Accidents happen. Let’s say you cut your finger while slicing ingredients for tonight’s culinary masterpiece. Someone in your household experienced an unexpected, out-of-nowhere bloody nose. The dog scratched his belly so hard in one place that he rubbed the skin raw. And suddenly there’s blood on your carpet or furniture.

Before you assume that the blood’s going to stay put, remember that even blood can be cleaned up. With a little patience and some tips on removing blood stains from the experts, you can restore your home to a fresh, stain-free zone.

Steps to Remove Bloodstains From Carpets

Perhaps the most important step in removing blood from carpeting is to get to the bloodstain as fast as you can. Of course, that’s not always possible or realistic depending on the cause of the stain.

If the blood you’re trying to clean up has dried, you can still bring it up from the carpet fibers. You just need to remove the dried residue on top first. Use a stiff brush, such as a clean toothbrush, to loosen any dried blood. Then, vacuum the loosened particles. From that point, go through the following sequence until the stain is nothing but a memory:

  1. Apply cold water to the stain site. Grab a white cloth or clean sponge. Dip it in some cold water. Then, dab at the bloodstain. Use pressure, but not a ton of force. Otherwise, you’ll drive the stain deeper toward the carpet backing, not to mention outward to other fibers. Keep blotting and rinsing out the white cloth in a separate bowl until you can’t lift up any more blood.
  2. Make a basic cleaner. Can you still see some bloodstains on the carpet even after the cold-water bath application? Up your game by whipping up a basic cleaning solution. Combine a tablespoon of organic dish detergent with a cup of cool water. Using a fresh white cloth, follow the same blotting steps that you just completed. Your goal is to dilute any remaining blood and cleanse the carpet fibers.
  3. Grab the hydrogen peroxide. At this point, your bloodstain should be gone. If it’s not, consider using hydrogen peroxide to lift up any lingering stains. Just be aware that hydrogen peroxide can lighten your carpet. Therefore, test it on an inconspicuous spot before applying it with a cotton ball or sponge to the blood stain-affected area. Let the hydrogen peroxide work for up to an hour before blotting the site.

Most bloodstains can be brought up fairly quickly, as long as you take your time. You may still want to contact a professional carpet cleaning crew to give your room a once-over if you have had to remove numerous blood stains from carpeting. A thorough deep cleaning will leave your spaces looking and smelling great.

Steps to Remove Bloodstains From Upholstered Furniture

Carpeting does tend to get the brunt of a lot of stains, from blood to coffee to red wine. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t address the topic of how to get blood out of upholstered furniture, too. After all, you can just as quickly drip blood onto a sofa or armchair as the floor.

When removing blood from any type of textile, you’re going to follow most of the same steps outlined above for getting rid of blood stains on carpets. Of course, there are a few differences when it comes to approaching blood stains on upholstery, so refresh yourself before grabbing your blood-cleaning equipment:

  • Stay away from heat. Blood tends to settle in when it’s exposed to heat. You’ll always want to opt for cool water for any cleaning or blotting solutions, as well as cool air for drying blotted spots.
  • Start blotting on the outside of the bloodstain. As you’re working through the various methods of bringing up blood stains, focus on the outside of the stains first. Move inward toward the middle of the stain, lessening the chances that the stain will spread.
  • Use club soda instead of water. If you have some club soda in your kitchen or bar area, use it instead of cold water during your first “blotting” step.

Ideally, your upholstery bloodstain should come up after one or two applications of club soda or a homemade mixture of detergent and cold water. Be gentle and take your time.

Need to hire a professional cleaning crew for upholstery cleaning? Think of Cyclone Professional Cleaners first! Call our team at 972-390-8700 or contact us online to give your residential or commercial property a restorative clean.