There’s nothing worse than clearing up a room, and noticing the dreaded white ring on top of your piece of furniture. You may have that sinking feeling in your stomach that the piece is ruined, that you’ll be forever destined to have a lace doily or basket of fake flowers on that piece of furniture for the rest of your life. Maybe you get mad at the careless perpetrator that left their glass on top of the furniture without a coaster, and you’re tempted to seek them out and exact revenge (or maybe that’s just me). Before you go find a doily or basket of flowers, or hire someone to break the kneecaps on the guilty party, STOP and read some helpful hints on just what you can do to remove that ring, and keep your furniture!
To begin, let’s first understand where that white ring came from. Wood is a porous surface, and even when it’s been stained and then finished, that finish isn’t impervious to everyday use. As with anything porous, it can, and will collect moisture. In general, the moisture in the air, or from a glass of ice water, generally aren’t enough to cause those rings – it’s only when the moisture is left unattended that it becomes trapped under the finish, causing that ring.
How exactly do we release it, without having to fully strip your surface or ruining the piece?
First – it’s incredibly helpful to know if your piece is an antique or not. Older furniture will have been finished using a shellac or varnish, which requires different handling than newer pieces that have a finish that is either lacquer or an oil-based product. If your piece is an antique, it’s best to contact someone like Zeh’s Custom Design, with the knowledge and skills to safely and properly treat that finish and remove the rings. If your piece is newer, you can continue on.
Releasing that moisture is as simple as treating a blister – we need to create an opening in the surface. We won’t be doing anything so drastic as using needles or razors, but you may need to head to your bathroom anyway.
Gently abrading the surface will, in most cases, allow the moisture to escape. Followed up with being wiped dry, and then polished, you should never see the ring again.
How to abrade without damaging? Read on:
If the ring is noticed immediately, and you’re able, grab your hair dryer. Using a warm setting and moving the dryer over the spot for 10 minutes will help evaporate any moisture, and can eliminate the ring. Another immediate response you can use is your clothes iron. Make sure there’s no water (if it has a reservoir for the steam setting), and place a cotton t-shirt, towel or napkin over the stain. Set the iron to LOW, and place the hot iron on the cloth briefly. Lift the iron and cloth up to see if the spot has gotten smaller and/or less visible. If so, repeat until the stain is gone.
If those don’t work, or you don’t notice the stain immediately, try one of the following tricks:
BAKING SODA
A simple paste of 1 Tablespoon of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of water, applied in a circular motion over the spot with a soft cloth is the best place to start. Baking soda has what feels to be a soft texture, but actually has the perfect amount of roughness to be a fabulous scouring product, and is often used for other household cleaning. If you thought it was just to absorb the odors in your fridge, it’s time to expand your expectations.
NON GEL TOOTHPASTE
The good old basic toothpaste (Opaque, not transparent!) contains ingredients that actually scrub your teeth to clean and gently polish them each time you brush, making it idea to tackle that white ring. Simply apply a pea-sized amount to a clean dry cloth and rub your furniture, in the direction of the grain, adding more if required to cover the area. Come back with a clean damp cloth and wipe away residue. Let it dry, then polish as normal!
MAYONNAISE
Drop a blop on your surface and apply, covering the whole stain. Let it sit for at least an hour, up to overnight, making sure to add more if it starts to dry out. Once the hour is up, wipe the Mayo away, clean with a clean damp cloth and dry. If the stain persists after an hour, apply more and let it sit longer. The high oil content in the mayonnaise will displace the water, removing the stain. Not a Mayo household? Grab that tub of petroleum jelly – it should do the same thing.
VINEGAR & OLIVE OIL
Not just good on salad, this combo will provide acidity to break the finish safely, and oil to displace the water under the finish. Mix up a 50/50 solution and apply to the stained area with a clean cloth moving in the direction of the grain. After about 5 minutes, switch to a clean dry cloth and buff the spot.
If, after all these tricks have been tried, the stain is still there, it’s time to call the experts in.