How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood

The white stains that appear on wood after alcohol touches it are actually damage to the sealant on the wood, not to the wood itself. However, this problem may not require refinishing the wood. Here’s what to do to remove these stains.

You Will Need:

• Cooking oil (olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, etc.)
• A soft cloth

1. Put a few drops of cooking oil on a cloth. Lemon oil or other traditional wood oils can also be used.
2. Gently rub the oil over the stain.
3. It may take a minute of rubbing the oil in for the stain to fully disappear. Add more oil to the cloth if needed.
4. Once the stain is gone, wipe off the excess oil with a dry part of the cloth.
5. If needed, clean the area to remove any remaining oil. Here is a guide for making your own DIY wood cleaner.

• If the method above does not remove the stain or if you don’t have any oil on hand, try using furniture polish.
• If both oil and furniture polish do not remove the stain, the area will need to be refinished. This isn’t as difficult as it sounds though. Simply determine what type of finish you have (usually polyurethane), put painter’s tape around the stained area on the wood, apply stripper to the area to remove the finish and wipe it clean, then wipe new sealant over the area.