Easy To Follow Guide On How to Get Blood Out of a Mattress

Easy To Follow Guide On How to Get Blood Out of a Mattress

Whether it’s from a wound, a nosebleed, or Aunt Flo paid a visit in the middle of the night, a blood stain on your mattress can be very challenging to remove. Nevertheless, removing it should be your top priority since, besides being aesthetically displeasing, the blood attracts those pesky bed bugs that can throw a wrench in your sleep schedule. 

Luckily, you don’t have to get rid of your favourite mattress when such an incident happens because it is possible to get blood stains out of a mattress. In this article, we’ll get into the nitty-gritty on how to get blood out of a mattress without causing any damages, so let’s dive right in. 

Tips & Tricks for Removing Fresh Blood Stains From a Mattress

To remove the stain as easily as possible, you should act as soon as you witness the blood spillage on your bed.

  • First things first, take off the bedding right away and place it under cold running water to flush out the fresh blood.
  • Next, apply a stain remover or rub in mild laundry detergent, and put the bedding into a washing machine that uses a warm cycle to get rid of the rest of the blood stain.

Now we get to the mattress. Since it’s not safeguarded with a waterproof mattress protector, the blood stains have probably reached some layers in your mattress, so let’s see what can be done. 

Cold Water

This is perhaps the safest and simplest method towards removing blood stains that are pretty fresh.

  • Use a slightly wet, clean cloth and hold it over the stained area for up to one minute. 
  • Wash the cloth or replace it with a new one and repeat this process as many times as necessary, until the stain is completely gone.
  • After the blood stain is removed, dry the mattress completely by following a few simple steps in our article about drying a wet mattress, as leaving it wet can cause mold growth. 

Lemon Juice

Due to the citric acid in lemons, lemon juice breaks down blood stains while not imposing any dangers to the fabrics.

  • Gently wipe the problem surface with cold water.
  • Apply some lemon juice thereafter and try dabbing the stain gently.
  • Make sure the mattress is completely dry before putting the bedding on the mattress.

Salt

Salt is known as an excellent stain remover due to its dehydrating properties. Sprinkling a few tablespoons on the affected area and leaving it to rest for up to an hour can help remove both water and blood, and if you’re dealing with a very stubborn stain, you can make a paste out of salt, cornstarch, and hydrogen peroxide for best results.

Tips & Tricks for Removing Dried Blood Stains

Once the blood dries on your mattress it becomes a bit more challenging to remove it, however, it’s not impossible. Here are a few methods that you can try to remove blood or period stains from your mattress.

Meat Tenderizer Powder

Another commonly popular method for removing tough stains is meat tenderizer, whose primary function which is breaking up protein bonds within meat finds usage in removing stains.

  • Mix two cups of this naturally derived enzyme powder with one cup of salt to disperse across the affected mattress surface. 
  • Use a paper towel with a plastic bag on top to cover the powder, allowing it to rest on the mattress overnight. 
  • Vacuum the mixture the next morning and check whether your stain needs further treatment with some of the methods we cover below. 

Remove Blood Stains With an Enzyme Cleaner

An enzyme cleaner is a nonpathogenic bacteria that produce enzymes to act as catalysts for breaking down molecules into tiny pieces. These tiny particles become food for the bacteria, which converts the blood molecules into water and carbon dioxide after consumption. We recommend going for an oxygenated bleach enzyme cleaner that will oxidize blood bonds, breaking them down at a molecular level. 

Before you begin your cleaning process, take our word of caution into consideration to never apply the solution directly to your mattress. Instead, spray it on a clean towel and gently rub it on the mattress stain. 

The Baking Soda Method

We mention baking soda as a miracle worker for removing stains and odors in our other articles. After all, it’s a great alternative to chemical cleaners that’s eco-friendly, non-toxic, and quite effective at removing stains, so here’s a natural way to remove those musty-smelling blood stains from your mattress:

  • Sprinkle baking soda directly on the stain and use a spray bottle to drizzle white vinegar. This will cause a bubbling reaction that cuts through the blood stains, removing them from the deeper layers of your mattress. 
  • Let the bubbling reaction work its charms for approximately thirty minutes. 
  • To clean away remains from the solution, use either an upholstery vacuum attachment or a clean cloth.
  • Dab the soda-and-white-vinegar solution away with sterile, cold water until there is nothing left on your mattress’ surface. 

Cornstarch Mixture

Cornstarch, salt, and hydrogen peroxide are excellent at cleaning protein-based stains such as blood

  • To create a cleaning paste, mix ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide with ½ cup of cornstarch, pouring one tablespoon of salt into the mixture. Apply it on the stain, and after thirty minutes have passed, try rubbing gently with a toothbrush to soften up the mixture, eventually removing the paste with a clean, wet cloth. 
  • As you remove the mixture entirely, use a dry towel to absorb as much excess moisture as you can.

Final Takeaway

We hope you found our handy guide useful, and that the methods we briefly explained will help you get rid of the blood stains on your mattress. To prevent such accidents from happening in the future, however, take our advice and enrich your mattress with a mattress cover or a protector. 

Sources