Marks from water glasses on the wooden table, stains on the wooden surface of the floor: How to get rid of water stains without sanding the wood.
At first, wooden surfaces look beautiful, but before you know it, water has soaked into the wood and leaves unsightly stains. Often all it takes is a forgotten coaster for the glass of water on the table or a few unnoticed drops while watering flowers. Don’t worry: If water stains have formed on the wood, you don’t have to sand the wood surface right away. We tell you how to remove the stains in the wood with a few home remedies.
Toothpaste and baking soda against water stains
Refinishing the wood is quite a laborious process: for this, the wood surface must be sanded, resealed and oiled. You can save yourself this work by treating water stains with toothpaste and baking soda. Here’s how the method works:
First, mix white toothpaste and baking soda in a small bowl to make a creamy paste. Then take a cloth, moisten it slightly with water and work the home remedy into the stain in circular motions. Work your way from the inside out, applying light pressure to the wood. Afterwards, remove the residue by simply wiping the wood surface with a clean, damp cloth and then drying it.
Remove water stains from wood with cooking oil
As an alternative to the toothpaste, you can also use cooking oil to remove the stains from the wood surface. For this treatment, it is best to use a light-colored oil, such as sunflower oil or canola oil. Pour it into a small bowl and add some salt. Mix the two home remedies so that you get a creamy mixture. Rub this mixture over the water stain until it is completely removed, and the edges are no longer visible. You can also just apply the mixture to the water stain and leave it on for about ten minutes. Finally, clean the surface with a damp cloth.
Blow-drying water stains
A third option is to remove the water in the wood with the help of a hair dryer. Note: this method of removal can be quite time-consuming and therefore requires patience. On the other hand, the procedure is very simple. Set the hairdryer on a medium setting and hold it so that the warm air hits the affected area. The warm air will cause the water to gradually evaporate, which will also remove the stain. Be sure to keep enough distance from the wood, as the material and coating usually don’t tolerate the heat very well. After the water stain is removed, do the spot some good by rubbing it with oil or wax.
Sand wooden furniture in an emergency
Unfortunately, if stubborn water stains are still visible as dark discolorations despite the home remedies, you have no choice but to take the work upon yourself and sand the affected piece of furniture. To do this, take sandpaper with 120 and 180 grits. First, sand the entire piece of furniture with the 180 grits, so that there are no bumps. In order not to harm the wooden furniture, you should always sand it in the direction of the grain. After that, take care of the affected area and work on it in the direction of the grain with the sandpaper with 120 grits. Once the wood has been completely sanded and the water stains are no longer visible, seal the wood again – for example, with wax.
