Removing the stains from wood is possible without resorting to sandpaper. You can use either a liquid stripper or gel. Start by taping up any parts of the wood you don't want to be to be affected by the stripper. Place drop cloths on the floor of the area you are working.
If you're dealing with water rings or food stains on your wood, you can use a little olive oil and vinegar (mixed equally) to remove those stains without stripping your actual wood stain. Just rub the solution in the direction of the wood grain, let it sit, and then wipe it away with a damp towel.
White Vinegar
Even though vinegar is a natural, safe cleaner and disinfectant, the acidic formula is also tough on stains and safe for wood. Soak some paper towels in white vinegar and layer them over the stain. Let the soaked towels sit for about 30 minutes to penetrate the stain.
Try mixing a weak solution of water and dishwashing soap. Dip a soft cloth in the solution, wring it out and wipe the entire piece. You want a damp cloth, not a wet one. Don't saturate the wood, and rinse your cloth often.
Mix baking soda (half a cup) with vinegar (one cup) Spray the bubbling mixture on your wooden surface. Relax for the solution on the wooden surface to stop bubbling before you clean it with a wet cotton rag. Clean the surface with a new cloth.
Diluted vinegar can dissolve the finish that protects the wood and leave it looking cloudy, dull, or scratched. (The same goes for wood furniture.) Follow the manufacturer's cleaning recommendations or pick a cleaner that's made specifically for hardwood flooring.
Baking soda has a lot of great cleaning uses, so it might not be too shocking to learn that some people swear it's the key to removing water stains from wood. The magic of this trick is that the gentle, yet abrasive, cleaner frees the moisture that's trapped under the surface of your wood furnishings.
Just like hardwood floors, vinegar can eat away at the wax finish on wood furniture, leaving it looking dull and cloudy. But, you'll frequently read that vinegar is ideal for cleaning all types of wood. If you would like to use vinegar on finished or waxed wood furniture, use it extremely infrequently and at your risk.
Mix equal parts white vinegar and olive oil in a bowl and saturate the wood stain using a paper towel. Let the solution sit for an hour to release trapped moisture in the pores. Wipe off the residue with a soft cloth and buff the wood until the stained area blends in with the natural wood grain.
Turpentine is also used in softening varnish or shellacked finishes on woods. When it is applied to the surface, you can easily wipe away the varnish or any finish.
Dip your steel wool into the mineral spirits and start scrubbing the stripper and stain away. After the wood's been completely stripped, let it dry for a day or two. Sand the spots you missed with some sandpaper. Now they're ready to refinish with some stain, dark wax, or even paint!
You should also bear in mind that baking soda is an abrasive and can scratch the wood as well as stain it. Bicarb could also react with some laminates on wood too and cause bleached spots.
Surfaces that Should Not Be Cleaned with Vinegar
hardwood floors, wood furniture, and other word surfaces – due to its acidic nature, vinegar can damage hardwood floor finishes, causing them to look dingy. Use either a cleaner specifically made for hardwood floors or a mix of soap and water.
Pompeian, the century-old Baltimore olive oil importer, suggests using a blend of half olive oil and half vinegar instead of toxic cleansers the next time you polish your wood furniture. You can even fine-tune the formula for specific pieces, from bookshelves to dressers to a dining-room table.
Combine Vinegar and Olive Oil for a DIY Wood-Stain Remover
In a small bowl, mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil. Apply the mixture to the water stain using a cloth. Wipe in the direction of the wood grain until the stain is gone. The vinegar will help remove the stain while the olive oil acts as a furniture polish.
“Use a solution of 50 percent vinegar and 50 percent water on the stain. Apply liberally and then treat with laundry soap and water. “DO NOT put the garment in the dryer until you have seen that the stain is gone,” he warns.
Can I use olive oil on wood furniture? Yes, you can. Use a cloth to work the oil into the wood grain, rubbing back and forth. When the wood has absorbed the oil, leave it for ten minutes then wipe the excess off with a clean cloth.
White vinegar is on our list of "stain busters," but other vinegars, such as red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, have dyes, additives, and so on that can cause stains. Remember, however, that white vinegar is acidic. If you splash it on your clothing, carpet, or upholstery, don't leave it there undiluted.
Wood. The ammonia in original Windex can damage wood, so if there's a mess on your backyard deck, keep the Windex inside. “Wood is a natural surface that can dry out and crack, like your skin,” says Glickman.