Tips For Removing Blood Stains From Fabric And Clothing

by Taylor

Below I've gathered tips for removing blood stains from fabric and clothing both from around the web, but also with tips that have been sent into me by readers of this site sharing what has worked for them.

Blood is, of course, one of the most difficult types of stains to remove, but people have been using various tips and tricks for doing it now literally since the beginning of human history.

What that means is that there are a lot of different ways to remove blood stains from clothing, many of which actually do work.

If you know of an additional tip you'd like to share that you don't already see below, I would also love to hear from you! You can share your tips for how to remove blood stains here, or read other tips for other surfaces which have already been submitted.

Please note that the tips below are focused on home remedies and other homemade stain removal options. Of course, there are also many commercial blood stain removers available. If you've got a favorite you can share your stain remover review here, to tell me all about it.

Just scroll down to see all the tips already received!

Photo by Ollie Crafoord

Removing Blood Stains From Fabric - Tips And Video

Removing blood stains from fabric is something we have all had to try to do from time to time.

Below is a video which gives suggestions for removing these stains.

In fact, they give some additional and alternative hints and tips besides the ones also given by Stain-Removal-101.com's advice for blood stain removal.

Some of the similarities include using cold water, dishwashing liquid, and a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide.

The additional suggestions this video provides is to use a soak of salt water to help remove the blood stains.

The video suggests using 1 cup of salt with 2 quarts of cold water to use as a presoak for the blood stained fabric, and to soak the stain for at least thirty minutes.

Photo by Mike Weston

How To Get Out Blood Stains Caused By Small Pin Pricks

by Pam

Pam has shared her tip for how to remove fresh blood stains from clothing or other fabric with your saliva.

Pam says:

I love to do needlepoint and cross stitch, and unfortunately sometimes when I do these crafts I prick my finger with the needle.

If you get a little blood on your sewing project when this happens if you act quickly (and it is just a dot of blood) you can get it out quickly.

All I do is put a little of my own saliva on a different finger (not the bloody one) and rub that gently on the blood spot on the sewing project.

There is something about your own blood and your own saliva that makes the blood stain just disappear.

Well, anyway, it works for me!

Taylor says:

Thanks Pam for sharing that blood stain removal tip.

I've actually heard about this before. Glad to know it works, since you always have your own saliva around, even if you run out of another stain remover!

***Update: I also got a similar comment to Pam's above from Megan Camp, who shared how your spit will remove blood stains. She said:

A person's own saliva will remove fresh blood stains. I usually rinse out as much blood as I can with cold water first. Then, just spit on the area that is stained and allow it to sit. It may take a little time (30 minutes-1 hour) but the stain will disappear. You may need to do this more than once. It's important that the person whose blood it is is the one who spits on the stain.

Photo by SDCDeaCerte

Removing Blood Stains From Laundry

The video below gives several suggestions for removing blood stains from fabric.

The first of these is to create a solution of one cup hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and apply this to the blood stain.

Let this solution sit on the blood stain for a couple of minutes and then blot.

Then, throw in the washing machine and wash as normal.

Before drying the clothing or washable fabric be sure to make sure the stain has been removed, or the dryer will set the stain.

If the blood stain is not gone, she next suggests using a solution of equal parts ammonia and water to soak the clothing in.

After soaking wash again, as normal.

CAUTION: Do not use bleach in the wash once you have soaked with ammonia, because bleach and ammonia when placed together can create toxic fumes.

Photo by aldenchadwick

How To Remove Blood Stains From Clothes And Sheets

by A.J.
(Washington, D.C.)

A.J. has shared how he removed blood stains from clothes from his frequent nose bleeds.

A.J. says:

I am away at college this semester in D.C., and my body has not yet acclimated to the winter weather. I have been getting nose bleeds on a regular basis.

I hadn't really bought any special stain removers yet and decided to improvise with what I had.

I treated my fresh blood stains with Dawn Direct Foam dish soap for 10 minutes (adding more foam whenever it looked like it might be drying).


I then put my bloodied clothes into the washing machine, and used SunBurst detergent.

All I could do at this point was hope for the best.

When the load was finished I checked on my sheets and clothing, and found them looking like new and smelling extra fresh. I was completely surprised.

Taylor says:

A.J., thanks for sharing your tips for removing blood stains from fabric, such as clothing and sheets.

Of course, any time you treat the stain when it is fresh it is easier to remove, so I'm sure that helped, at least some.

This is a good example of using dish soap to at least help remove a stain. I've collected several dish soap uses for homemade cleaners and stain removers here that you can look at to learn even more uses. I'd love it if people shared even more ideas and uses too!

Remove Blood Stains With Hydrogen Peroxide

by Charleen

Charleen shared this great tip for how to remove blood stains from fabric, which I've used myself several times!

Charleen says:

Hydrogen peroxide is the miracle worker on blood stains.

Pour undiluted right on any blood stain on any fabric. It will usually make the blood disappear in seconds or minutes. Repeat if necessary and launder as usual.

Taylor says:

Thanks Charleen for your tip.

