Embarrassing Question...Lady Problems

[O_Sanctissima]

I can’t believe I am writing this.

I am staying at someone’s house for a few months, and I woke this morning to discover that my period had started, a little early. And I wasn’t expecting it, obviously, and was aghast to discover that the blood not only leaked through my clothes but also got onto the sheet. And the mattress. And to make it all worse, if that is not bad enough, I also peed a little, probably from the cramps, which doesn’t happen normally- I don’t know why this happened. This is soooooo embarrassing and I don’t know what to do, how to clean it up, and I probably should tell them, the lady of the house anywise, what happened. I am a grown woman and this is not something that happens to people of my age!

Please help. I am so embarrassed to tell her and I don’t know how and I do not know what I should do to “make it right”.

 

[pensmama87]

A cold water soak will do wonders for your clothes and the sheet. I am not sure about the mattress, perhaps other posters will have ideas. I know I often soak up liquids with baking soda, but I don’t know how much of a stain would remain if the liquid has a color.

Here is a link I found on getting blood stains out of a mattress.

I would just be honest with the host, especially if the host is a woman. More than likely, she’s going to sympathize. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, and it’s very embarrassing for me, but…” She’s probably been there herself.

 

[Xantippe]

A cold water soak will do wonders for your clothes and the sheet. I am not sure about the mattress, perhaps other posters will have ideas. I know I often soak up liquids with baking soda, but I don’t know how much of a stain would remain if the liquid has a color.

Here is a link I found on getting blood stains out of a mattress.

I would just be honest with the host, especially if the host is a woman. More than likely, she’s going to sympathize. “I’m so sorry to tell you this, and it’s very embarrassing for me, but…” She’s probably been there herself.

Yes!

Also, for everybody else, mattress covers are always an excellent idea!

Around the time our middle child was born 10 years ago, we were finally able to buy a good-quality new mattress for ourselves. Unfortunately, I had not realized a couple things: 1) I needed a mattress cover and 2) Breastmilk leaks alone can create spectacular stains on an unprotected mattress.

10 years later, I’m still living with this helpful reminder. And I’ve had to move three times since then, too–so the whole world (or at least several moving crews) has seen my mattress.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Just tell your host apologetically. Another woman should understand something like that.

Remember to use cold water to clean blood stains, hot water will set protein.

 

[Anglewannabe]

Are you in a financial position where you can afford to buy her another mattress?

 

[FrenzyJen]

A scrub brush, a rag, and some hydrogen peroxide!! Does wonders on the blood.

 

[Bonnie]

That happened to me many years ago. I was so embarrassed I didn’t tell the lady of the house, but left and never saw her again.

So with time, that gave me another thing to be embarrassed out!

The sooner you get to the blood stain, the easier it will be to get it out. If she doesn’t have an enzyme cleaner, spit can work. But it takes a LOT of spit!

 

[pensmama87]

Another piece of advice I have learned (in addition to Xantippe’s suggestion for mattress covers) is that as a host, it is very gracious to put dark sheets on the guest bed.

(Though I actually do that for all of us now, because it is way easier to mostly lift a stain out of a dark sheet than it is to get it all completely out of a white or light one!)

 

[Convert1]

Maybe call a local mattress company? Sometimes dealers and manufacturers know tricks for these types of incidents. My heart goes out to you!

 

[UbiCaritas]

Ditto the above in telling your hostess, and also a ditto on cold water. I’m sure I’m not the only person who’s had a pad slip from time to time. We use white sheets because I like that I can bleach them. A cold-water soak gets blood out every time.

 

[oldgraymare2]

I would just tell her. She has probably dealt with cleaning different stains, anyway.

I have used a product like Oxyclean or Professor Amos’ Shock It Clean product, for getting out stubborn stains.

I also recommend using a mattress pad over a mattress. You can buy ones that have some kind of stain repellent in them, yet they are still made of a soft material, and can be washed.

 

[DeniseNY]

Are you in a financial position where you can afford to buy her another mattress?

I thought the same thing. Of course, tell your host what happened and offer to have it cleaned, but don’t be surprised if she would prefer to have the mattress replaced. I know you didn’t intend for this to happen, but neither did the hosts when they invited you. Speak to them and find out how they’d like to handle it.