Accidents can happen anytime in your home. Even a small drop of blood can ruin the aesthetics of your precious carpet. If you somehow get blood on your carpets, it’s crucial to take action as soon as possible. If that stain of blood dries completely, the problem might be irreversible.
However, another problem is, using incorrect methods to clean the carpet might damage the carpet fibres permanently. So, it’s better to research if you don’t know what you’re doing.
This is where our guide comes in. Don’t worry, it’s not that hard! Let’s take a look at how easy removing blood stains from carpets is.
Table of Contents
Things You Should Keep in Mind When Removing Blood Stains from Carpets
Here are all the DOs and DONTs you should consider before attempting to perform carpet stain removal –
- You should always use cold water because warm water will help the blood stain set on the carpet.
- Never mix ammonia and bleach because it’ll create a hazardous fume.
- Only use white rags because coloured rags will potentially transfer dye to the carpet.
- Don’t wipe the blood stains because it’ll only smudge the carpet.
- Try to clean the blood as soon as possible because the more you wait the harder it is to remove.
- For wool carpet care, You need to use less-harsh solutions like dish soap or vinegar-soda.
A Detailed Guide to Removing Blood Stains from Carpets
We have divided the guide into two parts. The first part covers how to remove fresh blood from carpets and the second part covers removing dried up blood from carpets. You might think that both are blood, so why can’t we just follow one method?
This is because fresh blood and dried up blood needs different techniques of removal. Applying one technique onto another might end up ruining your carpet.
Before we get into how you can remove blood stains, let’s take a look at the things you’ll need to complete the removal process:
- Brush.
- Dish soap.
- Hydrogen peroxide.
- Rags.
- White vinegar.
- Baking soda.
- Sponge.
- Cold water.
We’ve listed mostly common household items so that you don’t have to spend hours looking for them.
Removing Fresh Blood from Carpets
Fresh blood stains are easy to remove because the blood is yet to settle down on the carpet. So, if you have fresh blood on your carpet, follow these steps –
Method 1 – Using Cold Water
If the blood stain is a few hours old, get a sprayer of about 250 ML or 500 ML capacity and fill it with cold water. Once you’re done with filling up cold water, spray it on top of the stained area. Soak the spot.
Make sure you don’t spill water where it’s not necessary. Now take a fresh white rag and press it gently against the fresh blood stain.
Moving on, don’t rub the rag. Rubbing it can potentially spread the stain and ruin the fibres. Continue to press it against the stain and eventually, it’ll vanish. This is called the blotting technique. If that didn’t help, it means the stain has settled down. In that case, let’s move to the second method.
Method 2 – Using Vinegar and Soda
If the cold water cleaning method didn’t help, we have to make a DIY stain remover. This is sort of a trial-and-error process. Vinegar and baking soda are great stain-removers themselves. You don’t have to mix them right away. First, apply either one of them and see if they work.
If that doesn’t help, you can mix vinegar and baking soda to create a paste. To create that you need to mix white vinegar and baking soda using a 1:1 ratio.
However, since we’re talking about carpets, you can also add a bit of water to make the paste less thick. Making it less thick will ensure it reaches the deeper parts of the carpet.
Once you’re done making the paste, apply it on the blood stain and wait for at least 10 minutes. This will let the paste break down the stain. After that, repeat the first method and blot using cold water.
Method 3 – Using Hydrogen Peroxide
If you’re reading this, it means that stubborn blood stains are still messing with you. In that case, we have a strong blood stain remover for you. And by strong, we mean hydrogen peroxide. Don’t let the name scare you, it’s actually easy to use.
Before you apply it, we would strongly suggest trying it out on a distant corner of the carpet. If hydrogen peroxide is incompatible with your carpet, it can discolour it. Which is why you need to be sure first.
Moving on, go to your nearest drug store and get 6% hydrogen peroxide. If you can’t find 6% then 3% will work as well. 6% and 3% are what’s recommended for common people. Now fill a sprayer with peroxide and spray it directly on the blood stain. If the blood stains are indeed fresh then it’ll start to foam up.
Let it foam up for about 30 seconds to a minute and then scoop up the foam using a spoon or whatever tool you like. Since hydrogen peroxide is an oxidising agent, it’ll break down the blood on the carpet and also disinfect the area simultaneously.
You’ll notice that, with each spray, it’s producing less foam. So, keep spraying it until the foaming stops or the blood stains are gone.
Once the foaming stops, use a clean rag dampened with cold water to remove any remaining stain. Don’t worry about the hydrogen peroxide, though. It’ll eventually break down and disappear.
Removing Dried Up Blood from Carpets
Dealing with fresh blood is a bit easy compared to cleaning dried blood. But, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Here is how you can do it –
Method 1 – Using Dishwashing Soap
For this method, you’ll need a dishwashing liquid solution, preferably something without high ammonia mixture. It’s because long exposure to ammonia is harmful, especially for asthma patients. It’s also a national toxic substance.
Since ammonia is corrosive and alkaline, it’s harmful for synthetic carpets. Ammonia can damage the fibres. With that out of the way, now follow the instructions on the label of the dishwasher and mix it accordingly with cold water.
Fill up a sprayer and dampen the entire area. Let it sit for a few minutes and use a sponge to blot the stains. Keep blotting it until the colour of the stain starts to fade. Now take a clean white rag, soak it in cold water and press it against the faded stains. That should do the trick.
Take another white rag but keep it dry this time. Press it against the stain to remove all the dishwasher residue. Continue to do it until the stain dries off. You can also point a table fan towards the stain to dry the spot faster.
Method 2 – Commercial Route
If you don’t want to take the risks of mixing solutions, you can go for a commercial stain remover. Enzyme-based cleaners are incredibly useful since they can break down protein (an organic compound).
The microorganisms inside enzyme-cleaners can also go deep into the fibre and loosen up the stain, making the cleaning process effortless.
The best part about commercial cleaners is that they have all the instructions on the label. This way you can rest assured that the steps are going to work. It also eliminates the chances of mistakes.
Once you’re done applying the cleaner, take a white rag and extract the residue. This will help dry the carpet faster.
Should You Call Professional Cleaners for Removing Blood Stains from Carpets?
Whether you should call professionals totally depends on how you handle the situation. If you’re following our guide, the blood stain shouldn’t be an issue. However, if you’re not confident enough, we’d suggest calling the professionals.
If you take matters into your own hands and do something wrong, your carpet might get damaged. On the other hand, professionals will ensure that your carpet is cleaned and isn’t harmed. So, the call is yours!
Final Words
Thanks to various innovative methods and commercial solutions, removing blood stains from carpet has never been easier. You should stay cautious because the solutions are ultimately chemical-based.
No worries if you don’t feel confident doing it yourself. We, at Affordable Cleaning and Gardening service, will take care of it with our 20+ years of experience of serving all over Sydney. We also use green cleaners so that there’s no harmful fumes causing health issues. You, and your carpets are safe on our watch!
