Removing Blood From a Mattress

There’s a number of reasons there may be blood on a mattress. If this is just a surface-level issue, we have a few solutions to cleaning your mattress so that you feel alright sleeping on it again. If blood does go past just being on your mattress; however, it can be beneficial to call a professional blood removal company like Aftermath Services to assess the situation and provide a recommendation specific to your scenario. Oftentimes, home insurance will cover this work as well. 

If this is a task you’ll be competing yourself, there are a few different methods you can take to cleaning the blood from your mattress. Many of these supplies are day-to-day items that you may be able to find in your current household, or at the very least, your nearest grocery/convenience store. 

Cleaning Supplies to Remove Blood

The following is the complete list of supplies, based on the multiple different methods we’ll provide you. Whatever you do, just confirm you have the supplies for the specific method you’ll be using before you get started with your blood cleanup.

  • Cold Water
  • Baking Soda
  • Salt
  • Corn Starch
  • Peroxide
  • Meat Tenderizer
  • Paper Towels or an Old Towel
  • Gloves

How To Get Blood Out of Your Mattress

First off, make sure in any instance you’re using cold water. Hot water can potentially ‘cook’ the blood and make it harder to remove. We also recommend that you spot-test this on your mattress before spreading to a larger area. Some mattresses are made out of unique material that could have a reaction.

Cold water. If the blood hasn’t been on the mattress for too long, cold water may be all you need to clean the mattress. Dab (don’t scrub) a white rag on your mattress. Be careful not to use a colored rag as color may stain, and don’t leave water on for too long as it can sink in your mattress.

Baking soda. If regular cold water isn’t removing the blood from your mattress, consider mixing baking soda and cold water together. Once you have this mixed, dab — again, don’t rub — onto your mattress and let sit for 15 – 30 minutes. Once the time is up, dab with a towel or paper towel to dry.

Salt, cornstarch, and hydrogen peroxide. Bloodstains are considered protein stains, which is something cornstarch, salt & hydrogen peroxide are good at cleaning. Mixing these together will create a stain removing paste — if you use hydrogen peroxide by itself, it could ruin your mattress. 

Creating your own cleaning mixture with the above ingredients:

  1. Combine your ingredients to create a paste mixture.
  2. Apply the paste to the stained area. You can use a spoon or wooden kitchen tool for this.
  3. Let the mixture dry.
  4. Remove the dried paste with a vacuum, or by simply scraping the paste away.
  5. Clean with water and repeat if needed.

You can use this cleaning method more than once if you start to notice this working but not completely removing the blood from your mattress.

Meat tenderizer. Since meat tenderizer (the seasoning mixture, not the actual tool) works by breaking down proteins in your meat to make it tender, it is oftentimes used on blood stains as well. To do this, mix with cold water to create a paste, and apply over the blood on your mattress. Let this sit for 45 minutes – an hour and once it’s dry, clean off the paste with cold water and a cloth. Once removed, pat the area dry.

Removing Blood from Other Accessories

If blood stains are bad enough that they’re on your mattress and accessories, you may want to consider calling a professional to assess the situation. Oftentimes, there is more than just blood and the safest course of action is to make sure the cleaning and disinfection is done correctly.

If you’re choosing not to replace accessories such as a pillow, bedspread, or sheets, there are a number of additional, often household items you can use to clean blood. 

These household items include:

  • Shampoo
  • Salt Water
  • Ammonia
  • White Vinegar
  • Cola
  • Laundry Detergent

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Blood Removal

Q: When do I call a professional?

A: If the incident involves someone with a serious illness or the person’s health status is unknown, avoid putting yourself and your family at risk; ordinary cleaning methods can spread the contamination further. If blood is on more than the top layer of your mattress, consider calling a professional biohazard remediation expert to ensure peace of mind.

Q: What’s the best way to remove a bloodstain from a mattress?

A: There are multiple things to consider when answering this question. The size of the stain, how fresh the blood is, and where the stain is located on the mattress; there isn’t one standard way of cleaning. If you’re worried about cleaning the blood, it makes sense to call a certified biohazard removal specialist.

Q: What should I be careful of?

A: If a blood or body fluid stain is bad enough or has been sitting for an extended period of time, there are often times the stain is on more than just the top level of the mattress. Assessing the situation further to ensure you know exactly what needs to be cleaned is recommended. 

It’s also important to know the type of mattress you own, and choose the correct cleaning method based on this information.

When You’re Left Wondering on Who to Call

You can’t afford to let someone who isn’t extensively trained or licensed to clean and dispose of blood. The risk is too great for you and should be done by someone you can trust will perform the job correctly. 

For more than 20 years, Aftermath Services have adhered to the highest standards in blood remediation to ensure that our customers and employees are fully protected. We stand by our work with a 100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee and if you have any questions about our blood cleaning and disinfection methods please contact us at 877-698-6169.

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