2/06/2014

An unconventional way to remove a water stain from wood

Do you remember when I got this table?



Well, the lady who sold it to me said she rubbed it down with a protective oil to help preserve it. She may have done that, but we have been getting a few stains here and there, which resulted in me throwing a cheap vinyl tablecloth over it to protect the wood.  A few weeks ago I ended up with a nasty stain.  Something somehow leaked through the tablecloth and onto the table.  I didn't even know it nor did I know how the long the stain had been there until I had taken off the tablecloth.  Needless to say, the wood had turned white.



The other day I was playing Go Fish with my 3 year old, and we were snacking on Lay's Wavy potato chips.



I noticed these little grease spots showing up, and I had the craziest idea to rub the inside of the bag of chips onto my water stain.   I figured it couldn't hurt.



Well, guess what.  It worked.   I cut a small piece of the bag and rubbed the oily side onto the table in a circular motion.  Within seconds, the stain was gone.  I wiped the table down with clean damp cloth to check if it was just a hoax.  The stain was gone. (!!!)




A few things to note:
This worked for me and may not work for you.  I thought this was a crazy idea and just wanted to share it.
My table is solid wood teak with no veneers.
My table does not have any protective coating like Polyacrylic or stains.
I didn't use a lot of oil.  If I needed more, I cut another small piece from the bag.

Have you found a successful way to remove water stains?  Do share!

xx nancy

One year ago: Triple Zip Pouch
Two years ago: Fabric Friday || Triangles


9 comments:

  1. mayo, believe it or not, is brilliant for repairing water stains. Probably works on the same principle :-)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing that tip Charlotte!!

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  2. Yes, someone told me once to use mayonnaise and I slathered it on a stain, waited until it turned clear, and then wiped it off....beautiful. It has been forever and it still looks perfect. Crazy right! I figure the chips is kind of the same. So neat.

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  3. I suppose that's why people use mineral oil. I've heard that using ash works very well with water stains.

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  4. I'm a little grossed out and also tempted to eat a bag of chips so I can fix my water stains...LOL!

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  5. I'll have to remember that trick. Years ago, we had a similar water spot and we also used something strange to try and remove it - I can't remember what it was though.

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  6. Ha! That's awesome. We've done the mayo fix before.

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  7. Well, the lady who sold it to me said she rubbed it down with a protective oil to help preserve it. She may have done that, but we have been getting a few stains here and there, which resulted in me throwing a cheap vinyl tablecloth over it to protect the wood.
    Real wood Crib |
    Crib made in USA

    ReplyDelete

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