Help!!! Guest's female visitor left blood stains on sheet and towel. Bleach doesn't work!

[Huaai0]

Hello fellow hosts!

I just had a male guest who checked out. He booked for two adults including himself as well as an occasional female visitor whom he claimed to be his girlfriend. 

My gut feeling told me that after he checked out there would be a lot of cleaning work for me to do, and I was so right! There were blood stains on my flat sheet as well as the bath towel. There was also some weird stains on the comforter, which did not look like blood.

The pics show the stains AFTER I bleached and laundered them. It seems bleaching didn't work! It is so frustrating as I have a new guest checking in tomorrow. Although I do have extra bedding and towels I don't want to leave these things like this when the new guest checks in. 

Any ideas???? Thanks so much!!!

[Todd-and-Reese0]

I can usually get those out by applying straight (not diluted) bleach to the spots. Hopefully you didn't dry them in a dryer already. Maybe others have better ideas.

[Huaai0]

@Todd-and-Reese0

Yes as soon as I saw the stains I just POURED bleach on the spots, and then threw them into the washing machine. The last time I did the same some fellow hosts told me that was why I got tears in my duvet cover if not caused by guests' toenails. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

yes, bleach will ruin a textile if used to often or if hot bleach is used. For example it is not a good idea to poure a cup of bleach in the machine and then wash on hot cycle .

But if you poure a little bleach on the stain only , leave it for few minutes and then throw in the machine on hot cycle - your textile will survive 🙂 

Yes, you pretreat/soak blood stain with cold water but then you wash it in the machine on hot cycle.

[Willow3]

I'm guessing you hot water washed them. If so, it may be too late to save them. 

For future reference - only cold water on blood. I use an ice cube to rub the stain, then cold water rinse till gone. Then once the stain is gone, hot water wash. But hot will set the stains. 

[Huaai0]

@Willow3

Yes, I was told by someone that to wash white things you need hot water, is this not correct??

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Huaai0

Hot water on blood will "set" the stain in the fabric (like a dye).

I always use ice cold RUNNING water to flush the stained area for a couple minutes, then rub stain-remover (bar soap type) on the stained area and rub the fabric together (wear gloves when you do this!) - REPEAT 2~4 times and most blood stains up to 1~2 days old usually come out completely. Sometimes if a shadow of a stain is still there 1) if it's white I soak in diluted bleach bath for 10~15 mins 2) for colored items I apply a baking soda+lemon juice paste on the stain for about 40 mins then scrap off and rinse and/or soak in cold water. After this pre-treat, I rub on stain-remover and put it in the washer (cold cycle) and you should always check to see if the stain has come out completely BEFORE you put them in the dryer. If you're not sure, just air-dry.

FYI, I was taught not to put bleach directly on fabrics - it will ruin the fabric (make it weak, threadbare or tear easily).

For make-up stains, I use make-up remover facial foam wash + liquid dish soap. Soak in cold water and use facial foam wash to create a lather. Apply lather directly to stained area and RUB!!! Add several drops of liquid soap and RUB some more !!! Rinse in cold water and repeat 2~3 times. When the stain is nearly out, for the last rub+rinse, use warm water. I've heard that shaving cream can be used and is also very effective (but I personally have not tried it). Then soak in a cold water+vinegar+couple drops of liquid dish soap bath for about 1 hour and put in the washer with other laundry.

My experience is, finding the right type of detergent or ingredient to remove the stain plus a bit of elbow grease works wonders. Good luck~!

[Huaai0]

@Willow3

Wow this is new to me. Cold water for blood? But hot water for white stuff?

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Huaai0 not diluted bleach on the stain, leave for few minutes until stain dissapears . It should work even after washing. And then wash it at hot temperature with a detergent for whites. 

In the future rinse it first in cold water and then wash it on high temperature with strong detergent for whites, you can add some oxy-clean aditive too

[Huaai0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

Leave it till it disappears? But it doesn't. Should I just rinse it in bleach+cold water for hourse before I wash it?

[Huaai0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

By the way, should I mention this in private feedback? 

[Huaai0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0@Willow3@Todd-and-Reese0

Also I don't know what the second stain is (in the middle picture) and am not sure how to remove that. My comforter was brandnew before this guest came, and I don't want to ruin it. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Huaai0 I don't mention blood stains in reviews. It can happend to any woman. I just pretreat it with cold water and some stain remover (or bleach) for 5-15 minutes and then wash it regulary on 60 or 90 C . It always go away.

I have found make up stains much worse.

[Huaai0]

@Branka-and-Silvia0

Thanks, I just don't know how to write this review. The guest was basically quiet and respectful and claimed to have enjoyed his stay, but the thing was he checked in as one person, then alterned his reservation to 2 adults, and then this female visitor would show up anytime during the day or night. It was a little creepy when you got up at 2AM to go to the bathroom and saw a complete stranger climbing your staircase... I really don't know how to write it, and those blood stains are giving me a hard task that I have never had previously in my life...

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Huaai0 well, if he altered his booking on 2 guests and you accepted this alteration then she (the second guest) have a right to visit him or stay with him, right?

And I am thinking, are you sure those are blood stains? Is it possible that it's a nail polish or something else? 

in the future you can find many advices about all kinds of stains removal on Pinterest. you can log in using your facebook account.