One of the most frustrating things about owning wood furniture [1] is trying to maintain that new look — but chips and stains are inevitable. As someone who likes to entertain and also has small children, I know.
My husband and I knew that keeping our wood coffee table [2] looking fresh was going to be particularly challenging, so we researched ways to get the stains off [3], so we could easily tackle those cloudy ringed stains from a guest's drink or a baby's bottle as soon as possible. After a lot of trial and error, we found a foolproof way to remove them. While some of the ingredients in this magic potion are a little weird, don't let that persuade you against trying it — it works every time!
- Grab about one tablespoon of an oil-based product, like butter, petroleum jelly or (my preferred choice) mayonnaise. The oils help break up the moisture within the wood.
- Gently rub the oil-based product into the wood.
- Leave it on the wood for a while — the longer, the better. I typically apply it in the evening and let it soak overnight.
- Next, find some cigarette or cigar ashes (about one teaspoon will do).
- Apply the ashes over the oil-based product and scrub the stain lightly.
- If the stain does not come out on the first shot, repeat the process a few more times. I promise it will eventually come out!