[OMama]

What is the best thing for getting blood/birthing fluid out of sheets and towels? The sheets I plan on using are a medium-blue color and the towels are white. We are going to use stuff that can be thrown away if need be (old towels and cheap sheets), but if they can be cleaned then that would be less wasteful in my mind. Any suggestions?

 

[alegna]

Hydrogen peroxide on the blood then wash in cold. Everything came out that we got to with the hydrogen peroxide.

-Angela

 

[beautyful]

My mw told us just to rinse everything in cold water until it the stains were gone. We didn't get to the laundry until the next morning, and everything still came out fine.

 

[the_lissa]

My midwife suggested letting everything soak in cold water with hydrogen peroxide and salt for an hour before washinga nd everything came clean.

 

[BirthFree]

I've cleaned out 2 cars where people had their babies IN them... and I just poured hydrogen peroxide on it, blotted with clean towels/rags. It's amazing stuff. For laundry you can just pour the entire bottle into your wash and wash... that'll work just as good as soaking or anything else.

 

[mamaleahnz]

we just threw everything in the washing machine, cold wash, as normal. If you are worried simply soaking in cold water gets blood out EASY AS! I hope you have a good birth!

 

[Arwyn]

Yup yup, hydrogen peroxide and cold water! (Heat bakes the blood, turns it into a permanent stain.)

 

[LizaBear]

We did a cold rinse, then a hot wash with OxyClean in it.

One towel stained, but that was it.

 

[sapphire_chan]

Caveat. Check the stuff *before* you put them in the dryer. Most blood will come out in a regular cold/cold wash, but better safe than sorry. If there's just a bit left on something very light colored, just hanging in the sun'll probably take care of it.

 

[MotheringHeart]

OXY CLEAN!!!!! I had a full bladder when they left us to bond with the baby so my uterus wasn't contracting fully and I bled ALL OVER the sheets. My midwife's assistant stuck the sheets in the wash with some oxy clean and all it took was one load and it all came out.

(would also like to add that I have always washed bloody sheets in warm/hot water with oxyclean or peroxide and have never had a problem. I should probably stop tempting fate though, eh?!

 

[USAmma]

At the homebirth I attended a few mos ago, we poured hydrogen peroxide on the carpet spots and a whole bottle of it on the mattress pad. Then I started a wash with like 4 scoops of oxyclean and cold water. A few days later I came over and helped her fold laundry and the mattress pad was white again! So stock up on the hydrogen peroxide. Get a few big bottles of it.

 

[Kellym]

I was fortunate in that I didn't have a single spot of blood on anything, except for the towels the baby were wrapped in immediately after birth. That all came out just by washing in cold water. I also used ALL white sheets so that I could bleech them if needed.

 

[4 in 2005]

I second cold water. I haven't had a homebirth yet. My son however split open his head. We thought for SURE he ruined his favorite shirt. It was covered in blood and by the time we got out of the ER it was late and we were tired. By the time I went to wash it, the next day it was well dried. I soaked it in just cold water for a while, and then threw it in a cold wash.

I thought for sure it was ruinied but had to try. All the blood came out fine. I was told though that if the blood was still there after washing to repeat the cycle instead of drying. Heat sets the stain.

 

[lolar2]

If you can't get the blood out after all these laundry tips, just save the sheets and towels to use while you're menstruating, in case of leaks.

 

[majikfaerie]

soaking everything in COLD water asap is your best bet.