The One Thing To Get Rid Of Fresh Period Stains

Periods are already no fun, and the fact that they can wreck items of clothing is even worse. Fortunately, if you notice your stain before it totally dries, all is not lost. The one thing to get fresh period stains out of jeans (or any clothing, really!) is surprisingly simple and chances are high everything you need is already in your bathroom.

I'm thrilled to report that all you need to remove a fresh period stain from clothing is a lot of cold, cold water and standard hand soap. As Mama'sLaundryTalk explained, "Since blood is protein-based, its worst enemy is heat. Don’t soak in hot water, don’t dry in the dryer, and don’t iron the stain until it is removed to your satisfaction. If you do use heat in any form (wet or dry), you will never be able to remove the stain in all likelihood." Cold water is 100 percent crucial to your period stain removal success!

I first tested this method after racing home from a concert in college. My period wasn't supposed to show up for another several days, so I just wasn't prepared! I noticed I was feeling rather wet (and definitely not turned on), and ripped of my pants once I got to my dorm room to discover the crotch of my most beloved pair of faded boyfriend jeans totally covered in blood. Luckily, my roommate had a similar experience earlier and knew exactly what to do. She instructed me to pop my jeans under the sink, add a little soap, and boom — the stain was straight up gone.

Scroll below to see specific steps for how to remove fresh period stains without any challenge at all.

1. Rinse Stained Clothing Under Cold Water

Using the coldest water you can get, run the water over the stain for several minutes. You'll be shocked to discover how much of the stain goes away simply by continually rinsing.

2. Add A Little Hand Soap

Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap- 3 pack, $11, Amazon

Hand soap and shampoo will both work to remove fresh period stains. Simply pour a little over the stain and move your fingers lightly in small circles to lift any remaining blood before rinsing again with cold water.

3. Dry As Usual

As long as the stain is totally gone, you can safely use a machine dryer to dry your clothing. If you're nervous though, just hang dry!

Want more style tips? Check out the video below, and be sure to subscribe to Bustle’s YouTube page for more hacks and tricks!

Images: Khanykov/Fotolia, hues/Fotolia, pamela_d_mcadams/Fotolia; Courtesy of Brand