Here's The Foolproof Way To Get Blood Out Of Sheets

It's hard to find the perfect sheets for you, and keeping them clean is another thing altogether. In addition to finding the right size for your bed, you have to worry about colors, materials, and thread counts – you even need to know when to replace your sheets. It may be hard to believe, but they don't last forever! Washing them definitely helps preserve them, though.

Cleaning sheets can be hard, especially when it comes to spills and stains such as blood. According to a senior scientist with Proctor and Gamble named Laura Goodman, this is because of blood's chemical composition. "Blood is a complex mixture of proteins, cellular matter, sugar, and fat," she explained to Apartment Therapy. "As a result, it requires a variety of ingredients for complete removal."

"All that means is you'll need the right ingredients (used in the right order) to do the job," Apartment Therapy then explained. One thing to always remember is that you need to know your sheets' materials so you can check the safety labels on your cleaning products. Certain fabrics don't mix well with certain cleaning agents.

To get blood out of sheets, you need to take care of the stain as soon as you notice it. If the blood is fresh, run your sheets under cool water to get as much blood out as possible — this will make the rest of the process easier (via Good Housekeeping). Then, using either bar soap or hydrogen peroxide, scrub the blood spot(s) by hand to work in the products. After that, scrub in liquid laundry detergent — and bleach if cleaning white sheets — with warm water until the stain has disappeared. Good Housekeeping also notes that you shouldn't dry your sheets until the stain has completely dissipated.

If the blood has dried, you need to first soak the sheets in cold water and laundry detergent (or stain remover if you have it). Then, pre-treat the area with laundry-safe bleach. Good Housekeeping explains that this part could take multiple hours. If blood still remains, you can use a mixture of 1 quart of water, 1 tablespoon of ammonia, and 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent to spot treat until the blood has come out. You'll be once again wearing your favorite white tee in no time!