How to get blood out of clothes

Treat a stain while it is fresh, and keep it out of the dryer and away from the iron until it is gone.

Soak fresh blood in cold water, work liquid detergent or dish soap into grease and oil, dab ink with rubbing alcohol, sponge coffee with cool water, and check that the stain is gone before anything goes in the dryer.

Why it matters

Heat sets stains: hot water fixes blood into fabric, and a dryer or iron can set a stain so it is much harder to remove. Different stains dissolve in different things: water for blood and coffee, detergent for grease and oil, alcohol for ink. A fresh stain comes out far more easily than a set one.

How to do it

1. Act as soon as you can. Blot or scrape off any excess from the surface; do not rub, which spreads the stain.
2. Read the care label, and test your remover on an inside seam or hem first. Take dry-clean-only items to a dry cleaner and tell them what the stain is.
3. Blood, fresh: soak in cold water, never hot, for about 30 minutes, then work in a little liquid laundry detergent and wash. Blood, dried: pretreat or soak in warm water with a product containing enzymes, then wash. If the stain remains, wash again with a bleach that is safe for the fabric.
4. Oil and grease stains, including cooking oil: work liquid laundry detergent or liquid dish soap into the stain, then wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric. For a heavy stain, lay it face down on clean paper towels, apply cleaning fluid to the back, change the towels often, let it dry, rinse, then wash.
5. Ink: lay the stain face down on clean paper towels. Dab rubbing alcohol around the stain first, then onto the back of the stain, changing the towels often so the ink does not spread back. Rinse thoroughly, then wash. Some ballpoint, felt-tip and liquid inks cannot be fully removed.
6. Coffee and tea stains: sponge or soak in cool water, pretreat with liquid laundry detergent, then wash, adding a bleach that is safe for the fabric if the label allows.
7. Wash by the care label. Before drying, check the spot in good light. If any trace is left, repeat the treatment; do not put the item in the dryer or iron it until the stain is gone.
8. Use one stain remover at a time and rinse between products.

Common mistakes

• Rinsing blood in hot water, which sets it.
• Drying or ironing an item before checking that the stain is gone.
• Scrubbing hard, which pushes the stain deeper and wears the fabric.
• Trying old remedies such as milk on ink, which can add a new stain or set the old one.

Sources

1. American Cleaning Institute: Stain Removal Guide
2. New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension, Guide C-502: Removing Clothing Stains

Sources and numbers last checked October 22, 2026. How we check

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