Yes, It’s Possible To Clean Period Blood Off Your Sheets Without Professional Help
Maybe you were fast asleep, minding your own business, when a midnight menstrual sneak attack hit your uterus...and your mattress. Or maybe you didn't check your cal before that last romp in the hay, and your bed ended up looking like a scene straight out of a horror flick. Either way, you've got period blood all over your sheets, and it's not a cute look. (You're all for free bleeding in the right context, but this ain't it.) Besides stocking up on chocolate to deal with just, ya know, life, how the heck are you supposed to get rid of the stain to end all stains?
Before you call your mom in a full-on panic (you're not 13 anymore—you got this!), here's how to get period blood out of your sheets ASAP:
1. Check your sheets the second you realize you've sprung a leak.
Hopefully you didn't press the snooze button this morning because, when it comes to blood stains, you gotta act fast, says Melissa Maker, cleaning expert at Clean My Space, a housekeeping service in Canada. "The faster you catch the stain, the higher the chances you can remove it," she explains. So, if your morning trip to the bathroom is, let's just say, redder than expected, you should run, not walk, back to your bed and inspect the sheets sitch.
2. Grab a towel and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.
Remember that first aid kit you've got tucked in the back of your medicine closet or cabinet? You've never been so happy to see it. According to Maker, hydrogen peroxide is "the most basic, easy thing" you can use to get period blood stains out of your sheets. She recommends taking your sheet off the bed, natch, and then putting an old towel underneath it.
"You want something underneath to absorb excess [blood], so it doesn’t spread," Maker explains. (Because blood stains on your carpet or hardwood floor isn't a good look either.)
Not big into DIY? Maker also recommends a specialty blood stain remover that's just as effective. With that, you basically follow the same method: Pour the solution on top of the period blood, let it sit for a min or two, and then throw it in the wash. (Added bonus: It works on dairy stains—for all those "ugh" moments when you just can't catch an ice cream drip in time.)
3. Once the towel is in place, gently dab on the hydrogen peroxide.
This is when your cleaning method starts to resemble a high school science experiment. The hydrogen peroxide should start making the blood stain bubble immediately, says Maker. That bubbling means it's working, lifting the period blood out of your sheet's fabric and into the towel beneath it.
Got some excess hydrogen peroxide after a few mins of bubbling? No sweat (or blood...or tears, for that matter), just blot it off, suggests Maker.
4. Throw your sheets into a cold water wash.
Ice cold isn't just, in the words of OutKast, cooler than being cool, it's also the temperature you absolutely must wash your sheets at. Why? Because "blood is considered a protein stain," explains Maker. "So, you don’t want to treat it with heat because heat can set a protein stain."
You'll also want to wash those sheets by themselves. Not because any leftover blood might get onto your other clothes—it won't—but because, to get your sheets as clean as possible, you don’t want to overstuff the washing machine, says Maker.
"You don’t really want to mix fabric weight," she advises. "Sheets and clothing rubbing together can actually wear it down and make it pill." (ICYDK, "pilling" is when those itsy-bitsy balls of fabric appear on your clothes after they've been through the laundry.)
5. Check the period blood stain area before putting your sheets in the dryer.
One more time for the people in the back: heat 👏 sets 👏 blood 👏 stains👏. So, peep the stain area before throwing your sheets into the dryer, suggests Maker. If the fabric doesn't look good as new (well, depending on how long you've had this bedding), try the hydrogen peroxide treatment again. "Don’t be afraid to do it a few times in a row if you need to," she says.
That's all great, but I just realized my sheets are stained—hours later. How do you get dried blood out of fabric?
Practice makes perfect—yes, in the realm of stain removal. If you're dealing with dried blood, Maker first suggests repeating the above treatment a few times. Not working? "At that point, I’d say throw anything at it," she advises. In her personal experience, when getting rid of dried blood stains, hydrogen peroxide usually does the trick though.
If after a few attempts, you're still riding the blood-stained struggle bus (not a pretty picture, I know), try the stain treatment. Give that a whirl a few times as well. And, if that doesn't work, keep trying different treatments—just don't put dish soap or laundry detergent directly on the stain or run it under hot water. That'll do way more harm than good.
If all else fails, you can always tie-dye your sheets to hide the stain (only half-kidding here) or buy a new set. After all, you were probably looking for an excuse to go on a Bed Bath & Beyond shopping spree, right?
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