Blood Stain Removal
The short lesson on blood stain removal: act fast. Most carpets
today come with stain-resistant treatments, so even blood can
be removed if you get it right away. The longer you delay, the
more difficult removing any carpet stains becomes, and there
are no stain-proof carpets (yet). With blood, the process of
coagulation makes it especially hard to get the stain out if
it is old.
Blood Stain Removal Step-by-Step
1. Rinse and extract the blood with cold water. Use just a
little at a time, so you don't spread the stain. Hot water will
set the stain, possibly making it permanent, so use only cold
water. Just add water, then blot it up with a clean white cloth
or white paper towels. Alternately, you can suck the solution
out with a shop-vac, which means less of a chance of spreading
the stain.
2. Try to remove the remaining stain with a solution of a
few drops of Dawn dish washing detergent in a cup of cold water.
Work it into the blood stain, but be careful not to spread the
stain or rub so hard that you damage the carpet fibers. Damaged
fibers hold stains.
3. Repeat as many times as is necessary, or until there is
no more transfer of the stain from the carpet to the cloth or
paper towels. Blot up excess water when you are done.
4. If you have a fan, leave the fan blowing on the area to
dry it quickly. Otherwise set a stack of paper towels (white)
on the stained area, or a couple clean white cotton cloths, and
put something heavy on them. Leave this to blot up the remaining
liquid, replacing the cloth or paper towels if necessary. Fast
drying assures you that any remaining stain deeper in the carpet
doesn't "wick up" to the surface and become visible
again.
Some people have reported that club soda can help remove blood
stains, so if the above instructions don't work, you can try
that. It is not easy to predict which stains will come out and
which are permanent until you try. This is due to the various
types of carpet fibers and other factors. Natural fibers are
usually more difficult to remove stains from, for example. As
with all stains, start with water first before trying other solvents
for blood stain removal.
|
