It used to be that white water stains on wood furniture would either require using a set of self-adhesive doilies to cover up the unsightly blemishes or you’d be forced to trash the piece. Other options include having a professional wood specialist treat the stains or spending a bunch of money on commercial cleaners and treating the stains yourself.
Fortunately, there are several cheaper yet effective stain removers available that will help you salvage a water-marked wood piece, including:
Baking Soda: Simply create a paste of standard baking soda and water and apply it liberally to the white water stain. Allow the paste to sit overnight, and in the morning wipe it away with a soft cotton cloth. You can dampen the cloth with a bit of Pledge if the paste has really hardened.
Salt and Oil: This method requires making a paste with table salt and household cooking oil. Gently rub the mixture into the stain with a soft cotton rag, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the stain lifts, remove the salt and oil mixture with a clean rag and polish as usual.
Steel Wool: If you are working with an older piece of wood furniture, then you might consider using steel wool that has been saturated with lemon oil to gently buff out white water stains. When employing this method, be sure to buff in the direction of the wood grain, and remember to re-saturate the steel wool with lemon oil if need be. You don’t want to use dry steel wool on your wood piece, as doing so will lead to scratches.
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser: Mr. Clean comes to the rescue yet again. The Magic Eraser is a great tool to use to get rid of white water stains. Simply dampen the eraser with a little Pledge and buff gently, going with the grain of the wood. For tougher stains you may need to use more elbow grease.