6 Ways to Get Blood Out of a Carpet

Many people don’t stand the sight of blood, while others can tolerate it pretty well. But blood stains on a carpet would ruin anyone’s day. And even though it’s not in the list of common stains like food, tea or mud, blood still manages to slip through and somehow ends up on carpets.

Don’t worry, though. We got you covered.

So, if you:

• Are struggling to remove blood stains from your carpet;
• Are looking for different ways to do it;
• Have spilt fake blood on your carpet,

Then read on!

Here you will learn different methods to remove blood from your textile floor covering, no matter if it’s fresh or dry. So, don’t panic, put a bandage on the wound and let’s learn first…

What makes blood stains so hard to clean?

Blood contains red and white pigmented cells. These cells combine with the plasma proteins, which are ionized, and give them the ability to bind to different fabrics and other surfaces.

Hemoglobin also plays a big part in settling the blood stains because it acts as a binder when it comes in contact with oxygen. If the fresh blood stain is not cleaned immediately, the water in it evaporates and this results in a sticky red mark. Here, we need to note that the methods for cleaning fresh blood and dry blood are different.

But worry not! For your convenience, we have gathered solutions for all possible scenarios, so you can always have the upper hand.

Do’s and Don’ts of cleaning blood on carpet

Before you start, there are a couple of universal rules you need to be aware of when it comes to cleaning blood.

Do’s:

Don’ts:

Ways to remove the blood stains from the carpet

Now that we have the most important rules out, we can start with the blood cleaning tips and tricks. All of these methods are DIY and include products and tools you can easily find at home. We’ll start with the easiest and safest method to do it:

Cold water

1. Take a spray bottle and fill it with cold water. If you don’t have such a bottle, you can always use a wet cloth.
2. Apply the water to the area, but don’t soak it.
3. If you have spilt the bowl under the sacrificial altar and the blood stain is a bit larger, start treating it from the edges towards the centre. This way, you’ll stop it from spreading out even more.
4. Suck out all the remaining moisture from the carpet area either with a wet-vac or blot it out with a dry cloth. If you are using the latter, make sure that you don’t rub it in.
5. You can speed up the drying process by pointing a fan to the spot or by using the cold setting on your hair dryer.
6. Vacuum the dried up residue.
7. Repeat all the steps above until the stain is gone.

Dish detergent

1. For this technique to work, the stain must be loosened, so if it’s already dry, you will need to brush it gently and remove the bloody crust.
2. Make a solution from one teaspoon of any dishwashing detergent and two cups of cold water.
3. Dip a clean cloth or a soft sponge into the mixture.
4. Blot the stain gently until it’s transferred onto the cloth.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are satisfied with the results.

This method is also suitable for wool carpets and rugs. For more tips on wool rugs’ maintenance, read our helpful post on how to clean and maintain shaggy and wool rugs.

Salt

1. Mix a thick paste by adding salt to a bit of water.
2. Spread it over the area, covering the blood stain completely.
3. Leave it there for at least one hour or if you have time – until the next day. Make sure that no one steps on the stain by mistake.
4. The salt paste will slowly absorb the blood from the carpet.
5. After the time passes, blot the stain with a cotton rag. Don’t apply too much pressure and continue until the whole stain is lifted from the carpet.
6. Vacuum the leftovers.

Salt is an effective solution against tea stains on carpets. Read our helpful post on the topic, it’ll show you how to get tea stains out of your textile flooring.

Baking soda

1. Make a thick paste by mixing water and baking soda.
2. Cover the stained area entirely.
3. Again, the best option would be to leave it overnight. If you are on a tight schedule, wait at least for one hour.
4. By using a cotton rag, blot the stain until it’s entirely lifted.
5. Pour a bit of water on the stain and blot it again with the clean part of the same rag. Make sure that you remove the leftover baking soda.
6. After the area is dry, vacuum up the rest.

