How to Remove Period Stains From Sheets

Period leaks can happen day or night. And while there’s no such thing as a ‘good’ period stain, arguably, stains on your bedsheets are full-on annoying (especially if you have splurged on crisp white linen or cotton bedding.) After all, bedding is bulky, and stripping the bed and managing stains can be messy. 

But there’s good news: Bedding - especially if it’s white - is easy to clean and you have a good chance of removing those period stains from your sheets or bedding if you follow these steps.

7 Steps for Removing Blood Stains From Sheets

1. Act as Fast as You Can (Dried Blood Stains Are Harder to Treat)

Dried blood stains tend to set and are, therefore, harder to budge. So, the sooner you act the more successful you'll be at getting blood out of sheets. 

Now, we’re realists. We know that if you wake in the middle of the night and you’ve soaked through your pajamas and bedding, you may be too groggy from sleep to jump into Mary Poppins-like cleaning action. We’ve all been there: You’ll probably change your bottoms and crawl back into bed (I’ve done the thing where I just sleep on the other side.)

However, if at all possible, do pull that bedding off and get it into some water. Ideally, you’d follow the next steps. But again, we’re realists: Leaving the fresh blood stain soaking in water in the bathtub is much better than nothing. 

2. Rinse the Stained Area Under Cold Running Water

Before you follow any steps to soak or treat the stain, remove as much of the excess blood as you can with simple cold running water. You can add a little gentle agitation here (no violent scrubbing, just gently rub the fabric together or use a clean, soft toothbrush to loosen the stain.)

Keep doing this until the water runs clear. Hopefully, you’re surprised by how much blood comes loose and washes away with the simple pressure of running water. Odds are there will be some stain remaining. If so, keep going through the following steps to remove blood stains

3. Soak the Remaining Blood Stain in Cold Water

Bed linens, duvet covers and bed sheets can be quite large. But you don’t need to soak the entire item—you can just focus on the stained area. The goal here is to get the stain thoroughly wet. Fill a basin or sink with cold water and get the affected part of the blood-stained sheets in there for a good soak. We recommend leaving it for a while. (Time works wonders on stains.)

A note about warm or hot water: You might be tempted to think hot water has more clout when it comes to blood stain removal. The opposite is true. Heat can cause a stain to ‘set’ rather than loosen it. (For the same reason, we don’t want to put a stained garment anywhere near a dryer until the stain is removed.)

4. Stain Removal Products to Help Get Blood Out of Sheets

Okay, it’s time to get some cleaning products to help get blood out of sheets. If you’ve got a go-to stain removal product, go for that. If all you’ve got is liquid laundry detergent, that will do. You can even use dish soap (or salt and dish soap) in a pinch.

A gentle toothbrush is your other best friend to help remove blood stains. It allows you to spot-treat blood stains and add some gentle abrasion where it’s needed. Put some liquid laundry detergent or stain remover in a small saucer or bowl and dip the toothbrush into it. Gently scrub the blood stains with the toothbrush. Rinse regularly under cold water and, hopefully, you will see the stain lifting fully out.

Some stain removal products work in dissolved water (e.g. oxygenated stain removal products), so if that’s the case, follow those instructions to get blood out of clothes or other items.

There are lots of stain removal products and hacks involving household products. Here are some of the more popular ones you might consider for removing blood stains:

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a common antiseptic, so you might find you have some in your medicine cabinet. But you may not know that hydrogen peroxide is also very effective for stain removal. To use, simply pour hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain.

It’s worth noting that hydrogen peroxide is bleach so should only be used on light-colored bed linens. Avoid using hydrogen peroxide on any dark color fabrics.

Oxygenated Stain Removal Products

Oxygenated stain removal products work by using oxygen to break down and lift stains from fabric fibers. These products typically contain hydrogen peroxide or a similar oxygen-based bleaching agent. Oxi-Clean is a popular brand in this category (many products in this category will have some variety of ‘oxi/oxy’ in their name.)

Enzyme Stain Removers

Enzymes are natural proteins that break down specific types of stains, such as protein-based stains like blood stains or grass stains. Popular brands like Tide use enzymes and other ingredients (including surfactants and polymers) to remove blood stains from clothing. This is why these products can be used on a wide variety of stain types, from oils to blood, grass, and food.

Lemon Juice 

For those who prefer a more natural approach, lemon juice can also be great at removing stains, and by cutting the lemon in half, you also have an easy application tool. But citric acid (the thing that makes lemons so great for removing stains) is an acid and can be harsh on colors. You may find it has the same effect as bleach on darker colors.

White Vinegar

White vinegar is similarly a good household product for so many chores, including treating set-in blood stains. As it’s an acid, you might want to test colorfastness on darker or patterned bedding.

