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Blood spatter

How to Remove Blood Stains from carpet, upholstery, bedding and clothing

Blood stains are a problem on all types of soft surfaces including carpeting, upholstery, mattresses, bedding, and clothing.  These stubborn stains can be effectively removed with a little know how and the right product.

Why is Blood Red?

Blood is red in color because it contains an iron rich protein called “hemoglobin” which is responsible for

transporting oxygen throughout the body.  The iron component called “heme” gives blood its red color.

How come BLOOD stains are harder to remove overtime?

Like many stains, the longer it sits the harder it is to remove.  Blood stains are the same, so when possible be pro-active and remove stains quickly.  Blood stains darken overtime, so the stain is actually reacting to form modified compounds that are more difficult to remove.

An interesting tidbit: Solving Crimes by Analyzing Blood Stains

You may have noticed that dried blood stains get darker with time.  That’s because hemoglobin undergoes chemical changes as it ages.  Forensic scientists can use this knowledge to determine the age of a blood stain and help pinpoint the time at which a violent crime may have been committed.  These chemical changes also are why dried blood stains are more difficult to remove from surfaces as they age.

 

Removing BLOOD Stains from Surfaces using Multi-Clean PP-Gone Peroxide Powered Cleaner

An effective and safe way to remove blood stains is by using a specially formulated cleaning product

photo of 1 quart Multi-Clean PP-Gone Cleaner

PP-Gone Urine Stain & Odor Remover

containing hydrogen peroxide and stain dispersing detergents.  One such product is Multi-Clean PP-Gone.  As its name implies, it is a urine stain and odor remover, BUT it is also highly effective at removing biological stains, particularly blood stains.

Warning:  Protect Yourself First

Like other bodily fluids, blood spills should be considered to contain pathogens and therefore you must protect your self with the correct PPE.  The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens act was implemented to protect workers that may come in contact with blood or other bodily fluids.  So, before getting started, be sure you have proper PPE and disposal materials which should include:

  1. Impervious Gloves
  2. Eye protection, preferable splash googles.
  3. Waste Bag, if in healthcare, this would be a specifically marked red bag.  For institutions like schools, a doubled up plastic bag and tie off for the bag is usually sufficient.

CarpetSpraying PP-Gone on a carpet

  1. For fresh stains, wet the stain by spraying cool water on the stain area first.
  2. Apply PP-Gone to thoroughly wet the stain area.
  3. Lightly agitate with a spotting brush (or tooth brush) to allow PP-Gone to penetrate the carpet fibers and loosen the stain.
  4. WAIT 2-5 minutes.
  5. Rinse thoroughly with an extractor.  If not available, spray the surface with water and use a white cloth to blot out stain.  Alternatively, after spraying with water, use a wet dry vacuum to remove the stain and as much of the water as possible followed by blotting with a white cloth.

Upholstery

  1. For fresh stains, wet the stain by spraying cool water on the stain area first.using an extractor tool to remove stain from carpet
  2. Apply PP-Gone to thoroughly wet the stain area.
  3. Lightly agitate with a spotting brush (or tooth brush) to allow PP-Gone to penetrate the fabric fibers and loosen the stain.
  4. WAIT 5-30 minutes.
  5. Rinse thoroughly with an extractor upholstery tool.  If not available, spray the surface with water and use a white cloth to blot out stain.  Alternatively, after spraying with water, use a wet dry vacuum to remove the stain and as much of the water as possible followed by blotting with a white cloth.

Mattresses

  1. Apply PP-Gone to thoroughly the stain area.
  2. WAIT 2-5 minutes.
  3. Lightly agitate with a spotting brush (or tooth brush) to allow PP-Gone to penetrate the mattress surface and loosen the stain.
  4. Rinse thoroughly with an extractor upholstery tool.  If not available, spray the surface with water and use a white cloth to blot out stain.  Alternatively, after spraying with water, use a wet dry vacuum to remove the stain and as much of the water as possible followed by blotting with a white cloth.

Bed Linens

picture of a hospital patient in bed with a dr or nurse standing beside the bed

  1. Apply PP-Gone to thoroughly wet the stain area.
  2. WAIT 2-5 minutes.
  3. Launder the linens as normal.

Clothing

  1. Apply PP-Gone by spraying to thoroughly wet the stain.
  2. WAIT 5-30 minutes depending on the stain severity.
  3. Wash clothing with detergent as normal in a washing machine.

*always test an inconspicuous area for color fastness before continuing.

Tips and Tricks for Success

Allow contact time to allow the product to loosen the stain.  The older the stain, the longer the contact time.

Always plan on rinsing with water, blotting or using a wet/dry vacuum or extractor to remove the stain.

Proper Disposal and Equipment DecontaminationMinuteman X-17 Extractor

All cloths and other disposables should be placed in the appropriate plastic bag, sealed and properly disposed.

For equipment used, it is advisable to decontaminate the equipment by running a disinfectant solution through the equipment.

For more resources or information click on the links below:

How to Remove Urine Stains and Odors using PP-Gone

Literature on Multi-Clean PP-Gone

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