How To Remove Blood Stains Without Bleach

Learning how to remove blood stains from clothes, sheets and mattresses plus our fave jeans has to be the most handy laundry tip we can master.

Especially when the blood stains are not fresh but dried or worse, old and set in because we didn’t notice them before bunging our fave jeans – or whatever – in the wash.

Eeek!!!

But we reach for the bleach, right? It will get rid of blood stains, won’t it?

Well, yeah it may. But also trigger asthma and breathing issues!!!

Scary stuff, huh? And definitely not something I want to use any longer.

But the good news is we can remove blood stains without chlorine bleach or the equally nasty ammonia.

To find out how check out the blood stain removal tips below covering:

Fresh blood stains
Dried blood stains
Old set in blood stains
Blood stains in sheets
Blood stains in delicate clothes
Blood stains in jeans
AND blood stains in a mattress.

I hope they help you tackle pesky blood stains without toxic bleach.

For more safe cleaning tips follow me on Pinterest and check out my other non toxic cleaning posts.

Removing Blood Stains With Non Toxic Stain Removers

1. How To Remove Fresh Blood Stains

We can remove fresh blood stains easily – hurrah! – we just need to:

Act fast – don’t put it off!!
Do NOT let the blood stain anywhere near heat.
Sloosh – a highly technical laundry term – with loads of cold water on the reverse of the stain. Try pulling the fabric taught under the tap.
If you’re quick lots of cold water may actually do the trick.
If not gently rub-blot dish soap into stain for a few minutes then sloosh again. Repeat as needed.
If you need to dash out too fast for slooshing etc dump in bath with cold water & laundry liquid and leave to cold soak. The soak may sort it but even if not you’ll have a fresh blood stain not a dried one to get rid of when you get back.

2. How To Remove Dried Blood Stains

If the blood stain has dried treat as a fresh stain slooshing and rub-blotting but just do once.
Then rub-blot a half-half mix of baking soda (bicarb) & dish soap into stain. Leave for 30 minutes.
Sloosh & repeat if needed.
If no joy treat as an old, set in stain.

3. How To Remove Old, Set In Blood Stains

Washer, drier and iron heat sets in blood stains so they’re hard to shift even with chlorine bleach.
So we do need a strong stain remover but minus the health risks of chlorine bleach or ammonia.
The best options are:
- Neat hydrogen peroxide
- Or a hydrogen peroxide or a sodium percarbonate based laundry powder. These from Bio-D & Ecover work well.
Wring stain out so not too wet.
Stretch out fabric e.g. in bath so no fabric under stain:
- Pour tiny amount of hydrogen peroxide onto stain, it will fizz.
- Or apply powder as directed.
- Rub-blot with old nail brush.
- Leave for 5 or 10 minutes.
- Rub-blot & sloosh.
Repeat if needed.
If no joy treat as for sheets.

4. Removing Period Blood Stains In Sheets

Period blood stains on sheets can be an almighty mess can’t they?
(Although they are less frequent I find with a menstrual cup.)
And it’s not easy to treat big blood stains on sheets by rub-blotting!!
So sloosh sheet in cold water.
Put in bath to cold soak with:
- Laundry powder as above
- Or laundry detergent & baking soda (bicarbonate of soda).
Only use enough water to cover.
Soak for 4 hours. Or all day whilst you’re at work. Or over night.
Sloosh and spot treat any remaining small marks.

5. Removing Blood Stains in Delicate Clothes

Some clothes are far too delicate for chlorine bleach and you must take care with hydrogen peroxide.
If you can, spot test.
Or sloosh, rub-blot and cold soak using a delicates or woollens laundry detergent.

6. Removing Blood Stains in Jeans

Our fave jeans attract blood stains!!
As always if you act fast you can get big fresh stains out with lots of crotch slooshing & dish soap.
If not cold soak with laundry power or detergent.
Only apply hydrogen peroxide directly if essential as the crotch fabric in many jeans is crazy fragile.

7. Removing Blood Stains in a Mattress

Treat washable mattress protectors as sheets with a cold soak.
If blood stains on mattress itself,:
- Mix laundry powder or baking soda with a little dish soap.
- Rub-blot into stain.
- Leave for a few hours.
- Remove with damp cloth.
- Repeat as needed.

And there you go all the tips you need on how to remove blood stains from clothes, sheets and more even when the stains are dried, old and set in and without using toxic chlorine bleach.

I do hope they help.

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