how to remove white spots from wood table top

How to Remove White Spots From Wood Table Top

There are two things your wood furniture hates: water and heat. Water and heat are the chief causes of white spots. You must have noticed those white spots after accidentally putting a hot box of pizza or take out on your wooden table, or when you forgot your coaster and put your cold drink on it. It could be too late before you’ve seen it. Once you take the box out, you’d see traces of white spots on your tabletop. Lucky for you, some of these white spots are easy to remove with a wipe of clean cloth. 

However, there are stubborn white spots that choose to remain on your tabletop. It is the moisture that got trapped under your table top’s finish. The white spots stay even when you spend a lot of time trying to wipe them off. The good thing is, you can still save your tabletop and restore it. To prevent extra damages, you can do these easy tricks on how to remove white spots from a wood tabletop.

What you Need to Remove the White Spots

The different products you have at home can be an effective solution to your problem. To start removing the white spots from your wood tabletop, you will need any of these products.

  • Baking soda
  • Toothpaste
  • Mayonnaise
  • Petroleum Jelly
  • Salt
  • Steel wool
  • Car wax
  • Cloth

How to Remove White Spots From Wood Table

You have different tricks and options on what to use to remove white spots from the wood tabletop. Use whatever is currently available. Then, you can move to other products if they aren’t enough to take the stains away.

1. Baking soda

Baking soda is the ultimate problem solver. You can mainly use it for anything. It is how universal this product could be. To start, mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a teaspoon of water. Since water can be bad for wood table tops, you need to use as little as possible. Mix them well. You can use a small soft brush or a clean cloth to gently rub the mixture into the white spots. Do it until they all disappear. Grab another clean cloth to wipe the tabletop clean.

2. Toothpaste

Another universal and ultimate problem solver is toothpaste. You can likewise use this to remove white spots from the tabletop. Most would recommend non-gel toothpaste. Those are the type which looks white and creamy instead of clear. Put a small amount of toothpaste directly into the white stains and gently rub it using your finger or brush. Avoid letting the toothpaste sit longer than a minute, or it may cause some damages. Wipe it clean and check the stains. Do it again if there are still stubborn white marks until all of them disappear.

3. Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise has another use aside from making all food delicious. You can use it to remove white spots from your tabletop caused by your hot cup of coffee or the cold glass of milk. You might wonder why? It is because mayonnaise has oil. The oil can seep into the wood’s finish and remove the moisture trapped.

Start by getting a small portion of mayonnaise and spreading it on the white stains. This time, you can leave it longer, like an hour or so, or leave it overnight. Then, wipe the tabletop clean and gently rub the remaining stains.

4. Petroleum Jelly

Another staple home product to use is petroleum jelly. It is another product you can leave overnight for your white stains. Using the same method done with the mayonnaise, put a decent portion of petroleum jelly on the white spots and let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight. Grab a clean cloth and rub the tabletop until the stains are gone.

5. Salt

Salt can remove white spots as well. Use a teaspoon of salt mix with water. Use only a few drops, just enough to melt the salt and make a nice paste. Remember that too much water used may further harm the wood. Use a nice soft cloth to rub the mixture directly into the white spots. Gently do the work until you see the white spots disappear.

6. Steel Wool

Yes, you can use steel wool to remove the white spots from your wood tabletop. However, be careful not to create further damage. You should use extra or super fine steel wool. Put a little lemon or mineral oil on the fine steel wool and rub it directly into the white spots. 

Do it until you eliminate all the white spots.

7. Car wax

If you have an extra car wax at home, use it to get those annoying white marks off your wood tabletop. Get a small amount of car wax and gently put it on the white spots. You can use your finger to let the product spread on the stains. Leave it for a few minutes to dry before grabbing a cloth and wiping it off.

Conclusion

Knowing the different ways on how to how to remove white spots from the wood tabletop is necessary, especially when you don’t want to see ring marks on your furniture. Putting the finishing touches or a furniture polish after cleaning the white stains is better for the wood. It will restore the shine and glow of your wood tabletop. Though there are commercial products sold that claim to remove white spots, nothing beats a good old home remedy.

How about you? What tricks do you do to remove white spots? Let us know about them! 


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