How to get blood out of clothes

Why blood needs cold water, not hot

Protein reacts to heat the way an egg white does in a pan. Iowa State University Extension explains that hot water, an iron or a dryer will cook a protein stain so that it coagulates between the fibers of the yarn, which makes it far harder to remove. Its advice is to pretreat protein stains in cold to lukewarm water, under about 100°F (38°C). A hot wash that seems more hygienic can turn a stain you could have rinsed away into a permanent brown shadow.

Time matters too. Fresh blood is still partly liquid and sits loosely in the fabric, so cold water alone can move most of it. Once blood dries, the proteins have bonded more firmly to the fibers and you need help from enzymes, which are proteins that break other proteins apart. The American Cleaning Institute makes the same split: cold water soaking for fresh stains, and an enzyme product for older ones.

How to get blood out of clothes when it is fresh

Work at the sink if you can. Before you start, glance at the care label, since everything that follows assumes a garment you are allowed to wash in water. If the label says dry clean only, skip to the section on delicate fabrics.

1. 01

   Flush from the back with cold running water

   Turn the fabric inside out and hold the stain under a cold tap so the water pushes blood back out the way it came in, rather than through the whole thickness of the cloth. You should see the water run pink and the mark fade from red toward a pale rust.

2. 02

   Work in a little detergent

   The University of Georgia Extension suggests rubbing the stain with bar soap or liquid detergent while it is under the cold water. Use your fingertips and rub the fabric gently against itself. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear.

3. 03

   Soak in cool water if color remains

   Submerge the area in a bowl of cool water for at least 30 minutes. A faint outline often loosens during the soak. Change the water if it turns pink.

4. 04

   Wash cool with an enzyme detergent

   Rub a small amount of enzyme detergent into the spot, then wash the garment in the coolest setting the label allows, with the same detergent. Many liquid detergents contain enzymes; the label usually says so.

5. 05

   Check before you dry

   Look at the spot in daylight while the garment is still wet. If any trace remains, repeat the soak instead of drying. Air dry the piece until you are sure the stain is gone, because dryer heat will set what is left.

How to remove old blood stains from clothes

Getting dried blood out of clothes is slower but usually possible if the garment has never been through a dryer. Soak it first in cool water for 30 minutes or so to rehydrate the stain, then move it into lukewarm water with an enzyme presoak or enzyme detergent. Cornell Cooperative Extension suggests about half a teaspoon of enzyme product in half a cup of warm water for a spot, or the package directions for a whole garment. Leave it for several hours or overnight, rub gently, rinse and check. It is normal to need two or three rounds.

If a faint mark survives, the next tool depends on the fabric. On white cotton and other colorfast fabric, the University of Georgia Extension suggests dabbing 3 percent hydrogen peroxide, the ordinary drugstore antiseptic, on the stain for one to three minutes before rinsing. Peroxide is a mild bleach, so test it on a hidden seam first, especially on colored clothes where it can lighten the dye. The American Cleaning Institute also allows a final wash with chlorine bleach where the label permits it, or oxygen bleach for colors. Use one bleaching product at a time and rinse well in between, because bleach reacts with peroxide and other cleaners. If you would rather not bleach at all, which is the safer choice on most colored clothes, repeat the enzyme soak instead; it works on the protein itself rather than on the color, so it lifts blood without touching the dye.

Blood that has already been washed hot and tumble dried is the hardest case. Try the enzyme soak anyway, since some of the stain may still respond, but accept that a set protein stain on a colored garment may not come out fully. For whites, our guide to washing white clothes covers safe whitening once the stain itself is gone.

Period blood on underwear, sheets and jeans

Period blood is the same protein stain, so the same method works: cold water first, enzyme detergent second, no heat until it is gone. The practical difference is scale and timing. You often find it in the morning, already dry, on a sheet or a pair of underwear. Rinse the area under a cold tap as soon as you notice it, then leave it to soak in cool water with a little enzyme detergent while you get ready for the day.

For dried period blood on sheets, treat the spot before the whole set goes into the machine. Gather the stained area into a bowl so it can soak without soaking the entire sheet, then wash the set as usual on a cool or warm cycle. Mattress protectors and mattresses need a different approach, so this method stops at the fabric that can go in the washer.

To get period blood out of jeans, work from the inside of the leg and keep the water cold. Indigo denim bleeds color easily, so skip hydrogen peroxide or any bleach unless a hidden test on an inside seam shows no change. Our guide on washing jeans explains how to keep dark denim from fading once the spot is clean.

Silk, wool and dry clean only pieces

Wool and silk are protein fibers themselves, which makes them tricky: the enzymes that digest a blood stain can also attack the fiber. Woolmark advises against enzyme detergents and any bleach on wool, and Cornell Cooperative Extension warns never to use chlorine bleach on wool, silk or spandex. For these fabrics, blot fresh blood with a clean white cloth dampened in cold water, working from the edge of the stain inward, and stop there. If the label permits hand washing, our guides to hand washing clothes and washing silk explain the gentle follow up.

For anything marked dry clean only, including most tailored jackets and structured dresses, your job is limited to blotting away excess with cold water, if a hidden spot shows that water leaves no ring. Then take it to a cleaner quickly and tell them it is blood, how old it is and anything you already applied. Professional cleaners have solvents and spotting agents that are not available at home, and they will work better on a stain that has not been cooked by a hair dryer or iron. If you are unsure what a symbol means, see our guide to reading laundry symbols.