Imagine getting a good night’s rest in your comfy bed, then shockingly waking up to a blood stain. Hey, we get it, between menstrual cycles or open wounds, things happen. If you have white or light-colored sheets, getting stains on them can be a disaster. Whether you have accidents from pets, kids or just by being your clumsy self, if your furniture or bedding is prone to staining, it’s important to keep a few staple items in your cleaning closet.

While it might be easier for coffee stains or food stains to come up, blood stains can be a different story. There are several steps to remove a blood stain from sheets, especially white sheets. If you’ve found yourself with a bright red stain on your sheets or comforter, head to your medicine cabinet or closet and grab your supplies. Here’s how to get blood stains out of sheets.

How To Get Blood Out Of Sheets

What You’ll Need:

Cold Water
Hydrogen Peroxide
Cloth
Bar Soap
Laundry Stain Remover
Fabric-safe Bleach

If you happen to notice a fresh blood stain on your sheets, here’s how to get it out. First, you’ll want to soak the stain in cold water. This ensures that at least part of the stain can come out. Soak for about 20 minutes and rinse under cold water. Next, you’ll want to at least try to spot-clean the stain using hydrogen peroxide and a cloth. Make sure you dab instead of rubbing to make sure the stain doesn’t spread. Apply a laundry stain remover before washing with fabric-safe bleach in warm water. Make sure the sheets are the only item in the washing machine to prevent other clothing from bleaching. Once the stain is fully gone, you can dry your sheets in the dryer.

Washing Dried Blood out of Sheets

Getting a dried blood stain out of sheets is a bit trickier. Start by soaking the stain in cold water and laundry stain remover. Try to let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Once you’ve soaked the stain, rinse it with cold water until the stain is gone. If it’s still there, spray it with laundry stain remover and wash it with cold water. Rubbing the stain with a bar of white soap can also help remove the dried blood stain.

Getting Stains Out Certain Types of Sheets

For cotton sheets, a mixture of baking soda and water will do the job. The mixture will create a paste which can be applied to the sheets. Let it sit for a few minutes, rub it off and wash it. For linen sheets or bamboo sheets, vinegar works great for breaking down those stains. For microfiber sheets, try to use detergent or fabric-safe bleach.

If you’re out of some of the basic household items like bleach or vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, there are a few alternatives that you can use. Lemon juice can be used in replacement of hydrogen peroxide, while cornstarch can replace baking soda. Ingredients like salt can be used to get rid of blood stains by soaking the stain in salt water.