How to get blood out of a mattress
Cold water only. Heat sets protein, so warm water is what turns a removable blood stain into a permanent one.
Cold water, every time
Blood is protein, and heat coagulates protein. Warm or hot water bonds the stain to the fibres and makes it permanent.
This is the single most common mistake with blood, and it is irreversible once made.
The rule that governs all of this
A mattress cannot be properly dried at home. Water goes in easily and comes out slowly, and once moisture reaches the foam or the spring unit it can sit there for days.
That is how mould grows inside a mattress, which is worse than the stain you were treating and cannot be reversed. Use the least liquid that works, and dry it completely.
The method, in order
Act fast. Almost everything is easier wet than dry, and most of the difficulty in stain removal is that the stain has set.
Blot, never rub. Press a dry towel down hard and lift. Rubbing pushes liquid deeper into the fillings and spreads the mark outward, turning a small problem into a large one.
Work from the outside inward, so you do not spread the edge.
Use a lightly damp cloth, never a soaked one, and never pour anything onto a mattress.
Test on a hidden area first, usually the underside near a corner.
Fresh blood
Blot with a dry towel first, lifting as much as possible before adding anything.
Then a cloth dampened with cold water, blotting from the outside inward. Rinse the cloth in cold water, wring it almost dry, and repeat. Most fresh blood comes out with nothing else.
If it needs more, a small amount of salt or cornflour mixed with cold water into a paste drawn across the mark and left to dry, then vacuumed, lifts what the cloth leaves.
Dried or set blood
Harder, and frequently still recoverable.
An enzyme cleaner is the right tool. Enzymes break down protein, which is what the stain is, where ordinary detergent only dilutes it. Apply sparingly to a cloth rather than to the mattress, leave the stated dwell time, then blot with cold water.
Hydrogen peroxide (3 per cent) is effective and carries a real risk: it bleaches. It will lighten coloured ticking, so test on a hidden area, apply with a cloth rather than pouring, and expect fizzing, which is normal.
Bicarbonate of soda paste with cold water, left an hour and vacuumed, is the gentlest option and the least effective on a fully set stain.
Repeat a mild treatment two or three times rather than escalating to something aggressive once. Patience beats chemistry here.
Drying, which is the step that actually matters
This is where mattresses are lost, and it is the step people skip because the stain has gone and the job feels finished.
Open a window and put a fan across the surface. Moving air does far more than heat.
Leave the mattress uncovered and unmade for as long as it takes, which can be a full day for anything more than a small mark.
Stand it on edge if you can, so both faces are exposed.
Do not put bedding back on a damp mattress. A made bed over damp fillings is the exact condition mould needs.
Avoid a hairdryer held close, because heat can damage foam. Ambient airflow is better and safer.
What never to use
A steam cleaner. It drives moisture deep into the fillings and the spring unit, causing mould and rust. Manufacturers frequently prohibit it, and using one can void your guarantee. This is the most common way people destroy a sound mattress while trying to help it.
A carpet washer or wet vacuum. Same problem, more water.
Bleach or strong solvents. They damage foam and fabric and can discolour permanently.
Large amounts of bicarbonate of soda left for hours. It absorbs moisture, and what stays in the fabric attracts more later. A light sprinkle, an hour, then thorough vacuuming.
The sheets are a different job
Bedding can be soaked and machine washed, which a mattress cannot, so treat them separately and far more aggressively.
Rinse under a cold tap from the back of the fabric to push the stain out rather than through, soak in cold water, then wash cold with a biological detergent, which contains the protein-digesting enzymes that suit blood.
Check the stain has gone before tumble drying. The dryer's heat will set anything remaining permanently.
Before you treat anything under guarantee
A stain voids most mattress guarantees absolutely. If the mattress is under guarantee and visibly damaged, photograph it and speak to the retailer before cleaning, because cleaning alters the evidence.
Your statutory rights sit with whoever sold it to you rather than the manufacturer. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you have up to six years to bring a claim in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, five in Scotland, so keep the proof of purchase.
This is general information rather than legal advice, and Citizens Advice is the right starting point for a specific situation.
Prevention is the only strategy that works
Since there is no home deep clean, the protector is the whole game, and at 20 to 40 pounds it is the highest ratio of value to cost anywhere in bedding.
Buy a breathable protector, not a cheap plastic-backed one. A breathable membrane passes water vapour while blocking liquid; a laminated layer blocks air too and makes the whole bed warmer and clammier.
Buy two, so one is always clean. A protector in the wash is a mattress unprotected.
Check the depth. Modern hybrids run 28 to 35 centimetres and most protectors are cut for around 25, and one that pings off a corner ends up in a drawer.
Related reading
Other stains
Cleaning properly
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Questions people ask
How do you get blood out of a mattress?
Cold water only, because heat coagulates protein and sets the stain permanently. Blot rather than rub, work from the outside inward, and for dried blood use an enzyme cleaner, which breaks down protein rather than diluting it.
Why should you never use hot water on blood?
Blood is protein and heat coagulates it, bonding the stain to the fibres. Warm or hot water is what turns a removable blood stain into a permanent one.
Does hydrogen peroxide remove blood from a mattress?
It is effective and it bleaches, so it will lighten coloured ticking. Test on a hidden area first, apply with a cloth rather than pouring, and expect fizzing, which is normal.
Can you steam clean blood out of a mattress?
No. Steam drives moisture deep into the fillings and the spring unit, causing mould and rust, and it is heat, which sets blood permanently. Manufacturers frequently prohibit it and it can void your guarantee.