Blood stains are not easy to remove, especially from a light-colored carpet. If you do decide to try to clean it yourself, you’ll need to make sure that you have the right cleaning products on hand for the job. Otherwise, you could end up making the blood stain even bigger, or look worse.
If you catch it early enough, you can attempt to clean the area where the blood landed – at least, as much as you can. But, sometimes, you won’t notice until later, and once the blood stain sets in, you might find yourself spending hours trying to remove it.
There are many things that can make a stain difficult to remove, such as different types of fabrics, different kinds of carpet fibers, and the type of cleaning solution used.
Here are some steps to follow to remove blood stains while minimizing damage to your carpet.
Let’s get into it.
Clean The Area First
First things first, you will need to make sure that no more blood is going to spread to other areas of your home. Take care of the initial issue, e.g., the person’s injury, and make sure that no more blood is going to drip onto the area where the stain is. Or, any other areas.
(Of course, the main priority will be to make sure that the injured person is safe and treated – once this has been dealt with, you can move onto the cleaning.)
Before applying any cleaner, wash the blood spot thoroughly with a damp cloth. This helps prevent the spill from spreading to areas that were previously clean. Do not rub the cloth onto the stain! Instead, lightly dab to mop up any excess blood from the area.
Note: Never use warm water alone to clean blood stains from a rug. Warm water, or very hot water, may dry the stain permanently. Always use cold water, and only apply a small amount of liquid per square inch.
Use An Absorbent Pad To Soak Up The Blood
Once the area is cleaned, use a dry towel or absorbent pad to absorb as much of the blood as possible, applying pressure on the spot.
The towel will soak up the liquid blood residue left on the carpet, leaving less moisture behind. You don’t want too much moisture left behind, because it can cause the stain to set in deeper.
Once the area is completely soaked, blot the remaining blood off using another dry towel or absorbent material. Make sure that there is no excess moisture left on the spot.
Use White Vinegar On The Stain
If you already have stain removal products at home that are known for successfully cleaning blood stains from a carpet, you can skip this step. If you don’t, you can create your own blood stain remover at home!
Depending on how small the stain is, you could always try pouring a small amount of white vinegar directly onto the area. Leave it to absorb for around 30 minutes before rinsing with cold water. You may need to repeat this step a couple of times.
If you want to remove a larger blood stain from a natural fiber carpet, mix 1 cup of the vinegar with 3 cups of warm water. Allow the mixture to sit overnight before rinsing with cold water. Again, this step may need to be repeated to fully remove the stain.
You may also consider adding baking soda to the mixture to help neutralize the acidity of the vinegar. (Baking soda is often added to laundry detergent to help break down tough stains.)
Use Ammonia On The Stain
If you want to remove a larger blood stain from a synthetic carpet, combine 1 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of household ammonia.
Pour a small amount of the mixture directly over the stain, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. After this, lightly dab the stain with a cloth and some cold water, and repeat if necessary.
Ammonia works wonders on white or cream carpets, but may not work as well on colored carpets.
It also tends to leave a strong odor after removing the stain. To avoid having to deal with the smell, you can add a few drops of essential oil like lemon, orange, grapefruit, etc., to the mixture.
Use Hydrogen Peroxide On The Stain
Hydrogen peroxide is a great alternative to ammonia when trying to get rid of blood stains.
Mix equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide, pour into the affected area, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Lightly blot with cold water, and follow up with a solution containing baking soda and water. Repeat until the stain disappears.
If you are dealing with a large stain, you may need to apply multiple applications of hydrogen peroxide. The downside to using hydrogen peroxide, like using ammonia, is that it has a very strong smell. But again, you can use essential oil drops to mask the scent.
Call A Professional
If none of these steps works, consider calling some professional carpet cleaners. They will know exactly what products to use, and how to best clean out the stain.
It may cost a little extra to hire a professional, but you can rest assured knowing that they will be able to take care of the situation correctly and efficiently. If you try to get rid of the stain yourself, and you’re not entirely sure what you are doing, you may end up creating a deeper stain.
It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we hope this article on how to clean blood out of carpets was helpful! Cleaning blood from carpets or rugs should be done very carefully, because it could end up staining the rug permanently.
Always wear gloves when using cleaning products, and take precautionary measures to ensure that the area where the stain occurs gets completely cleaned.
