Bed bug stains on wood can be a real pain and can cause damage to your furniture. If you have bed bugs in your home, many of the items will show a stain from blood or fecal material from the pests. This article explains how to get rid of bed bug stains from wood in order to prevent further damage and lessen any health issues that the pests may spread. Bed bug stains can be identified by the small black dots these creatures leave behind, especially when someone has not noticed the bed bugs’ presence for months. If someone is, in fact, suffering from a bed bug infestation, one of the first things they will have to do is have a couple of cleaning sessions to remove the bed bug stains. These small, black spots that they cause can be found all across furniture and whatever other objects you may own. One of the most common places where you are likely to find these ugly stains are on clothes and carpets; although they can be found on certain kinds of wood as well. Bed bug smears have been found in bedrooms, attics, and other dwellings. Bed bug stains are the results of both their excrement and their blood, which they lose when they are freshly fed on a human host. Bed bugs aren’t considered dangerous, although some people develop skin reactions to bed bug bites. Sometimes the staining can be so severe that it is difficult to distinguish between bed bug stains or the wood itself.

How To Remove Bed Bug Stains From Wood

Introduction

Bed bugs are a nightmare. They’re hard to get rid of, and they leave behind an ugly stain in the wood that’s annoying to clean up, too. But there is good news! You can remove bed bug stains from wood by following some quick and easy steps I’ve outlined below.

Clean the surface of the wood.

Use a rag to wipe away dust and debris.

Use a damp rag to wipe away any dirt or grime.

Use a dry rag to wipe away excess moisture.

If there’s still some stubborn stains on the wood, use a tack cloth in order to remove any remaining dust from the surface. Then, use a vacuum cleaner in order to remove any remaining dirt and dust from the wood.

Sand over the areas with high grit sandpaper.

The next step is to sand over the areas. The idea is to remove any remaining stains and smooth out the surface of your wood, so it looks like new again.

• Before you start, it’s important to understand how sandpaper works: Sandpaper is graded according to its grit number. A lower grit number means a rougher surface (and more scratches), while higher numbers mean that the sanding particles are smaller and create smoother finishes. You’ll want to use somewhere between 60 and 400-grit paper for this job; I recommend starting with 150 or 180 for small areas like bed bug stains, then moving up in steps if necessary.
• Once you’ve identified your preferred grade of sandpaper, choose a block size based on how large an area you need to cover—there are blocks designed specifically for small spaces such as furniture legs! As long as you’re careful not to rush through this process (which will only result in gouging), using one of these tools will make it much easier than trying to do it by hand alone.

Apply wood bleach to the affected areas.

A wood bleach solution is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and water. Typically, the ratio is 1 part wood bleach to 2 parts water. You will also need a rag or sponge to apply the mixture to your furniture.

The amount of time you leave the wood bleach on your furniture depends on its condition and how badly stained it is. You should test an inconspicuous area first before applying any product over large areas or surfaces that may be particularly susceptible to damage (such as lacquered finishes).

After you have applied the wood bleach, rinse off any residue with fresh water and let dry thoroughly before applying a shellac primer for protection against future stains.

Rinse off the wood bleach.

Make sure that you have thoroughly rinsed your wood bleach and allowed it to dry before applying the bed bug treatment.

If there is any bleach residue left on the wood, it will not be as effective in removing stains from bed bugs.

Use shellac primer and paint over the damaged areas.

You can apply shellac primer with a brush or roller, depending on the size of your stain. Apply to all damaged areas and allow it to dry completely before adding paint. Shellac primer is water-based and acts as an excellent base for oil-based and latex paints, so it offers a very low odor and virtually no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). If you are sensitive to strong odors while painting, this is a good choice for staining wood without any odor issues.

Stain removal is possible but can be a lot of work!

Bed bug stains can be removed but it is a time-consuming process. You will need to be patient, thorough and careful while removing bed bugs from wood surfaces. Once you have identified the source of the stain and treated it, you will want to continue working on your project until all traces of the stain are gone. The best way to remove a build-up of stains on wood is by scrubbing them with a solution made up of equal parts white vinegar and water until they are gone.

Conclusion

Wood stain removal from bed bugs can be a very difficult task. We’ve seen some success using methods like sanding but it is not guaranteed to remove all stains as there are different types of wood and therefore different ways to remove stains from them. If you have any questions about how best to remove the stains on your wooden furniture, we recommend contacting us via email or phone so that one of our experts can help guide you through this process.