You're actually not the only person who has given me a similar tip. In addition, here's what Debbie Klinger, from Logan, OH had to say about it:

Apply hydrogen peroxide directly to fabric that has fresh blood stains Comes out immediately

In addition to these tips I can personally vouch for hydrogen peroxide's ability to remove blood stains, since I've used it successfully myself on several occasions. I suggest using the peroxide available cheaply in drugstores meant for first aid.

Test the fabric first, in an inconspicuous area, to make sure it does not remove the color from the fabric (which is unlikely, it is generally color safe, but better safe than sorry) and then, pour onto the stained area if it's safe to do so.

When you pour the peroxide onto the stain it will immediately begin to fizz and bubble. This is completely normal. Just let it sit for a while, and much of the stain will disappear.

I once had a pretty heavy blood stain and I just set up my stain removal station in my bathroom, and periodically throughout the day I would just pour more hydrogen peroxide onto the stain, and it basically removed it in layers. It kept getting lighter and lighter as the day progressed, until it finally disappeared and then I just washed the clothing like normal.

One thing I really like about using hydrogen peroxide for blood stains is that it is a natural blood stain remover, and is very cheap to boot! Can't beat that!

Do you have other uses for hydrogen peroxide to share, such as for cleaning or stain removal? If so, you can share your uses for hydrogen peroxide here, or read other tips that have already been submitted.

Removing Blood Stains From Fabric With Ammonia

by Kathy
(Hillsborough)

Kathy has also shared her tip for how she removed blood stains from clothing, and she uses ammonia.

Kathy says:

The best tip I ever received was using ammonia to remove blood stains from any color of clothing.

You do not have to worry about the color being removed from the fabric with the use of ammonia like you do with hydrogen peroxide.

If you do not have a bottle of ammonia, you can use Windex spray on the blood stain and let it set for a while and then launder as usual, since the spray has some ammonia in it.

After the wash, if the stain does not come out, then spray it on the stain and wash again.

If it is a difficult stain then you may need to wash the item several times, but I have always been able to get the blood stains out and normally get them out the first time.

I have also used this on old dried blood stains and was able to get the blood stains out using the method above.

My son has occasional nose bleeds and I do not worry anymore as I have been able to get them out and even use warm water with the use of ammonia.

Note: I always let the load go through the wash cycle and then I stop the machine and let the load soak for at least 30 minutes and then I restart and let the clothes go through the normal wash cycle again.

Also if I am washing some white clothes that are really dirty I add some ammonia to the wash and it really helps clean the clothes. If you do this, then reduce the amount of detergent you use.

We have hard water with some iron in it so I rarey use bleach.

Note: Do not mix ammonia with bleach as they create a toxic gas.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for your tip about how to use ammonia for removing blood stains from fabric Kathy.

Ammonia is, as you've said, a great stain remover for lots of item. You're right thought, you've got to be really careful when using it not to mix it with bleach because of the safety concerns you addressed.

Has anyone else had great success using ammonia for cleaning or stain removal, not only of blood, but also for other things in your home? If so, I'd love to hear from you. You can share your ammonia uses here, or read other uses that have already been submitted.

Additional DIY Tricks For Removing Tough Stains From Laundry

by SR101 Reader

In response to the suggestion above to treat these stains with ammonia, another SR101 Reader wrote in with some additional DIY tips for especially tough stains.

SR101 Reader says:

In addition to ammonia for presoak of blood stains, here are a few suggestions for tough ones:

1. Meat tenderizer works to remove the protein components of blood.

2. Because blood is high in iron, it is usually the iron left in that you see in the spot, so treat as if removing rust works effectively.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for these additional tips.

I would note that if you choose to use meat tenderizer to remove these stains, make sure you use the unseasoned variety. If you use something with seasoning the ingredients in the tenderizer could themselves stain your clothing or laundry!

Stain Removal Blood Tip For Clothes - Use Shampoo

Below is a video which gives tips for how to remove blood stains from clothing.

The tip is to use shampoo as a blood stain remover.

I have not tried this method myself, and I would really like to hear from you in the comments if this works for you.

I would think it would work better for fresh blood stains than for dried blood stains, because shampoos don't contain any enzymes to help break up the blood stain, at least that I know of.

I also think the tip about only using cold water for removing the blood stains is very important -- hot water will set the blood stains very quickly, making them much more difficult to remove.

Here is the video:

So, tell me in the comments whether this blood stain removal tip worked for you.

In addition, as you can see, there are lots of different suggestions, tips and ideas for removing blood stains from fabric. I've shared quite a few here, but there are always more to share and I love to hear what has worked for others.

You can submit your own tips for removing blood stains here, and read others already submitted for other surfaces.

Photo by Clean Wal-Mart

Related Links At Stain-Removal-101.com

Submit Your Own Stain Removal Tip Or Read Over 200 Others

Stain Removal Clothes Tips

Share A Laundry Stain Removal Tip

Go From Tips For Removing Blood Stains From Fabric And Clothing To Stain-Removal-101.com Home Page