How to Remove Blood Stains From Textiles
If you have a blood stain on a favorite shirt or tablecloth, you may be tempted to take it to be dry-cleaned or to just throw away the item. But you can easily treat blood stains on a variety of textiles at home using everyday products for little money. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Rags
- Ammonia
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Dish detergent
- Bowl
- Paper towels
- Brick
- Salt
- OxiClean
- Washing machine
Instructions
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Dish Detergent
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1
Use a clean, dry rag or paper towel to dab the blood spot and absorb any remaining moisture. Do not rub the spot or you may make it harder to remove the stain.
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2
Mix 1 tbsp. clear ammonia and 1/2 cup cold water in a spray bottle.
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3
Spray the blood stain with the ammonia mixture until it is saturated. This will neutralize the stain.
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4
Use a clean, dry rag to absorb the moisture as you did in Step One.
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5
Mix 4 cups cold water with 1/4 tsp. dish detergent in a bowl. The type of detergent does not matter. What does matter is to make sure the detergent does not contain bleaches or lanolin as these could damage the fibers.
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6
Pour the detergent mixture on the stain. Allow it to sit for three to four minutes.
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7
Use paper towels to dab the spot as you did in Step One until you have removed the majority of the moisture.
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8
Pour 1/2 cup clean, cold water on the stain to rinse the spot.
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9
Fold a clean, dry rag to the size of the stain. Place it over top of the stain and place a brick on top of it to absorb the last of the moisture.
OxiClean
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10
Use a clean, dry rag or paper towel to dab the blood spot and absorb any remaining moisture. Do not rub the spot or you may make it harder to remove the stain.
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11
Wash the area with a mixture of 1 tsp. salt and 1 pint cold water. Rinse the spot with clean, cold water.
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12
Use OxiClean or another oxygen-based cleaning product to pretreat the item before washing it. Place the textile in a sink filled with water and OxiClean. Use 1 scoop of OxiClean to every 1 1/2 cups cold water.
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13
Allow the textile to soak for 15 minutes before washing as usual in the washing machine using a cold water cycle.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure you test any cleaning method on an inconspicuous spot before treating a stain. To do this, apply the treatment to a hidden area, such as a seam, and check to see if there is staining or fiber damage. If there is, choose another treatment method.
Never use hot or warm water to treat the blood stain. Hot water will set the stain, making it incredibly difficult to remove.
