Sunday, February 17, 2013

Remove Bloodstains Without Bleach!

Some of you remember when I smashed my head into a rock wall a while back.  

Well, I just realized that there was one thing I didn't cover when I talked about it:  Bloodstain removal.

Seriously.  Granted, it's not every day that you need to worry about this particular problem, but when it hits you don't have a lot of time to think about how to fix the problem.  Bloodstains set fast.

The washcloth I used to clean my head before applying frozen peas was one example of a bloodstained problem.

green washcloth covered in blood
Eew.
So how did I make all of that nastiness go away without using bleach?

It was easy.  I just followed the advice my mom gave me the last time I had a bloodstained mess.

Yeah... I'm a bit accident prone.  My pain threshold, however, is fabulous!

1.  Keep it wet.  If it's not already wet, run some water over it.  This is more important than any other advice.  If blood dries, it starts to set.

2.  Grab some hydrogen peroxide.  Forever after, you will consider it your best friend.  Give that bottle a hug to show you appreciate the work it will do for you.  Or not.  But trust me when I say you'll be singing its praises for a while afterward.

3.  Fill a bowl/basin/container with water.  Add some peroxide to the water.  I've actually never measured, having never needed to - I go with my gut - so let's say 1/4 cup of peroxide to 3 cups of water.  Or just pour however much you want - I've never damaged anything by using too much peroxide.  I'm not sure that's possible.  On the flip side, you don't want to waste it, either.

4.  Soak the bloodstained fabric inside your peroxide and water mixture.  And stare at it.  Not because you have to stare at it, but because it's rather entertaining.  As the peroxide attacks the bloodstains, bubbling occurs.  Yes, you can actually hear the fight between the peroxide and bloodstains as it takes place, because of the

Snap!  Crackle!  Pop!  

of the bubbles.

You'll never look at rice crispies the same way, again, will you?

5.  Let it soak for an hour or two, just to be on the safe side.  I mean, the last thing we want is to remove it too early, right?  It may not take that long, though... as the fabric soaks, the stains are visibly removed.  Not only that, but the fabric is brightened!

6.  Wring it out, then wash normally... as though the bloodstain was never there.  Yep.  That's it.  The end result will look even better than it did before the bloodstains occurred.  How awesome is that?

bright green washcloth, free of stains.


The choice to use hydrogen peroxide, rather than bleach, is an eco friendly one.  Indeed, not only does it work on bloodstains, but it's great as a general whitener for any of your laundry.

And did I mention that it's cheaper than all of those chemically created laundry brighteners?

There really isn't any reason not to use peroxide if you need a fabric whitener or brightener... except, perhaps, habit.  Of course, habit is probably the worst reason to stick with anything.

And it's fabulous for bloodstains!




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