We spend about a third of our lives in bed. Our mattress has to endure quite a lot and is not spared from all kinds of signs of use. This includes blood stains. It is commonly believed that blood is difficult to remove, especially once it has dried. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Here you can learn a few home remedies to remove blood stains from the mattress.
Avoid contamination of your mattress with a suitable mattress topper. This catches stains of all kinds, from blood to urine, and you can wash them regularly in the washing machine.
- Remove fresh blood stains from the mattress
If blood stains are still fresh and not dried, this is the easiest way to remove them. Don’t wait until blood has dried to clean your mattress, do it right away. It goes without saying that you cannot just put your mattress in the washing machine or soak it in the bathtub. Manual labor is required here. Take a clean rag and dampen it with clear cold water. Now dab the blood off the mattress with light pressure and try not to spread the blood further or to work it deeper into the mattress. Then use some paper towels to soak up the moisture. Repeat this process until the stain is completely gone.
- Remove dried blood stains from the mattress
Preliminary remark: when blood dries, the protein it contains coagulates and binds to the fibrous material. It is then a little more difficult to remove such dried blood stains again – but not hopelessly. In any case, test the home remedy of your choice on a small area of your mattress before you work with it over a large area. Also note the care instructions for your mattress to avoid possible damage to the material.
These home remedies have proven themselves for removing blood from textile surfaces:
- Laundry powder: mix up a thick paste of laundry detergent and water.
- Starch or potato flour: mix a thick paste of starch or potato flour and water.
- Salt and lemon juice: mix lemon juice with a little salt to form a paste.
- Baking soda: blend the baking soda with water to form a thick paste.