The Stain Library

How to remove blood stains from pillow

  • DifficultyDifficult
  • OutlookOften removable
  • MaterialPillow
  • Reviewed7 September 2026

The short answer

Blot first, then use cold water and a tiny amount of compatible detergent. Work from the edge, rinse or blot the cleaner out, and keep pillow away from heat until the mark has gone. Stop after two complete treatments that make no visible difference.

If it has just happened

Put on gloves if the blood is not your own. Blot with a clean white cloth, do not rub, and keep all water cold because heat coagulates blood protein and can make the mark permanent.

Heat can set this stain permanently

Do not use hot water, a tumble dryer, an iron or a steam cleaner until the mark has gone. Heat fixes this type of stain into the fibres and makes it far harder to shift.

Test on a hidden area first

Try any cleaner on a hidden part of the material first, such as a seam, an offcut, inside a hem or under a piece of furniture. Wait for it to dry and check for colour change before treating the visible mark.

Treat other people's blood as a hazard

Wear disposable gloves, cover cuts with a waterproof dressing, avoid splashes to eyes and mouth, bag contaminated disposable cloths, and wash your hands after cleaning.

Keep every stage cold

Do not use hot water, steam, a hairdryer, an iron or a tumble dryer while any blood remains. Heat sets protein stains and can also damage the material.

What you will need

  • Disposable gloves Essential if the blood is not your own.
  • Clean white cloths Use white cloths so transferred dye cannot be mistaken for blood.
  • Cold water Cold means unheated tap water. Heat can set the protein.
  • Washing-up liquid Use a very small amount in cold water.

Helpful but not essential

  • Biological laundry detergent Only where the care label permits enzymes and water.

Fresh blood on pillow

Flush fresh blood out of pillow with cold water before detergent or laundering. Keep the item away from heat until the mark has gone.

Go carefully with cold water

Pillow tolerates cold water only within limits. Keep contact time short, work from the edge of the mark inwards and stop if the material changes.

  1. Blot loose blood

    Lift surface liquid with a dry white cloth. Do not rub, because rubbing spreads the edge and drives protein further into the fibres.

  2. Flush from the back

    If the care label permits water, hold the reverse of the pillow under a cold tap so water pushes the blood back out. For bulky or fitted items, blot with cold water instead.

  3. Use a little detergent

    Work one drop of washing-up liquid into the damp mark for thirty seconds, then rinse cold. Follow the care label for washing, and air dry until the mark is certainly gone.

  • How longTen to twenty minutes plus washing where allowed
  • RepeatingRepeat the cold flush up to three times.
  • Stop ifthe rinse runs clear, or colour, structure, filling or finish begins to change

Dried blood on pillow

Dried blood that has not been heated can usually be softened again on pillow. Use cold water, patience and the care label.

Go carefully with cold water

Pillow tolerates cold water only within limits. Keep contact time short, work from the edge of the mark inwards and stop if the material changes.

  1. Rehydrate in cold water

    Hold a cold damp cloth on the mark for ten minutes without wetting filling, backing, trim or seams.

  2. Apply biological detergent

    Work a small amount of biological laundry detergent into the softened mark and leave it for fifteen to thirty minutes. The protease helps break down dried protein.

  3. Rinse cold and dry without heat

    Rinse or blot out the detergent with cold water, reshape if needed and let the item air dry flat or in the position its care instructions require.

  • How longThirty minutes to four hours plus washing where allowed
  • RepeatingOne repeat soak or dwell is reasonable. Stop after two with no change.
  • Stop iftwo consecutive treatments leave the dry mark unchanged, or the material loses colour or shape

Old or set in blood on pillow

Once blood has been washed warm, tumble dried or ironed on pillow, some protein may be permanent. Aim for reduction without sacrificing the material.

Go carefully with cold water

Pillow tolerates cold water only within limits. Keep contact time short, work from the edge of the mark inwards and stop if the material changes.

  1. Use the dried route once

    Carry out the dried method and let the item dry completely. Wet fabric can hide both a remaining shadow and colour loss.

  2. Do not escalate the chemistry

    Do not move from mild detergent to chlorine bleach, solvent or heat. On pillow, the damage can be more visible than a faint brown shadow.

  3. Stop or use a professional

    If the dry mark is unchanged after the final pass, stop. Use a cleaner experienced with pillow if the item is valuable, structured, lined, coated, filled or labelled dry clean only.

