Someday, somehow, blood ends up on the living room carpet. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse than nail polish and milk stains, you are faced with a bigger problem that is quick to set in the fabric.
Blood is a tricky stain, so if you don't have the time to tackle it yourself, it’s best to delegate it to our professional carpet cleaners in London. For those of you willing to put some elbow grease, we provide you with a few expert's tips on how to get the most out of the job. Stick around to find out the best ingredients and methods for blood stain accidents on the carpet.
Note: you should not use enzyme cleaner on silk or wool. Read on for more expert tips and different ways to remove dried blood stains from carpets.
Let’s go over some of the most effective methods to clean blood out of carpet that involve making your own solution. They cover ingredients you can usually find around the house. If you don’t happen to have some of them, don’t worry, they should be available at the local store.
Put one tablespoon of liquid detergent in a spray bottle. Follow that by two cups of cold water. Give it a shake or two. Spray the affected surface. Spread it well with a sponge or a soft brush and then blot up. Repeat the steps a couple of times. Finish off by rinsing - just wet a clean cloth and run it over the affected area.
Mix warm water with 2 teaspoons of household ammonia and carefully stir. Try not to breathe in the smell. Apply the liquid to the stained area gently and let it rest for up to five minutes. Grab a white cloth and blot it. This should do it. You can always repeat those steps. Finally, rinse with and apply cold water. Leave to dry.
Before you apply any kind of product to the carpet, check out the label for instructions on how to clean it. Most fabrics don’t tolerate harsh chemicals.
If you have pets, make it a point to keep them away from the area for a few days until the ammonia odours evaporate.
For fresh stains, start by absorbing the excess blood with a paper towel or a wet cloth and then proceed by saturating the wet blood with an enzyme cleaner. Leave it on for a few hours (maybe even overnight). Go back to the stain periodically to spray it with the product so that it doesn’t dry. The more time the enzymes have to work, the better job they will do.
When the time is up, dip a dry cloth in hot or warm water and move it back and forth against the surface. If there is excess water, wring it out. The white cloth should be wet, not soaking. Repeat this action as many times as needed until you rinse well the fabric.
This product can help to remove dried blood too.
As far as removing stains is concerned, you can never go wrong with hydrogen peroxide. Submerge a cotton swab in the liquid or sprinkle it on the stain. You need just enough to cover the spot and let it foam. You want to leave it for about an hour. Go back to it when the time is up and blot the stain. You can try to rinse it with water. Next up, let it dry and repeat.
This product is also capable of removing dried blood. If it doesn't work as intended, consider getting help from a professional carpet cleaner.
Mix together warm water and enough salt until it turns into a thin paste. Transfer the paste over the blood stain and check it back after 10 minutes. As a last step, blot with paper towels. There is no need to rub.
We cannot recommend any tools that cleaning professionals use because their cleaning arsenal consists of products and machines that are not available to just anyone. Plus, most of the above ingredients are safe and do not leave toxic fumes in the air.
Mix together toothpaste, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. In most cases, using equal parts of the ingredients will achieve the desired consistency but you can always modify the amounts to suit you more. Stir with a spoon. Apply the concoction to the dried blood stain, aiming to spread it evenly. Gently scrub to obtain better results. Leave it on for a while.
Later on, go back to the spot and dip one end of a clean cloth in hydrogen peroxide. Now, move it across the fabric to see if you can pick loose parts up. Next, dip another end of the damp cloth into the cold water and repeat. Some folks like to utilise club soda over tap water. There is no harm in doing so.
Use a wet vac to suction the liquid or leave it to air dry. Check it out after a while to see if the stain came off. Repeat the steps if there is still some staining present.
Yes, it is okay to employ hydrogen peroxide on the carpet. In many cases, you can use it straight from the bottle without dissolving it in cold water first. One tablespoon should be enough to cover a small stain. Dab it on the surface with a white cloth or an old T-shirt.
An important consideration to make is what concentration to go for. Pharmacies and drugstores typically sell 3% hydrogen peroxide, which is the safest option. Concentrations of 6% and above are likely to bleach out the fabric and should not be employed for anything around the house.
The other thing is to spot test the cleaning solution on a section that is out of sight. It could be a portion of the carpet hidden by furniture or one of the four corners. This should give you the answer to whether or not it is safe to apply hydrogen peroxide to a more visible area for your stain situation.
With respect to fresh stains, it's okay to put white vinegar straight on the area or fill a spray bottle with one cup of water and one cup of vinegar. The ingredients will combine better if you give the bottle a quick shake. Now, spray the liquid on the surface. Let it do its thing for the next 10 minutes.
Don't be afraid to use a full-strength product and remember to test it on a tiny area first. Then, blot with a dry towel or a dry cloth. Rinse and dry with paper towels.
The way that vinegar works lies in its high acidity. Some types of acids can remove stains from different surfaces by introducing a chemical charge to the spot molecules. When the two substances come in contact, the newly formed molecule gets pulled to water, and this is how you can now remove the stain by rinsing the fabric.
Baking soda and water make into a potent stain removal paste. The duo can dissolve dirt quite effectively. The longer you leave the mixture directly on the carpet, the better it can work. Just let it rest, then scrub gently until the stain disappears.
It's not impossible to get blood out of carpet all by yourself. All it takes is a few tools and ingredients already sitting in your kitchen pantry. You can also experiment with different methods and approaches until you find the one that yields satisfactory results.
If that doesn’t work, you shouldn’t rush to throw away the stained carpet. There may be a way to save it. Just book our carpet cleaning services in London and we will come to your rescue, equipped with machines and stain removal products that aren’t available to the wide public. Not only that, but we will use science to our advantage to rid your fluffy items of spots and grime. No hassle on your part.
