Blood stains on leather are rare mishaps, but not impossible. It might seem daunting thinking about blood stains on your leather sofa or faux leather car seats, but it’s something that can be remedied. In this article, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to remove blood on all types of leather surfaces without ruining the material.
Does blood stain leather?
Blood can definitely stain leather, especially leather that is not waterproofed or protected by any wax layer or coating. Leather is able to absorb liquids but since blood is not as viscous as thinner liquids like water, you will have a bit of time to quickly remove it by absorbing it with a more absorbent material like paper towels.
Blood stains on suede
Suede is a more absorbent material because of its fibrous nature and bigger gaps between the leather fibers, it is more susceptible to blood stains. In many cases, if the blood is not removed quickly enough and the suede is not waterproofed with any sort of suede protector, the stain will most likely become permanent.
This is because the blood will dry in between the leather fibers and will become almost impossible to remove unless you use harsher solutions like hydrogen peroxide which can be used safely as long as a lot of caution is used.
If you’re looking for ways to take care of your suede and protect it, you should check out the best suede and nubuck protectors. These products will help you prevent permanent stains and will lessen the amount of harsh cleaning that you may need to do in the event of any accident that puts liquid on your suede or nubuck items.
Are dried blood stains permanent?
Blood stains can become permanent if they dry and embed themselves deep into the material. Blood stains can become permanent on natural fabrics like cotton as the blood can latch onto the fine cotton fibers and become impossible to remove.
However, if your leather is coated with wax or a synthetic layer that prevents the blood from absorbing deeply into the fibers of the leather, then you will be able to remove it without leaving any permanent stains. You will need to recondition and reapply wax or spray with a protective spray after heavy cleaning, though.
How to remove fresh blood from leather
If the blood is still fresh on the leather, this is the best time to get to cleaning it as this is your best chance of not letting the blood become permanent. Here are ways to remove fresh blood and clean it up.
Pre-cleaning advice and caution
Before you start, you should remove the blood with a paper towel or a sacrificial cloth that is very absorbent so that you can remove as much of the blood as you can from the leather before it absorbs too deeply into the leather.
Make sure to press the absorbent towel onto the blood without rubbing to prevent spreading the blood out and letting it absorb into the leather.
Also, make sure to wear gloves and avoid touching the blood with your bare hands if it is not your blood. There could be bloodborne diseases that wild animals or other humans carry and you do not want to be infected.
Removing fresh blood from leather car seats
Leather car seats are usually coated with a protective wax layer that prevents liquids from being absorbed into the leather. After you’ve removed the majority of the blood from the seat, you can use these steps to remove the rest.
Things you will need:
- Mild soap
- Distilled water
- Spray bottle (suggested, but optional)
- Soft bristle brush
- Microfiber cloth
- Leather conditioner
- Leather wax (suggested, but optional)
Steps:
- Prepare the cleaning solution. Mix 1 part of mild soap with 3 parts of water and place it inside a spray bottle for easier application.
- Spray the cleaning solution onto the car seats with fresh blood or blood stains on them.
- Gently wipe away the blood using a soft-bristled brush. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the surface to make sure all the blood or blood residue is gone.
- Use another clean soft cloth to remove the excess cleaning solution and to dry the seats.
- Apply leather conditioner and leather wax to bring back the moisture of your leather car seats.
Tips and extra information:
- Leather wax is not necessary, but in case your leather seats are prone to liquid accidents, it will help prevent those liquids from staining your seats permanently.
- If this method does not work, you can proceed below to the dried blood cleaning method as those are deeper cleaning methods.
Removing fresh blood from pure leather couches
Pure leather couches are usually also coated with protectors as it makes a lot of frictional contact with people sitting on them. However, this coating can degrade over time and if it is not regularly applied with a protector, your leather couch may be compromised and the blood could stain it permanently if not dealt with immediately.
These cleaning techniques will most likely end up removing some color from your leather couch since blood is hard to remove. You will need a recoloring balm to bring it back to its original color or even cover up permanent blood stains.
Things you will need:
- Alcohol-based leather cleaner
- Mild soap
- Leather recoloring balm of matching color
- Leather conditioner
- Leather wax or protector
- Soft sponges
- Clean cloth
- Water
Steps:
- Always make sure to blot off any excess blood that you can remove with a paper towel to avoid spreading blood to more places.
- Put some cleaner onto your sponge or cloth and not directly on the leather. You may also use the previously mentioned mild soap and water mixture.
- Proceed to clean the surface of the leather until the remaining blood stains are minimized or completely gone.
- By this point, your leather couch’s color has probably lightened especially if your couch was previously a dark brown color. Take your leather recoloring balm and prepare it in a small bowl for easy application.
- The recoloring balm will help with any faint blood stains that are left after cleaning. Follow the recoloring balm’s instructions or simply apply a little bit on the soft sponge and massage it into the leather.
- You should also apply leather conditioner or wax afterward to protect your leather couch from any future liquid accidents.
Removing fresh blood from faux leather couches
Fresh blood on faux leather items can be easily removed using dry paper towels or using a damp cloth with cold water. However, if you suspect that the fresh blood is going to cause some stains, using water and cloth might not be enough. Here’s how to effectively remove blood from faux leather couches:
Things you will need:
- 25% ammonia solution
- Dishwashing soap
- Cold water
- Soft-bristled brush
- Microfiber cloth
Steps:
- Mix 1 part of ammonia with 8-10 parts of water and add 2 parts of dishwashing soap or mild soap as well into a solution.
