Taking Care of Stains on Fabric

Whether you've got a teenage girl or it's populated with busy kids in general, finding blood on the sheets is far from uncommon in a family setting. Remember, though: AVOID WARM WATER AT ALL COSTS. Warm water will set the stain into your linens and make it even tougher to remove. If you're not sure how to remove blood from sheets, try one of these methods:

You probably have all three of these things in your kitchen already. Baking soda and lemon/vinegar is a super easy, yet effective and nontoxic way to get blood stains out. Rinse the blood with cold water, then make a thick paste out of baking soda and whichever of the two you choose. Let it sit and fizz for a little while before washing in cold water.

You probably have a big brown bottle of this stuff in your bathroom's medicine cabinet. Since peroxide can have a bleaching effect it's the best idea to use it on white sheets, so proceed with caution if you decide to use it on your colored linens. Rinse the blood as best you can, then squirt some of the chemical directly onto the stain.

It will fizz, so let it do its job for a little while before rubbing the fibers together to really work it in. Rinse and repeat as needed, and once the stain has begun to fade wash the sheets in your washer as normal.

Mama always said the stuff rots your teeth, but did you also know that the acids in the fizzy drink can work wonders on bloodstains? Pour an entire can of Coke onto the stain and let it sit for an hour or two. Wash the sheets as usual and the stain should be gone, if not significantly lightened. Strange but true!

Blood is a reality no matter how old you are. Knowing how to remove it from sheets is not as difficult as you might think, just know what precautions to take in order to prevent the stain from worsening.

Toddlers and young kids generally like to wait until the last second to tell you that they need to use the bathroom, and by the time you get them there it might be too late. Happens to the best of us. If there is urine or feces somewhere other than the toilet, no worries; it's pretty easy to get your upholstery back to normal.

Pick up any solid matter and use a rag to soak up as much liquid as possible, then create a solution: One tablespoon of Dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar and two cups of warm water.

Sponge the stain with a clean white cloth. (You want to be sure it's a white cloth to prevent any dye from transferring from the cloth to your fabric.)

Repeat the process until the stain is gone. If it continues to be stubborn, use an eyedropper of hydrogen peroxide to absorb the remainder of the stain. Blot with cold water to rinse, then blot dry.

Although this removes the stain, with bathroom messes you want to disinfect the stain. You can buy cleaners at your local grocery store, but distilled white vinegar is a great natural disinfectant, as well as good old-fashioned steam cleaning. Make sure that you follow the three-step wash, rinse, sanitize process when you're dealing with bodily fluids.

Parenting is messy, but fun. Be ready to tackle common household stains in your house full of little ones.