How to Get Blood Out of a Mattress

Blood stains on your mattress are inevitable, wouldn’t you agree? Accidents do happen, regardless if it’s a surprise visit from Aunt Flo, the scab of the wound you got the other day gets scratched open, or maybe even a nose bleed. So, having a couple of blood cleaning tricks up your sleeve is helpful.

Unlike the bedding, which you can strip off the bed and put into the washing machine, things with a mattress are a bit more complicated. Maintaining a mattress clean will require some effort and the proper methods.

There are quite a few natural cleaning methods and home-found ingredients that can help you with removing blood stains from your mattress, and save both your mattress and the bedding.

So, if you:

• Have a freshly stained mattress with blood that you want removing;
• Have just discovered some old blood marks on your bed piece;
• Want to learn about different natural solutions that are effective blood stain removers;

Then, this post is just for you. Read our handy tips to learn about how to remove blood out of a mattress!

How to get blood out of a mattress?

You spend a lot of research time and money to get the perfect mattress to aid your sleep. Of course you wouldn’t want to see all those resources go to waste by having your beautiful mattress ruined by a blood stain that looks like it came straight out of a horror movie.

Luckily, there are a number of ways to remove blood from a mattress. Some methods will work better than others, depending on how long the blood stain has been sitting on your mattress.

Enzyme cleaner

With this cleaning product, you need to remember that more is actually more when it comes to efficiency. The bigger the stain, the more product you will want to use. The goal will be to saturate the area of the blood stain well. Enzyme cleaners rely on “good” bacteria to break down and consume organic matter, such as urine, food, blood, etc. and of course, they need time to do that. So, let the product sit for 5-10 minutes before wiping it clean. This way the stain will be removed more easily along with any odour that comes with it.

Baking soda

For this method, you need to mix some cold water with the baking soda until it reaches a paste-like consistency. Once ready, spread the mixture over the blood stain and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. After that proceed with rinsing the area with a clean cloth or towel soaked in cold water.

Corn flour mixture

Similar to the baking soda method, here you’re going to combine corn flour and cold water till the mix becomes like a paste. Use a generous amount of the mixture to coat the blood-stained area. Leave to air-dry and then remove the corn flour with a vacuum cleaner.

Hydrogen peroxide

Simply apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide to the stained area. Leave to sit for up to 20 minutes. It is among the stronger methods that will break down even dried blood. Once the time is up, dab clean with a wet cloth, dipped in cold water. Be careful when using hydrogen peroxide because it can bleach things.

Talcum powder

This is another easy method that can provide a great result. Mix talcum powder with cold water till a thick paste forms. Once you get a homogenous mixture, apply to the blood stain and leave it until dry. Similarly to the corn flour method, you will want to brush off or vacuum the dried crumbs from the dried mixture. 

Meat tenderizer

It may sound strange using this cooking supply, but this can be your saving grace for more stubborn blood stains. Basically, meat tenderizer breaks down the proteins in blood making it easier to lift from the mattress fibres. Simply make a paste by mixing meat tenderizer with cold water. Apply the paste to the stained area and leave to sit for about an hour. After that dab the area with a damp towel till you have removed all the product.

Ammonia

If faced with a stubborn blood stain, this powerful cleaning method is the one you can turn to. Dilute a tablespoon of ammonia in a cup of cold water. Put on some protective gloves before you move on to using the ammonia. Dip a towel in the solution and dab on the stained area until the blood is removed. Leave a window open to air the room and let out the strong smell of ammonia.

Cold water

Here the cleaning procedure is pretty straightforward. Just grab a clean towel, run  it under cold water, squeeze out the excess and dab the stained spot. This method is ideal when the blood stain is fresh.

Once you have treated the blood stain and rinsed the cleaning solution of the mattress, you can take a dry towel and blot any excess moisture. By doing that, you will help with the drying process and also any excess blood that has remained will be lifted from the fabric.

How to get old and dried blood out of a mattress?

When it comes to blood on a mattress, it’s best to clean it as soon as possible while still fresh. However, that is not always possible. Sometimes, we are in a hurry and dab it off real quick with the idea to clean it later and sometimes, we find out about the stain quite some time after it has occurred. 

Fortunately, there is a great method to use when it comes to getting dried blood out of your mattress with just 3 ingredients:

• Corn flour
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Salt

Once you have those acquired, follow the below steps:

If after using this cleaning method the blood stain is still not entirely clean, you can repeat the steps until the stain is no longer noticeable. The longer blood has been left untreated, the more stubborn it would have become and consequently harder to clean. 

How to get period blood out of a mattress?

Every now and again we will wake up to having the painters in, it’s inevitable. You know what we mean, ladies. 

The first and easiest method you can turn to is simply using a lightly dampened cloth with cold water. It’s important that you use cold water here. Warm water will result in binding the proteins in the blood to the fabric’s fibres, sealing the stain. Using the damp cloth, dab the stain repeatedly, rinsing the cloth until the stain is gone. This method is perfect when the period stain is fresh.

If the stain is more stubborn after being on the mattress for several hours you will want to rely on some ingredients to do the job.

The ingredients you will need:

• hydrogen peroxide
• liquid Castile soap or similar vegetable oil soaps
• lemon oil

Step 1: Making the mixture

Mix ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, 2 tbsp liquid Castile soap and between 10-20 drops of lemon oil. Stir well to combine.

Step 2: Application

Pour the solution into a spray bottle and mist over the blood stain. Using a spray bottle will help you avoid soaking the mattress and also provide a more even distribution.

Step 3: Rinsing out the area

With a slightly damp clean cloth, wash away any residue. The lemon oil will help rid of the musty smell if any, leaving a fresh scent behind. 

Can’t get the blood out of a mattress? Book a professional!

It’s okay if you decide you’re not up to the task. A blood stain can seem very intimidating and tricky to successfully remove from the white fabric of your mattress. This is where the mattress cleaning professionals come in! The Fantastic experts have industrial-grade detergents at their disposal that have a special formula to help treat different stains including blood.

The expert will start by pretreating the blood stain(s) on your mattress with the special cleaning solution. After this, they will proceed to extract the stain using the hot water extraction method. Using specialised equipment, the professionals will inject hot water into the fabric and then suction out the moisture along with the dirt. This will leave nothing behind but cleanliness and a fresh scent! If the particular fabric of the mattress doesn’t allow steam cleaning, we also offer dry cleaning techniques as an option..

It’s important to leave the stain alone until the professional comes. Trying to clean the blood can result in sealing it into the fibres and reducing the chances of the professional cleaner to fully remove the blood stain.

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Did you recently have to deal with a blood stain? Which was the method that worked best for you? Let us know in the comments below!

Image source: Shutterstock / FotoDuets