How To Remove Blood from Sheets

Wondering how to remove blood from sheets or bedding? You’re not alone! Most of us, at one point or another, have experienced situations where we have needed to remove blood stains from sheets.

Removing stubborn blood stains from sheets is notoriously tricky. What’s more, ruining a nice set of sheets (especially if they are  premium bamboo sheets  ) can be heartbreaking!

However, there are a few ways in which you can remove blood and blood stains from fabric. Within this article, we’re going to provide a full breakdown on how to remove blood stains from sheets; so that next time, you don’t even have to consider throwing out your favourite set! 

The less staining on the sheets, the easier the process of how to remove blood from sheets will be. Whether you’ve accidentally scratched yourself, have a wound on your body that has started bleeding, or it’s that time of the month – the first thing you’re going to want to do is stop the bleeding and then strip the sheets.

Here’s your reminder to look after yourself: Tend to any cuts, blood or wounds – while you may be stressing about your sheets, your personal health and safety should be the number one concern.

You are then going to want to strip your sheets and separate the dirty sheets from the clean to prevent any more stains or blood soaking through to the mattress. If the blood has dried, this makes the process a little more challenging – but not impossible.

The number two essential for how to remove blood stains from sheets is to use cold water. While hot water may be the secret to removing other types of stains, cold water is much more successful in removing blood stains.

Using hot water may cause the blood to bake on and make it much harder (almost impossible) to remove. If the stain is fresh, your best bet is to put your sheets under cold running water. As the water runs over the stain, you should see it beginning to wash out.

Want to know the number one secret to removing blood stains from sheets? Dab, don’t rub.

Often, detergent or soap can help to remove blood from sheets when running the fabric under cold water. A natural detergent is most likely to help; but it’s important that you dab at the stain – don’t rub.

Rubbing a cloth and soap across the stain will help to spread the stain; dabbing will be your most effective method at removing the stain from the affected area. If detergent isn’t quite doing the trick, you can also sponge the stain with a harsher chemical, but make sure you check the washing labels on your sheets first as chemicals like hydrogen peroxide can be damaging to many bedding materials.

Blood is much more stubborn than your typical stain and may require more effort to remove. Successfully removing blood takes a little bit of patience – if the stain is fresh, keep on going at it! How to remove blood from sheets? Be patient and don’t freak out! The process of soaking and cleaning the blood out of your sheets usually takes about 24 hours. 

What about those blood stains that are no longer fresh? We’ve covered how to remove blood from sheets if you’ve just noticed the fresh stain; but when blood marks have been on your sheets for a little while, they are going to be more challenging to remove.

Patience is going to be even more of a virtue when working with old blood stains and water is still going to be our friend. Here are some quick tips if the traditional methods of cleaning have not worked:

• Grab your sheets and soak them overnight in cold water.
• After soaking sheets, you can use a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice directly on the stain.
• Use a soft brush to pat the affected area for 5-10 minutes then dab with a cold, wet rag. After the soak and scrub you can put your sheets in a cold-water machine wash with laundry detergent.
• Once they are washed hang them out to air and dry in the sun. 

Whilst this will help remove your stains, it might not get the whole stain out the first time. Repeat this process a few times if necessary and always read the care labels of your sheets to make sure you’re not going to damage the materials!

There are a number of natural or household solutions that are said to remove blood stains – it’s important that you’re well aware that these may not always work and to always read the care labels of your bedding.

White Vinegar: White vinegar is cheap to buy and a staple item in most people’s kitchens, it is also great for cleaning! To use white vinegar to clean your white sheets, all you need to do is pour it directly on the stain, let it soak for 30-40 minutes, then rinse with cold water.

Salt and Washing Detergent: For this method, first wet the stain with cold water then combine 1 part detergent to two parts salt. Soak your sheets in this mixture for about half an hour then rinse of wish cold water. 

Bicarbonate Soda and Lemon Juice: If all else fails, you are bound to have these two items lying around. First make a mixture of two parts lemon juice to one part bicarbonate soda. Next, dab the blood stain and let the solution sit for 10 minutes before rinsing off with cold water. 

Saliva: This is a bit of a weird one – but it proves to work for those tiny blood specks (especially when fresh). Your saliva contains enzymes, so it can break down proteins, including a blood stain. For those tiny marks, many have discovered that spitting (we know, kind of gross) on the stain and dabbing the stain can help to remove the mark altogether before putting through a load of washing. 

Waking up to a blood stain on your sheets or pillowcase is always a bit of a shock – however, it’s something that happens to the best of us! Though an unwelcome scenario, blood on your sheets is not the end of the world. With a little persistence and some help from these tips – your sheets should be clean and fresh in no time.

There is no better feeling than slipping into a nice fresh clean set of Linenly 100% organic bamboo bed sheets. Now that you know how to remove blood from sheets, you will have nothing to worry about and can enjoy your sheets, safe in the knowledge that they will last and as long as they are supposed to. For more information on caring for your bamboo bedding, visit our laundry guide. Otherwise, shop our full range of bamboo bedding, bamboo sheet sets, bamboo pillowcases and quilt covers at Linenly today.