The quest to remove a dried blood stain from the knee of my jeans. Table of Contents: Recently, while I was out and about running errands, I didn’t realize that a wound on my knee had opened back up and got blood on my jeans. At first, it wasn’t very noticeable given I was wearing black jeans and it was dark out, but by the time I got home the blood had long since dried and set, and was very noticeable the next day in the daylight. Unfortunately, blood is more difficult to remove from fabric once it’s dried, and can be challenging, if not impossible to get out. But I really like these jeans and wanted to give cleaning them my best shot. So I took to the internet, pouring over website after website to learn the best way to remove dried blood from clothes. The same methods kept coming up, but I couldn’t find any photos of real clothing with successfully removed dried blood. They all used stock photos. Had anyone actually tried these methods, or just repeated what they had heard should work? That’s when I decided to bring you along on this journey to find a way to remove dried blood from clothing. The Quest: To Get Dried Blood Out of Clothes My jeans with the blood stain on the knee area. The Goal: The Challenges: The Advantage: The Fabric: Here’s everything I did to successfully get the blood stain out of my jeans. The Experiment: Testing 3 Popular Methods to Get Dried Blood Out of Clothes These are the methods I found repeatedly mentioned online, and the results for how they worked on the dried blood stain on my clothes. These methods were mentioned so, so many times that I’m not able to attribute them to any one source; I suspect these techniques have been passed down for a long time and are widely known. Method 1: Laundry Detergent It made sense to start with laundry detergent to try to get dried blood out of clothes before moving on to more unconventional methods. I began by flipping my jeans inside out to the source location of the stain, rinsing the dried blood stain in cold water, and gently scraping the fabric with my fingernail to loosen anything that might come off. Then, I applied laundry detergent directly to the stain, rubbing in a circular motion, and let it sit for five hours. After that, I washed the jeans on their own in cold water and air-dried them. Before and After Directions: If you want to try using laundry detergent to remove a dried blood stain, follow these steps: My Results: The blood stain lessened a lot, more than I expected, but was still visible. It became more concentrated in the center, I’m assuming from me scraping it and rubbing the detergent in a circle. While improved, the stain is still visible so I’ll try another method. Method 2: Hydrogen Peroxide This was the most frequently recommended method that I found for removing dried blood (and especially for fresh blood stains) so I grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. However, I came across a few warnings online that it can bleach darker fabrics, so I decided to spot-test it on the inside waistband first. Luckily, there was no discoloration, so I felt comfortable using it on the stained area on the knee of my jeans. Before and After Directions: Since hydrogen peroxide can bleach darker fabrics, it’s important to test it first before applying it to a visible stain. Here’s how to safely use this method: Note: Fabrics that are more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide include delicate materials like silk and wool. These fabrics can be damaged or discolored by hydrogen peroxide, so it’s best to avoid using it on them or to test carefully in a hidden area first. On sturdier fabrics like cotton or denim, hydrogen peroxide is generally safe when used correctly. If something says dry clean only, it’s best to take it to the dry cleaners. My Results: The blood stain lightened even more from using this method, but was still a bit visible. I’ll try another method to see if it can look even better. Method 3: Dish Soap and Baking Soda Paste  Another frequently mentioned method for removing dried blood from fabric is to make a paste with dish soap and baking soda. I decided to spot-test this combination since I wasn’t sure how the black fabric of my jeans would react to it. After spot-testing it for a few hours with no discoloration, I applied the mixture to the blood stain and let it sit for a few hours, then washed it. Before and After Directions: This method combines dish soap and baking soda to break down the stain without harsh chemicals. Follow these steps to try this method: My Results: The stain was removed even more, to where I either can’t see it, or can see it only slightly since I know where to look. I don’t think anyone else would notice a stain on these jeans anymore. Related: 10 Items You Can Easily Declutter From Your Kitchen Right Now  The Results: Key Takeaways Removing dried blood stains takes some trial and error since different fabrics and stain ages respond to different treatments. After testing multiple methods, I’ve learned a combination of treatments that works and which tricks can help make the process easier. Was testing multiple methods worth it? Trying different methods to get dried blood out of clothes was definitely eye-opening. Some methods worked better than I expected. It was worth experimenting to see how well each method actually worked and how they all contributed to the removal of the stain, instead of stopping after trying only one method. It takes trial and error with stains. Every stain is different, and so is every fabric, which means there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What works perfectly on one material might not do much for another. 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