I just removed some water marks from my sister-in-law's table using Mr. Clean Erasers. I was doubtful but tried it and presto, it worked! We need to polish it yet, but it looks great.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do I get rid of a white water mark on furniture?
By soochatty from Middletown, DE
If I'm not mistaken you can crack a walnut and rub it on the spot. The oil in the nut helps to remove the mark!
Formby's product line of furniture refinishing products sells a product called,"White Ring Remover". That is sold in any paint department that carries the Formby's product line.
Depends on what the fabric type is on your furniture.
Try a dab of Mayo, rub in with a soft cloth and buff with a dry cloth. It did a great job on my old sewing machine. GG Vi
This is what I just did...
Clean dry polishing cloth folded once laid over water mark, steam iron on full heat laid onto polishing cloth allowing steam to penetrate only for a couple of seconds at a time, after only a few passes the heat and steam make the water mark disappear completely, I was amazed at how effective it was I even took before and after pictures to show other people!
How do i remove water marks from on my high gloss table
Brilliant, the walnut worked on light wood, non glossy table, thanks.
Put mayonnaise on the ring and let it sit for a few hours. Buff with a soft cloth
How do I remove a dark water stain on dark wood? Toothpaste took off the finish surrounding spot. I am trying to do this quickly and quietly as I'm staying with friends.
This is her table I have damaged. Help!From Reader's Digest: To remove white rings left by wet glasses on wood furniture, mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil and apply it with a soft cloth while moving with the wood grain. Use another clean, soft cloth to shine it up. To get white water rings off leather furniture, dab them with a sponge soaked in full-strength white vinegar.
You can also try mayonnaise.
Try putting a paper towel over it and iron over all on a low heat. This will remove the moisture and the stain can be rubbed with a walnut.
I believe the nut method might work here, too. Here is a tip I posted. It worked on my wood flooring:
www.thriftyfun.com/
I tried mayo and it didnt remove the water stain
How do I remove white water marks from cherry furniture?
By Beverly praszkowicz from NY
The Magic Eraser Worked! I sprayed Pledge on my 150 year old cherished handed-down oak secretary and walked away :( Huge horrific water marks occurred, went on this website went through recommendations, decided to try Magic Eraser hesitantly, since it says on label not recommended for wood, and it worked completely! What a lifesaver. Highly recommended!
I tried the mayo, and it lightened up the water marks, but they were still there. Then tried toothpaste and that helped too. I was very nervous to try the steam iron, I reluctantly tried and the marks were gone in seconds!
A bit of damp laundry overnight left a horrid white mark on our gorgeous timber table, followed by a thorough blaming and sulking by dear husband. An iron over a towel fixed it in a minute. Great website, thanks!
I, too, have a cherry table that turned white as a result of a damp felt undercover that was placed on the table during a party. The great news is that with a steam iron and a white towel the moisture markings were gone!
I was very afraid to try the iron and cloth method on my dining room table but after trying everything else I decided to try it. After 5 minutes of moving the iron around the water mark was gone. Hope everyone else has the same luck as me.
How do I get an old water spot off a solid oak kitchen table (light wood)?
By Onesummer
You might want to view 'Restor-a-finish.... should be at Home Depot..
www.minksemporium.com/
I just had the same problem on my teak dining table. I put olive oil on a paper towel and rubbed it in then left the towel on the spot for quite a while. It disappeared!
RE: Heat Marks on Wood Furniture
I have found the best way to get rid of the white rings from heat or moisture on furniture, I have tried with no luck using Mayonnaise, cigarette ashes, toothpaste, hot iron and towels and what I have found that works is the Mr. Clean Magic eraser dampen the eraser rub gently with the grain of the wood and then polishing as usual, I happen to like Armor All as a furniture polish, if it's not a bad white mark the magic eraser will removed it completely, if it solid white you may have to do it several times It may leave a bit of a ghost but that's still better than having a big white mark.
This was not a bad 1, you can see on the right it's gone. Now that I know how to fix them nobody's making them.
I had a water mark on my dining table. I thought it would be no big deal to sand the whole finish off and stain and presto it would be beautiful, but oh was I wrong. I sanded and stained the spot and it turned much darker than the rest of the table. Then I sanded and stained again, still not fixing the problem. Then I tried bleach and sanding which then made the spot really light. I tried to make the spot bigger in hopes to blend it better and then stained again. And it is still turned much darker than the rest of the table. What is the best way to repair my table?
By Emily T
You certainly get an A for effort. If the table is worth it, find someone experienced in wood refinishing and have the whole top redone. Or you could redo the entire top yourself.
How can I remove watermarks from the polished surface of a table?
By pwreford
This sounds ridiculous but try mayo. Just rub mayo on the mark and then rub in till it's all gone. It worked for me on my cedar chest.
I have a light oak table with black water marks after a flower arrangement was placed on the table which sat there for a couple of weeks last June 2012. Also someone spilled wine or port on my table. Please help.
By Lorraine
I wish I had an answer, but I too, need help with this kind of damage.
How do I remove water stains from light colored wood?
By D from Home
I have never tried this myself but I am passing along a hint I saw from the Farmer's Almanac newsletter. It says to use mayonnaise to remove water stains from wood. Perhaps you could try a small area where it doesnt show so much?
How do I remove a water stain from my wooden dining room table?
By Linda D.
Try rubbing it with the cut edge of a walnut.
How do you remove water spots on a wood table?
By Sonny H. from Galveston, TX
Heat a dry iron, place 2 layers of a white t-shirt on top of the stain, press a few seconds, then peek under the t-shirt. Keep doing that until the stain is gone.
My grandson was wet sanding his motercycle in the garage. I had a TV cabinet stored there and he splashed sanding water on it and left white marks. How do I get them off?
By Deanna S.
I split a glass of water on a pine dresser and would like some advice as to how to remove it.
By Eileen
I have an small antique table that my mother, for years, used to keep her prized African violets on. A lot of times she would over water and the excess would lay underneath the dish that they sat on. This destroyed the finish and penetrated the wood. I had no choice, but to strip the old finish off, but now there is a large darker ring that I'm afraid I can't get rid of. Any suggestions?
By Jack
What is the iron cloth method to remove white water stains from a mahogany coffee table?
By Tricia H
I stripped the varnish and stain from the wood and I am left with a large (12 inch) water ring. How can I get the whole top to mimic the stain?
By KRC from Sheboygan, WI
This is a page about removing drink rings from wood furniture. When cups are set on wood furniture without a coaster and a ring can be left behind creating an unsightly blemish on the surface of the wood.
Spills or overflowing potted plants can result in water marks on your furniture. This is a page about removing a water stain on an oak table.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How do I get rid of a bad water mark on my pine table?
I am trying to get a heat stain off my pine table. As well as water marks? Any suggestions?
How do you remove water spots from a cherry wood dining room table?
Remove white water rings from wood with a solution of white distilled vinegar and vegetable oil. Rub with the grain.
Use mayonnaise to remove water marks on wood from glasses. This works like a miracle. Cover water mark with mayonnaise and leave on for a couple hours.
How do I remove a recent water stain from my antique oak counter?
How do I remove circular water marks from a pine dresser unit? They were made by cups, glasses, etc.
How do you use the wax paper, cotton cloth, and iron to remove water marks from wood?
