructions to show you how to remove fresh or dried blood from clothing, what works for bedding and sheets, how to get blood stains even out of a mattress, and which home remedies help with fresh or set-in blood stains on fabric, sheets, and mattresses. It includes a practical overview and the most common mistakes you are better off avoiding.
First, a quick note: Why blood stains are often so stubborn.
It happens quickly, but unfortunately it doesn't go away nearly as fast.This is usually the case when blood lands somewhere it does not belong. It does not matter initially if it ends up on the bed sheet, your favorite shirt, underwear, or upholstery: seeing the Stains and your reaction to them are always the same. The dilemma arises with rust-brown Stains that are almost impossible to remove, as blood is made up of hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein pigment, alongside other protein compounds. These proteins are sensitive to heat. They coagulate at roughly 40 °C and bond permanently to textile fibers. For this reason, the rule for all blood Stains is: use cold water, never hot!
As trivial as this recommendation may sound, it is the one rule that truly matters if you want to remove blood stains and avoid leaving unsightly marks on your fabric.
The golden rule:
Whether fresh or dried: if you want to wash out blood stains, use always only cold water.
Hot water coagulates protein and unfortunately permanently sets the stain into the fabric.
Immediate measures: Remove blood stains from clothing
Every minute counts here. Removing blood stains from clothing is easiest to do while the stain is still fresh. That is why you should set the garment aside briefly and take action right away. Anyone who gives in to the urge to pause and think things over first wastes valuable time. And don't worry: you don't need any specialist knowledge or much effort to get this done.
Below you will find out what helps immediately for fresh Stains, and what methods still work for dried-on Stains.
Remove fresh blood Stains from clothing
After a shock, one thing above all else helps: composure. Acting quickly will almost always give you the best chance of fully removing fresh blood stains. Most fresh blood stains can be completely lifted in just a few minutes, as long as you start immediately with cold water. To make sure you know exactly how to proceed, you will find a simple step-by-step guide here:
Step-by-step guide: Wash out fresh blood stains
- Act now: Rinse the stain as quickly as possible under running cold water. The higher the water pressure, the better. Do not rub — instead, let the water pass through the fabric.
- Pre-treat: Apply a small amount of bluu stain soap or baking soda paste directly to the stain and gently work it in. Do not use circular motions, always move in a single direction, as circular motions will rub the stain deeper into the fibers and make it spread larger.
Our bluu tip for the perfect wash cycle:
For anyone who would prefer to keep an eco-friendly duo on hand for stain pre-treatment:
The bluu Laundry Set Family combines the phosphate-free and fragrance-free bluu Laundry Detergent Sheets with our bluu stain soap, a vegan soap stick based on Greek olive oil and soapwort from the Alps, specially developed for pre-treating stubborn Stains.
- Leave on: Depending on the product, leave it to work for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse very thoroughly with cold water.
- Laundry: Wash the garment in the washing machine at the maximum temperature specified on the care label. White clothing can usually withstand a 60 °C wash, while colored items are best washed at 30–40 °C to preserve their colors.
- Check before drying: Only check if the stain is completely removed after Laundry.
Almost everyone makes these 4 mistakes when removing blood stains:
- Use hot water, because this causes the protein to coagulate, which only makes the stain really stubborn.
- Rub instead of dabbing which only drives the stain deeper into the fibers and makes it larger.
- Place the item with the visible stain in the dryer. During this process, the heat permanently sets whatever has not yet seeped out.
- Hang the clothing item directly in the closet after Laundry, without checking if the stain is truly gone. Once it dries, it is significantly harder to remove.
Remove washed and set-in blood stains
Keeping a cool head is absolutely essential here as well. For anyone who has noticed a blood stain too late, needs to remove already dried blood stains, or has even already run the affected garment through the dryer, the first rule is to stay calm. Dried blood stains can very often still be removed — you just need a little extra patience and the right pre-treatment.
Here's the best way to proceed:
Instructions for dried blood: Remove the stain using the correct pre-treatment
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Soak: The affected item of clothing for 30 to 60 minutes in cold salt water Soak. For this, dissolve approx. 5 tablespoons of salt in one liter of water.
In this process, the salt re-dissolves the dried-on protein compounds.
- Pretreat: After soaking, pre-treat any remaining stain with bluu stain soap or baking soda paste, gently work it in, and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Laundry: Machine wash as usual, at the maximum permitted temperature specified on the care label.
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For stubborn residues: Apply lemon juice to the still damp stain, let it sit for 30 minutes, then wash again.
WARNINGHowever, please be careful with colored laundry, as lemon juice has a bleaching effect.
And what do you do if you want to remove blood stains that have already been washed?
Even here, not everything is lost yet.If you have already washed the garment without removing the blood Stain, you can soak the garment again in cold salt water and pre-treat the area. Soaking often reactivates even older Stains surprisingly effectively in many cases.
IMPORTANT:
If your fabric has already been in the dryer, the heat may have permanently set the stain. Unfortunately, in most cases only professional textile cleaning will be able to help at that point.
Natural home remedies for removing blood stains from fabric
Not every stain requires reaching for a bottle of chemical cleaners. Especially if you do not have a gentle cleaning product like those from bluu on hand, simple household remedies can also help remove blood stains from fabric.
