We have an old wood table that has been used and abused for years. Bringing it out over the holidays for card playing, I commented how badly damaged it was and wished I knew how to remove the hideous white heat stains that marred the top. While talking I’m quickly covering the surface with a linen trying to hide the mess.
How did they get there? These white cloudy marks were caused by placing hot dishes directly on the surface. It’s been damaged like this for several years.
A few are from Chinese food takeout containers and another was caused by pizza boxes. It seems the heat from the container scorches or somehow steams the finish.
This is why we should always make sure to place potholders or folded towels on the tabletop first before setting hot food down. We may know this, but someone in the home forgot and so–here we are.
That wasn’t all though, there were also some watermark rings caused by setting coffee cups and glasses of soda directly on the surface. You name it–this piece of furniture was covered in it. Like I said–it’s been abused over time!
The good news is that the damage doesn’t need to be permanent, there is indeed a way to repair this and it’s not that difficult nor is there a need for any special products.
Even though I was dealing with an old piece of furniture that only held sentimental value, I understand the stress someone might be experiencing over a piece that is newer or more expensive.
The picture at the right (bottom) is a snap of the repaired table, all discoloration is gone (there is some glare but it’s due to image quality). One of these days I’ll figure out the camera and take better pictures–the wood has a dark finish but you’d never know it from these pictures!
What did I do to fix the problem? While setting out the table (as mentioned above in the introduction), a relative gave me this curious piece of advice:
- For the scorch marks, just take an iron and apply heat to the cloudy blotches, they’ll disappear!
Terrifying, right? But it’s an old table that we have shoved in a corner so with fingers crossed, I decided to take the chance and give it a try.
Success! How I Removed Heat Stains From Wood Furniture
I outlined the steps below in case you’d like to give this a shot too. It’s pretty aggressive so if it’s too risky for your comfort, don’t worry! I have some other ideas listed here as well (it’s probably best to start with those first).
- The first thing I did was wash the wooden surface and dry it well.
- Next, I took a clean, white cotton towel that wasn’t too thick and placed it over the scorch marks.
- Taking an old iron set to high dry heat, I carefully place it directly over the stain (with the towel in between for protection).
- I let it sit for close to a minute, checked, and nothing happened. The damage was still there.
- I kept reapplying the hot iron with no results, but once I turned the steam on–that’s when the magic happened. The marks literally disappeared!
- I couldn’t believe it and it defied logic to me–wouldn’t the steam cause more harm? All I know is that it worked.
- I was quick to wipe away any moisture and water left on the surface after each treatment.
- Added: A few of the comments below recommend finishing things off by wiping in a bit of olive oil once successfully getting rid of the stains, this helps nourish the wood and give it a bit of love after all that it’s been through.
A few days later and the surface is still great. The cloudy discolorations haven’t returned. I keep running my hand across the tabletop and I can’t feel any damage or change to the finish. I’m amazed at how easily this cleaned up–it’s a totally different piece of furniture now!
Caution: I have no idea if this affects the finish, I’m not an expert. It’s something I tried and worked very well in this case.
| Update (2023): I first published this here on Tipnut in January, 2007, so it’s been over 15 years since I wrote this article. There have been a few more stains develop over the years, but they’re new ones…not the originals mentioned here that were removed. I just go through the step-by-step directions outlined above and I haven’t noticed any long term negative effects to the wood at all. |
Updates
Although many are finding this works on their wood furniture pieces, some are reporting that this makes the problem WORSE (see the comments below).
- The reason for the discrepancy could be what the type of finish is…varnish or shellac.
I believe my old table in this project is varnish, but I haven’t tested it to confirm.
Glorious tips & suggestions have been contributed by many readers and those souls brave enough to test this method. Here’s the condensed version of the possible solutions if this technique is successful in removing the original stain–but then ADDS a permanent outline of the iron:
- Try a lower temperature and move the iron slowly around the location instead of letting it sit (thanks Matthew!).
- Others report success with hot temp & no steam (thanks Flora Monroe!)
- Another suggestion to fix this with just a hot iron hovering over the spots (not laying one down on cloth–but hovering–thanks mark harris, Tom, myf, Roxanne, Diana and Melanie!)–I believe they all used steam for the hover method.
- Also scroll down for Dan’s helpful tip using rubbing or polishing compound instead of the above technique if it’s too scary or aggressive for you.
- Timmer shared that the iron method made things worse, the fix that did the trick: spray furniture polish over top then work it in with extra fine steel wool (carefully so not to take off the existing finish). Next, buff with a clean rag once it dries.
Read the hundreds of comments below for all the feedback people have left and to review the results they experienced. I’m thrilled this tip has helped so many–believe me, I know the state of panic you’re in! Also continuing to organize recommended solutions for those who aren’t experiencing success yet, please drop a note if this worked (or didn’t work) for you :).
More DIY Methods To Try
If the removal technique shared above is a bit too aggressive for you, one of these easy tips may help restore the tabletop to looking brand new again…
- Mix 50/50 toothpaste and baking soda, rub in. Do not use gel toothpaste for this.
- Apply a paste of salt and olive oil, allow to sit several minutes (an hour at most). Wipe off.
- Apply Miracle Whip (Mayonnaise) and wipe away after an hour.
- Mix 50/50 vinegar and olive oil, smear over the watermark.
- Try straight toothpaste (non-gel). Apply with the grain then wipe off.
- Make a paste with baking soda and a few drops of water. Rub in then wipe off. You can also try salt instead of baking soda.
- Rub some Vaseline (or other petroleum jelly) into the watermark and leave overnight. Wash off in the morning.
