How to Get Blood Out of a Mattress: Step-by-Step

In our long experience with mattresses and bedding, we’ve learned that blood stains are different from just about all other stains. 

When they’re fresh, blood stains are almost always easy to deal with — you just have to quickly clean them with cold water. But once they dry and set, blood stains can be a major challenge to get out of a mattress.

As product experts and testers, we’ve had more than our fair share of run-ins with blood stains on mattresses and bedding. We’ll walk you through all the best ways to tackle both fresh and dried blood stains on your mattress and sheets. Since blood stains are difficult, no method for removing dried blood stains is 100% foolproof, but we’ll share the methods our team has found to be the most dependable and effective over the years.

Pre-Clean: How to Handle a Bloodstained Mattress

The first rule of cleaning blood from a mattress is to act fast. If you have a fresh blood stain, you should clean it immediately with cold water. Using cold water is essential because hot water actually causes the stain to set by breaking down proteins in the blood. 

That being said, we know there are going to be plenty of times where you can’t immediately deal with a blood stain. Maybe it’s an emergency, or maybe you just didn’t realize that blood had seeped through your bedding and onto your mattress.

A dried blood stain is harder to remove than a fresh one. We suggest spending 10 to 15 minutes taking the following steps before you fully dive into trying to remove a dried blood stain:

• Strip the bed: Take off all pillows, sheets, and blankets so that you can get a clear view of the stain. You can take this opportunity to wash all your bedding.
• Grab a pair of gloves: While you’re probably not facing any serious health risks from cleaning a dried blood stain at home, you can put on a pair of latex or nitrile gloves to stay clean and extra safe.
• See if the cover is removable: If your mattress has a zippered cover, you may be able to put it in the washing machine to do a more thorough cleaning. Make sure the manufacturer clearly states it is safe to remove your mattress cover before removing. Some mattress covers may have a zipper or look removable, but they’re not actually meant to be removed.
  
  Removing a mattress cover that you’re not meant to remove can potentially damage your mattress, void your mattress warranty, or expose you to inner parts of the mattress that you’re not meant to touch.
• Give yourself space to work: If necessary, reposition your mattress and bed frame so that you have easy access to the stain.
• Do a cold water rinse: Dampen a rag with cold water and gently wipe the stained area. In some cases, the cold water alone will start to reduce or lighten the stain.

How to Get Blood Out of a Mattress: Step-by-Step

There are different methods for getting blood stains out of a mattress. We’ll start by reviewing how to remove fresh blood stains and then cover your options for dealing with dried blood stains.

Fresh Blood Stains: Cold Water

For fresh blood stains, cold water goes a long way toward washing out the stain. But you have to act quickly before the blood dries.

• Step 1: Cold water rinse. Dampen one of the rags with cold water. Moisten the stained area and gently dab the stain with the rag to draw the stain out of your mattress. If the rag gets especially dirty, continue this process with a new rag.
• Step 2: Repeat if necessary. If the first round of cleaning doesn’t fully eliminate the stain, try again with cold water or move on to step 3 or 4. 
• Step 3: Repeat with salt if necessary. If the stain persists, you can add a couple of pinches of salt to the stain, moisten it with the rag, and then let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then wipe down the stain to help pull it out of the mattress fibers.
• Step 4: Repeat cleaning with detergent if necessary. If the salt trick doesn’t cut it, try the same approach but with a tiny bit of laundry detergent instead. 

“Fresh blood stains are pretty easy to get out of a mattress, so act fast when you spot any. You can basically just use a damp cloth and cold water to dab the stain and watch it disappear. Use a gentle touch and switch to a clean part of the cloth if the part you’re using gets too bloody.”

Logan Foley

Editorial Director

Dried Blood Stains: Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide

Dealing with dried blood stains takes more effort, and even then, there’s no guarantee the stain will disappear completely. Our team has found that the best method involves a combination of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.

