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.

How To Remove Carpet Stains | Blood Stain Removal