How To Clean Up Blood Properly: A Step By Step Guide

Whether you’re working within a commercial setting or are living in a residential property, cleaning up blood is never an easy job. Despite not being a task for the faint-hearted, knowing how to clean up blood will ensure your surroundings are free from the potential risk of disease. Here, we reveal 8 steps to clean up blood spills, as well as how to clean up blood stains effectively to ensure your environment is safe and spotless.

How Do You Clean Up a Blood Spill – Step by Step

Blood spill clean up requires a little more than wiping away with warm or hot water. As one of the most hazardous substances, cleaning an animal or human blood spill needs to be taken seriously. With that in mind, here we show you how to clean fresh blood, step by step.

1. Use the Correct Protection

Before you start to clean up, it’s important to gather the correct protective equipment. Always wear a pair of protective gloves to keep your hands away from disease. It’s also a good idea to wear protective goggles or glasses. Use a protective apron or clothing to prevent any fresh blood from staining your clothes or work uniform.

2. Spot Any Dangers

Before you begin, assess the area for any potential dangers, such as broken glass. Start to clean around the blood spill first, eliminating any glass with a dustpan and brush.

3. Cover the Spillage with Towels

Using regular or paper towels, place them over the blood spill to soak up the liquid. You may want to place a heavy object over the towels to enable them to soak up as much blood as possible.

4. Use Disinfectant

Next, remove the towels and apply disinfectant over the spill. Leave this for at least ten minutes. Once the time has elapsed, scrub the area with a towel working from the outside, inwards towards the centre. If you don’t have a disinfectant, you can use a bleach solution of 9 parts water to one part of bleach.

5. Dispose of The Towels

Place the towels in a designated biohazard bag. These towels should not be placed with regular waste.

6. Clean with Damp Towels

Leave the spillage for another ten minutes and then apply more damp towels. This helps to remove any remaining disinfectant and residue. Once you’ve done this, place the towels and all of your protective equipment into a biohazard waste bag.

7. Decontaminate the Immediate Area

Even if no visible blood splatters are in sight, it’s always important to decontaminate the area around the spillage. Use a disinfectant and clean any reusable equipment for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse the area with clean, fresh water.

8. Assess Your Skin and Clothing

Assess your skin and clothes to ensure that no blood has contaminated them. If you have any on your body, use a little disinfecting solution to spot clean, then take a hot shower using soap. After spot cleaning, wash your hands thoroughly with warm water and disinfectant soap. Make sure you also clean under your nails too. Dispose of the biohazard waste correctly and do not try to clean any towels in the washing machine.

How to Clean Up Blood Stains

Knowing how to clean up blood when it’s deeply integrated or dried can be challenging. Here, we show you the correct steps for removing dried blood stains effectively from different materials.

Remove Blood Stains from Carpet or Upholstery

While it’s always a good idea to remove blood before it dries, that isn’t always possible, particularly if it’s something you haven’t noticed or you haven’t had the time. The first thing to do is to use a powerful stain remover. If you don’t have one at hand, you can also try a natural remedy. For this, mix two cups of white vinegar with four tablespoons of baking soda in two cups of warm water. Apply this mixture to the stain and leave it for five to ten minutes. Blot dry with a clean, slightly damp cloth.

Alternatively, you can use a small amount of hydrogen peroxide. Apply to a sponge and then dab the bloodstain. Wait until a bubbling effect occurs. Leave it for five minutes and soak it up with a clean, dry cloth.

Remove Blood Stains from Clothing

Using a stain remover, apply directly or mix with water. Leave coloured clothes for one hour and white clothes for at least five hours. Next, wash in your washing machine as normal. You can also use an extra stain remover in your machine if you desire.

Remove Blood Stains from Sheets or Bedding

Rinse in cold water and sponge the stain with a wet towel. Mix a stain remover into the water and leave to soak for several hours. Next, wash the sheets or bedding as normal in the washing machine with your usual detergent. Here, you can use an additional stain remover in your washing machine.

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Blood spill clean up can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you’re not used to dealing with body fluids. Take away the stress by turning to Perfect Clean for expert specialist cleaning services. Our highly trained staff are fully equipped to deal with potentially hazardous or traumatic cleaning situations. Get in touch with us today to discuss.