How to remove white spots from wood furniture? [10 super-easy methods]

What an awkward situation is to see those white stains appearing on the wood furniture that you have just bought so far… What was your mistake that caused these white spots? Are they possible to get rid of?

Don’t panic! Here I want to reveal some helpful tips on how to remove white spots from wood furniture and restore its glossy look!

How to remove white spots from wood furniture?

These awkward white stains are nothing but heat stains caused by hot cups and dishes left on the wooden surface. As you may already have noticed, they are quite tricky to remove so many people start to be concerned about this issue if they can’t deal with it using a regular furniture polish.

The key point is to get the excess moisture out of the wooden pores. In contact with hot sweating glasses, the wooden surface gets soaked with the excess moisture that fills the pores.

Thus, your task is to get the pores free of the trapped water.

There are still numerous ways of removing heat stains from wood furniture, and you can try any of them.

The key starting point is to clean the affected surface completely before heat stain removal. Any dust and debris left on the wood furniture can affect the result, so you need to get rid of them.

Then, proceed with any of the methods given below.

#1. Baking soda method

As everyone knows this is one of the most versatile household helpers that you can use to clean many different surfaces… So, no wonder that you can make use of it to clean wooden furniture.

Mix a thick paste from 1 teaspoon water and 1 tablespoon baking soda. Then, keep rubbing this paste into the white spots until they are gone.

To boost the removal process, you can mix it in equal parts with white toothpaste.

#2. Heat method

The most interesting point about heat stains on wood furniture is that you can remove them by heating the affected surface again. Heating the white heat marks allows you to remove trapped moisture from the wood pores and get rid of the white stains.

There are several ways to heat the wooden surface. You can use either a hair dryer or clothes iron heating, depending on the severity of the white stains on the wood.

The first recommended variant is to use a hair dryer as it works milder and can’t seriously affect the wooden surface.

Step 1: Set your hair dryer up.To get started successfully, opt for the right heat settings. Plug your hair dryer in and turn it on. Choose the lowest setting to heat the surface just enough to open the wood pores.

Step 2: Heat the wood surface evenly. Keep moving the hair dryer over the surface to heat it evenly over the whole affected area. For better effect, you can raise the heat level a little bit to heat the wood surface deeper.

Step 3: Observe the results. After a few minutes of heating, examine the wooden surface to see if there are some white stains left on it. If you manage to remove heat stains from wood with a hair dryer, you are lucky.

However, if the white marks are still visible on the wooden surface, try the second variant. In this case, you need a clothes iron and a clean dry towel.

Step 1: Spread the towel over the affected area. Since clothes iron produces more intensive heat, you need a protective layer between the wooden surface and the heat source. Just cover your wooden table with a clean thin towel to prevent scorching and let the heat adequately pass through the surface.

Step 2: Set the clothes iron up. Plug the device in and opt for the lowest setting as it is just enough for this purpose. Make sure not to switch the steam settings on so as not to worsen the situation!

Step 3: Heat the affected area evenly. Keep moving the clothes iron for a few minutes in a side-to-side motion. Be sure to cover all the affected areas!

Step 4: Check the progress. Unlike with the hair dryer, you can’t see the progress without pauses. So you need to stop heating several times and check the progress under the towel. As soon as the white marks are gone or reduced, stop ironing the surface.

#3. Mayonnaise method

This tip may sound weird but this is still one of the most efficient methods of removing heat stains from wood furniture.

Since mayonnaise contains many natural oils, they are prone to penetrating the wood and pushing the water stains out of the pores.

All that you need is to spread a layer of mayonnaise over the white areas and gently rub it into the wood. Then, let it sit and work overnight. The next day clean the table well to see the results.

#4. Olive oil method

Olive oil is one more good helper for wood care. Since it can be used to restore the gloss of the polished surfaces, you can also clean the heat stains with the help of it.

Apply some olive oil onto the soft cloth. Then, rub it thoroughly into the wood surface. Move evenly all over the affected area until the white stains disappear. If the heat stains are too deep, you may need to repeat it several times until the result satisfies you.

At the end, take a clean cloth and wipe the oil from the furniture.

You can use this type of oil in combination with salt or white vinegar to create powerful cleaning agents that can deal with excess moisture and remove white spots from your furniture.

#5. Petroleum jelly method

Petroleum jelly is one more great oily agent that can work in this situation as well. As it can deeply penetrate the wood and substitute excess moisture, don’t hesitate to try it!

To make use of petroleum jelly, apply it evenly over the white water rings and let it sit for a few hours. The best idea is to leave it overnight. Then, just wipe the petroleum jelly thoroughly with a clean rag or a paper towel.

#6. Salt method

For this method, you don’t need much. Just add a few drops of clean water to 1 tsp of salt. Make a thick paste and spread it over the white stains on the wood.

Then, take a clean soft cloth or a soft sponge and gently rub the surface up to the result.

To achieve the best results, always follow the wood grain!

#7. Steel wool method

Extra-fine steel wool can fix the situation without harming the finished surfaces. For the best effect, dip the steel wool into the lemon or mineral oil, and keep rubbing the stains on the wood until they disappear.

#8. Toothpaste method

Toothpaste is a great mild detergent that works not only as a cleaner but also as a heat stain removal. The only thing to keep in mind is that you can deal only with plain toothpaste that doesn’t have any extra contaminants.

To dispose of water stains, rub them well with some toothpaste for more than a minute. Move parallel to the wood grain to lift the marks.

Be sure to clean only the affected areas! Don’t rub the areas beyond the heat stains so as not to damage the finish.

#9. Wax method

Since oily substances work well for heat stain removal, a good alternative is to make use of waxy substances as well.

If you are a car owner, a good option is to try car wax. It works almost the same as the furniture polish. Along with removing scratches from the smooth surfaces, it is also good at lifting white marks from the wood.

Apply a layer of car wax over the white rings on the surface. Then, let it sit and work for a while to penetrate the wooden furniture and lift the white marks from the wood grain. When the car wax dries out, give it a good rub with a clean soft cloth.

If you don’t feel like getting a package of car wax just for this purpose, make use of paste wax instead.

#10. White vinegar method

White vinegar is a well-known household product used in many ways. As for the heat stains removal, it is one of the most efficient helpers.

It works well not only with wood but also with leather furniture surfaces.

Take a clean soft sponge soaked in white vinegar and rub the heat stains well with it in a circular motion until the white spots disappear.

FAQ

Final thoughts

As you can see, various methods can help you to get rid of white spots on wooden surfaces. Please share your best experience in the comments below!