ADN SPRING 2023 web

ALL
ABOUT
THAT
STAIN
Blood
There is an emotional and physical
toll a blood-stained interior can have
on a car detailer. From a spot to a large
amount can be unnerving. Also, the removable
process can be challenging. But,
why? Why is blood so hard to remove?
Here is your answer.
Serum?!
Proteins?!
Yes, that and more. Blood contains
both liquid (plasma and serum) and solids
(red blood cells, white blood cells,
platelets and proteins), according to the
National Forensic Science Technology
Center (NFSTC).
We all know that when blood leaves
a body, it is in liquid form. But, then
the blood starts to clot, forming a solid
surface. The way blood clots is great
for personal injuries, however that clotting
is part of why it stains materials so
well. “Except for people with hemophilia,
blood will begin to clot within a few
minutes, forming a dark, shiny gel-like
substance that grows more solid as time
progresses,” stated the NFSTC.
Here are the ways
detailers have
removed blood stains.
Back in 2015, Scott Gray, owner of
Soapy’s Auto Wash in Idaho Falls, Idaho,
shared: One of the worst stains we ever
tackled was from a guy who had a minivan
and had shot and killed a deer in Texas.
…He successfully cut up and put the
deer into a large cooler that he sat on the
rear passenger seat for the three-hour trip
from Texas to Idaho. The small drain plug
in the cooler was accidentally left open.
The blood from the meat then drained
onto the seat and the floor throughout the
three-hour drive home. …Blood ended
up draining through the seat fabric and
all the way into the foam cushion.
Gray shared that they had to remove
the seat cover to extract the blood out of
the cover and the underlying foam cushion,
which the blood had seeped into. “We
had to do multiple flushes on the foam
cushion. We then gave it a heavy dose of
odor eliminator and a healthy dose of
ozone and put it back together. The carpets
were also soaked with blood so a good bit
of extraction was needed there. We used
some odor neutralizer during the process
and then gave it a healthy dose of ozone.”
A user on carwashforum.com shared
with Auto Detailing News his steps in removing
blood due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound,
back in 2016, he shared: There was a bulge
in the roof from the bullet. Hair with "pineapple
brain parts” attached. Pieces of skull
and hair. Tons of blood.
“We dressed in full body protection
goggles, trash bags and respirators. The
first step was to clean everything with
COLD water first. This is normally backwards
but when cleaning blood, you want
cold water first so the temperature of the
blood is below body temperature and can't
carry any disease. So cold water extraction
and cold water rinsing (without splattering)
the entire interior was first, and then
we started over with the normal procedure:
Detergent, solvent, then hot water
extraction, steam, and all your normal
steps.” He then said they stayed fully covered
in rain suits, trash bags, even welders
face masks and helmets until all of the
blowing of steam, air, and water was completed.
“Then a medical product from the
local janitorial/custodial supply killed any
living blood-born diseases,” he shared.
The vehicle went on to be used by a
family member. “Of course,” he shared,
“a tremendous amount of rinsing was necessary,
under carpets and the interior, so if
you live in a dry desert climate like Utah, it
is an advantage because water evaporates
and dries out quickly. I think in humid environments,
like the coasts, the job would
take a few days, but we are able to do it in
five hours, along with six other normal jobs
that day.” The hardest part, he said, is just
mentally preparing yourself in the beginning.
“You have to look at blood and brain
pieces and it took me an hour of talking to
myself and looking at it as a job and sort of
mentally blocking out the idea of it being
blood, piss, crap and skull and brain parts.
Getting mentally prepared was and is the
hardest part of these jobs. Then the sweat
of the protective gear is the next hardest
part. Also having to start all over with a normal
detail after the initial detailing. Then,
the final hardest part might is the customer
picking up the vehicle. Emotions are involved
and people can be very touchy when
their spouse is gone. It can be intense.”
4 | AUTO DETAILING NEWS | VOL. 8, NO. 2 • SUMMER 2023