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How To Remove Water Stains From A Wood Table

in Cleaning Tips And Tricks, DIY, Household Hacks on 01/03/23

As a kid, I remember Mom always telling me to use a coaster and not put my cups down on the table. Now understand it’s because she didn’t know how to remove water rings from wood table. Neither did I until my daughter taught me.

My daughter and her husband started their own resale business several years ago, and my daughter is in charge of cleaning, repairing, and refurbishing items before they resell them.  

Do you have wood furniture with a water stain? Did you know you can fix it in a few minutes with what you have at home right now? Click through to get the details!

How To Remove Water Stains From A Wooden Table Easily

She has learned quite a bit about doing most of the repairs through trial and error. So before I try anything, I always ask for her advice and expertise.

One of the things she learned and has worked so well for hers and others who have tried it is the following remedy to how to remove water rings from furniture. So if you were asking yourself, are water stains on wood permanent? They are not.

Not knowing how to remove water rings on wood furniture in the past meant I needed to cover it with something (probably why Grandma always used doilies…) or throw it out. I had no clue what to do.

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Another thing is that this tip works for an old wood table water stain, new water rings on wood, and it includes how to remove dark water stains from wood furniture too.

Before I share with you her remedy for how to repair water rings on wood furniture, I want you to see some of the things I have shared that she has repaired or refurbished – some for personal use:

Today she is sharing her tips on fixing water rings on wood furniture. Not only idoes this tip work for how to fix water rings on wood, but it also works to repair burns on wood tables, too:

“This is the best way I have found to fix burns and/or how to get rid of water rings on wood furniture easily on various wood tables.”

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“I have had many of these stains myself from my kids spilling a drink or setting a hot pan of cookies on it!  This tip on how to remove rings from wood table and burns has worked well every time on my own and ones I have sold.”

It’s such a simple and easy way to remove water rings from wood table.  Let’s get started!

wood table with a water stain, with an iron and towel folded on top
This is the stain we’ll work on today

Things you will need:

  • Clean Towel (white is best, or at least one you know will not transfer color)
  • Steam Iron with the steam turned on

Directions on how to get rid of water rings on wood table:

  • Make sure the surface is clean and dry before you start removing water rings from furniture.
  • Lay the towel over the marks and rotate the hot steam iron over the stain for about 3 to 5 seconds.
  • Use the towel to rub the area you just heated with the iron to remove the moisture left by the steam iron.
  • Check the spot to see if it is still there and repeat the process until it is gone.

For me, it has taken up to about 6 times to get the desired result.  After removing water rings from wood re-seal the finish by using a little furniture polish or furniture wax to get it looking good again.

the finished product the table looks new
It’s super simple once you know how and it looks as good as new.

That’s it – for how to remove water rings from wood furniture!  That’s all there is to it, and it takes just a couple of minutes, and you’re all set!

Make sure if you give this tip on how to remove water rings from table that you come back and share your results with us. We love to chat about how things worked out.

Do you have any other tips on how to fix items around the house instead of having to toss them out or live with them? Make sure to leave them in the comments below.

Find out How To Clean Your Couch So It Looks New Again <—-click here

How To Clean Your Couch So It Looks New Again

You will NOT believe the AWFUL AWFUL couch she made look brand new again! You have to click the link below and check out the job she did on that!

I was barring the door when she first showed up with it, and it was so disgusting. I didn’t want it in the house!

But she did an amazing job with it, and you have to see it!

Do you have wood furniture with a water stain? Did you know you can fix it in a few minutes with what you have at home right now? Click through to get the details!

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Dian1

29 Comments

Comments

  1. Phyllis T. Pedreira says

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    I want to thank you very, very much for the above information.

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Phyllis,

      You are very welcome!

      Thanks,
      Dian

      Reply
  2. Trista says

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    Thanks for this! Me and my piano have a date with our iron this evening!

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Trista,

      You are very welcome! Good Luck!
      Dian

      Reply
  3. Gayle says

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    Do you think this would work on a pee spot on my dining room table? One of the cats piddled on the table, not sure how long it was there, but the surface is lifted. Will the heat steam the surface back down?

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Gayle,

      It should work! Since it is lifted I would try it without steam first and then with steam, if needed. If there’s a smell also you’re trying to fix I would try letting some baking soda sit on the area just pour it right on there for about 30min-1hr.

      I hope that helps!
      Dian

      Reply
  4. Pat Del Greco says

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    You used a steam iron on dry or with steam.

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Pat,

      With steam.

      I hope that helps,
      Dian

      Reply
  5. Anne Kingsbury says

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    Hang on that’s how I made the mark in the first place! I thought I’d iron something on my wood table. Put a towel to protect it but the steam obviously went through and now I have pale ghosting on the areas that I applied the heat and steam to. So confused.

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Anne,

      The trick is to just heat the wax a little bit so it adheres to the wood again.

      It probably got really hot if it was being ironed on. Just do it 30 seconds at a time to prevent permanent damage.

