It is essential to find out how to remove blood from shoes because you might accidentally get some on your Vessi shoes. You could accidentally step on a nail or any sharp object, or your pet or child could find themselves bleeding and use your or their shoe to apply pressure on the wound. Finally, what you do not want after dressing the wound is having to worry of how best to get rid of blood stains from shoes.

While blood stained fabrics are unpleasant to the eye, they are easy to remove non permanently if you are well informed. Thus, it is necessary to consider the stages and methods that will really help avoid damage to the shoes while removing blood stains.

How to Remove Blood from Shoes in 4 Easy Steps

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Here are the procedures and methods to use every time you want to learn how to get blood out of your shoes. This goes for every sneaker you could own – your Everyday Classic Sneaker in pearl white included. By doing what we are suggesting, you can get your shoes back to its white color, with no one being the wiser. 

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Act fast 

The best advice one can be given when it comes to working on the blood stains on shoes is to work with the process at the earliest. If the blood dries the longer it will take for you to get all the blood out of the shoes.

Hence the instance you realize that your shoe has been stained with blood you can easily use a clean cloth and try to wipe out as much blood as possible. It is as well essential to avoid rubbing on the blood stain as this will only make it worse by staining even more.

Further, rubbing on the blood stain in fact works the stain further into the material, and this is why it cannot be washed off easily. So for that reason alone, try and avoid this at all times even though it might be tempting to do. In one minute, we’ll demonstrate how to remove difficult blood stains so that you don’t have to panic in the case of not getting all the blood out at first.

Step 2: Rinse with cold water

Once you have blotted the stain to remove as much blood as possible the next step is to neutralise the blood stain by rinsing with cold water. The other options include washing the shoe under running water or washing it with cold water, using a cloth and wiping off the blood.

When worried about bloodstains, in the case of leather shoes for instance, the best you can do is wipe with a wet rag and remove all you can. This is so because you do not soak your leather shoes in water as this will damage them.

But if you can soak your shoes in water there is nothing wrong in doing so and then just use a piece of cloth to remove the stain. Please don’t forget that everyone’s frayed and touched therefore let’s be very gentle with one another.

Kindly note we’re using cold water instead of hot water because the latter causes the blood to coagulate, making it harder to remove. 

Step 3: Use a cleaning agent 

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If it does not wash out with cold water, or if you wish to be quite certain that all the blood is gone, a cleaning agent is necessary.

Choice of cleaning agent depends on the one available and most preferred for the cleaning process. In this guide, you will learn about using hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap. It is our wish to provide you with several alternatives in case you do not have one cleaning agent available you can always use another.

Let's dive in.

a) Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide is amazing at breaking down the proteins in the blood and this gets rid of the stain. Still while it is our go to option whenever cold water cannot be used on the shoes we strongly advise against using it on delicate shoe materials.

Please refer to the care functions of your shoes to consult whether you are allowed to use strong bleaches in washing the shoes. If not, the following other cleaning agents should preferably be used: If you can spare your shoe for hydrogen peroxide application here is how to go about it.

Here are the simple steps to follow:

1. Mix equal parts cold water and 3% hydrogen peroxide in a clean bowl.

2. With a clean cloth, apply the solution to your shoe.

3. Leave the solution to sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse it off with clean cold water.

4. Once all the blood is out, take another clean but dry cloth to dry the area.

5. Feel free to repeat this process as much as you’d like until you’re sure the blood is fully gone. 

b) Baking soda

Hydrogen peroxide on the other hand is not used as frequently in the household, and you might not find it at your home unlike baking soda. Other things apart from usage in the production of cakes, biscuits, and other related edibles, baking soda is a good abrasive cleaner that will be very useful when handling blood stains.

Here are the steps when using baking soda to get rid of blood stains:

1. Get a tablespoon of baking soda and mix it with a few drops of clean cold water to make a smooth paste.

2. Once you're satisfied with how the paste looks, apply a generous amount to the blood-stained area of your shoe.

3. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes to allow it to work its magic.

4. Rinse off the mixture with some clean cold water.

5. If you're sure that you've gotten all the blood out, proceed to pat the area dry using a clean cloth.

c) White vinegar

Another everyday product that is useful when you have to face such a problem is vinegar. It is not as potent as hydrogen peroxide, still, it functions in nearly the same manner.

