Blood on a White Chair !!! HELP

Updated on February 12, 2010
K.M. asks from Fort Bragg, CA
24 answers

Oh, the horror, when the 22 month old started crying that cry we all know and have heard telling me he was really hurt. I went running in to his play area and he had fallen and bitten his lip wide open. Sooo much blood !!! Unfortunately, by the time I got there he was seeking comfort from lying over the white linen overstuffed chair. Obviously, I couldn't get to the chair issue for a half an hour or so. It's not just the big drips the size of a quarter. Every time I held the tissue up to try to catch some of the blood he thought I wanted him to "blow" so he was spraying little dropletts everywhere too. This is a chair that the professionals always say "can't be cleaned". Last time I was told its actually some type of a leather product. ANY suggestions to get the, now set, blood out or off ..... Help!! Should I just dye the whole chair red????

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J.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Easier than all of the above....but similar.....put ice cubes on all the spots and let them melt. You may need to blot but maybe not. I cut my dogs toenail too short and he ran around the house leaving a trail of blood. I followed the trail, dropped ice cubes everywhere. I thought there is NO WAY this will work. Went to the grocery store, came home and you could not tell anything had happened. Worth a try.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Sacramento on

You might want to use Hot Spot or it might be called Hot Shot....I don't have linen chairs but I have some really nice cloth stuffed dining room chairs..and my cat always loved to cough up his hair balls on them...but the hot spot worked wonders....it's in a dark blue can with an orange top....Hope this works for you....I'd say try anything and everything and if nothing works...dye the chair!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Amarillo on

My option would be to try Woolite to remove blood. I have used it in the past to remove really set in blood from noses and on undergarments. Good luck to you.

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

Try Spot Shot. It's a carpet cleaner that can be found in most grocery stores and walmart...blue bottle, orange cap. When my son was 18 months, he covered and I mean covered our beige sectional sofa in wide tipped permanent Sharpie marker. We were certain we would have to replace it. Tried the Spot Shot and it all came out. While we were out of town one time, our dog cut her paw...there was blood smears and drops all over the carpet starting at her doggie door where she was walking around. Then she climbed on the sofa to apparently lick the wound. By the time we got home it seemed like everything was covered in dried blood. Used Spot shot and a little help from our steam cleaner and it all came out...every bit. I now use it to clean the carpet, the furniture and grease spots and stains on our clothes. We have never had any issues with it changing the fabrics or making colors run, but I would test an inconspicuous spot just in case. The only down side is it has a strong odor which is why I like to steam clean afterward...the smell sometimes bothers my hubby. Glad your baby is ok!!

3 moms found this helpful
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T.H.

answers from Sacramento on

First, Oxyclean, then hydrogen peroxide. Test on an inconspicuous spot first to make sure that it doesn't effect the fabric.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from San Francisco on

I get all blood stains out with simple peroxide. It costs about a $1 for that wonderful little brown bottle! It will remove almost any protein based stain, and is a virtual miracle on blood. Since you don't know what the fabric is, I would test an out of sight area first just to make sure the peroxide won't make it worse. :o) I've used it on pretty much everything including car seats, jeans, and carpet. Just put some in a spray bottle so you don't use too much, spray it on and watch it 'eat' the stain. When the bubbles stop (about 20 seconds), dab it up with a paper towel or cloth. If there is still blood, just do it again. For big drops it can take 4 or 5 times to completly remove, but it will work. My daughter sneezed in the back seat of my car and it started a bloody nose. Of course she imediately sneezed again. By the time she managed to grab a tissue and get things under control, my car looked like a crime scene! It was several hours before I was able to get out there and clean it up, but now there is not a single drop left. :o)

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I.G.

answers from Seattle on

I agree to peroxide. You can just use a cloth and dab some on.
Whatever you do, do not try bleach! It will set the stain forever!
Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

K.I.

answers from Spokane on

The only thing that has ever really worked for me to truly get out blood was cold water and soap. I know its not the same but I have almost white wool carpet (I know super lame, came with the house) and I have successfully gotten out dried blood with cold water and a few drops of the clear dove dish soap.

Dyeing the whole thing a rich brown or red is also a viable solution if/when you have exhausted all other options... Waste not want not, right? Hope it all works out for you.

~Poor baby! We tell our boys "not to worry...chicks dig scars"!

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

SOL-U-MEL. It’s a natural product manufactured by Melaleuca that gets EVERYTHING out. It took out permanent marker from our couch upholstery.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.F.

answers from Sacramento on

I worked in a medical office in college. TRY A SMALL AREA FIRST, but we used a little straight hydrogen peroxide on our white pants, the blue carpeting, etc. and it worked like MAGIC. Just dip a Qtip into it and dot it on the blood spots. When finished, blot the whole area with a damp white rag to remove excess and let dry.

