How to remove 2 day old blood stain from shorts?

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My husband cut his leg at work the other day and he had a small, 1-inch long blood stain on his short from it. This happened on Friday. His shorts are a beige colour. What can I do to get it out?

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  1. Xan says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    The traditional method is to soak the item in a strong salty COLD water solution (make by dissolving a cup of salt with a little warm tap water then top up with cold water). Do not use any hot water on this as heat will set it. Soak it over night. This traditional method is the only way if you have an older washing machine that fills with both hot and cold water and if you use non biological powder as the water is warm from start of the wash. If you have a machine that fills from hot and cold I would defintely (after soaking) put it through a pre wash (or bio wash depending on what your machine calls it) first with either a Biological soap powder or biotex.
    Modern washing machines (in order gain the highest ratings ie AAA or AAA+) fill from cold and then gradually heat the water up whilst agitating the wash. This works best with biological powder. Biological powders contain enzymes that will breakdown proteins (this is why you CANNOT use biological detergents on wool or silk ), enzymes are active in water and get more active as the water heats up until they are "killed off" in hotter water. So putting biological powder straight into hot water loses the benefits of the enzymes, but putting into cold water and gradually heating up the water makes the most of their protein breakdown action. To make the detergent effective at all temperatures a bleaching agent is incorporated which conversly gets more effective in hotter water. This is why the likes of Persil biological can be suitable for all colours & temperatures (although I would always use a seperate detergent for coloureds). You always wash your coloureds on cooler cycles so less bleaching more enzyme action, whilst lights and whites on hotter cycles so less enzyme more bleaching action. However by starting with cold water in modern washing machines and gradually getting hotter you benefit from both.
    If you have a cold fill machine you probably dont need the pre wash, just put it in the longest and hottest cycle appropiate for that cycle with biological powder.
    Interestingly liquid detergents dont contain bleach (optical brightners instead?) so if you are a fan of liquid detergents this is why you need to regulary put your machine on a hot cycle with powder detergent to maintain the machine.

  2. nostalgianitro27 says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    u colud try bLEACH I HAT THE STUFF THOU

  3. jakubsmom101 says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    get ammiona it works like bleach but it doesnt harm the color like bleach

  4. N M says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    peroxide.

    Let it soak a little bit in there and then rinse with cold water. It may take a few times, but it should get it out mostly. After that give it some shots with a prewash and wash in cold water. Do not put in the dryer until you get the stain out.

  5. ANDY B says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Soak overnight, with occassional agitation, in cold water with a biological washing powder (well dissolved first). Then, wash at 30oC with more washing powder.
    It's important not to wash too warm as blood, being a protein, wil then be fixed into the material.

  6. mommymich says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    N M is right! Peroxide is the best when it come to blood!

  7. Bingalee says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Napisan Oxy.

  8. mahler1987 says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Rub bar soap.. ivory or dial into the stain, then wash in cold water. Zout found in the laundry aisle will also remove it. I would try the bar soap first. If there is still a stain after the bar soap… do it again. The longer it sits on the stain the better it is for removing it.

    I did this to my white uniforms and never had a blood stain I couldn't remove.

  9. MailorderMaven says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Wet it with cold water right now… cold water can't hurt it, and will keep it from setting even more. My first try would be Zout, which I use for the worst stains. Put it on, rub it in, and then leave it an hour. Rince with cold water, spray some more Zout, rub it in, and then wash normally. Enzyme cleaner is available in pet supply stores and it does work, but make sure to follow the directions carefully. Also, don't put the shorts in the dryer till the stain is totally out.

  10. sheila d says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    we have a deer processing business.theonly way to get it out is definately peroxzide.

  11. Chellie says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    if yooh use pink vanish..it takes out all sains includig blood and grass stains.

    hope it helps

  12. mayra says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    I find if you soak it in cold water for awhile and then rub with a bath bar soap works

  13. Tara C says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    I always use ice cubes and vinegar… and it always works for me

  14. Trish says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Use hydrogen peroxide (the cheap stuff that comes in the dark brown bottle). Just really soak the blood – it will fizz up (make sure your really soak it – it won't hurt the shorts and you want enough to lift out all the blood) and then throw it in the wash. It works like you wouldn't believe.

    *Edit – this has worked on getting blood out of clothing that has even been through the washer and dryer.

  15. I run... says:
    May 28, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    use oxy clean
    i just used it to remove a very old dried blood stain from my underwear.

    i soaked them in cold water just to get them wet, then put them on the edge of the sink and covered the stain with oxy clean, then let it sit for 30 minutes. i rinsed the oxy clean off and the stain was gone.

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