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Hydrogen peroxide

When dealing with carpet stains is always a good idea to start from the most harmless methods, and only if they are not effective, turn to a stonger alternative. This technique is a bit risky, mostly for carpets with dark or vivid colours. However, in case you do think that this is the solution for you, then buy a 3% hydrogen peroxide. If you have a stronger one and you don’t want to buy a new bottle, then simply dilute it. You can do this by mixing one part of the chemical with two parts of water.

1. Gently apply a bit of the hydrogen peroxide straight to the stain. It should be just enough to cover the blood, but not soak the carpet fibres.
2. Let it work its magic for around 5 minutes.
3. Carefully dab the area with an absorbent towel or a cloth. In this case, it’s alright to rub the stain a bit in order to get the blood out, but not too much of course.
4. Let it dry and vacuum the carpet.

You can use this method to remove burns on your carpets. It’s also a great way to remove red wine stains from a rug.

Ammonia

This method is only for synthetic carpets and rugs. If you use it on any other materials such as silk or wool, the ammonia will damage the fibres forever.

1. Mix one tablespoon of ammonia with half a cup of lukewarm water.
2. Apply this mixture to the blood stain with a cloth or a sponge. Leave it for a couple of seconds.
3. Blot the area carefully with an absorbent pad until the liquid is gone.
4. Dip a soft sponge in some cold water and apply it to the spot.
5. Blot the stain again with the pad until the liquid is fully absorbed.
6. Dry the area and vacuum if there is some residue left.

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How to clean fake blood out of carpets

Even if fake blood is treated as a dye and not an organic fluid, the cleaning method is similar. It’s always a good idea to check on the back of the package if there are any cleaning instructions, or warnings for toxic materials. In case you are not sure what to do or there weren’t any instructions available, the following methods should work just fine.

Oxygen-based detergent

1. Remove as much blood as possible from the carpet. If it’s fresh – blot it with a paper towel and if it’s already dry, scrape it gently with a blunt knife.
2. Dip a clean cloth in any kind of oxygen-based detergent and blot the stain thoroughly. Don’t use any bleach and/or lanolin-based detergents.
3. And finally, starting from the edges and towards the centre, rinse the area with cold water until the blood is gone.

3% hydrogen peroxide

In case the stain is still stubbornly holding on to your carpet, worry not. There is still a chance.

1. Make a solution of one part water and one part 3% hydrogen peroxide.
2. Apply on the area until it’s slightly damp.
3. Leave the solution over the stain for about an hour.
4. Light will cause a chemical reaction with the peroxide, making it invisible, so there is no need to rinse it, once the blood is finally gone.
5. If the spot is still damp, dry it up with a paper towel.

Club soda

The next method is the one that requires the least amount of work and products. Not suitable for delicate materials.

1. Pour a generous amount of club soda over the blood stain.
2. Top it up with salt until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Leave it overnight.
4. Vacuum and voila! The stain is no more!

If you want to learn more about how to maintain your carpet properly, check out our in-depth post on the topic. It’ll walk you through how to clean a carpet and keep it smelling fresh.

Get help, call the professionals

Just like in other stain situations, the best option for your carpet is to leave its maintenance in the hands of the professional carpet cleaners from Fantastic Services. We use the most effective method on the market at the moment, which is the hot water extraction method.

This method is extremely effective in removing not only blood stains but all the other common types, leaving your carpet fresh and free of all the built-up dirt. For delicate items, the technician will perform a dry cleaning.

We are now offering a new service – an antiviral sanitisation of your carpets and upholstery. It’s performed with an EN1276 CERTIFIED detergent, meaning it can eliminate 99.99% of germs within five minutes of application.

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Takeaways

• Always take immediate action if possible. The sooner you take care of a stain, the better.
• Leaving it for too long will make it too hard to remove.
• If the stain is small, try the methods above, while also following the instructions in the beginning.
• In case you are not sure that you can properly clean the stain without damaging your carpet, especially if it’s made from delicate materials, then you can always trust Fantastic Services to do the job for you.

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Do you have any special tips for cleaning blood? Let us know in the comments below! And if you enjoyed this article, don’t hesitate to share it with your friends and family.