How To Get Old Blood Stains Out Of Your Mattress

If you turn your mattress over and discover an old blood stain, you might think it's time to replace the mattress.  However, with a little know-how and the right ingredients, it is possible to get rid of the stain, saving yourself the expense of a new mattress.  Here's how to do it.

What you'll need

• vacuum cleaner with upholstery attachment
• cold water
• salt
• hydrogen peroxide (available from a pharmacy)
• corn starch (you'll find it in the baking aisle in your local supermarket)
• plastic spatula
• clean, soft cloth
• liquid fabric freshener spray

Note:  Never use warm or hot water on a blood stain, as this will cause the stain to set into the fibres of the mattress, making it virtually impossible to remove.

How to do it

1. The first thing that you'll need to do is to vacuum the mattress to get rid of any dust and loose fibres from the surface.  
2. Next, make up a paste from hydrogen peroxide, salt, and corn starch.  These ingredients work to break down the proteins contained in the blood stain, ultimately allowing you to remove it.  The corn starch helps to bind the paste so that it's not too thin and watery.  This is important, as you don't want the cleaning agent to soak through the surface into the mattress.  To make your paste, mix half a cup of corn starch, a quarter cup of hydrogen peroxide, and a tablespoon of salt together.  The end result should have the consistency of toothpaste.  
3. Use a plastic spatula to apply a layer of the paste to the mattress.  Allow the paste to dry out completely.  This gives the salt and hydrogen peroxide time to get to work on the stain.  
4. When the paste is completely dry, scrape it off the mattress with your spatula and discard it.  Vacuum the area thoroughly to get rid of any paste powder that's left.  
5. Look carefully at the area to see if any of the stain remains.  Particularly stubborn, old stains may require several treatments, but they should eventually disappear completely.  
6. When you're satisfied that the stain has gone, give the mattress a quick spritz with spray fabric freshener.

You can remove old blood stains from your mattress by following the guidelines set out above.  In future, wherever possible blot away fresh blood spots, using cold water and clean cloths, before the blood soaks into the mattress fibres and dries.