What to Do If Your Mattress Is Stained with Blood.

When you think about blood, do you get the chills? Us, too If you or a family member has an accident on the mattress, here is a detailed guide on how to clean it.

Listen, there's no need to delve into the specifics of what led to the blood on the bed, but we can and should acknowledge that such things do occur. Mattresses present a unique cleaning challenge because you can't simply toss them in the washer or hose them down. Although steam cleaning might help The important thing is to learn how to remove the stain completely.

You can choose from four distinct options, and if you need more stain-removing power, you can mix and match them (one at a time, of course). For starters, we'll tell you that removing blood as soon as possible is preferable. When it has dried and set into the mattress fibers, removal becomes more of a challenge. You should also think about purchasing a mattress with a removable and machine-washable cover, like a Yogabed, if you find yourself frequently cleaning up bodily fluids like blood, urine, or vomit. Mattress protectors can also be purchased on the online marketplace Amazon.

See if you already own any of the following, which are listed for your convenience.

• Cold water
• Salicylic acid
• Salt
• Starch from corn
• Peroxygen Hydrogen
• Tenderizing tool
• Towels or paper towels should be white.
• Putting on some cleaning gloves is recommended.

Cleaning Up a Stained Mattress

Cold water In the case of freshly shed blood, cold water should be sufficient to facilitate its dissolution. It's best to use a white towel or rag under cold water to clean your mattress cover (colored fabrics may leave permanent stains). The next step is to dab at the blood stain instead of rubbing, which can spread the stain further into the mattress.

When cleaning the mattress, take care not to soak it too deeply; you want it to be able to dry quickly to prevent the growth of mold and mildew. And, of course, the water must be ice cold. Blood can be "cooked" in hot water, which can cause the stain to become permanent.

Put on some rubber gloves; we have some cleaning to do.

Sodium bicarbonate for baking A mixture of one part baking soda and two parts cold water can be applied with a white paper towel or rag to a mattress to remove odors. Wait 30 minutes, then wash it with another towel. The proper technique is to dab (again, not rub) Use a clean cloth to dab the area dry, and then let it dry completely in the breeze from a fan or open windows.

Hydrogen peroxide, cornstarch, and salt Combine 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 cup cornstarch. The protein stains, which include blood stains, can be easily removed with salt and hydrogen peroxide.

Blend the ingredients together until they form a thick paste. Spread the solution all over the stained area and wait until it dries. Once it's completely dry, you can vacuum over it or scrape it up with a spatula or knife. Repeated uses of this cleaning method are recommended for optimal results.

A tool for softening meat In case none of these methods work, reach for the meat tenderizer in the back of the pantry. In order to "tenderize" your meat, a meat tenderizer will break down the proteins in the meat, but it can also break down the proteins in a blood stain. Make a paste by combining one tablespoon of meat tenderizing powder with two teaspoons of cold water. Once the paste has been applied, the blood stain should be left to dry for about an hour. Once the paste has dried, remove it with a cloth dampened in cold water and follow up by drying the area with a clean, dry cloth.

Do a small test spot before treating a larger stain on a latex mattress or other unusual material mattress like a Purple bed. You shouldn't have to worry about meat tenderizer damaging your mattress unless you use it on something with a lot of protein, but just to be safe, you should cover it first.

Extracting Blood from Apparel

Again, without going into detail, blood can unfortunately find its way not into your mattress, but rather into other parts of your bedding. It's also helpful to know how to remove blood stains from your pillow, sheets, and other bedding accessories. It's understandable that some might prefer to start fresh, but some bedding components can be quite pricey to replace for something as minor as a blood stain. While other methods, such as those used to remove blood from a mattress, may be helpful, these are the most effective.

Stopping the Bleeding in Your Pillow

Peroxygen Hydroxide Hydrogen peroxide can be found in any home's medicine cabinet. Apply a tiny amount to the stain and let it sit for a few seconds. Remove any remaining hydrogen peroxide by scrubbing the area with cold water.

Cleansing agent for the washer and dryer Some pillows can be washed in the machine; check the label to be sure. See if the stain can be removed by applying stain remover to the affected area. If that doesn't work, using an enzyme laundry pre-treater on the stain and then washing the pillow with an enzyme detergent should do the trick.

Clean the Blood from Your Bedding

The use of hydrogen peroxide and other techniques for removing blood from a mattress (like washing the sheets in cold water with a strong stain remover) can also be used to remove blood from sheets. Here are some other options for removing blood from sheets if the aforementioned strategies don't appeal to you or are unsuccessful.  

Salt Water Use a towel to dab the stained area with a solution made from 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of cold water, then wash the sheet as usual. Ten minutes later, wash it off with cold water. One other option is to soak the silk sheets in a basin of salt water before cleaning the stain.

Sodium Chloride and Laundry Soap Apply a mixture of 1 tablespoon of dish detergent and 2 tablespoons of salt to the spot. Leave it for 25 minutes, then rinse gently and do so again until the stain is gone.  

It's easier to catch a stain early if you wash your sheets frequently.

Washing Extra Parts

There's more than one way to remove blood stains from sheets, as you can see. It may take more than one attempt to get rid of the stain. And even after that, there's still a chance the stain will be barely perceptible to anyone who doesn't already know it's there. It won't be as bad as it was, I'm sure of that.  

Alternately, there is a plethora of options to try if you have other accessories (like a mattress topper or a blanket) that get stained with blood.

1. Shampoo You can try rubbing some shampoo into the blood stain and seeing if it comes out of the cotton sheets. Then, after you're done, wash it off with cold water.
2. Ammonia Combine equal parts of ammonia and water, then gently rub the solution into the stain. Just wait a few minutes, then rinse it off.  
3. Acidulated Wine Vinegar When you need to remove a stain, use a mixture of white vinegar and water and gently rub it in. Wait a few minutes, then rinse it off.  
4. Cola Even though it seems backwards to add more blood to a stain in order to remove it, this method reportedly produces good results. A chemical reaction set in motion by a few drops of cola can aid in removing the stain from the fabric of the sheet. You should wash the entire thing as soon as possible, though. If your stained item can't be cleaned in the washing machine, we advise against using this method.  
5. Hairspray Even though this is not the '80s, if you have any hairspray lying around, try spraying the blood out of your accessories. All you have to do is spray the stain, wait a few seconds, and blot it with a damp towel. When you're done, give the area a quick rinse.