Picture the scene: It’s one of those balmy summer evenings when you are entertaining friends for dinner. The guests are participating and enjoying themselves, and all is well and good. Then suddenly, someone puts a hot platter on your beautiful wooden table, and the beauty of the table has disappeared. At the end of the day, when all of the guests are gone and the clean up is done, there it is—a small white mark left by the heat that mars the otherwise perfect finish of the table. Yikes!!! Don’t panic. The heat stains on your wood are like unwanted guests and fortunately can be gotten rid of without much trouble.
How Did This Happen?
The heat stains, those light and white marks that you see on the furniture, are caused by the heat and moisture going through the finish on the wood. The wood gives a different look to your luxurious dining room table or coffee table, that makes it seem as if it is Halloween all year long. Well, this isn’t really professional and in fact, you could say it is quite the reverse.
Solution #1: Magic of Olive Oil and Iron
This works great. Here is what you do:
Olive Oil Massage: Place 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on the spot and rub with a new, soft cloth. The oil softens the stain on the wood. The ironing trick: Now place a tea towel (or other thin cloth) on the spot. Set the iron to the very lowest setting, with no steam. Run the iron over the towel for about 10 minutes, stopping to check every half minute.
Voila! The stain should begin to lighten. It’s as if it did not exist!
Solution #2–mayonnaise method
Who would ever believe that a simple item which you may use on a sandwich would eliminate those blasted heat stains?
Saddle up the stuff: Rub mayonnaise into the spot on the wood. Be sure to use ordinary mayonnaise and not that low fat stuff.
Let it alone: Let it set for a few hours or overnight if the stain is very bad.
Wipe off: After a few hours take a clean cloth and lightly wipe off the mayonnaise and polish the spot. If any remains, wipe off with soap and water.
Solution #3–toothpaste and baking soda
Toothpaste unscented and baking soda are the proper things to eliminate heat stains from wood.
Mix: Take equal parts of the unscented toothpaste and baking soda and mix to a paste.
Gentle scrub: Then rub the paste over the stained part and gently rub it around in a circular motion with a soft cloth.
Wipe off: After a few minutes wipe the paste off with a damp cloth then dry the spot.
Solution #4–The hair dryer method.
This method uses heat to pull moisture from the wood in an orderly manner.
Get ready: Plug the hair dryer in and turn it to the very lowest heat.
Direct the heat: Put the dryer back and forth over the stain, about a few inches from it. This may take some time.
Buff: Once the stain begins to disappear rub the spot lightly with a cloth.
Solution #5–baking soda and water
If you do not have any tooth paste on hand, try with baking soda, taking that alone.
Mix: Take a tablespoon of baking soda and mix it with water until you have a film paste.
Rub: Place the paste on the stain and rub it in a round motion with a cloth.
Cleanse: Wipe off with a damp cloth and dry the spot.
Prevention methods: Avoid the heat.
Now that your table is so good as new, here is how to keep it that way:
Use coasters and place mats: These are a protection to your table from heat and moisture.
Trivets for hot dishes: Be sure never to put hot dishes or pots directly on the table.
Be prompt: If anything hot is spilled, wipe it up at once.
Heat stains are surely irksome, but that is not to say they cannot be removed. By using a few household articles you can restore the appearance of your wood furniture. The next time you see a heat stain, do not run to your nearest store for an expensive article. Use olive oil, mayonnaise or baking soda instead.