Baking Soda

You can make a paste from cold water and baking soda (yes, the kind you put in your fridge or freezer to deodorize it). Apply the baking soda paste to the stained area and work it gently in with a toothbrush. Rinse and repeat until the stain is gone.

Aspirin

Follow the same method as with the baking soda: Just crush a few aspirins and mix with water to form a paste. Apply it to the stain and you should see it start to budge. 

5. Give Stain Removal Products Time to Work on Stained Sheets

Let the stain remover or detergent sit on the stain for a bit, or leave your bed linens to soak in cold water with the stain remover or detergent. It’s important to not let stubborn stains start to dry. But you can step away for a while and let the detergent or stain remover work its magic. 

When you come back, give the stain a gentle rub and that should get any residual blood out. of clothes. Give the sheet a good rinse with water. If the stain is still not fully gone, repeat Step 4 until it’s fully gone.

6. Machine Wash Your Bedding as Usual

Once the stain is gone, wash your bedding to make sure there aren’t any residual blood stains or stain removal products. Follow the usual washing instructions. When the bed linens come out of the washing machine, double-check the stained area to make sure no trace of blood remains. If there is still staining, go back to steps 4 & 5 again. 

DO NOT put the items in a dryer if there is still staining. This will just lock the stain in making it so much harder to address later. We know you’re tired, but resist the temptation to give up—you’ve already come so far!

7. Air Dry or Machine Dry Your Bedding

It’s ideal to hang your sheets on a line to let them air dry. Air drying prolongs the life span of bedding and also gives you that perfect, fresh air smell. It also helps keep your bedding smooth so you don’t have to iron your sheets (haha not likely)

However, many of us don’t have an outdoor space for this and we are realists! If you do machine dry your bedding, try to do it at a cooler temperature. Ideally, you pull out the bedding before it’s completely dry and let it finish drying by air. But let’s be honest: This doesn’t always happen.

Avoid Night (and Daytime) Leaks with Leakproof Underwear

For many of us, leaks are part and parcel of the period experience. Ruined underwear, soiled sheets, and even your favorite jeans can be ruined by the experience. Many of us live in fear of it happening in public. But, did you know there’s a better way?

Period Underwear is the perfect protection during your period, either as full protection or as a backup to disposable products, like tampons. Knix period underwear come in your favorite underwear styles. They are absorbent and  quick-drying. Buh-bye panty-liners and unnecessary waste. 

Best Period Panties for Sleeping: The Leakproof Dream Short

The Dream Short is a super-comfy sleep bottom with built-in coverage featuring patented leakproof technology.

How it fits: 

The Dream Short is designed to comfortably hug your body and stay in place overnight, you can wear it as a pajama bottom or underneath your regular sleep get-up.

What reviewers say:

“One heavy night per month... I never slept well because I was worried about leaking through to the sheets and I slept on a towel that night. These dream shorts are awesome and alleviated all of my concerns. I slept GREAT and these shorts did their job!”

“I bought two pairs of the dream shorts to wear at night while on my period. It was SO nice going to bed not worrying about what position I was laying in or if I would wake up to a leak on the sheets! I’ve worn them now through two periods and I couldn’t be happier that I finally decided to try them.”

Size options:

XS to XXXXL, and everything in between.

Why Do Period Leaks *Always* Happen at Night Anyway?

If you have a heavy menstrual flow, leaks can happen at any time (day or night.) But perhaps they’re more common in the nighttime. This can be for several reasons:

• Heavy menstrual flow: Period flow that exceeds the absorbency level of your product
• Incorrect use of menstrual products: A tampon wrongly inserted or a pad that is applied to the wrong part of your underwear.
• Choosing the wrong menstrual product: For example, not enough absorbency or just not a great fit for your body. Menstrual cups come in different shapes and it may take some experimentation to find the one that’s right for your unique shape.
• Changes in your menstrual cycle: Irregular periods or a change in flow can catch you off guard)
• Movement or sleeping position: Depending on the product you choose, menstrual products may move around if you’re a restless sleeper. Certain sleeping positions may cause pressure on your menstrual product, or it may shift or leak during the night.

What if Period Blood Stains Soak Through to Your Duvet or Mattress?

If your period blood has stained through to your duvet or mattress, you have a bigger challenge on your hands and it’s worth seeking expert advice from an upholstery cleaner or dry cleaner.

As with the above advice, you can take some steps to ‘spot treat’ the stain at home. However, instead of completely soaking the stain you want to take the approach of blotting away as much of the blood as possible. Too much moisture will make a mess and spread the stain. So work in small areas and patiently blot the stain with kitchen towels or a clean cloth. 

Your mattress will need to be completely dry before you can dress the bed, so many people just let the remaining stain dry and suck up having the stain there permanently.

In the case of a duvet, you can try to spot-treat the duvet following the instructions above. However, many duvets come with dry clean-only instructions, so you might want to seek advice from your dry cleaner about how to approach the stain.

We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition. We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.