  • How longOne long treatment, then a full dry before reassessment
  • RepeatingRepeat once only if the dry mark is clearly lighter.
  • Stop ifthe second full treatment makes no difference, or colour, coating, filling, trim or structure changes

What not to use on pillow

  • Hot water, steam, ironing and tumble drying

    Heat coagulates blood protein and can turn a removable mark into a permanent one.

  • Hard rubbing or abrasive pads

    Rubbing spreads blood and can change the pile, fibre, coating, gloss or texture of pillow.

  • Chlorine bleach as a first response

    It can strip colour, weaken fibres, damage finishes and react dangerously with acids. Cold physical removal comes first.

White compared with coloured pillow

Test every wet cleaner on a hidden part of pillow and let the test dry before treating the visible mark. A lighter patch after cleaning is dye or finish loss, not blood that needs a stronger cleaner.

Products that genuinely help here

Try the household route above first. These are worth buying only when it is not enough.

  • Escalation

    Dr. Beckmann Stain Devil for blood, milk and protein, 50 ml

    For dried blood after the cold household route stalls

    This targeted protein stain remover adds oxygen-based stain treatment in a controlled small format when cold water and mild detergent have stopped improving pillow. It is not the first step, and a hidden colour test is still required.

    Worth knowing. Follow the label, pre-test colour and keep it away from heat-sensitive or non-washable materials.

    Check current price Checked 7 September 2026

    View at Amazon UK Paid link

If the mark is still there

Let pillow dry fully before judging the result. If the outline is clearly lighter, repeat the same compatible method once. If two complete treatments make no visible difference, stop. More moisture, stronger chemistry and harder rubbing increase damage without proving that more blood will come out.

A mark that has been heated may leave a permanent tan or brown shadow. On valuable, fitted, structured, coated or dry-clean-only material, accept that limit or use a specialist rather than cycling through household remedies.

When to stop and call someone

Stop and seek professional help if pillow is valuable, antique, dry clean only, colour transfers in the hidden test, moisture reaches backing or filling, or two complete cold treatments make no visible difference. Also stop for a blood spill larger than a palm or one involving a sharps injury or other infection risk.

Why blood behaves this way on pillow

Blood is a water-based protein stain. Cold water dilutes fresh blood before the proteins bond tightly to a material. Heat changes those proteins and can lock the coloured residue into fibres, pores and textured finishes.

The safest method therefore starts with physical removal, controlled cold moisture where the material permits it, and the mildest compatible surfactant. The construction of pillow determines whether it can be flushed, blotted, briefly soaked or not wetted at all.

Common questions

Why does the method use cold water?

Blood contains proteins that coagulate with heat. Cold water removes free blood without creating that extra bond.

How many times should I repeat the treatment?

Repeat a complete compatible treatment once after the material dries. If the second dry result is unchanged, stop and get specialist advice.

Can I use hydrogen peroxide on pillow?

Not as a default. It can bleach colour or alter a finish, and this material has a safer first route.

Sources

What we checked and when. Where a manufacturer instruction disagrees with anything here, follow the manufacturer.

  1. Persil UK, how to remove blood stains from clothes manufacturer

    Manufacturer instruction to use cold water only because hot water sets the proteins, to soak in cold salted water at one or two tablespoons of salt per litre for several hours, and not to wash hot until the mark has gone.

    Checked 7 September 2026

  2. Ariel UK, how to get blood out of clothes manufacturer

    Manufacturer method of rinsing under cold running water first, covering the mark with liquid detergent and leaving it on before washing at the care label temperature.

    Checked 7 September 2026

  3. Enzymes in laundry detergents, University of Maryland publication

    Explains that proteases hydrolyse the peptide bonds holding a protein together, which is the mechanism a biological detergent uses on a blood mark that plain detergent will not shift.

    Checked 7 September 2026

  4. Standard infection control precautions, NHS Scotland national manual authority

    Establishes that gloves and an apron are worn where contact with blood is anticipated, and that cuts and grazes are covered with a waterproof dressing before the work starts.

    Checked 7 September 2026

  5. Samsung bedding care guidance manufacturer

    Manufacturer guidance to follow the item label, use mild detergent for compatible bulky bedding, avoid bleach, and recognise that some pillows and filled pieces need professional cleaning.

    Checked 2 September 2026

  6. Ferm Living textile care guide manufacturer

    Manufacturer care guide covering washable cotton and linen household textiles, dry-clean-only corduroy, wool cycles and dry cleaning or vacuuming for fabric lampshades.

    Checked 2 September 2026