# Time: a guaranteed stain remover?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-a-guaranteed-stain-remover/944291>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 15, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-a-guaranteed-stain-remover/944291 "2021-06-15T01:21:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-a-guaranteed-stain-remover/944291/1 "2021-06-15T01:21:55Z")

</div>

I’m not putting this in GQ because I don’t think there is a singular answer.

Suppose the following hypothetical.

(1) Cut out a 12 x 12 centimeter square from an old white T-shirt.  
(2) Get into a fistfight with your best friend and have him or her bleed on the cut out square.  
(3) Put the square out in the air to dry for a minimum of two weeks.

Most of us know that dried blood is notoriously hard to get out of fabrics. We might get 95% just by laundry or with Woolite® or eqivalent. Most of us would be happy with 95%.

But we also know that everything migrates to an equibrium state. After laundry washing, take your cloth square and submerse it into a 55 gallon drum filled with distalled water. Agitate periodically. Leave it for a minimum of three months or as long as you like. After that period, would it be 100% free of blood contaminates?

I think yes. Certainly their would be some residual molecular blood components in there but it would be impossible to ascertain with modern equipment.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-a-guaranteed-stain-remover/944291/2 "2021-06-15T01:41:51Z")

</div>

The best thing for removing hemoglobin is oxygen. That’s why hydrogen peroxide has been a popular bloodstain remover, rather than just plain water. Plain cold water can wash the red blood cells away, if they’ve not yet ruptured and stained the material with hemoglobin. But if that’s already occurred due to the passage of time or mishandling of the stain, you will need a potent oxidizing agent to bond with the hemoglobin and remove it. And even trace amounts of hemoglobin are not hard to detect by modern equipment.

Modern oxidizing detergents can remove all traces though.

> **[Traces Of Blood Are Eliminated Completely By New Products Containing Active...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090217112516.htm)**
>
> Scientists have shown that traces of blood in various materials are eliminated completely when they are washed with detergents containing active oxygen. The conclusion of the study points out that these new products alter blood to such an extent that...

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\
**Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-a-guaranteed-stain-remover/944291/3 "2021-06-15T03:13:49Z")

</div>

Clearly, the OP has never watched _Forensic Files_. 😁