How to Remove a Blood Stain?
After sharing my personal experiences with very heavy periods, I did a little research and discovered that thousands of us suffer from monthly hemorrhaging. And not all of us have a menstrual panty for heavy flow tucked away in our drawers.
So I decided to put together a little guide to clean fresh or dried blood stains on all types of fabric, including wool and silk. From experience, I know that when you’re dealing with Niagara Falls (also called menorrhagia or hypermenorrhea), removing stains from your mattress, sofa, and laundry feels like the twelve labors of Asterix. So while you wait to see the light at the end of the tunnel and order your liberator, the period panty, here are my best tips for removing a blood stain!
Removing a Blood Stain: No, No, Definitely Not Hot Water!
When you’re young and inexperienced, you have better things to do than spend your evenings on the internet searching Google for something you hope no one ever finds out about. So you go with your intuition and rush to hot water to get rid of a blood stain on clothing. Fatal mistake, ladies.
Hot water sets the blood stain. Half of my sheets and especially my mattress still bear the marks. So don’t trust your intuition on this, and also ignore those who recommend lukewarm water. I’ve always been wary of those people—you know, the cautious ones, the ones who never take risks, the indecisive, those who say things like “maybe,” “lukewarm water,” “it’s not that simple,” “I don’t want to take sides”… You should never listen to them, E.V.E.R: removing a blood stain is not an impossible task if you know the effective methods.
Removing a Fresh Blood Stain, Including on Silk and Wool
For a fresh blood stain on a sheet or laundry: act quickly! Rinse with cold water or better yet: dilute the stain with an ice cube. Dab with a few drops of lemon juice and soak in cold water before washing in the machine with your usual detergent!
You can also dissolve effervescent aspirin in cold water and soak the fresh blood stain, or dab with a clean cloth soaked in saline solution: it works wonderfully!
Removing a blood stain on delicate fabrics like silk or wool is also possible. To do this, use effective tips that grandmothers have kept secret.
When the blood stain is still fresh, gently rub the silk or wool garment with a paste made from cornstarch, flour, or talcum powder mixed with cold water. When the paste dries, brush off the crust formed on the stain and rinse the fabric.
Removing an Old Blood Stain with Sodium Percarbonate
Treating a blood stain with baking soda: yes, I made that mistake, I had skimmed the article. It recommended baking soda and also white vinegar. So I did both at the same time because I do everything thoroughly! It turns out that baking soda combined with white vinegar or lemon is perfect for... unclogging toilets, not for stain removal. I almost lost 2 panties that day.
Jokes aside, this is a very important topic. Sodium percarbonate is oxygenated water. It is used diluted on fabric. It’s much less dangerous than soda crystals and works better than baking soda. Especially on dried blood stains. You know, the ones you’ve set with hot water or left for years... Soak in cold water, focus on the blood stain with the oxygenated water, and let it soak in… cold water! Best for white fabric (blood stain on a sheet, clothing, duvet, or sofa cover).
Removing a Stubborn Blood Stain from Your Mattress
With oxygenated water, you can also make a variation of the paste mentioned above. To recap, take cornstarch or Maizena (60 g) and replace the water with a few drops of oxygenated water (60 ml), then add salt (20 g). Again, cornstarch can be replaced by flour or talcum powder. Apply the paste to the blood stain. Let it act until the paste is completely dry. Scrape off the crust formed by the paste with a spatula and vacuum with a brush attachment for upholstery fabric.
But the ideal solution for a blood stain on a mattress that refuses to leave your bed or to remove a blood stain on a sofa stubbornly occupying your living room is to soak a clean cloth with a few drops of Dakin, which you can find at the pharmacy. Dab the stubborn blood stain with the cloth until it disappears, rinse with cold water, and let air dry.
You can also make a mixture of water and ammonia (careful, it stings: wearing a mask is recommended) and use it to dab the stubborn blood stain (except on linen, silk, and wool) with a clean cloth or sponge. Then rinse with cold water. Guaranteed results without a halo!
If you don’t have ammonia on hand, you can remove a dried blood stain on your mattress by applying 70° alcohol with a cloth or sponge.
Say Goodbye to Blood Stains with Your Period Panty
Otherwise, you can also decide to stop marking your territory and spend your free time on chemical experiments and buy yourself a menstrual panty. For those who don’t trust it, I understand, it’s hard to believe that Niagara Falls can be contained (but I assure you it works!). Use it with a tampon or cup on heavy flow days and alone on light flow days (at the end of your period, editor’s note). You will finally be free from the Stain!
By Valérie
