Whether you’re looking to refresh the wooden table your grandmother gave you or the one you just picked up from a thrift store, removing water stains and refreshing wooden furniture at home is pretty straightforward. With a few pantry staples you no doubt have, you’ll be well on your way to DIY solutions and beautifully refreshed wooden furniture.
4 Quick DIY solutions that work
1. Vinegar and bicarb method
Vinegar isn’t just good for making quick pickles and zingy salad dressings – it can also magically lift water stains. As with trying anything new, test a small inconspicuous patch first to make sure that the stained wood can tolerate the acidity of the vinegar.
- Mix equal parts distilled vinegar and water in a small bowl or spray bottle.
- Soak a microfiber cloth in the solution. Wring it out to make it damp, not soaked.
- Cover the stain with the damp microfibre cloth and weigh it down for an hour.
- When removing the cloth and the stain still hasn’t lifted, sprinkle a small amount of bicarbonate of soda onto it. Pour or spray a few drops of vinegar solution over the bicarb.
- Use a soft-bristle brush and gently scrub the stain until it lifts.
- Wipe away with a clean, damp cloth. Finish by dabbing a small amount of olive or walnut oil onto another clean cloth, and rub this into the area where the stain was to restore its shine.
2. Olive oil and salt method
Olive oil is not only a great source of nourishment for our skin and gut microbiome, but also for wooden furniture. If olive oil isn’t in your pantry, or you’d prefer to keep an oil with a longer shelf life stocked, consider another mineral oil like walnut or canola. The combination of revitalising oil and salt helps absorb moisture from the stain, and refreshes the wood’s original shine.
- Mix equal parts olive oil and salt in a bowl.
- Apply this solution directly to the stain and gently scrub it with a clean microfibre cloth.
- Let this sit for a few minutes.
- Wipe the area clean with a damp cloth, voila!
3. Mayonnaise method
As absurd as lathering mayonnaise onto wooden furniture sounds, this handy pantry item works well to treat heat and liquid stains.
- Dip a microfibre cloth into some mayonnaise.
- Dab this onto the stain and gently wipe it until the stain lifts. Leave mayonnaise on for up to 2 hours for stubborn stains.
- Clean this with a damp microfibre cloth. If you’d like to take it one step further, you can wipe on a little mineral oil to restore sheen, or finish by applying a commercial wood cleaner as you usually would.
4. Iron method
This method only works for recent water stains. The heat from the iron helps rid the wood of excess moisture.
- Fill an iron with distilled water and set it to its lowest heat setting.
- Fold a clean microfibre cloth in half and place it over the stain.
- Gently place the iron on top of the cloth and leave for about 10 seconds before lifting (make sure the iron is on its lowest setting, otherwise it may burn the wood).
- Pull back the cloth to check whether the moisture has evaporated and the stain has lifted. Repeat as many times as necessary.
- Finish with a wood cleaner or some mineral oil.
- For stubborn stains, try methods 1, 2, or 3.
Since wood is easily stained, make sure there are plenty of coasters about to prevent future stains. When routinely cleaning your wooden furniture, a simple solution of soapy water and a microfibre cloth is all you’ll need. Otherwise, there are wonderful wood cleaners that both clean and restore shine at your local supermarket.
