Get Blood out of Cotton
Ever have a really bad nose bleed while wearing your favorite white cotton shirt? This article will give you some tips to remove the stain, without sending it to the cleaners.
Contents
Steps
Rinsing and Preparing the Stain for Treatment
- Turn the water on to the coldest possible setting. Let it run for a few minutes, especially if it is a hot day, so that the water can cool down some more.
- Hold the fabric taut between your hands. Gently grip the garment, keeping your fingers to either side of the stain, and pull. The fabric should be stretched out, like the top of a drum. Don't pull so hard that you risk ripping the garment, though.
- Place the stain under the running water. Hold it for a few minutes until turning it over. Most of the blood should have come out.
- Rub the stain with your finger and rinse it some more. You can also use an old toothbrush, but be careful not to scrub too hard, or you will risk setting the stain into the fabric.
- Put some soap onto the stain and continue scrubbing it. You can use any type of soap, including liquid and bar soap. You can use basic hand soap or even a small amount of laundry detergent.
- Rinse the soap off the stain. Be sure to keep scrubbing the stain until all of the soap is gone. Most of the blood should be gone by now. The stain will likely still remain, however.
Removing the Stain
- Know what you can use. There are many products available that can remove blood stains. Some of these products are simple household products that you may already have in your bathroom cabinet or pantry. This section will show you how to use these products. Keep in mind, however, that some stains may have permanently set into the fabric, and you may still have some slight residue.
- Try using some salt. Simply sprinkle some salt over the stain and let it sit for a few minutes, then gently scrub it with your finger or an old toothbrush. Rinse the stain well with cold water.
- If you don't have any salt on hand, but you happen to wear contacts, try using some of the saline solution you use for your contacts.
- Make a paste using water and aspirin. Crumble a few aspirin pills in a small dish and mix them with just enough cold water to create a paste. Spread the paste over the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes or overnight before rinsing it off.
- Make a paste using water and baking soda. Sprinkle some baking soda into a small dish and add in a few drops of cold water. Mix until you get a paste, then spread the paste over the stain. Wait 30 minutes or let it sit overnight before rinsing the garment off with cool water.
- Try treating lighter colored fabrics with hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice. Simply pour some hydrogen peroxide (the same kind that comes in a brown bottle and that you can find in the first aid section of a drug store) or lemon juice over the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse it out using water. Be sure to scrub the stain with you finger or an old toothbrush.
- Both hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice can lighten fabric, so they are not recommended for bright or dark-colored garments.
- Try using some vinegar. Simply pour some white vinegar over the stain and let it sit for five to ten minutes before rinsing it out.
- Keep commercial stain removers in mind. Simply spray or pour the stain remover onto the fabric and leave it on for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer; this is usually around five to 20 minutes.
- Consider using an enzyme-based detergent. These types of detergents are great at breaking down proteins, which is what blood is made out of.
Knowing What to Do and Avoid
- Act fast. Try to get the stain out as soon as you see it; the longer the blood sits in cotton, the harder it will be to get out.
- Always use cold water instead of hot. The hot water will set the stain into the fabric, making it almost impossible to remove. When using cold water, try to make it as cold as you can. Turn on the tap to the coldest setting and let the water run for a few moments until it becomes really cold.
- Use bleach with care. Bleach can remove almost anything, including blood stains. Unfortunately, it can also remove color, so it is not recommended for colored garments. It is also very harsh and can eat away the fibers in fabric, creating holes and tears. Lastly, bleach does not react well with hard/well water, and it can worsen the blood stain.
- Avoid mixing detergents when using bleach, or you may cause a chemical reaction ad create dangerous fumes.
- Avoid using dryers and air dry the garment instead. Even if the garment looks clean and spotless after you have washed it, there might still be some residue, which won't show up until after everything is dry. Instead, hang the garment in a well-ventilated area, preferably in the sun. If you toss it into the dryer, you will risk setting the stain, making it nearly impossible to remove.
- If you are in a rush and it is gloomy outside, consider turning a fan on and pointing it at the garment.
Tips
- Blood stains very easily because it coagulates when it gets warm, so when you treat it like a regular stain and wash it in warm water, you will set the stain.
- Blood is traditionally one of the most difficult stains to get out, even with all of these precautions you may still see a shadow of a stain.
- Hydrogen peroxide works great with blood along with or in place of your detergent. Peroxide is a bleaching agent in high concentrations, so 3% is advised.
Warnings
- Peroxide does foam when it comes into contact with blood, and it can get warm when doing so! Please take the necessary caution when using it.
- Do not mix bleach with other cleaners, and avoid getting it on your skin.
Related Articles
- Remove Blood Stains from a Mattress
- Remove a Blood Spot from a Cotton Pillow Case
- Remove Dried Blood Stains from Fabric
- Remove Vomit Stains from Clothing
Sources and Citations
- Teen Vogue, The Most Genius Tricks Ever for Cleaning Period Stains
- Reader's Digest, 8 Common Items that Remove Blood Stains
- Real Simple, How to Remove Blood Stains
- ↑ Mama's Laundry Talk, How to Remove Blood From Fabric
