How to Stop Bleeding Safely After a Cut

Most household cuts stop bleeding on their own within a few minutes. The mistake people make is not pressing hard enough, or lifting the cloth every few seconds to check. Steady pressure is what lets a clot form.

How to stop bleeding

1. Wash your hands and dry them. Wear disposable gloves if you have them, especially if the blood is not your own.
2. Press directly on the wound with a sterile dressing, a clean folded cloth or even a piece of clothing. Press firmly with the flat of your hand.
3. Keep pressing. MedlinePlus advises not to peek at the wound to see whether the bleeding has stopped, because lifting the cloth disturbs the clot.
4. Raise the injured part. Hold a cut hand or arm above head height, or lie the person down and raise an injured leg above the level of the heart.
5. If blood soaks through, do not remove the first dressing. Put a new one on top and carry on pressing.
6. Once the bleeding has stopped, bandage the dressing in place firmly enough to hold, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation.

Cleaning and dressing a minor cut

For a small cut or graze, rinse it with clean tap water, bottled water or sterile wipes. Pat the area dry with gauze, then clean the skin around the wound with soap and water, wiping away from the cut rather than towards it. Cover it with a sterile dressing or plaster and keep it clean and dry.

If something is stuck in the wound

Leave it where it is. Both the NHS and MedlinePlus warn against pulling out an embedded object, because it may be helping to slow the bleeding and removing it can cause more damage. Press around the object instead, build up padding on either side, and get emergency help.

What NOT to do

• Do not lift the dressing to check. Hold pressure without peeking.
• Do not remove a blood-soaked dressing. Add another one on top.
• Do not probe the wound or dig around in it.
• Do not try to clean a large or deep wound. That is a job for the hospital.
• Do not pull out glass, metal or any other embedded object.
• Do not improvise a tourniquet. Mayo Clinic says to use a commercially made tourniquet only if you have one and have been trained to use it, and specifically warns against improvised ones made from a scarf or belt. MedlinePlus describes a tourniquet as a last resort for life-threatening bleeding that direct pressure has failed to control, and says the time it was applied must be written down and told to the medical team.

When to get emergency help

Call Rescue 1122 where available, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department, if:

• The bleeding will not stop despite firm pressure
• Blood is spurting out, or is bright red
• There is something stuck in the cut, such as a piece of glass
• The person has lost feeling near the wound, or cannot move the part normally
• The wound is deep, gaping, or looks like it needs stitches
• The cut came from an animal or human bite
• You see signs of shock: weakness, pale clammy skin, fast pulse or fast breathing

While waiting, keep the person lying still and warm. If they show signs of shock, lay them flat and raise their feet about 30 cm, and cover them with a blanket or coat.

Watch for infection afterwards

Get a healed-over cut checked if it becomes swollen and red, hurts more instead of less, or starts oozing pus. Tell the health worker when you last had a tetanus vaccination, as a deep or dirty wound may need a booster.