Here are the steps to follow if you choose to use vinegar to remove blood stains:

1. Mix equal parts cold water and vinegar in a clean bowl.

2. Take a clean cloth and use it to dab the solution on the part of your shoe with the blood.

3. Let the solution sit for a few minutes. This can be between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on your preference.

4. Rinse the solution off using cold water.

5. Blot the spot dry with a clean cloth and repeat the process if need be. 

d) Dishwashing soap

If you do your dishes yourself, you know effective dish soap is at removing tough grease and oils from your dirty dishes. It’s also great at dealing with blood stains.

Here are the steps to follow when using dishwashing soap to remove blood stains:

1. Mix a small amount of dish soap with clean and cold water.

2. Apply the solution to the spot on the shoe with the blood stain.

3. Leave it for a few minutes to let the dish soap do its job.

4. Rinse it off with some more cold water.

5. Dry the shoe area with a clean cloth and confirm you’ve gotten all the blood out.

6. Repeat the process until you’re satisfied your shoe is back to normal. 

An Alternative Solution to Removing Blood from Shoes: Getting Professional Help 

When you have blood Stains on your shoes, opting for the services of a professional cleaner is a very viable choice if you can’t do the cleaning yourself or if do not want to. For instance, you can decide to drop your shoes for cleaning when you have other issues to handle at work or you have a young one to attend to.

The good thing about professionals is they will use advanced tools and cleaning agents to remove the stain innocuously. You can also take an additional step of taking those shoes to an expert cleaner in case you are not capable of ruining them. As with any good adage, it is always better to be safe than sorry, particularly when it comes to our favorite shoes!

To Sum Up

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We hope you now have a good idea of how to get blood out of shoes.

The first thing is to act quickly in a view to avoid the stain from setting in. We know you are able to still remove dried blood stains from your shoes. But it is more effective if the stain is treated immediately and before they set in making the process easier.

The next thing can be done if it is not possible to wash the shoes with cold water to rinse blood is to use cleaning agents. These are hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, white vinegar or dish washing soap. In the following we have described the procedures on how to use the agents mentioned above.

Do not wash your blood-stained shoes with hot or warm water because this can cause the blood stains to set and become very difficult to wash off.

Frequently Asked Questions About Removing Blood Stains from Shoes

1. Can I use hot water to remove blood stains from my shoes? 

No. Remember that you should not use hot water if removing blood stain in shoes because it sets in the stain and becomes stubborn to eliminate.

Hot water coagulates the protein in the blood and they stick closer to the shoe material than cold water do. So, it is again recommended to always rinse the stained area with cold water. This refers to the time when you are combining your cleaning agents and the time when you are washing the wearing agent off.

2. Can I use a soft toothbrush to remove blood stains? 

Yes it is possible to use a clean toothbrush for instance for cleaning the shoes. Carrying out minor washing with a hope of removing stain from your shoes helps a little bit and you get rid of the remaining part of the blood.

But make sure you use soft bristles on the toothbrush to avoid damaging the fabric of the shoe.

3. Does bleach remove blood stains from my shoes?

No. It is suggested not to bring out your best bleach to clean the blood stains off your shoes since this makes the stain worst by setting bigger.

If you need an item that works as effectively as bleach consider using hydrogen peroxide. This highly effective bleach will do the work without worsening the situation any further on your shoes. In case you do not have this cleaning agent with you, you can use other ones such as white vinegar, baking soda and dish washing soap.

4. Does a washing machine remove blood stains from shoes? 

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No. Do not use washing machine when treating the blood stains on your shoe because it will deepen the stain even more. However, to remove the blood you should follow the steps that are mentioned above. After you’re done ridding the shoes of blood, you can then proceed to washing the shoes with the machine.

However, make sure the shoes which you want to wash are washable through machine then only you can wash them. Sometimes the fabric of the shoe will inform you on whether you should have the shoes washed in a washing machine. For example, basketball shoes and trainers that are made from canvas material are safe for this. On the other hand, there are some things that you shouldn’t put in the washing machine even if your life depended on it, leather shoes inclusive.

If ever you are in doubt on whether or not your shoes are safe to be washed by machine, it’s best to double check the care instructions first. Once you get the green light, don’t forget to read our separate guide to washing sneakers in a washing machine.