Tips on blood

- The average adult has about 10.5 pints of blood in their body

- 55% of blood is plasma

- There are four types of blood. Type A, Type O, Type B, Type AB

- Rh Factor (blood protein) is what determines if it is positive or negative

- A single drop of blood contains millions of red blood cells

- The average life cycle of a red blood cell is 120 days

- A drop of blood can contain anywhere from 7 000 to 25 000 white blood cells at a time

- Plasma is 90% water

- A clot begins to form when the blood is exposed to air. The platelets sense the presence of air and begin to break apart

- Some diseases (including HIV) are carried through the blood

- If you are recently tattooed or pierced you will not be able to donate blood to hospitals, Red Cross, etc..

- Blood is best warm

- Limit to a pint a day (some get sick if taken more)

- Small shallow cuts are safe, bigger cuts may lead to too much blood loss

- Raw meat is never safe because of bacteria, rare is fine so long as it is cooked properly.

- DON'T take blood from hospitals or other medical institutions. In the custody of a medical facility blood falls in one of two categories: Biohazard and Pharmaceutical. It is a felony to possess or use it in ways initially unintended.

- DO NOT USE SYRINGES unless you have been throughly trained and liscensed.

- The blood type of your donor doesn't matter unless you are getting a transfusion or an organ from them.

- Drugs, legal or not, effect the taste of blood and donors that are taking them should be avoided until they have stopped.

- Alcohol can also effect the taste of blood and thins the blood. This impairs the individuals ability to clot, which can be good (as you get more blood) but also bad (too deep of a cut will cause blood loss that can take quite a while to clot), so be careful.

- If a donor eats lots of fruits it can make the blood taste sweeter.

- Each individual's blood has a unique taste to it.

Removing Stains

In order to remove blood stains from clothing (and other washable materials) you must use cold water. Hot water will only cause the stain to set permanently, and it will fade to an ugly, dull rust red color. Hydrogen Peroxide will remove fresh bloodstains (only). You can get it in your local grocery store, drug store, even some corner stores. It can usually be found in the pharmacy department or where ever they store medicine related materials. Its normally on a brown container, cylinderical in shape. Pore it straight from the bottle unto the fresh stain and allow it to saturate. It will bubble the blood right out of the fabric like magic. Rinse (don't forget, cold water only!!) and repeat if necessary until the stain has disappeared completely. It's also good for disinfecting cuts (intentionally inflicted or otherwise), scrapes and such. Pour directly unto the cut and allow it bubble. Bandage as necessary and you should consider applying an antibiotic cream like Neosporin or a generic product such as triple-acting antibiotic ointment.

How to get bloodstains out of fur: Rub cornmeal into the stain and then brush the fur the wrong way. Polish piano keys with talcum powder or powdered milk to remove blood. Apply a paste of cornstarch and coldwater to remove blood stains from wallpaper. This will work just as well to get blood out of a mattress or a furniture. Using a red colored washcloth to wipe up blood will save you from presoaking stubborn stains!

Author: Razor The Tormented