- Dampen the microfiber cloth using the cleaning solution and gently wipe the affected surface.
- Gently brush the surface using a brush with soft bristles only.
- Dampen another clean piece of soft cloth with water to wipe the surface of your faux leather couch.
- Repeat the procedure until there is no more blood left on the surface
- Finally, wipe the entire surface with a dry cloth to remove the excess moisture on the surface.
How to remove dried blood from leather
Compared to fresh blood, getting dried blood on leather requires a bit more work than just using a simple cleaning solution. Since dried blood will stick to the surface more stubbornly, you will need tools to gently scrape it off without scratching the surface. Here’s how to remove dried blood from leather:
Removing dried blood from leather car seats
If you have dried blood on your leather car seats, dishwashing soap and water solution are not enough. For this, you will need a stronger cleaning agent such as the TriNova Leather Cleaner or a D-I-Y hydrogen peroxide solution.
Hydrogen peroxide is a great bleaching agent and is effective at removing dried blood that is difficult to remove using only cold water. Just make sure that it is diluted properly using the measurements below so your leather car seats won’t get damaged during the process. Here’s how:
Things you will need:
- leather cleaner or 3% hydrogen peroxide
- Sponge
- Microfiber cloth
- Cold water
Steps:
- Dampen your sponge using the cleaning solution and wipe the surface where there is dried blood. Let it sit for around 30 minutes so it’ll soften the blood that has dried up on your car seats.
- After 30 minutes, blot the affected area using a microfiber cloth and very gently wipe in a circular motion.
- After all the dried blood is removed, wipe your leather car seats with a dry microfiber cloth.
- Apply leather conditioner and leather wax to prevent the leather from drying.
Tips and extra information:
- Hydrogen peroxide is quite harsh but it is very effective at cleaning blood. A 2-3% solution is mild and quite safe, but you should still test it in a discreet area for any discoloration or bleaching effects before proceeding.
Removing dried blood from pure leather couches
Using baking soda to remove dried blood is another great DIY solution if you don’t want to use harsh chemicals on your leather couch. You can never go wrong with baking soda since not only does it clean, but it also gets rid of the odor that is caused by the dried blood. Here’s how you can do it:
Things you will need:
- Cold water
- Baking soda
- Sponge
- Soft-bristled brush
- Microfiber cloths
Steps:
- Create your cleaning solution by mixing baking soda with cold water in a bowl. Make sure that the baking soda has dissolved properly.
- Dampen your sponge using the baking soda solution and blot the affected area.
- Use a soft-bristled brush to gently scrape off the dried blood on your couch and follow up with a microfiber towel to remove any residue.
- Once all the dried blood is gone, use a dry microfiber cloth to remove the excess cleaning solution.
- Apply some leather conditioner to your leather couch and let it air-dry completely.
Removing blood from suede
Removing blood from suede is a very different task from the other types of leather and deserves its own section. Blood can be incredibly difficult to remove from suede especially if it has been left there to dry up and absorb. If you have used a suede protector then the worst can be prevented. Here’s how to remove blood from suede.
Things you will need:
- Saphir Omni’nettoyant suede cleaner
- Suede cleaning brush (no brass bristles)
- Suede brush (can come with brass bristles)
- Newspaper or any scrap paper (for shoes)
- Paper towels
- Large towel (for large items)
- Water
Steps:
- Dab as much of the blood off of the surface as you can with paper towels until you can no longer absorb any.
- Pour 1 part of the suede cleaner into 2-3 parts of water into a small bowl.
- Dip the brush into the suede cleaner solution and lather it onto the suede.
- Focus more on the stained area, wiping off the suds to check on your progress.
- Even if there is no blood on other areas, you should clean all the other areas as well to even out the color in case it darkens due to the cleaner.
- After lathering and seeing that the stain is minimized or gone, rinse the suede with water.
- If the item is too large, wipe the suds off and brush the suede with just water and keep wiping off the suds until there are no more suds.
- With a towel, dab and absorb as much of the water off of the surface as you can.
- If you’re working on shoes, insert a ball of scrap paper into the shoes to absorb any moisture that may enter the inside of the shoes.
- Allow the suede to dry for 24 hours or more.
- Brush the suede with a suede brush to raise the nap and get the texture soft again.
Tips and extra information:
- If the stain still remains, then the blood stain could be permanent and you should consult a professional leather or furniture cleaning service if they can do anything about it.
- Omni’nettoyant doesn’t darken suede, so you can try doing a spot cleaning instead of doing the whole item, but it can still darken suede in some cases so your experience may be different.
Conclusion
Getting blood stains on your leather can indeed be stressful especially if you’re not sure if it will cause stains. However, as most substances that come into contact with leather materials, it can be easily removed using DIY methods or cleaning solutions that you can buy online. We hope that this article helped in figuring out how you can remove fresh blood or dried blood from your precious leather items.
FAQ
Will hydrogen peroxide bleach car seats?
While hydrogen peroxide is considered an effective way to remove stains on almost any type of surface, there is a chance that it will bleach car seats if it’s not diluted properly. We recommend using the measurements mentioned above to avoid accidental car seat damage. If diluted properly, it should be enough to remove stains and still not cause any discoloration.
Can toothpaste remove blood stains?
We don’t recommend using toothpaste on leather to remove blood stains as most toothpaste brands in the market contain hydrogen peroxide for teeth whitening. Toothpaste also contains fluorides which are abrasive for leather. Some toothpaste also comes in different colors that can discolor your leather along with sweeteners and fragrances that can make your leather item sticky.
