Having a carpet is one of the greatest things ever! But having a dirty carpet is a nightmare.
And of all the possible stains, blood is usually one of the worst. For two reasons. First, because it means that someone just got a cut and she/he cut be hurt (person or pet). And second, because the stain is quite difficult to clean.
But don’t worry too much! You can clean a blood stain with detergent and hydrogen peroxide 3%. We’ll learn how to apply the mix to the stain and how to remove it completely in 4 simple steps.
The method we’re going to learn is the absolute best to clean blood stains. I know there are other websites out there recommending other methods, but I know for a fact that this is by far the most effective.
Why?
Because I’ve tested all of them. As part of a huge project this year we tried cleaning 28 types of stains (from ketchup, wine, vomit, tea, lipstick, gum, crayons, etc.) and try to find out the best possible way of cleaning those stains using DIY solutions. You can check out the guide where we explain how to clean those 28 types of stains here:
We tested 8 different methods on blood stains, and the following method proved to be the absolute best. Just so you know!
Blood dries fast!
Before we begin with the step by step solution, let me start by saying one thing… blood dries quickly. Very quickly!
Because it’s blood we’re talking about I can’t tell you to clean it ASAP. You might have something more important to take care of. Safety first!
But if everything is under control, please try to clean the stain as soon as possible. It will dramatically increase your chances of cleaning it completely and will take half the time.
Step by Step
Step 1: Search for the blood source
This step might sound obvious, but you first need to know where the blood is coming from. This might be obvious if the blood is yours. But it might not be as obvious in many other situations.
You need to find the blood source first for two reasons.
1. First, because you have to find out if someone is hurt. Take a good look at your children first (if you have them). If they’re ok, check your pet! Dog paws can bleed sometimes.
2. Because if the blood source isn’t known, it might be getting other areas of your carpet stained as you clean the little stain you found. So try to find it asap!
Step 2: Blot the stain right away
The first thing you want to do is to blot the stain. That means… no rubing, no scrubing, simply blot the stain.
We don’t want to rub or scrub the stain because we would risk spreading the stain.
Keep blotting the stain until you remove as much of the blood as possible. Please use a new cloth (or white paper towel) every time you blot. It’s the only way you’re going to make sure that you’re not cleaning the blood with an already stained towel!
USEFUL TIP
WHAT IF THE BLOOD STAIN IS OLD
If the stain is old (because you weren’t there when it happened or whatever reason), you might want to use a spray bottle with water to moist the stain a little bit. Then blot the stain as we just described. But please! Please! Don’t pour water on the stain. It will probably spread and that’s something we don’t want to deal with.
Step 3: Mix and apply the blood cleaner with a toothbrush
It is now time to apply the homemade carpet cleaner that will remove the stain. But we first need to make the solution!
So let’s do it! It’s super simple, you’ll see.
You have to mix 2 parts of hydrogen peroxide 3% and 1 part dish soap (or hand soap for that matter).
Be careful with the hydrogen peroxide because it’s a chemical and you don’t want it to be laying around where anyone can take it (especially if you live with pets or children).
If you don’t know where you can buy hydrogen peroxide, we’ll link to the one we bought at Amazon:
[amazon link=”B07NFTM4ZY” title=”Solimo Hydrogen Peroxide”/]
[amazon box=”B07NFTM4ZY”]
Once the mix is ready, you have to apply it with a toothbrush and let it sit for a couple of minutes. The hydrogen peroxide and the soap will interact with the blood and loosen the chemical bonds that attach it to the carpet.
Step 4: Blot the stain
Now that the solution has been sitting for a couple of minutes, use a clean cloth to blot the stain and remove it. This might take a while, but don’t worry! It’s totally worth it.
If the whole stain is not coming out, try repeating step number 3 and blotting the stain again. I will eventually come all out!
Step 5: Remove the mixture
The stain is gone! But you still have one thing left to do!
You have to clean the mixture from the carpet. Why? Because of what’s called “the soap stain”. It might look like it’s clean, but you just used a couple of products on the carpet that could leave a stain.
Simply spray a little bit of water where the stain was and blot until you remove all the solution. It really is that simple. But you don’t want to skip this step!
What about Halloween blood?
Most of the time halloween blood is manufactured to be easily cleaned. So this shouldn’t be an over complicated task. Read the blood package (if you still have it) and check the cleaning instructions.
If the package had no instructions or you simply never had the package on the first place, try the detergent method!
Just mix 1 part detergent with 1 part water. You can use dish soap or hand soap indistinctly. But make sure that whatever product you’re using doesn’t contain bleach or lanolin. Those could ruin your carpet.
Then apply the detergent solution with a spray bottle and blot it out with a clean towel. Again… don’t rub nor scrub the stain or you’ll be spreading it!
Conclusion
And that’s it! That wasn’t that bad, was it?
I just hope everyone is ok and you managed to clean the stain fast!
Remember! You can clean a blood stain from your carpet using a solution of 2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part dish soap. And blot! It will work like a charm.