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W.H.

answers from Modesto on

For blood on clothes, always use cold water - never hot as heat sets blood stains. Hydrogen peroxide does wonders on blood stains too. I'm just not sure about a chair, esp the specific type of chair you have. But what *I'd* do is lay a wet cloth on the blood splatters till it's not dried anymore, then dab at it (testing in an inconspicuous spot first, tho maybe at this point you don't care?) with hydrogen peroxide.
The other thing that comes to mind is oxyclean, but I think straight hydrogen peroxide would work better since oxyclean is a combination of HP and other stuff.
Good luck! Do post your 'what happened'
And I hope your tot's lip healed quickly.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.O.

answers from Sacramento on

Okay, this may sound strange... but hydrogen peroxide works wonders!! It is of course best to use right away, just pour on and use a wash rag to dab the spot... the peroxide lifts the stain right out (you can even watch it before dabbing...it's pretty neat)!! Now that the stain is set, I'm not sure how well it would work... but I'd give it a try, and if it doesn't work (and if nothing else works) then by all means... dye the chair red (or black, blue... a dark color). Good Luck.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

You may try peroxide, I would do a test sample first.

1 mom found this helpful

G.M.

answers from Modesto on

hydrogen peroxide will take it right out. Just pour it on there, soak it up and repeat if necessary.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Portland on

I would first determine the fiber content of the fabric and then consult with a professional cleaner. Blood is difficult to remove, especially after it's dried. The longer it's set the more difficult it is to remove and so I'd do this right away. There is a big difference between linen and leather.

You want to know if the fabric will shrink if you use liquids on it. You want to know if spot cleaning is possible.

Another consideration is that if you try to clean it while the fabric is still on the chair you'll be driving the stain into the padding and not actually getting the stain out. This may be OK if the fabric is heavy enough to not reveal the dark color underneath. This is unlikely. And the stain will eventually work it's way back into the fabric.

If the stain is on the cushion you may be able to remove the fabric. Most cushions are encased in a cover with a zipper on the side.

You may be able to more easily remove little droplets with hydrogen peroxide but that depends on the fabric and whether or not the hydrogen peroxide will then leave a "water" mark.

I definitely recommend consulting a professional cleaner.

If the foundation of the chair is in good shape and a slip cover would cost less than a new chair, you can have it slip covered. Depending on the fabric you may not be able to dye it. Man made fibers do not take dye evenly. Some do not take dye at all.

I do wonder why you stayed on the chair with him. I've been working a lot on boundaries over the years. We can take care of ourselves and our children at the same time. It would be rare that a baby would be so injured that you couldn't move him to a better spot. Much of this awareness does come with experience. It helps to widen our awareness after each of these sorts of events. Be gentle with yourself at the same time of being aware that next time you'll let yourself be aware of your surroundings and the consequences of remaining or leaving them.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Redding on

I would try Oxy Clean. You may have to make a paste and scrub it with a tooth brush then rinse with a wet cloth, but OxyClean should remove the blood.

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C.T.

answers from San Francisco on

I know you've already heard it, but hydrogen peroxide chemically reacts with blood. You can see it fizz. A doctor in the emergency room told me this after my son cut his head open and he was right!

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L.O.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi~
Try hydrgen peroxide. Good luck!

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E.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Try Charlie's Soap All Purpose Cleaner. If you call them they will be happy to tell you how to clean it. It's safe for almost anything, natural and bio-degradable. You can find them online and they will ship to you.

A.P.

answers from San Francisco on

Hydrogen peroxide over and over until it comes out!!!! Don't dye it because the blood will get brownish as it set and will not be the same color.

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M.L.

answers from Sacramento on

I second the idea of using straight out of the bottle, hydrogen peroxide. It is so cheap, .99 a bottle at Costco for the huge size. I've found so many uses for this product I have bottles all over the house. It is excellent mixed with water to get rid of killer bad breath since it goes to the bacteria and kills it. I swab it on any pimples for prompt over night remarkable results. But, for blood we first used it as it was recommended by the midwives at a home birth. They asked for this as a supply, and we needed it as our daughter labored on our bed and upon moving to the tub left a trail on our new carpet. Every bit of the stains came right out with a white cloth or paper towel to soak up the moisture out of the rug.
I also use hydrogen peroxide in a formula with two other cheap ingredients to remove cat urine years ago from our rug. Amazing stuff. Pour it on and see what it will do for you. Test first, but my guess is it will work wonderfully.

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A.T.

answers from Stockton on

If all else fails - have it slipcovered in a pre-shrunk white denim so you can machine wash the cover as needed.

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S.K.

answers from San Francisco on

One thing I have recently discovered for old stains, and I mean set in, washed and dried, chocolate etc. (no blood as yet) on clothes that have been there for months, is this product for pets. I would suggest trying the other suggestions first, but if you can't get anything out, go to the nearest pet store and get a product called Nature's Miracle. If you don't see the exact product, ask a store worker to give you something that is exactly the same. It must be exactly the same if it is to work correctly. What you do is, first clean up anything from the previous tries. Then, spray or pour generously the Natures Miracle onto the stain. Wait for it to dry, and then use an upholstery cleaner or your chosen cleaning method to clean up the stain. I'm not sure this will work on a chair, but it's worth trying if you have no other option. It's made to remove odors and stains from pets, like if your dog peed on your sofa or your cat barfed on it, so it's pretty strong and also safe for most fabrics. Good Luck!

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A.W.

answers from San Francisco on

Hydrogen Peroxide sometimes helps remove blood.

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