Our parents and grandparents were onto something with their incessant requests to USE A COASTER. All it takes is a little moisture from a cold glass or a hot plate to create an unsightly water ring or heat transfer stain. But all is not lost, we have a hack for that. 

Note: Check your water ring. If it is light in color, that means that the water has only soaked into the finish and this hack should work. If the ring is dark, that means the water has soaked into the wood itself and refinishing may be in order. 

Iron Out Stains

What You’ll Need:

• Tea towel, cloth, or old t-shirt (without any colors or patterns that could transfer)
• Iron
• Patience 😉

How to do it:

1. Empty the water from your iron and set the heat to the lowest setting.
2. Clean your table of any dirt or crumbs.
3. Place the dry cloth over the stain. 
4. Iron over the stain by gently pressing down with quick strokes (for no more than 10-15 seconds at a time) and keep the iron moving. Don’t let the iron sit too long in one spot. (if the finish gets tacky, stop immediately)
5. Lift the iron up, remove the cloth and check the stain. Let the wood dry to see if any part of the stain is left. If there is, repeat the ironing process until it’s all lifted.

A word of caution, be careful with high heat settings and textured cloths. We aren’t looking to melt varnish and create a mark, but use just enough heat to lift the water. Have patience, people. These stains may not lift right away. Carefully repeat the ironing process and you should see the stain slowly diminish to be like the stain was never there in the first place.

For more of our hacks visit our blog.

For a list of our favorite products, click here. 

-Denise @GoCleanCo