Is there a foolproof method for blood stains?

[twowhat?]

I have Fels Naptha, Dr Bronner's, Oxyclean, regular Tide.

None of the above works consistently well for blood. DD2 gets bloody noses somewhat often. I always wash the sheets the morning after it happens so the blood never sits for more than a handful of hours. I rinse the spots in cold water to get out as much as I can (because it can be a lot), apply one of the above, let it sit while wet (sometimes for a few hours!) and then launder.

But I still end up with those faint rusty or diluted yellow spots from the blood. Sometimes we're talking crime scene amounts of blood - they soak through 3 layers of sheets!

I'm thinking maybe I should just bite the bullet on something traditional, like Shout.

What actually works, all the time? We use regular 100% cotton sheets (PBKids) with an IKEA sheet underneath (also cotton) and then an IKEA waterproof pad underneath - thank goodness for this. I also typically have a fleece blanket (polyester) underneath the PBK sheet on top to try to catch most of the mess, and have found it's so much easier getting blood stains out of polyester. But last night DD2's nose missed the polyester fleece layer:(

[kristenk]

I don't know if this would work (b/c we've avoided bloody noses so far, thankfully), but here's what I would do:

apply hydrogen peroxide to the blood spots
wash in tide with an extra scoop of oxiclean thrown in
add an extra rinse to the cycle

I use cloth pads and was amazed how well Oxiclean gets out stains when just added to the wash.

[twowhat?]

I don't know if this would work (b/c we've avoided bloody noses so far, thankfully), but here's what I would do:

apply hydrogen peroxide to the blood spots
wash in tide with an extra scoop of oxiclean thrown in
add an extra rinse to the cycle

I use cloth pads and was amazed how well Oxiclean gets out stains when just added to the wash.

Oh, and I forgot to say that I have hydrogen peroxide too but stopped using it - it burns holes through cotton and I've ruined a couple of things already. I think it's because there's so much blood that the H2O2 reacts pretty violently and heats up and everything!

[hellokitty]

Hydrogen peroxide works if it's a fresh blood stain. Otherwise, use zout on the spot and wash in a cold cycle works or hand wash in cold. Do not stick it in the dryer or wash on hot or it will set the stain if it did not come out all of the way from treatment.

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[cvanbrunt]

I keep Dreft pre-treatment spray around for blood.

[hellokitty]

Also, pet soiling enzyme cleaner helps too.

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[baymom]

What a timely post (for me :))! DS had a major bloody nose Thursday night, but yesterday was crazy busy and I'm figuring out how to go about cleaning it today. My google search suggested for 'old' blood stains, soak in cold water, then add a cup of salt and wait a few hours. I'm soaking just the portion with the stain in a shallow square bucket, so when I pour in the salt, it'll be fairly concentrated. Then, rub off as much blood as possible under cold water and launder. They also suggested applying a paste of meat tenderizer (and a bit of water) to the stain. But, we don't have that, so I'm trying the salt method. I've handled a lot of blood stains, but one this old is new for me! I'll be following this thread for other ideas!

[TxCat]

I immediately soak in cold water for at least an hour, sometimes longer (like overnight). Then spray and handwash/scrub the stain with Oxyclean stain spray and a little Tide detergent - if there is still a stain, I re soak in cold water for another few hours, then spray and scrub with oxy again, then into the wash on cold, then inspect before drying. Always have gotten blood stains out this way. I think the extended cold water soaks are really helpful.

[basil]

Copious amounts of oxyclean usually works for me when DS or DH get bloody noses (I've never had a bloody nose in my life!)

I put cold water with oxyclean in laundry sink and swish it around to get it to dissolve, then add the items and soak for a while. Then wash in cold, with more oxyclean and kirkland detergent (similar to tide), on a really long cycle on my front loader machine. Sometimes have to do a second run if it's gotten fairly dried. And sometimes I do the first soak in the machine which agitates it a little bit too. 100% cotton sheets.

[MamaMolly]

Folex carpet cleaner. You can find it at BBB. It is lousy on carpet stains and amazing on blood. I learned about it from a mom with 4 rowdy boys. Lula also gets frequent nosebleeds. I find it works best if you use it first, before even before rinsing the spot with water. Oh, and it is only ok on old washed stains, but awesome on fresh. You can actually watch the spots disappear!

[wendmatt]

I read somewhere that shampoo works, so I usually run under cold water to get most out then rub with shampoo till it's all out then wash. It usually gets it all out (I get nosebleeds often) but if there's a ton of blood that might take a long time to rub.

[123LuckyMom]

DH used to be an EMT in NY and had to deal with A LOT of blood! He swears by hydrogen peroxide. I, too, have had problems with it burning holes through my clothes, though, so I would stick with oxyclean. Oxyclean basically is hydrogen peroxide made safe for fabrics.

[ray7694]

Shout stick works best for me

[kit]

I use this, and work it in with a toothbrush. Agree that cold water is key (hot water "cooks" in the blood).

http://www.amazon.com/BLEACH-STICK-Bleaching-Stain-Remover/dp/B0002JJMTY

I've dealt with alot of bloodstains, some that are dried and old, and have never had a problem getting the stain completely out. Downside is it's labor intensive to use. Love hearing all the alternatives!

[Staraglimmer]

I always use peroxide.


-Stephanie-
mommy to DD1 4/08 &DD2 6/12