• Step 1: Mix the cleaning solution. Combine 8 fluid ounces of cold water with 8 fluid ounces of hydrogen peroxide, and then put in 2 or 3 drops of clear dish soap. Add this to the spray bottle. For smaller stains, reduce the ratios by half. 
• Step 2: Sprinkle and spread baking soda. Apply a thin layer of baking soda across the blood stain. Let the baking soda sit for 15 minutes or longer.
• Step 3: Vacuum. Thoroughly vacuum up the baking soda.
• Step 4: Spray on the cleaning solution. Apply the solution onto the mattress, dampening the entire blood stain.
• Step 5: Add a coat of baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda in a thin layer over the entire stain. Let the baking soda and cleaning solution sit for a few hours or overnight.
• Step 6: Brush it out. Take the brush and go over the stain, breaking up the baking soda and working out the stain. 
• Step 7: Vacuum and wipe down. Vacuum up the baking soda, and then use a clean, damp rag to go over the stain. After that, take a dry rag and wipe it down again. 
• Step 8: Repeat as necessary. At the least, the blood stain should be significantly lighter. But if it’s still noticeable, you can repeat steps 4 through 7. 
• Step 9: Let it dry. Before putting sheets on, let your mattress fully air out. 

Dried Blood Stains: Enzyme-Based Cleaner

With this approach, you’ll let a store-bought cleaner do the heavy lifting. 

• Step 1: Pre-treat with baking soda. Put a dusting of baking soda that completely covers the stain and then wait for at least 15 minutes.
• Step 2: Vacuum. Go over your mattress with your vacuum to remove all the baking soda. 
• Step 3: Use the enzyme-based cleaner. Carefully follow each of the instructions listed on the bottle. This usually involves putting the cleaning product on the stain, allowing it to soak in, and then lifting out the stain with a brush or rag.
• Step 4: Repeat as needed. If the stain doesn’t fully come out, repeat step 3. Wait until your mattress is clean and dry before putting on your bedding.

How to Clean Blood From Sheets: Step-by-Step

Whitening sheets and cleaning blood from them is usually easier than cleaning a mattress, but there’s still a separate process for fresh blood stains and dried ones.

Fresh Blood Stains: Remove and Rinse

• Step 1: Remove the sheet: If you have a fresh blood stain on your sheets, the first thing you should do is get the sheet off your bed and take it to a bathroom or laundry room. Moving your bedding quickly and carefully can help prevent your mattress or carpet from getting stained. 
• Step 2: Cold water soak. Submerge the stained part of the sheet in a bowl with cold water for about five minutes. Quickly applying cold water helps prevent a lasting stain.
• Step 3: Cold water rinse. Use cold water to rinse the stained part of the sheet in your sink, or wet a rag with cold water to apply to the stain.
• Step 4: Repeat with salt water if needed. If the stain doesn’t come out at first, try soaking it for 5 minutes in cold water with salt. Then rinse it out again.
• Step 5: Wash your sheets. Once the stain is out, wash your sheets using a cold or gentle setting. Do not put them in the dryer until you have confirmed that the stain is gone.

“When you’re trying to get blood stains out of your sheets, make sure you avoid hot water settings or using the dryer until the stains are completely gone. Heat will cause the blood stains to set, which makes them much, much harder to get out of bedding.

I’ve managed to get week-old blood stains out of sheets without too much fuss, but I’ve struggled to get the same results with a set of sheets that went through the dryer first.”

Daniel Noyed

Senior Product Editor

Dried Blood Stains

• Step 1: Pre-treatment. Apply the stain cleaner according to the instructions on the package.
• Step 2: Machine-wash the bedding with cold water. Wash your sheets on a gentle setting with cold water and according to any other washing instructions on the tag of the sheets.
• Step 3: Check the stain before drying. Don’t just throw the sheets in the dryer. Take a close look to make sure the stain is gone before you apply any heat to the sheets. If there’s still a stain, repeat steps 1 and 2. 

How to Protect Your Mattress From Blood Stains

The easiest way to keep blood off your mattress is to create a barrier around your mattress. The most effective way is with a waterproof mattress encasement, but you can also get some protection from a mattress pad.

You can also take a few small steps to reduce the risk of bleeding in your bedroom. For example, using a humidifier may make nosebleeds less likely. Keeping your skin moisturized may decrease the chance of cracked skin and cuts. Make sure to securely apply bandages over any open cuts or wounds before going to bed.

Lastly, remember to act quickly anytime you see blood on your sheets or mattress. Blood stains are much easier to remove when they are fresh, so immediate action can save you a major headache in the future.

Still have questions? Ask our community!

Join our Sleep Care Community — a trusted hub of product specialists, sleep health professionals, and people just like you. Whether you’re searching for the perfect mattress or need expert sleep advice, we’ve got you covered. Get personalized guidance from the experts who know sleep best.