How to Get Blood Out of Carpet & Rugs

1 Method One: Cold Water

What You Will Need:

• Spray bottle
• Cold water
• Clean towel or wet vacuum
• Small fan (optional)

If the blood stain happens to be fresh, your best bet is to remove the stain with cold water. Blood is a protein stain, meaning that if you were to use hot water in the stain removal process, the hot water would cause the stain to set – making the removal process harder to remove. 

So while the hot water causes the stain to set, cold water stops it from doing this. 

The first step for this method is to fill a spray bottle with cold water. You will want to generously spray the affected area with the cold water. 

While doing this, keep in mind that over-soaking the area could cause the carpet backing to separate, so make sure to use an appropriate amount of water for the size of the affected area. 

The next step to this is to grab a towel, or a wet vacuum. You will want to wipe away at the area until it has dried. 

To help the area dry faster, point a small fan at the affected area for several minutes to help speed up the drying process, and to remove any extra moisture the carpet contains. 

Once the area has dried, vacuum the area to remove any excess dirt that might have been brought up during the wiping process, or any leftover blood residue. 

Proceed to repeat these steps as needed to thoroughly remove the stain.

2 Method Two: Cold Water and Dish Soap

What You Will Need:

• Liquorice dish soap
• Cold water
• Mixing bowl
• White cloths/rags
• Old toothbrush

For this method, if you have discovered the stain a moment too late and it is dry to the touch, your best bet may be to use a simple mix of cold water and dishwashing detergent. 

Dried blood might be a challenge, but it isn’t impossible to remove. 

To begin; combine a mixture of liquid dish soap and cold water into a bowl. You will need a clean white cloth or rag for the next step and an old toothbrush. 

Next, soak the rag in the detergent-water mixture and apply the rag to the affected area. Make sure the rag is soaked enough to generously apply the cleaning solution to the area, but not soaked enough so that it seeps through the carpet fibres and causes damage to the carpet backing.

Grab your old toothbrush and begin scrubbing the affected area with it. 

While doing this make sure to use a gentle hand so that you don’t cause damage to any carpet fibres, or rip them out in the process. 

Use another wet white cloth, one that hasn’t been dumped in the cleaning solution to rinse the area. When doing this, blot away at the area instead of rubbing so the detergent-water mixture doesn’t seep further into the carpet or spread to other areas.

Repeat these steps until the blood stain is completely removed.

3 Method Three: Water & Ammonia

What You Will Need:

• Water
• Ammonia
• Spray bottle
• Microfibre cloth

If the above methods failed to be effective in blood stain removal, water and ammonia might be the next best method to remove the blood out of carpet. 

Use this method with caution, you should never mix ammonia with chlorine bleach.

When mixed together, they will cause hazardous fumes that can be dangerous to your family and pets. Also, do not use this method if you have wool carpet. 

Ammonia and other high alkaline solutions will cause permanent damage to wool carpet and rugs. 

Not sure if your carpet is synthetic or made out of wool? Snip a few of the carpet fibres off of an inconspicuous area of the floor, you don’t need a lot, just a few fibres. Take them outdoors and clamp them with a pair of tweezers. 

Light the fibres with a lighter. If they melt and smell like burning plastic, you have a synthetic rug. If they crumble and smell like burning hair, you have a wool rug. 

If your carpet is synthetic, you are safe to proceed. For the first step, you will want to mix two tablespoons of ammonia with a glass of warm water into a spray bottle. You will then want to spray the mixture onto the blood stained area. 

Allow the water-ammonia concoction to sit on the area for no more than five minutes. After the area has sat in the solution, take a cloth and blot at the blood stain until it is completely removed. You will want to blot and not rub at it because the water-ammonia solution can seep through the carpet and mess up the backing.

Repeat these steps until the blood stain is completely removed if needed.

4 Method Four: Baking Soda

What You Will Need:

• Water
• Baking soda
• Mixing bowl
• Spray bottle
• Rag or old cloth

Baking soda can act as a separator of the proteins in the blood stain. It can also act as a disinfectant which is an important factor in dealing with bloodborne pathogens.

To begin you will need to mix water and baking soda together until it forms a paste. 

Take a cloth or rag and apply the paste solution onto the affected area and let the area sit with the solution for at least an hour, but preferably overnight. 

Next, after the solution has sat for a while, take a wet cotton rag and blot the stain. Blotting the area instead of rubbing is important seeing that with a rubbing or scrubbing motion can cause the stain to press further into the carpet.

After you are done blotting at the stain, take a spray bottle filled with water and spray at the area, and blot at it again. This will remove any excess baking soda leftover on the carpet. 

Once you are done, allow the area to dry and then vacuum over it to pick up any remaining debris.

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5 Method Five: Hydrogen Peroxide

What You Will Need:

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Eyedropper
• Paper towels
• Microfibre cloth
• Heavy object (like a large book or slab)

The last method for blood stain removal is using hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and an antiseptic. 

Because it is also a bleaching agent, it is recommended that you patch test an inconspicuous area of carpet before proceeding to prevent any carpet discolouration. 

If the area of carpet becomes discoloured, clean it with one part vinegar and one part water.

You will also want to make sure that the hydrogen peroxide you’re using hasn’t expired, to test this out you will want to pour some down your sink drain. If it fizzes it is still in good use, if it doesn’t it’s time to replace that bottle. 

To proceed with this method use an eyedropper to directly apply the hydrogen peroxide to the blood stain. 

You will notice that it will begin to start fizzing and bubbling. Place one or two paper towels onto the blood stain and then grab a heavy object. 

Place the heavy object on top of the paper towels and let it sit for at least five minutes. Once the area has sat, remove the object and the paper towels and blot at the stain with another cloth until the stain has been removed. Repeat this process if needed.

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