Imagine having an awesome party one night. Drinks served, snacks eaten and the music playing all night long. Everyone’s happy, your guests love you for hosting a wild party. But all the good cheers vanish once the party stops. Your immaculate wooden furniture top has been vandalized with ugly water rings and terrible stains. What do you do?
Removing water stains and rings
Wood is naturally hard to maintain especially wooden furniture. This is primarily the reason why some homeowners shy away from wooden dining tables, desks and countertops because they can’t remind everyone to use a coaster or a placemat all the time. It gets very frustrating especially after you have constantly reminded everyone to take care of your wooden furniture.
Thanks to simple home items and common sense, you can remove these ugly marks on your wooden furniture. Here are some of the most popular ways to do it.
You will need the following
- Hair dryer
- Mayonnaise or petroleum jelly
- Lemon oil and steel wool
- Toothpaste
- Soft cloth
Instructions
Using a hairdryer
Source: https://www.instructables.com/id/13-Unusual-Uses-for-a-Hair-Dryer/
When the water stains and rings are still fresh (you can see the moisture and feel the area is still cold with your hands), you can use a hair dryer to evaporate the moisture from the wood. You must do this carefully so you won’t end up warping your furniture especially when you are working on delicate and old furniture
Power on your hair dryer and place it in the lowest setting and place it directly at the water ring. Move the hair dryer around so you won’t risk overheating the area and even the surrounding affected areas. After two minutes, check the stain. You may repeat as long as you don’t expose wood to direct heat for no longer than two minutes.
Using mayonnaise or petroleum jelly
Source: https://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/petroleum-jelly-uses/
Mayonnaise and petroleum jelly are cold plus can also pick up stains fast especially watermarks and stains on wood. Apply only a small amount and only on the area affected by watermarks.
Apply a dab of either substance using a soft cloth. Rub the substance using a circular motion. Do not rub very hard otherwise you may risk damaging the stain on the surface of your furniture. You may repeat the steps if the stain persists. You can leave it on the stain overnight if the stain is too stubborn or too heavy.
Using toothpaste
Source: https://lifehacker.com/5412007/toothpaste-combats-water-marks-on-wooden-furniture
Another effective stain remover is toothpaste because this has a number of good stain remover ingredients like baking soda. Use toothpaste with baking soda and a non-gel, non-whitening type. Take care not to rub the toothpaste roughly over the stain to preserve the natural finish of your furniture.
Apply toothpaste to the wood in the same direction as the grain. Rub the toothpaste but don’t do it too hard. Remove the toothpaste with a clean cloth and then use a moistened cloth to rinse the area. Repeat the process if the water rings and stains remain.
Use steel wool and lemon oil
Source: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parker-Bailey-Lemon-Oil-16oz/dp/B007HWRG2O
Lemon oil is perfect for removing stains and grime off the wood. You can use this on its own or add it to your regular dishwashing liquid to help remove stubborn stains. You need the finest grade steel wool available to apply lemon oil. Use this to gently rub lemon oil in the wood in the direction of the wood grain. Use a clean cloth to remove the oil from the surface.
Using other over-the-counter products
Source: https://www.amazon.com/OLD-White-Ring-Spot-Remover/dp/B0000CFM7M
There are a few OTC products to use in case the water rings persist or if you are dealing with very old water rings. Check out Old Craftsmen’s Brands White Ring Spot Remover or Jubilee Kitchen Wax. These products are very good for a variety of surfaces too. You can use these on wood, enamel, and Formica. These won’t just remove stains but will also protect surfaces from moisture that causes rings
White rings on wood furniture reflect the moisture that has soaked into the top layers of the wood finish. This is basically moisture that gets into wax, which naturally clouds up. Therefore the best way is to prevent this from happening by using a protective cover on your tabletop or countertop to preserve wood.
Conclusion
Water rings and stains on wood can be a challenge to remove. New rings can be removed by simply wiping the surface or heating it. However old stains and deep-seated rings can be very hard to remove. If common household items won’t cut it, there are OTC products to try.
