How to Get Blood Out of a Mattress (Cold Water Only)

To get blood out of a mattress, use cold water only, blot instead of rubbing, work from the outside of the stain inward, and treat it with dish soap, hydrogen peroxide or an enzyme cleaner, using as little moisture as you can so the mattress dries fast. The one rule that matters most is never to use warm or hot water, because blood is a protein and heat sets it into the fibers for good.

Fresh blood usually comes out completely if you catch it and keep everything cold. This guide covers the method for a fresh stain, how to handle dried and old blood, period stains, and the part people forget on a mattress: drying it out so you do not trade a blood stain for mildew.

How to get fresh blood out of a mattress

Move fast and keep it cold. For a fresh blood stain, work through these steps:

• Blot up the excess. Press a cold, damp cloth straight down onto the stain to lift what you can, without rubbing, which only spreads it and pushes it deeper.
• Cold water and dish soap. Work a little mild dish soap into cold water and blot the stain from the outside in, lifting rather than scrubbing.
• Peroxide or enzyme for what remains. Dab 3 percent hydrogen peroxide directly on the blood. It foams as it breaks the stain down, which is what makes it so effective, but test a hidden spot first, because it can lighten some fabrics. An enzyme cleaner, which digests the protein, is a gentler alternative.
• Rinse and dry. Blot with a cold, damp cloth to lift the cleaner, then press the area dry with a towel.

The University of Georgia Extension gives the same core rule for blood: treat it with cold water and blot, never hot.

Dried and old blood stains

Dried blood is stubborn but often still beatable. Loosen it first by laying a cold, damp cloth over the stain for a few minutes, or by working in a paste of cold water with a little baking soda or salt and letting it sit. Gently scrape off any crust, then treat the softened stain with hydrogen peroxide or an enzyme cleaner, blot, and repeat as needed. Be honest about the odds, though: old blood that has had time to bond, and especially anything that was once washed or dried with heat, can leave a faint shadow that will not come all the way out.

Period blood on a mattress

Period blood is treated exactly like any other blood stain, because that is what it is: cold water only, blot from the outside in, and dish soap followed by hydrogen peroxide or an enzyme cleaner. The one difference is that it is often a larger stain discovered in the morning, after it has had hours to soak in, so treat it as soon as you can and pay extra attention to drying the mattress fully afterward, given how much more moisture a bigger stain involves.

Do not soak the mattress

Here is the step people skip on a mattress. You cannot soak or rinse a mattress the way you would laundry, so the whole job has to be done with as little moisture as possible: blot, do not saturate, and pull the liquid back out with a dry towel as you go. Then dry it thoroughly with a fan, open airflow and sunlight if you can, before any bedding goes back on. A damp mattress is exactly what mildew needs, and the Environmental Protection Agency notes that mold takes hold in wet material within 24 to 48 hours, which happens fast in Florida humidity. The best prevention for next time is a washable, waterproof mattress protector, which keeps a spill or a stain from ever reaching the mattress.

When to call a professional

Fresh blood is a very winnable job at home. It is worth calling a professional when a large or old stain will not lift after a couple of careful tries, when you would rather not risk hydrogen peroxide on the mattress fabric, or when a stain has soaked deep and you are worried about drying it out. A professional can treat the stain, extract the moisture, and dry and sanitize the mattress properly, which matters for something you sleep on every night.

At Pink Upholstery Cleaning we clean and sanitize mattresses across Orlando, treating stains and drying the mattress so it is fresh to sleep on again. Our mattress cleaning service handles it, and every quote is free.