How to remove blood stains from mattress

Little children’s accidents, nose bleeds or having a wounded or injured family member at your place can result into blood stains on your mattress. Although blood stains are quite difficult to get rid of in and of themselves, yet in this particular case their removal becomes all the more difficult. This is because you cannot just give a good scrub to your mattress or soak it in water, hoping that the stain would go away.

Accidents do happen; they are a fact towards which we cannot turn a blind eye. Although everyone sincerely hopes and prays that they do not have to come across any such situation which involves blood, yet if it does happen, then you ought to have some handy tips at your disposal, which will prevent you from making a trip to the dumpster.

Following are some effective and inexpensive tips to treat any blood stains which your mattress might have incurred. These tips will ensure you that you end up with an entirely clean mattress free of blood stains.

                    Method One (Using Cold Saltwater method)

            Salt is an effective absorbent and stain remover when it comes to blood. When combined with cold water, its stain removal powers are enhanced. Moreover this stain removal method works tremendously well for fresh blood stains.

 Things that you will require:

·  2 tea spoons of salt

· 1 cup of cold water

· Spray bottle

· Clean white cloth

· Towel

Steps that you need to take:

1.    Primarily, wipe off excessive blood from the stain, using a sponge or cloth.

2.    Next, you have to make a saltwater solution. For this, take 2 tea spoons of salt with 1 cup of cold water.

3.    Pour this saltwater solution into a spray bottle and spray it on the stained area.

4.    Even if you don’t have a spray bottle, you can use a clean, white cloth as an alternative. Soak the cloth with the saltwater solution and use it to blot the stained area.

5.    Work from the edges of the stain towards its center while blotting, so that the stain stays confined within that particular area and doesn’t spread any further.

6.    Keep on spraying and blotting the stain, until it disappears.

7.    Afterwards, take a dry cloth and blot the blood stain with it. This cloth would absorb the moisture. Pat the stain to dry or make use of a fan to air dry it.

Method Two (Using Hydrogen per oxide and Corn Starch)

Per oxide is a renowned stain removing agent and works pretty effectively, while corn starch is a good absorbent. Together, both of these cleaning agents absorb all the moisture from the blood stain, while simultaneously removing it from scratch. Follow this tip and end up with a mattress as good as new.

Things that you will require:

· Corn starch

· Salt

· Cold water

· Hydrogen per oxide

· Vacuum

· Spoon/spatula

· Clean soft cloth

Steps that you need to take:

1.   First of all you will need to make a cleaning solution. Since you wouldn’t want liquids to seep into your mattress and provide an inviting substrate for any molds or mildew growth, therefore we shall mix  ½ cup of corn starch, 1 table spoon of salt and ¼ cup of hydrogen per oxide together in the consistency of a paste.

2.   In this paste, hydrogen per oxide and salt are the active ingredients which play a pivotal role in getting out the protein blood stains.

3.   Even, if hydrogen per oxide is not available, you can make use of water; but in this case, you ought to give a lot of time to the salt so that it can work effectively on the stain.

4.   Make use of a spoon or spatula to apply this cleaning paste onto the blood stain.

5.   Let this paste set in the stain for some time, until it dries off completely.

6.   Once it dries off, scrape away this paste and lastly vacuum off the entire stained area. You can use a hand vacuum attachment for this purpose.

7.   Steps 3 to 5 can be repeated again to ensure that the blood stain is removed from scratch.

Method Three (Using Hydrogen per oxide and ammonia)

If the stain still refuses to come off, despite the methods given above, then you ought to go for something that is stronger and more direct. Owing to this reason, this method deploys both hydrogen per oxide and ammonia. Moreover, this method is pretty effective for dried blood stains.

Things that you will require:

· Hydrogen per oxide

· Ammonia

· Cold water

· Salt

· Spoon

· Cotton balls

· Cloth/sponge

· Clean/dry vacuum or steam cleaner

Steps that you need to take:

1.   If the  blood stains are dried, so primarily you ought to moisten this stain with cold water.

2.    Salt is an effective absorbent, therefore cover this stain with a layer of salt. Let this salt set in the stain for almost two hours so that it can satisfactorily carry out its cleaning action.

3.   Later, scrape off this layer of salt and begin treating this stain with hydrogen per oxide.

4.   Use cotton balls to apply this per oxide on the blood stain and wait until it starts bubbling.

5.   Once it stops bubbling, clean the stained area with a cloth.

6.   If the stain still hasn’t got out, then make a cleaning solution by mixing 1 table spoon of ammonia with 1 cup of water.

7.   This solution ought to be applied in the same manner as the one elaborated above.

8.   Once the stain has disappeared, remove any traces of hydrogen per oxide and ammonia solution using a wet/dry vacuum cleaner or steam cleaner. This last step is mandatory otherwise remnants of the cleaning agents might damage mattress fibers.

 Tips and Warning

· Always use cold water to get rid of blood stains, warm water can set the protein stain further.

· For old stains, a mixture of baking soda and unseasoned meat tenderizer can also be used. Make a paste of these ingredients with water and leave it on the stain for some time, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Afterwards, remove the paste and rinse the stain with cold water.

· Another tip that you can resort to when times call for desperate measures is to try spitting on the stain, particularly if the blood stain is your own. Special chemicals present in saliva work on the stain, helping it to come off.