Menstrual blood stains on bed sheets

**mercury19** · 07-08-2011 04:21 AM

Ok, this is really embarrassing so I'd appreciate any help ye can give me. I have recently had my first period while on the pill. There were 3 days of bleeding, and on the 4th day, there was no blood so I asssumed my period was finished. That night I went out, and stayed in my boyfriend's apartment afterwards. When I woke up in the morning there were 2 blood spots on his bed sheet. Naturally I was mortified. I don't know if he noticed, because he didn't say anything to me, and he doesn't stay there often. I paniced and said nothing, and now the stains have been there for a while.. Is there any way of getting rid of them by hand (he doesn't have a washing machine), and I'd like to be able to do it without him noticing if at all possible, so soaking the sheet isn't really an option either. Bar buying him new bed sheets as a 'present' I have no idea what to do. Please help. :/
Thanks.

**Beautiful Disaster** · 07-08-2011 06:37 AM

I can understand being embarassed but if he's your boyfriend and you're comfortable enough to stay together, it's also important to be comfortable enough to be human around him.

The best thing to do to remove blood stains is washing the sheets in cold water and ensuring the stain is gone before you dry them. But if you can't take them off and wash them get a rag with cold water on it and some laundry soap (just a dab) and clean them by hand.

Looks like if they've been there a while, he'd be due to wash the sheets now anyway. Perhaps you could suggest washing them for him?

**ItsASecret** · 07-08-2011 07:25 AM

Use some Oxyclean spray. You can spray that on things like couches and carpets because you do not need to wash anything instead just dampen a cloth and blot it after so it doesn't even need to be soaking wet.

**Cheyenne** · 07-08-2011 08:38 AM

I hate when this happens, but it's natural. If you can't take them to a washing machine and wash them, can you just take the sheet with the blood off the bed? I do this in the sink, but you may need to do it in the tub depending on the size and where the stain is. Run hot water (or as warm as it goes) and dip the stain in the water. Take some soap (I use handsoap) or some kind of dish detergent and put just a little either on the stain or your fingers and rub it in. Get it nice and soapy and rinse in the water. I let it sit in the water for a little bit and then re-do if neccersary. Once ther stain is out, rinse it throughly and let dry. I realize this is simialr to Beautiful, but it works either way.

Is your boyfriend ever gone for a few hours when you can just take the sheets to a laundry mat (if one is close buy)? Or can you bring up if he has any other sheets hidden away or if you can buy some more?

**Beautiful Disaster** · 07-08-2011 08:54 AM

Run hot water (or as warm as it goes)

I've always been told that hot "sets" the stain and makes it harder to remove. Perhaps this isn't true, but it makes sense, so when I have a stain I always go for cold water when trying to remove it.

**Solnce** · 07-09-2011 02:04 AM

Unfortunately I am not sure what it is exactly, but there is a stain remover that you can just spray on a stain and it bobbles and then goes away. (After is stops bobbling you can wipe it off with a paper towel)

**chaya** · 07-09-2011 02:31 AM

I've seen stain removers in the laundry department of the supermarket. They are little yellow bottles, there is a different one for different kinds of stains.

Your lucky you just got the sheet, right after I moved in with my hubby, I stained right through to the mattress. It's still there, we turned the mattress over. In my defense, my periods are sometimes unpredictable, sometimes heavy and sometimes non-existent.

**mercury19** · 07-09-2011 02:50 PM

Thanks for all ye're help guys. It's good to know I'm not alone in this embarrassing situation. :P
I'll have to try ye're suggestions, and if anyone knows the name of what Solnce is talking about, that would be awesome, but it almost sounds too good to be true. :P
Thanks again!

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 07-09-2011 03:10 PM

If that fails? Buy some white king or nappy san. Using a cotton wool, or make up remover pad, dab it into the white king with a mixture of cold water, and dab it on the spot... If the sheets are white you don't need to use water at all but if they are colours, well it will eat away the colour of the fabric, fading it, but at least it won't show what it was previously.

I am betting that he already has seen the spots and doesn't care hon.. I know men hate making their bed, let alone properly

But he lives in an apartment so chances are, he's seen them and is not bothered after all it's a natural thing to happen....

**Seeker_Advice** · 07-09-2011 08:00 PM

As you may be aware, blood is a "protein" stain. There are numerous products on the market today that "attack" protein stains. National brands like Tide, Era, etc.

I like Era "Stain Fighter" formula and I use it like a pre treater....drizzle it quite generously over the stain then wait about 20 minutes or more before laundering as usual. Warm water should be good if the sheets are colored or hot if they're not.

With the new formulations of "stain fighting" detergents, the days of using only cold water to get blood out are long gone..

The other "key" to your success is checking to see if the stain remains before you put them in the dryer. If there is any evidence of the stain left over, re-treat again as above then re-wash. once they've been through the dryer it is much more difficult to get any stain out.

If they've made it through the dryer then use "Mary Ellen's Stain Remover Formula 2" and follow the directions on the bottle exactly. If you can't find Mary Ellen's in your local fabric store, it's also available online.

Good luck.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's weird for a man to know anything about laundry and stain removal.