Blood is one of the hardest stains to get out of clothing. Because of its deep red color and its relative thickness, a blood stain is harder to get out than most simple food stains. Blood will ruin a white t-shirt, even if the blood stain is small. For that reason, saving the t-shirt means getting rid of the stain.
To get rid of a stain quickly and without damaging the t-shirt, the blood stain has to be treated immediately. Once blood has touched the t-shirt, every second counts if you want the blood to come out completely. If it’s at all possible, take the t-shirt off immediately. If you can’t take the t-shirt off, you can hold the stained portion away from the rest of the t-shirt so that the stain will not spread.
Run cold water through the shirt at the point of the blood stain. This is far easier if the t-shirt has been removed. If it hasn’t, hold the stained area under the tap as best you can. Continue running the water through the fabric for a minute or two. If the blood has been on the fabric for a few minutes, you will have to run the cold water through the fabric for several minutes. Rub the fabric together under the running water to help the blood dissipate if it seems to be lingering on the shirt.
If the stain is fresh, this should get most if not all of the blood out of a white t-shirt. If there is still a light residue left over, fill a sink or a tub full of cold water and let the t-shirt soak in the water for at least an hour. Then, drain the water and run the t-shirt through fresh, cold water for another minute. This should loosen the remaining blood from the shirt.
If the stain is older, it can still be removed from the t-shirt, though it may take more time. If the blood is dried or the t-shirt has already been washed, the stain will not respond well to cold water. The blood stain will probably need to be bleached out of the fabric. This must be done very carefully, however, because bleach will drain the color out of any clothes it comes into contact with- including what you’re wearing. It can also damage clothing and cause holes in the fabric if too much of it is used.
Pour a small amount of bleach into the cap from the bleach bottle. Then, dip a cotton swab into the bleach and apply it to the blood stain. If the stain is very large, place the t-shirt flat on a hard surface and pour the bleach from the cap onto the stain. Let the bleach sit for at least 10 minutes to break up the color. When this is finished, put the t-shirt directly into the washer by itself or with other white items and wash the bleach from the fabric. This will result in the least damage to the shirt.