Ideas wanted for removing dried-on blood stains from linen

Like it says "Ideas wanted for removing dried-on blood stains from linen". I tried a couple of days soaking in diluted Persil, then a 60C wash in the machine. Still there. The spots are quite small, around 1/4inch dia.

Then I tried an Oxalic Acid Dihydrate solution which had no effect.

While I'm here, my daughter has red wine stains on her wedding dress which cleaner shops tell her is impossible to remove. Presumably they mean without bleaching out the dress colour.

Reply to
Phil Addison
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I've had good luck using hydrogen peroxide on bloodstains, then rinsing in cold water, followed by rubbing white bar soap (not detergent) into the fabric, using an old toothbrush from the back of the fabric. Unfortunately the 60deg wash may have set the stains.

Red wine stains need to be treated quickly, before they dry in place.

Reply to
S Viemeister

En el artículo , Phil Addison escribió:

You wash out blood with by soaking, then washing with *cold* water and a bio detergent. A hot wash cooks the proteins into the fabric, and makes them pretty much impossible to get out.

As a last resort, you could try bleach applied directly to the spots followed by a cold wash.

Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

A soak with some Biotex usually works.

Reply to
Andy Burns

I've always soaked in a cold salty solution. Then wash normally.

Reply to
Bob Eager

Just wait the 25 years until you're out of clink. They'll have been replaced in the meantime.

;-)

Reply to
Scott M

My preferred approach for stubborn stains is to soak the offending item in a mixture of biotex and percarbonate bleach ('oxygen ' bleach - Ecvoer laundary bleach, Oxiclean etc.).

Leave to soak for a couple of days and then wash. Expsoure to the sun is also a good way of bleaching out some stains

Reply to
Chris French

In *cold* water and with a little bit of gentle agitation almost all the blood will come out. I then rub a bar of "Vanish" over the area, work in and cold wash.

Yep, 60 C wash will most likely have done that. I think the mechanisum is that the red cells rupture, the heat breaks down the heamaglobin releasing the iron they contain and you end up with an iron stain (aka rust).

Might work but given that a cooked blood stain is principly a metalic one I'd not be very confident.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Bleach supposedly makes rust stains even harder to remove. Some techniques mentioned here might be worth trying.

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Tim

Reply to
Tim+

En el artículo , Dave Liquorice escribió:

That's what I said.

"You wash out blood with by soaking, then washing with *cold* water"

'cold water' is the object of both the verbs 'soaking' and 'washing'

Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

On the bottle of Lidl W5 Limescale Remover it claims 'removes rust stains'

Reply to
alan_m

Ok, it's basically rust by now - out with the Jenolite then (not really!!). I saw the (white) vinegar and salt idea on another googled page too, as suggested by Tim, and lemon juice and salt on another. I'll give it a go. Won't be trying bleach as that will ruin the existing fabric colour.

Reply to
Phil Addison

No, there's no bio bits left for it to work on after the 60C.

Reply to
Phil Addison

Only on white fabric, or if you prefer white patches to brown :)

Reply to
Phil Addison

If vinegar removes rust from steel, perhaps it might shift it from fabric?

Reply to
David Paste

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