      Since the wax may already be permanently damaged you can try something I have done before. Polish the table top with a little lemon essential oil, orange oil, olive oil, or avocado oil. Then try the iron again. If that fails there’s a product you can try. It works for me sometimes, but, not all the time. The oils listed above I have used and always seem to work. Any 1 of them should do the trick.

      https://amzn.to/2MCG17f

      Good luck!
      Dian

      Reply
  6. David Collins (@oledave1706) says

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    On white water spots, I have had good luck with GOJO water less hand cleaner. I use 0000 grade of steel wool, apply hand cleaner with the steel wool. use only light strokes in same direction as grain. Do not rub too hard. EASY STROKES! Will ironing take out dark water spots?

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      David,
      Thanks for the tip!

      I haven’t tried this technique on dark water stains.

      Thanks again,

      Dian

      Reply
  7. Jasmine says

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    I can’t wait to try this on my boyfriend’s dresser… but what can I use to clean the top of the dresser from ash and maybe smoke built up???

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Jasmine,

      Thanks for asking:

      Lemon essential oil on a cotton pad or cotton ball you can also mix it in a small spray bottle with half witch hazel-half water and lemon essential oil. I use about 20-30 drops.

      I hope that helps! Good luck!
      Dian

      Reply
  8. Katherine says

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    This WORKED fantastic!! I couldn’t believe it. I had a dinner plate size water mark on my kitchen table from someone (who shall not be named) leaving a styrofoam lid from a leftover box overnight. I used the steam method and it came out within 2-3 tries. One tip is to wipe the area immediately with the towel after lifting the iron to remove the moisture from the steam.

    I also tried it on my dining room table but had to switch to a dry iron method. I noticed my towel sticking to the surface of the table when using the steam method and it made a larger haze. I switched to a dry iron and rubbed the area in the direction of the grain as soon as I lifted the iron. The white water mark came up but the area that I worked on looked dull, so I went over it with some lemon oil. Look perfect!

    Thank you for this!

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Katherine,

      You’re so very welcome and tha is for the tips!

      I’m so happy ot worked for you!

      Thanks for letting me know!

      Dian

      Reply
  9. Missy says

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    I was heartbroken at the sight of my table after Christmas. It is a focal point in our home and it had several watermarks. I read a suggestion to use mayonnaise, so I did and nothing. Today, I came upon this hack and tried it. IT WORKED!! Like a charm I might add. Thank you so much! My table looks like new.

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Missy,

      I am so glad to hear that!

      It makes me happy that you saved your table!

      Thank you so much for sharing!

      Happy New Year!
      Dian

      Reply
  10. Katie says

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    This worked like a charm! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Katie,

      Awesome thanks for letting me know!
      I am glad it worked!
      Thanks again,
      Dian

      Reply
  11. Suzanne says

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    I have a leather steamer trunk that now has a white water ring from a planter. Will this method work on leather? I also inherited a cherry buffet that has 50 years of liquid gold buildup. Any suggestions on how to remove the buildup? Thanks for all the great information!

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Suzanne,

      I asked my daughter since she is the one who wrote it all and here is what she said:

      “Lemon Essential oil for the buildup, put it on a cotton pad you would use for your face and it’ll break thru the buildup quickly.

      To restore the leather I would recommend Angelus leather products. I purchase mine from Frog Jelly Leather.

      I would recommend painting the entire chest with the color you select so that if it doesn’t match exactly it won’t be that obvious and you can make it any color you want.

      You would need the leather preparer (smallest bottle they sell) it’s like acetone just wipe it over the surface quickly on a cotton pad. Then you apply the leather paint color of your choice.

      I pour a little on a sponge (non scrubby side) and start applying. You will want to do at least 2 coats. I use a blow dryer to dry them between coats.

      Then finish it off with the Angelus Finisher. You can select glossy, satin, or matte finish this will seal and protect it.

      The whole process is very easy and quick. It takes longer to paint my nails than it does to do this. You should be able to get the whole thing in an hour or less.”

      https://frogjellyleather.com/

      I hope that helps! Let us know how it goes, for sure,
      Dian

      Reply
  12. Nita says

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    This really works! I just tried it. It only took three seconds if that. Thanks!!!!!

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Nita,

      That’s great and you’re very welcome!

      I love a good victory!
      Dian

      Reply
  13. Nita says

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    Me too!!

    Reply
  14. Patricia says

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    So glad I saw and saved this post…it really worked!!! Thanks for this awesome tip!!

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Patricia,

      Yay! I’m glad it worked!
      Thanks for letting us know – I love a great victory!

      Dian

      Reply
  15. Toni says

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    I tried a baking soda, I tried vinegar, I tried car wax, went to the steam iron took about three times and it came out I am shocked thanks for the info

    Reply
    • Dian says

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      Toni,

      Awesome! Thanks for letting us know!

      Dian

      Reply

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Welcome to GSFF! I’m Dian, a wife of over 20 years, Mom to 4 grown kids… Read more about Dian, Shopping, Finance, & Family

Dian is a mom of four grown children, Nana to 6 beautiful grands, wife to an amazing husband, social influencer, and blogger. I love all things gardening, saving money, tips & tricks to make life easier, ANY cool new gadget, and feeding my Reality TV addiction (it's real y'all, you have no idea!) Dian has been featured in person, in print, and on sites like Huff Post, CBSNews, Blog Talk Radio, NBC DFW, Babble, Woman's Day, All You Magazine, Super Market News, Clark, & Pinner's Conferences. Want to know more? Check out the full bio here!

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