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How to Clean Up Blood Spills on Floors

 

Blood has protein in it, which can cause it to stain. Blood can also be a big carrier of disease so unless you are certain of where the blood has come from treat it like you would an infectious substance. Be sure to wear disposable gloves and dispose of any absorbent materials in a plastic bag of their own. If there is a lot of blood then consider wearing a mask, gloves and protective clothing.

This might seem like a lot of precautions to take but blood is a carrier of many bacteria and diseases and it is also a nurturing base for the growth of all kinds of molds. The good news is that cleaning up blood over hard surfaces like tile, vinyl, hardwood, cement or metal floors is easier than cleaning it up off of a fabric surface.

 

To clean up a spill on a hard surface soak up as much of the blood as possible with paper towels or another absorbent material.  Then pour a bleach solution of one part bleach to nine parts water over the contaminated area.  Leave this solution on the blood stain for twenty minutes and then allow floors to dry naturally.

 

If there is a great deal of blood to clean up then you might have to use some kind of absorbent material to soak it up.  In a pinch kitty litter can work to help soak up any excess liquid. If there is a lot of blood you should also take some kind of measure to block off or contain the contaminated area so that it cannot come in contact with pets or people.

 

After you are done cleaning up the blood be sure to disinfect all of the martials that you used to clean up the mess. This is especially important if you think the blood you were cleaning up was infected in any way.  Disinfect any mops, brushes and rags that you intend to use again by saturating each with bleach solution and then allowing them to dry in the air.  Any gloves worn should be thrown out with all other soiled cleaning materials.

 

When discarding blood make sure it is in double garbage bags and then throw it out. Afterwards be very sure to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water. Ideally if the blood spill was huge it is a good idea to take a shower.

More Home Remedies That Might Help With Pet Stains

Although it is not an anti-bacterial remedy many people claim that club soda is a good remedy for getting read of pet urine. Club soda helps remove any substance with protein in it, such as blood or urine, from a surface. It can help the area smell a bit more fresh but it does not remove the smell and it is not anti-bacterial.

 

The Club soda solution is to simply pour the club soda over the stains and sop u with paper towels and let air dry. If you are impatient you can also use a dry-blower to hasten the process along. The danger here is that you might be spreading the bacteria or encouraging mold-growth in the underpadding of the carpet.

 

You also might want to try the color safe bleach remedy. Find the pet stains and pour color safe bleach on the problem then place a heavy object such as a towel held in place with a telephone book over the problem. Repeat this process until the stain is gone.  This is an inexpensive solution but it may bleach out certain types of fabric.  It is recommended that you do a test patch with the color safe bleach to make sure that it does not affect the color of the fibers of the carpet.  Color safe bleach is not always as color safe as it sounds.

 

Another common remedy is to use hydrogen peroxide.  You mix one part hydrogen peroxide with one part baking soda and one part water. This might be effective on carpets or upholstery.  The best hydrogen peroxide to use is 20% strength.  This might work but it also may bleach fabrics and floors. After all, hydrogen peroxide is used to bleach hair.

 

Mouthwash is another home-grown fix for pet urine stains. After soaking up any urine with paper towels you then pour mouthwash on the stain and scrub vigorously.  This is said to work because mouthwash is anti-bacterial.  There may be a danger that you could end up with an odor that is described as minty ammonia.  It is best to use this on tiles or ceramics although pet owners have reported good results on fabric and carpets.

 

Another unorthodox remedy is shaving cream. Blot up any excess urine with a paper towel and then spray shaving cream on the spot. Wait for the shaving cream to dissolve and dry up (usually takes about twelve hours) and then vacuum it up.  Shaving cream is thought to be especially effective when it comes to getting cat odor out of upholstery and carpet.