We get it – life happens. Be it a female dog in heat, an accident with a broken wine glass, or a simple nosebleed, sometimes carpets will be stained by blood. It’s not pretty, but the good news is, it’s completely manageable. Here’s how to get blood out of carpet, whether it’s a fresh stain, or if it’s been there for a while already.
Just follow our step-by-step guide to have your carpet stain-free, good as new!
Consider this before you Begin cleaning Your Blood-stained carpet
You probably don’t need us to tell you that when it comes to cleaning blood from your carpet or rug, time matters. The sooner you clean the blood stain, the easier it will be, and the better chance that the blood stain will be gone without a trace.
With that said, instead of rushing, it is important to consider a few things in order to make sure you approach the problem with the right mindset. Here are some of the things to consider, when determining how to get blood out of carpet.
Cleaning Blood Stains from Different Carpets
Different fabrics will require slightly different approaches, cleaners, and certainly different preparations. Some will respond to commercial carpet cleaners better than others. And in some cases, you would want to call professional help, too.
Cleaning Blood Stains from Wool Carpets
Wool might be a durable material for everyday use, but it gets really sensitive when it comes to stains and dirt in general.
Wool piles also easily get damaged by scrubbing and scratching, so there are two basic things to keep in mind when you are about to clean blood off of your wool carpet:
- Be gentle with your wool carpet! No intense scrubbing, and definitely no scratching. Use a soft material and only touch the wool rug gently to clean it.
- No excess water or carpet cleaner chemicals! While it will be necessary to apply chemicals and water in the process, only use as much as necessary to clean the blood stains from the wool carpet. Wool will absorb any excess water and chemical, and the piles also get easily damaged by strong cleaning agents.
Cleaning Blood from Polypropylene Carpets
Made of synthetic fibers, polyester and polypropylene are both fairly resistant to staining, some are even stain-repellent, and can easily be wiped off by a paper towel.
If you don’t get lucky, however, you still need not panic. Your carpet will be easy to clean using the steps below. Just follow our How to get blood out of carpet guide, and you’ll be fine.
Cleaning Blood from Synthetic-fiber Carpets
Other synthetic-fiber carpets, like polyester, acrylic, or nylon, are more prone to fading and discoloration than polypropylene, so you’ll have to be more careful when applying carpet cleaning chemicals to them.
One important thing to remember is to always do a patch test before applying any chemical to them directly on the stain. This way you can be sure that you won’t do more harm than good cleaning your carpet.
If you feel it’s risky, or if you are unsure (or when the patch test simply fails), it might be a good idea to call in a professional, and not risk damaging your carpet while trying to clean it from a blood stain.
The right Blood stain remover for your carpet
There are a few chemicals to consider as various options when thinking about how to get blood of carpet.
Use hydrogen peroxide to clean blood from carpet
Hydrogen peroxide is not only there to make brunettes blondes. The chemical works by breaking up chemical bonds and making certain materials colorless. This comes in handy when you want hair color to disappear, but even handier when you want your carpet’s blood stain just as colorless.
This method usually requires a few applications, so it doesn’t necessarily work in one go, but the upside is that it can be used on fresh blood stains as well as dried ones.
The only thing to make sure of is that it won’t damage the dyes or the fibers of the carpet itself.
Use OxiClean to clean blood from carpet
OxiClean is a well-known, versatile stain remover, and it earned its reputation for a reason.
While this chemical should be avoided when cleaning wool carpet, it will work particularly well on synthetic-fiber carpets, such as polypropylene, polyester, nylon, or acrylic.
OxiClean works by creating an enzyme that breaks down the stain that then becomes easy to remove.
For most carpet types, and for most cases cleaning blood from your carpet is easiest using OxiClean solution.
Using Dishwashing liquid to clean blood stains from carpet
Yes, some people swear by using plain dishwashing liquid and say they see perfect results in removing blood stains from carpets without a trace.
In order to make this work, you should mix about two cups of cold water with a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid to get the appropriate thickness.
Just with any other chemical, you would need to patch test whether the dishwashing liquid will damage the color of your carpet before using it directly on the stain.
Using Baking Soda to clean blood stains from carpet
Not as powerful as hydrogen peroxide or ammonium, baking soda might be the optimal natural choice to give a go when you’re thinking about how to get blood out of carpet.
Baking soda works best when mixed with room-temperature water and white vinegar (2 cups of each water and vinegar, mixed with 4 tablespoons of baking soda for optimal performance).
To use this solution, just pour the liquid into a spray bottle, and apply it gently and sparingly on the stain. After about 5 minutes, you will be able to blot the carpet dry using a clean cloth.
the step by step guide
We have now covered the basics: considered the type of carpet as well as the materials we are about to use to clean it.
All there’s left is to actually clean it.
How To Get Blood Out Of Carpet
35:00 35 minutes
Step 1: Wipe up any excess blood off the carpet
If the carpet hasn’t absorbed all of the blood just yet, you’re best off getting rid of the excess blood before it does.
Use a dry cotton cloth, or a kitchen paper towel, and suck up all that you possibly can.
It is extremely important to be gentle at this point, as the last thing you want is for the blood to get deeper into and amongst the fibers of the carpet.
Step 2: Prepare the carpet cleaning solution of your preference
Whether it’s a solution of baking soda and white vinegar, or a shop-bought carpet cleaner chemical, you should now prepare it to be used on the blood stain. Pour the solution in a bowl or in a spray bottle for optimal result.
Step 3: Patch-test your solution on a hidden part of your carpet
Not all carpets react to the same carpet cleaner solutions in the same manner. Yours might be particularly sensitive to one chemical, and perhaps not so much for another.
The problem is that, it is virtually impossible to tell in advance: the only way to find out is to try the actual chemical on the actual carpet.
But at the same time you don’t want to risk ruining your carpet where it’s in plain sight. So this is why you need to patch test every chemical before using them for good.
The best way to do this if you have some excess, remainder of the carpet. If you don’t choose a hidden part (like in the corner or under a furniture), and test your carpet cleaning chemical in a tiny area first.
Step 4: Apply the solution on the blood stain, tap it gently, and let it sit for a while
If your solution has passed the patch test, it is now time to apply it directly to the blood stain. Whichever solution you decide to use, use it sparingly. You want to use just as little as will get the job done to avoid further complications or damages.
When you applied the solution to the stain, tap it gently, so that the liquid gets into and among the fibers. Avoid scrubbing or scratching the carpet, as this can damage the piles.
Then apply some patience: for most chemicals it will require some time to do their thing. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-15 minutes will do in most cases.
Step 5: Blot the chemical and the stain with a kitchen paper towel
This step speaks for itself: you want to remove the dissolved blood as well as the chemical you used to clean it in one go.
Chances are you won’t be able to completely dry the carpet at this point, but that’s okay. You just need to repeat this steps as long as the visible stain disappears.
Step 6: Vacuum the location of the stain
At this step you either want to use a wet-dry vacuum to get rid of the remainder of the carpet cleaner, or wait for the carpet to air-dry, and then use a regular vacuum, to get rid of everything that might have been left behind.
The blood particles should, at this point, be completely separated from the fibers and piles of the carpet, so these will safely be removed by the vacuum cleaner.
That’s it! You’re done getting blood out of your carpet!