Banish Water Rings From Your Wood Furniture With A Cleaning Staple

Uh-oh. Someone left a glass of water on your wooden coffee table and failed to use a coaster. Now you have a water stain in the shape of a ring, which does not suit the aesthetic you're going for in your home. What should you do about this stain? It might not be time to replace your table or cover up the stain with magazines just yet. You may be able to remove the water ring from your piece of wooden furniture with a common household cleaning staple: baking soda.

There are numerous baking soda cleaning hacks that you can use around the home and removing water rings from wood is one of them. Baking soda can help remove the moisture under the wood surface so that your furniture looks new again. While it doesn't work in all cases, there's a good chance that this trick is just what you need to set things right.

To banish water rings from your wooden furniture, start by mixing a tablespoon of baking soda with some water. Use this combination to make a paste. Then, grab a microfiber cloth and use it to rub the paste into the water stain. Gently scrub the water stain with quick and small circular motions for five to 10 minutes, following the wood grain and avoiding unaffected areas. After you're done, use a second microfiber cloth to remove any moisture that remains. Next, use a solution of water and oil soap to clean the surface and apply a coating of furniture wax to seal the deal. Afterward, buff the surface using a dry cloth.

While this mixture works well, you can also try other mild abrasives using the same method. Plain white, non-gel toothpaste is also an option to consider. You can also follow the same method using salt; a salt-and-water paste should have similar results and could also be just what the doctor ordered to remove your wood furniture stain.

Keep in mind that this stain removal method has limitations. Baking soda works best on newer water stains rather than stains that have had plenty of time to set in. You may not see results when trying to remove old water rings when using baking soda and following the method outlined here. Remove a water ring as soon as possible if you want to have the best chance of saving your furniture and renewing your wood surface.

There are also other methods for removing water stains from wood. You may want to try some of these solutions if you find that baking soda doesn't do the trick. For instance, you can try using your iron to remove water stains from wood. Remember that prevention is always the best solution for protecting your wood furniture — so get serious about using coasters. You may also want to apply a wood finish or use a table covering of some kind to add extra protection to the wood furniture in your home.