Here is an overview of what helps when, and what you should pay attention to:
| home remedies | Suitable for | How to use | Not included with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold water | All Fabrics | Rinse immediately or pat dry | Never use while hot |
| salt | Clothing, bed linens | Dissolve 5 EL in cold water and soak | Delicate fabrics (test first) |
| Baking soda / baking powder | Clothing, Mattress | Mix with water to form a paste and allow it to take effect | Dark mixed laundry (can brighten) |
| bluu Stain Soap | Clothing, bedding | Apply to the damp stain and leave to work for 15 minutes | Wool, silk (test beforehand) |
| lemon juice | White textiles | Apply, leave on for 30 minutes, then rinse out | Colored laundry, silk (bleaching) |
| Aspirin / ASA | White clothing, bedding | Dissolve the tablet in 1 Liter of water and let it soak | Colored textiles |
| cornstarch | Mattress, non-washable upholstery | Apply paste to the stain, allow it to dry, then vacuum away. | Do not pour water onto the mattress |
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What about hydrogen peroxide? Hydrogen peroxide from the pharmacy appears in many household tip lists. It can work effectively on white fabrics, but it may strip dye from colored laundry or delicate materials and cause permanent damage to the material. If you want to use oxygen-based cleaning power for stubborn Stains, a specially formulated Oxi booster such as the bluu snO₂ white Oxi White Booster* You get better performance, as it already works effectively from 30 °C with oxygen-based action and no chlorine bleach. * not suitable for wool, silk and leather. |
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By the way, you can also find more Tips for other stubborn stain types like red wine, coffee, or grease in our blog »Remove stubborn Stains from textiles - here is how!.
When time slips away: Remove blood from bedding
Blood on sheets or underwear from your period: it's really no big deal! Having to get up in the middle of the night to rinse out the bed sheet is no fun, but it is the only measure that truly works. Anyone who proceeds this way has a very good chance of being able to remove the blood stains.
- Immediately with cold water rinse out or soak the bed sheet in cold water
- Light pre-treatment with bluu stain soap or baking soda paste and let it sit briefly
- Laundry at the maximum permitted temperature listed on the care label, because white bed sheets can usually withstand washing at 60 °C, which is also sensible from a hygienic perspective.
- For stubborn residue, Baking soda is also often helpful for use on white sheets. Gently rub it in, leave it to work overnight, rinse it out with cold water, then wash the items again in the washing machine.
OUR HYGIENE TIP:
Anyone who wants their bedding to be truly hygienically clean after their period, without having to rely on a chemical sanitary laundry sanitizer, simply adds the bluu silvertrooper Add the hygiene silver cloth to the drum.
As a natural alternative, it is antibacterial, fragrance-free, and suitable for all fabrics. The silver ions leave a freshness reserve on your laundry that stays pleasantly fresh long after Laundry.
How to remove blood stains from a mattress: This gentle, effective method works
A mattress simply does not fit in a washing machine, and that is the real challenge. Unlike with clothing or bedding, there is no quick fix for this issue. Additionally, mattresses are naturally very absorbent and dry more slowly than other textiles. If too much water is used, a damp environment will form inside the mattress, which in turn can encourage mold growth.
THEREFORE WARNING: Never use too much water!
A mattress should only be damp on its surface, not soaked through. Damp mattresses can develop mold that takes hold invisibly deep inside the mattress.
By the way, a mattress protector reliably shields your mattress from stains and spills, saving you the hassle of labor-intensive Cleaning. It is machine washable and very easy to care for.
Anyone who does not have one can find suitable procedures in the following two guides:
Step by Step: Remove fresh blood stains from the mattress
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Act now: Blot the surface of the stain with a dry cloth or paper towel to absorb as much moisture as possible.
Important: Dab, do not rub!
- Wet wipe: Dampen a clean cloth in cold water, wring it out thoroughly, and the stain from the outside in Blot dry. The cloth must be thoroughly wrung out so that as little moisture as possible seeps into the mattress.
- Repeat: Repeat this process until the cloth only absorbs clear water.
- Pre-treatment: Apply baking soda paste to the still damp area, let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes, then vacuum it up afterward.
- Drying: Thoroughly air out the mattress or dry it with a fan. Never blow dry it with heat!
Important: Never blow dry on a hot setting!
Guide to removing dried blood stains from your mattress
This is another scenario where a little more patience is required. Baking soda and cornstarch have proven particularly reliable, as both draw out moisture and dyes from the material without soaking through the mattress:
- Baking soda paste: Mix baking soda with a small amount of cold water, in a 1:1 or 3:1 ratio, to form a thick paste, then apply it to the stain. Let it sit for several hours, ideally even overnight.
- Vacuuming: Thoroughly vacuum up the dried paste. Then dab the area with a damp cloth.
- For remaining stock: Gently dab a small amount of vinegar water, mixed from 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water, onto the area. Afterwards, let it take effect, then carefully pat it dry.
- Drying: In the final step, thoroughly air out the mattress, using a fan or hair dryer set to the cool setting. The mattress absolutely must be completely dry before you put fresh bedding back on the bed.
CONCLUSION: Removing blood stains is no big deal if you know how.
That is exactly the good news. Because the most important takeaway you can get from this blog is that removing blood stains from bedding and mattresses is just as straightforward as getting a few drops of blood out of clothing.
Anyone who understands how blood stains form and how to remove them does not need specialized knowledge or an overstocked cleaning supply cabinet. Cold water, a little patience, and the right approach are fully sufficient in most cases. Those who opt for gentle, eco-friendly cleaning solutions for this task are also doing something positive for their clothing, bedding, and the environment as an added benefit.
This way, an annoying everyday situation becomes a literally solved problem in no time with the right products, like those from bluu.
DISCOVER MORE SUSTAINABLE TIPS & LAUNDRY SOLUTIONS
FAQ on removing blood stains
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01 What is the gentlest remedy for blood stains on mattresses that works entirely without fragrances and chemical additives?
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02 Which cleaning product is dermatologically tested and still effective against Stains?
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03 Which eco-friendly cleaner has enough cleaning power for stubborn blood stains on fabric?
