Carpet cleaning can often be a challenging task, particularly in the face of accidents where large quantities of substances are spilt across the fabric surface. In the case of this cleaning job in Chiswick, W4, our team were called out to remove blood stains from the carpet of an older gentleman over the Bank Holiday weekend – requiring a specialist and specific approach to the cleaning task itself and a concerted effort to get to the property as quickly as possible on closed streets.
The incident occurred over the Bank Holiday weekend of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022, which instantly made access difficult for our team due to the closed streets and diversions throughout the city.
With blood known for staining fabrics such as carpets quickly, it was important for us to attend the site as quickly as possible to minimise the lasting damage and to ensure that the blood spilt as a result of the accident was cleared before the individual returned home from the hospital. Overall, we were able to get on-site and commence the cleaning within 20 hours of the accident occurring, which meant the blood was still fresh and therefore was easier to remove when we combined our skills and experience with specialist and professional carpet cleaning equipment.
Here’s how we did it.
The Service
In order to remove the stains from the carpet as quickly as possible, two members of the team attended the site where they stayed for two hours – removing all traces of the accident before the gentleman was brought home. This involved cleaning two different rooms.
As is always the case with a thorough carpet cleaning job, the team first moved all the furniture and other objects in the space to leave the floor as clear as possible, before vacuuming and removing all debris and dust from the space. Blotting was next on our agenda, making sure to remove all of the remaining excess moisture from the stain.
We then engaged the services of our Ninja Cleaning Machine 400 PSI which is our secret weapon in the face of stains and is one of the best tools in tackling stubborn marks which require both intense pressure and heat to cut through and remove them from the carpet fibres.
Finally, as we always do in a carpet cleaning job, we made sure to spend time fast-tracking the drying process – an important part of any professional job as it helps to make sure the carpet benefits from the like-new look and texture, minimising the spread and growth of bacteria and mould across the surface.
Though the client was still not home when we completed the job, we have since been informed that he is back home and healthy and is very happy with the finish achieved by our team of experts.
Why it’s important to act quickly when cleaning blood from a carpet
We already mentioned how important it is to act quickly when it comes to removing and cleaning blood stains from a carpet. This is because fresh blood is much easier to remove than old and dried blood, mainly because the blood will have had time to dry and crust over the carpet surface which affects the texture and feel of the fabric.
If you have a dry blood stain which needs to be removed, the best way to start is by scratching as much of the dried blood off the carpet as possible, before starting the carpet cleaning process. This can be done with a fork or the back of a spoon to lift and unpick the dried substance, which can then be vacuumed up before you proceed with the carpet cleaning process as usual.
The same is true in the face of other carpet stains such as mud, excess water from leaks or floods, and even liquids such as red wine and other consumable products. The fresher the spillage, the easier it is to clean effectively and quickly.
Tips for cleaning blood from a carpet
As was the case with this particular client job in Chiswick, the fact that the blood was still fresh meant that we needed to blot the surface of the stain to remove all excess moisture. Particularly when it is blood which needs to be cleaned and removed from the carpet, patience is of the utmost importance – gradually adding moisture to the stain and then blotting again to make sure that as much excess substance as possible is lifted away cleanly without allowing it to spread.
If you don’t have proper carpet cleaning substances on hand, then it is always best to bring in a professional cleaning company – as simply wiping at a blood stain with regular household cleaners can make the problem worse rather than better. In this case, we used the Ninja 400 PSI machine to lift the remaining blood stain from the carpet, before going over the entire floor to ensure that the finish was as consistent as possible and to leave the client with a fresh finish.
We were pleased to be able to help the client in this case, with a speedy booking and thorough cleaning service which we completed within two hours, thanks to two of our experienced team members.
The Next Door difference
Next Door Cleaning is run by a passionate group of women who operate in and around London, working across both private and commercial residences and properties on everything from deep carpet cleans to full house cleans, office cleans, post-construction cleans, and more. To find out about our services and other previous client experiences, visit our case studies page or reach out directly to the team.