Blueberries are sweet and delicious, and when eaten, they burst with a satisfying crunch. Unfortunately, that sweet bluish-purple juice can be difficult to remove from fabrics, carpets, and even your skin. Luckily, there are a few ways to successfully remove blueberry stains with some items you probably already have around the house.

Let's take a look at all the ways this sweet springtime fruit can cause unwanted stains, and what you can do to effectively remove them.

Are Blueberry Stains Permanent?

Blueberries are filled with a dark juice that can penetrate all kinds of fabrics and fibers, and if you like to eat them, you're probably familiar with the smudgy stains that they leave on your fingers and face. If treated properly, blueberry stains can be removed, but it's best to act quickly before the stain has a chance to set.

Blueberries contain natural sugars that make them deliciously sweet, but they can also cause ugly yellow stains in addition to the dark stains that the juice leaves behind. If left untreated, these stains can become permanent. The Hate Stains Co. is in the stain removing business, and we offer a variety of products that can help lift blueberry stains to remove them completely from any surface. 

What Will Remove a Blueberry Stain?

There are a variety of products that can remove blueberry stains. Some products are all-natural — there's even a method for using boiling water to remove blueberry stains! Other methods may require the use of harsh chemicals and specially designed stain removing formulas. 

Depending on the stain's location and how long it's had to set, you can use the following products for blueberry stain removal:

• Vinegar
• Lemon Juice
• Boiling Water
• Enzyme-Based Stain Removers
• Oxygenated Bleach
• Commercially Prepared Carpet Cleaner

With a few supplies and the right treatment plan, you'll have no trouble removing blueberry stains from your clothing, carpet or skin.

How to Remove Blueberry Stains

Blueberry stain removal can be tough, but it isn't impossible. Since blueberry stains are plant-based, they can easily be broken down with a few simple products. Let's explore how to get stubborn blueberry stains out of a few common places.

How to Remove Blueberry Stains Out of Your Clothes

If you bite into a blueberry and the sweet, dark juice drips onto your favorite white tank top, you may think it's ruined forever. If you act quickly to treat the stain, your bright white shirt will be stain-free in no time.

There are a few different methods you can use to remove a stain from your clothing. It's best to start with the first method, and if that doesn't work, try the next, until your blueberry stain is completely gone.

Pre-Treat the Stain

As soon as the stain occurs, saturate the area with one of the following products:

• Lemon Juice (or dab with a lemon wedge)
• Vinegar
• Stain-Removing Detergent

Once the stain is saturated, let it sit for a few minutes. After it's soaked for around five minutes, carefully rub the fabric to loosen the stain, and rinse the area thoroughly with water. Be careful not to leave lemon juice on the fabric for longer than five minutes or you may have another stain to deal with.

Some people also have great success with pouring boiling water over the stain after you've pre-treated it with one of the products above. If you try this method, be careful not to burn your skin in the process!

Enzyme-Based Stain Removers

If you pre-treat the stain, but it's still visible, it's time to hit it with an enzyme-based stain remover. Select one with the amino acid pectinate to effectively break down the plant-based stain. To apply the stain remover, just spray it directly onto the blueberry stained fabric after it's been thoroughly rinsed. Let it sit for around 15 minutes, so the enzymes can break down the stain. When the time's up, simply throw your shirt into the washing machine for a full wash cycle. The stain should be gone when the cycle is complete.

Oxygenated Bleach

A very stubborn blueberry stain may require a heavy duty stain remover like OxiClean, Clorox, or a chlorine bleach. Before you put it directly on the stain, test a small piece of the fabric first to make sure it doesn't cause discoloration. If it's safe, go ahead and carefully apply it to the stain. Oxygenated bleach is a very harsh chemical, so be sure to rinse the area with water within one minute of application. Otherwise, your shirt may become damaged.

Alternatively, you can add bleach to the dispenser in your washing machine and simply wash your stained garment like you normally would. The bleach should effectively remove the blueberry stain.

How to Remove Blueberry Stains Out of the Carpet

If you end up with a blueberry stain on your favorite area rug or your living room carpet, you may wonder if it's even worth trying to remove. You may be wondering whether you can move the couch a few feet to cover the stain. Although it can be tricky, your carpet or area rug isn't destined to be blue-tinged forever.

Start by grabbing a cloth towel to soak up the stain as soon as it happens. Carefully blot the area without pushing the stain further into the fibers and use the following method to remove as much of the stain as possible:

• Grab the fibers with the towel.
• Carefully twist the fibers in the towel.
• Pull upwards on the fibers as you twist them to remove as much of the stain as you can.

If the stain is still visible, grab some lemon juice and spray it liberally onto the blueberry-soaked spot. Let the lemon juice penetrate the stain for a few minutes and then use the above method of removing the liquid from the carpet's fibers. Make sure you never scrub, or you'll just end up pushing the stain further into the carpet's fibers.

Next, mix a solution that includes one cup of water and one tablespoon of dish soap. Use a spray bottle to carefully apply the solution directly on the stain. Let it sit for several minutes to soak into the carpet fibers. Use the above-mentioned method of removing the solution again, being careful not to scrub the area. When most of the liquid is removed, place a dry towel over the stain and stack some heavy books on top to encourage the stain to soak upward into the towel.

After about 30 minutes, check the spot for any signs of a stain. If it's stubborn and stuck, it's time to bring in a solution with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Before using it directly on your blueberry-stained carpet, make sure you test a spot that's out of sight. If it doesn't damage the carpet, carefully dab the solution onto the stain and rinse by blotting the area with a damp cloth after a minute.

A Note About Wool and Silk 

If your carpet is composed of wool or silk fibers, don't try to remove the blueberry stain on your own. In these cases, it's best to call a professional to handle the stain removal process. They know the best techniques to handle delicate fibers without damaging them in the process.

How to Remove Blueberry Stains From Your Skin

Picking blueberries under the warm sun is a fun springtime activity to enjoy with your family, but those sweet, juicy blueberries often leave stains on sticky fingers, hands and cheeks. If your toddler, teen or spouse ends up with blueberry stains on their skin, they're fairly easy to remove with a few safe products that you've probably got at home.

If you've got the following products, you can safely handle blueberry stain removal on your skin:

• Rubbing Alcohol
• Fingernail Polish Remover
• Baking Soda
• Water

For stained fingers, hands, legs and faces, dab the blueberry spots with a cotton ball that's been soaked in either rubbing alcohol or fingernail polish remover. The stain will quickly transfer to the cotton ball. Repeat until the stain is gone, and then rinse the area with warm water to remove any chemicals that were left on the skin.

If your lips are stained blue, consider leaving the stain and making a fashion statement. If that's not your style, you can remove the stain with a mixture of baking soda and water. Create a paste and apply it to your lips carefully. Use a toothbrush or cloth to rub the paste onto your lips, and scrub away any traces of the blueberry stain. 

Once your lips are pink again, rinse them with water to remove any baking soda that's left behind. When you're finished, apply lip balm to nourish your lips.

Final Thoughts About How to Remove Blueberry Stains Out of Anything

Although blueberry stains are dark and can be difficult to remove, with the right products and methods, you can remove them effectively. The Hate Stains Co. is committed to providing solutions to your stain problems by creating products that are non-toxic and powerfully effective at removing stains from a variety of fabrics and surfaces, so you can live a stain-free life.