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Blood on the floor!!

user-3146 | Posted in Construction Techniques on October 12, 2003 05:31am

I didn’t do it…

I Have a friend whom owns a wonderful craftsman bungalow with oak floors. So he and his buddy have been remodeling it for about 2 years now. They were just about done when some idiot broke in by smashing his fist through a window, and took off with about 8000 dollars worth of tools. Anyway, they had just sanded the floors that day and had yet to put any kind of coating over it. Mr. dumb bled all over just about every corner in the house. My friend is more concerned about finishing the floor than the tools.
Personally I’ve had great luck getting stains out of old flooring, water stains, tar, and cat and dog pee. He want’s me to give it a try. I usually use food grade hydrogen peroxide (35%) mixed with cold water,and a mop bucket. If that does not work I’ll go over again with Oxy crystals and warm water. Last of all I’ll use bleach (but I try not to use it because of discoloration in the wood). This has worked well for a number of floors, but……blood?
Anyone?

Jason

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Replies

  1. plantlust | Oct 12, 2003 06:01am | #1

    First, have the cops gotten blood samples?  Y'know for DNA analysis later on?

    I would suggest Nature's Miracle before anything else (but after the cops have gotten their samples).  NM contains enzymes that eat that stuff.  If necessary then use products from weak to strong.

    This jobless recovery has done more to promote the consumption of exquisite chocolate than the finest chocolatier.  Cost be damned.

    1. user-3146 | Oct 12, 2003 06:12am | #2

      In this town the cops probably know exactly who did it. But they won't bust him.

      That's a great Idea the same enzyme stuff I put down my sewer would work great.

      Thanks

      Jason

  2. User avater
    BillHartmann | Oct 12, 2003 06:38am | #3

    Check with some janitoral supply houses and see if they have anything special.

  3. User avater
    JeffBuck | Oct 12, 2003 06:56am | #4

    not sure how it would translate to wood flooring ...

    but in a former life I knew more about cleaning carpets than I care to remember.

    Bolld is a protein based stain. A good protein eating enzyme will rid carpet fibers of any and all blood ... works great for both natural and manmade carpet materials.

    I'd guess the hard part would be extracting the enzyme solution after it does it's work. With steam cleaning a carpet ... it's a simple process ... spray it in then suck it out.

    I don;t know if it'd loosen the blood enough to blot it out ... or just dilute it and leach farther into the wood pores?

    What's the insurance company say? I'd say this would be a good claim for a floor replacement if it don;t come out.

    Let us know what ya come up with.

    Jeff

    Buck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

     Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite                  

    1. User avater
      JeffBuck | Oct 12, 2003 06:58am | #5

      and ... if Ditch don;t stop by ... I'd email him direct. He's the man to ask about restoring old floors ... and I'd bet some of those 100+ year old floors he's restored had some blood on them at one time or another.

      JeffBuck Construction   Pittsburgh,PA

       Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite                  

  4. 4Lorn2 | Oct 15, 2003 02:40am | #6

    I don't know but I'm thinking I would start with a good wash with a mild detergent and water. One tip I learned when I used to do some commercial cleaning is to use less detergent than you think you need. Too much soap or detergent can mean two, three or, in a case where a guy used a 50/50 mix, many more rinses.

    with the majority of the blood gone you might, oak is supposed to contain some iron so check in an inconspicuous spot, try hydrogen peroxide. This works well on blood stains on clothes. The peroxide reacts with the blood and removes it. Not sure it is safe for the wood or if it will work but at $1.20 a quart peroxide is cheap.

  5. hasbeen | Oct 15, 2003 03:23am | #7

    Finish over it and make up a good story...

    ; )

    Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.

  6. WayneL5 | Oct 15, 2003 04:30am | #8

    Gee, that stinks.  Peroxide works well on blood on clothes.  Don't know if it will bleach the wood, though.  A professional outfit like Service Master may know the best way.  I have a friend that retired after owning one.  They've cleaned anything you can imagine, including a number of suicide scenes.  So they have the expertise available to know what to use.

    The iron in the blood may react with the tannin in the oak to leave a stain that cannot be removed.  It may be better to sand it off than to wet the stain and risk it soaking in deeper.

    If you do apply solutions, shy away from warm water.  The heat sets the stain.  Laundry with blood on it is always washed in cold water.

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