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.
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You Will Need:
- Cooking oil (olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, etc.)
- A soft cloth
Steps to Remove the Stain:
- Put a few drops of cooking oil on a cloth. Lemon oil or other traditional wood oils can also be used.
- Gently rub the oil over the stain.
- It may take a minute of rubbing the oil in for the stain to fully disappear. Add more oil to the cloth if needed.
- Once the stain is gone, wipe off the excess oil with a dry part of the cloth.
- If needed, clean the area to remove any remaining oil. Here is a guide for making your own DIY wood cleaner.
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Additional Tips:
- 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.
Thank You, it worked beautifully.
It didn’t work for me unfortunately. Just wondering why it works for some and not others?
Joy,
Every wood surface is different: different type of finish, different amount of wear on the finish, different length of exposure to the alcohol, etc. Sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. However, refinishing the area is not as difficult as it sounds. Tape off the area with some masking tape, wipe the area with mineral spirits to remove the finish (and with it the stain), then wipe a new finish on top once the area has dried. Good luck!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
****It worked!!!! Thanks!******