How To Remove Blood Stains Without Bleach

Learning how to remove blood stains from clothes, mattresses and sheets PLUS our fave jeans is one of the handiest laundry tips ever.

And it does NOT need loads of super strong bleach with all its health risks.

We can actually get rid of dried, old and set in blood stains with gentler natural stain removers you probably already have in your kitchen.

So in this blood stain removal guide I’ll show you how to remove :

1. Fresh blood stains
2. Dried blood stains
3. Old set in blood stains
4. Blood stains in sheets
5. Blood stains in delicate clothes
6. Blood stains in jeans
7. AND blood stains in a mattress.

I hope it helps. Do give me a shout with any questions.

How To Remove Fresh Blood Stains Without Bleach

We really can remove fresh blood stains very easily without bleach.

The key secret tricks are to :

• Act fast – do NOT put off.
• Keep stain away from heat, so NO hot wash, ironing or radiators!!

And to remove stain simply :

1. Sloosh loads of cool water onto the reverse side of the stain.
2. Hold fabric taut under water.
3. The fresh blood will rinse away.
4. Just make sure it doesn’t run onto another part of the item.

If simple slooshing doesn’t shift the fresh blood stain straight off :

1. Rub-blot dish soap gently into stain – no scrubbing – for a few minutes.
2. Then sloosh again on reverse.
3. Repeat if needed.

If you need to dash and have no time for slooshing, dump item to soak in cool water & laundry liquid. You’ll then still have a fresh stain to shift when you get home not a dried one.

How To Remove Dried Blood Stains Without Bleach

To remove dried blood stains, treat initially as a fresh stain :

1. Sloosh lots of cool water
2. Onto reverse side of stain.
3. Rub-blot with whatever dish soap you have, it can be very mild.
4. Then sloosh again to rinse.

This won’t shift all of the stain but will prep it for the next stage :

1. Mix together equal parts of baking soda (bicarb) & dish soap in a bowl.
2. Adjust amounts according to size of stain e.g. 1 tsp of each for small stain, 1 tbsp of each for large stain.
3. Rub-blot the mixture gently – again no scrubbing – into the blood stain.
4. Leave for 30 minutes.
5. Sloosh on reverse to rinse.

Usually, this is all you need to shift dried blood stains without bleach, but if not, treat as an old, set-in stain.

How To Remove Old And Very Set In Blood Stains

Heat sets in blood stains making them harder to remove so we always want to shift stains before :

• Washing warm or hot
• Tumbling or spin drying
• Ironing.

But life happens and often we need to shift set in blood stains without the health risks of chlorine bleach.

The best options are :

1. Hydrogen peroxide
2. Sodium percarbonate.

Removing Set In Blood Stains With Hydrogen Peroxide

You can buy hydrogen peroxide in brown bottles from pharmacies and drugstores. It comes in different strengths. Buy 3% for blood stains.

To remove the set in blood stain with hydrogen peroxide simply :

1. Sloosh stain well in cool water if you have not already done this.
2. Wring item so not dripping wet.
3. Stretch out fabric e.g. in bath so there is no fabric under stain:
4. Pour tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide onto stain, it will fizz.
5. Rub-blot with old nail brush.
6. Leave for 5 or 10 minutes.
7. Rub-blot & sloosh to rinse.

For a really set in blood stain you may need to repeat several times.

Removing Set In Blood Stains With Sodium Percarbonate

You can buy sodium percarbonate as dry powder or in eco friendly laundry bleach such as Bio-D or Ecover.

I also use these to help brighten whites without chlorine bleach.

To remove set in blood stains with sodium percarbonate :

1. Apply 1 tsp of powder to stain.
2. Add a tiny amount of dish soap to blend into a paste on stain.
3. Rub into stain with back of spoon.
4. Leave for 5-30 mins.
5. Sloosh well from back of stain with cool water to rinse.

If a heavily set in blood stain doesn’t shift totally you can soak it in sodium percarbonate as you would sheets.

Removing Period Blood Stains From Sheets

Period blood stains can make an almighty mess of sheets especially with heavy periods after pregnancy or during perimenopause.

I find a menstrual cup helps.

But you really can remove period blood stains from sheets easily :

1. Sloosh sheet well under lots of running cool water in the bath.
2. Then put plug in bath.
3. Add half a cup of laundry detergent
4. PLUS either 2 tablespoons of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
5. Or 1 tablespoon of sodium percarbonate or laundry bleach like this one I use from Bio-D.
6. Run enough cool water to just cover sheets & stir around.
7. Soak for 4 hours or all day whilst you’re at work or over night.

If there are any small stains left, spot treat them as set in stains above.

Removing Blood Stains in Delicate Clothes

You really don’t want to remove blood stains in delicate clothes with chlorine bleach as it’s way too harsh.

But you do also need to be careful with natural stain removers so try to remove even set in blood stains in delicate silk or wool clothes gently :

1. Sloosh well with plenty of cool water from back of stain.
2. Press 1 tsp of laundry detergent for delicates or woollens into stain.
3. Do NOT rub.
4. Leave on for 15 mins.
5. Rinse and rinse and rinse back of stain with cool water.
6. Follow up if necessary with a 1 hour soak in cool water with delicate laundry detergent.

If the stain won’t shift we’re in trade off territory of carefully using either :

• Bicarbonate of soda or
• Sodium percarbonate.

Both of these can shift blood stains but can also damage fabric so only do this if you’re happy with risk :

1. Mix 1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda or sodium percarbonate
2. With 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent for delicates or woollens.
3. Press into stain with back of spoon.
4. Do NOT rub.
5. Leave for 5 mins.
6. Rinse very thoroughly from back of stain with cool water.

Removing Blood Stains in Jeans

Our fave jeans can be a magnet for blood stains during our period!

But if we act fast, we can get rid of fresh blood stains in jeans easily :

1. Hold jeans under bath tap.
2. Sloosh loads of cool water into the crotch from the inside.
3. And often that is ALL you need!

If the blood stain is dried or set in :

1. Rub dish soap into crotch.
2. Leave for 10 mins.
3. Rinse well from inside crotch.
4. Or soak for 30 mins in bath with cool water, laundry liquid & either :
   • Sodium percarbonate
   • Or bicarbonate of soda.

Only use hydrogen peroxide on set in blood stains in jeans as a last resort as it can bleach fabric and damage the crotch fabric which becomes delicate from so much wear.

Removing Blood Stains in a Mattress

You can remove blood stains from mattress protectors with a cold soak in the same way as sheets.

But if the blood stain has got into the mattress itself, you need to :

1. Mix 1 tsp of dish soap or laundry detergent with 1 tsp of :
   • Bicarb of soda (baking soda)
   • Or sodium percarbonate.
2. Press mixture into stain.
3. Leave on for a few hours.
4. Remove with damp cloth.
5. Repeat as needed.

And there you go, all the tips you need to remove fresh, dried & set in blood stains from jeans, sheets, delicate clothes and mattresses without harsh chlorine bleach.

RETURN TO INDEX

For more easy tips for looking after your home without toxic chemicals check out these posts:

• Bleach Free Mold Remover
• Brighten Whites Without Bleach
• Get Rid Of Flies Naturally
• Get Rid Of Ants Naturally
• Easy Non-Toxic Cleaning
• 6 Natural Disinfectants
• Remove Grass Stains Naturally

And follow me on Pinterest …

If you found this post helpful please do share on Pinterest …

Original image source.