How Do I Get Blood out of Stone?

There is an old proverb that “you can’t get blood out of stone.” In fact, the phrase came from a collection of writings entitled Winter Evenings, by Vicesimus Knox, and was published in 1788. The full text reads:

They must have had abilities inherent in them or they could not have been excited, according to that common observation, that it is impossible to get blood out of a stone.

While there may be truth to this proverb, the reality is that when it comes to actual blood, you are able to get such a stain out of stones of different types.

Blood in Different Types of Stone

The manner in which blood is eliminated from stone depends on the composition of the stone in the first instance. Minerals contained in stone vary from one derivation to the next. Thus, the surfaces of different types of stone vary in regard to their reaction to blood and to methodologies for blood stain removal.

Marble and granite are the two most common types of stone utilized in homes. There is a cleaning solution discussed in a moment that is suitable when it comes to eliminating blood from marble and granite. Indeed, this cleaning solution is designed to be as ubiquitous as possible in its use. Thus, if some adjustments are made in regard to other types of stone, those are noted as necessary in this article.

Making a Poultice for Getting Blood out of Natural Stone

For the purposes of getting blood out of a stone, a stone cleaning poultice is defined as a porous solid blended with a solvent. The poultice is intended to remove stains, including blood, from stone like marble, granite, and others.

There are different ways to make a stone cleaning poultice. One of the most widely used stone cleaning poultices is made from talc-based blended with dilute ammonia. Dilute ammonia is defined as one that has a concentration of about 5 percent. The talc and dilute ammonia are blended to form what constitutes a well-blended paste. This poultice does work well with granite or marble.

For lighter colored stones, you can fashion a poultice that is made from equal parts flour and powdered borax. Hydrogen peroxide is used as the liquid cleaning agent. If you are dealing with a darker stone, powdered detergent combined with distilled water can form an idyllic poultice.

Before using a particular poultice, test it on an inconspicuous section of the subject stone. This permits you the ability to confirm that a particular poultice will not stain or otherwise damage the stone.

Steps to Get Blood Our of Stone

There are specific proven steps to take to get blood out of a stone. These are:

1. Wipe the stain with a sponge that has been dipped in cold water.
2. Mix an appropriate poultice, in a manner, described a moment ago. Make sure you select a poultice suitable to the type of stone stained by blood.
3. Apply poultice thickly to the stain.
4. Cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying.
5. Let the poultice remain on the stain for about 24 hours.
6. The stain should bleach out during this time period.
7. Rinse with cool water. If cleaning marble, you want to avoid staining it – which water can do. Therefore, rinse marble with cool distilled water, which is less likely to stain the marble.
8. If any stain remains, you can promptly wash the remnants using a brush.
9. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry completely.

Safety and Getting Blood out of a Stone

Unlike some products that are utilized to clean up blood, there is nothing hazardous about the chemicals and supplies that are used to get blood out of stone. However, there can be hazardous pathogens contained in blood and other bodily fluids that raise safety issues.

The prospect of being exposed to viruses and bacteria that can be present in blood necessitates the use of what technically is known as personal protective equipment. It also underscores the fact that you may want to consider seriously retaining the services of an experienced biohazard cleanup specialist.

If you elect to get blood out of stone on your own, the gear you will need to wear includes:

• Goggles
• Gloves
• Face mask
• Smock or apron

This gear protects against bloodborne pathogens, including:

• HIV
• MRSA
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C

A professional biohazard cleanup specialist is able to safely remediate a blood stain on stone. The ultimate objective is to restore stained stone into its original condition.