Awesome!!! I spent 3,000.00 on my 10 seat dining room table and hutch. I was going to put a table cloth on the wooden table, because of the white spots left on the table by plates of hot food and drinks too. I applied the iron with a towel two times and it took every stain away. I polished the table and now it looks like it did 2 years ago when I bought it! Thanks so much for the tip!!!
I made a huge white stain BECAUSE I was using a stem iron on the table (I thought the towel would protect the table). I tried the baking soda and toothpaste mixture and dry ironing over a thin towel. The spot is still there and I don’t know what to do. Anyone have any idea?
I had the same problem. I did the toothpaste/baking soda mix and really rubbed it in with some elbow grease (also not sure if it matters but it was crest prohealth paste and the mixture was VERY grainy and thick). It helped 75%. I then did olive oil and salt paste (less thick), left it on for an hour, and it’s 98% fixed. I was scared to try anything with an iron because that was what did me in the first place lol
Omg! Such an amazing tip! Thought we ruined our new dining table with a heat mark from a hot paper plate. The iron with steam worked like a charm! Thank you thank you thank you!!
Can’t Thank you enough – I used the steamer and it worked like a charm
Just great, cannot believe it! I used the iron and the large heat stains are gone. Just cannot thank you enough 🙂
Please be careful trying this. I’m going to have to sand and refinish my mahogany table, I was scared to try the iron so tried everything else suggested and got minimal results, so went for the iron and tried each technique listed in the instructions and comments and while the original spot is gone I now have a white spot in the texture of the towel all over where I ironed. Fortunately I went in with the mindset that I was going to have to refinish the table or I’d be crying from frustration lol.
This just happened to me also. I have used this method on other furniture and it totally worked, but tried it on a pine kitchen table where I had placed hot jars and it took the round marks away but left white all around them, so completely opposite.
I wish I had taken before and after pic! I had a stain from ironing a large table cloth over a towel and the entire half of the table was ruined – I really thought we would need a new table. Did the toothpaste mix and got 75% of the stain out, then followed up with olive oil/salt. It’s 98% fixed and I’m AMAZED!
I was mildly annoyed at having to always put a tablecloth on an old dining table to cover up the multiple hot Mark’s accumulated over the years. I had looked up remedies before and tried them all-toothpaste, baking soda…even cigarette ashes. These methods took so much time with very little results. I saw your post and decided (even though it wasnt going to work for me) to give it a try. At this point I really didnt care enough about the table to worry about anything going wrong. In fact I didnt even bother to put a towel down or clean it first. I put the iron on high steam and waved it about 2 inches over the mark as the steam was going. Right before my eyes the Mark’s were instantly vanishing. My jaw dropped and I nearly fell on the floor. It was amazing! It is important to dry it and oil it immediately after to keep the Mark’s from reappearing. I no longer hate my table. Thank you.
THANK YOU!! A couple of years ago I left hot food on a paper plate on my end table. Result – white spot that I could not get rid of. I tried searching on the internet and it was all that dumb stuff like toothpaste, baking soda, oil etc. which did nothing. It happened again just last week on my dining room table. I put something that I thought was a little damp on the table and put a paper towel underneath. Turns out it was wetter than I thought and got the white spot. I searched on the Internet again and this time got your post about using an iron. First, I tried it on the end table that’s had the problem for years now – worked perfectly! So I then went to the dining room table and tried it – worked perfectly again!! Thank you! I wish I had gotten this information a long time ago. All other remedies are useless.
We spilled hand-sanitiser on a polished table top causing awful white marks. I tried mayonaise and it worked for a few minutes then returned. I just used a brillo pad with gentle rubbing and the stain was removed completely. Amazing. Haven’t tried on white marks caused by hot food containers etc as above but may be worth a try.
It WORKED on my son’s fancy dining room table!! I used a thick white bath towel over the white cloudy circle, the iron was on high heat, I held it on the towel over the stain for 15 second intervals, wiping the condensation off the table/circle after each interval. It probably took five holds and the mark is completely gone. 😊 My son was pretty impressed – he thought it wouldn’t work and was pretty sure he’d have a new mark in the shape of the iron on his table. LOL
This worked *perfectly*!!! Thanks so much for the tip. This is an old desk I had bought used for work at home, but decided it was worth 5 minutes to try this out. Appreciate it!
I tried many of the above but none worked for me and then I used a small nozzle dryer, such as one used for craft, I dampened the affected area then dried off with the dryer, not too concentrated in case of scorching, the marks disappeared. I suppose a hair dryer with the diffuser attachment could work but I didn’t try this.
Well this is my first post regarding self help , i didn’t take a before and after picture so you will have to trust me as to what i did . After watching the iron and steam solution i decided to just try the clothes steamer, unbelievable i ran it over the spots that were stained and voila its gone so the steam is the secret not the iron, i thought i was going to have to refinish this table but i skated for another year , after the steam treatment i waxed the table with car wax and used my auto polisher to bring the table back to a amazing high gloss finish . this was a soft wood table with dark stain so not sure what else to share but it was so effective had to share. thanks to those that posted the iron and steam idea got me thinking .
Worked great on my one table. My other is heavily varnished and I am sure that makes a difference. Thank you for all your tips!
OMG!!!! I was looking online how to fix my dinning table stain from hot plate stain. I am sooo thankful, it is 95% gone and applied olive, it looks shiny AND CLEAN. Thank you
Oh my goodness! I am amazed! My husband and I ironed about 25 conference type tablecloths on our table with a quilt under them. When we finished there were white spots covering the whole table. I didn’t know what to do as I thought my table was ruined! I researched and found this site. Honestly, I did not think the steam iron solution would work because that’s what caused them the problem. However, we are happy to say it worked magically! Thank you, thank you for this problem solving site!
Denise
I was a little skeptical that this would work but wow, rings removed in 10 seconds. Magic!
I thought ‘it can’t work- that’s what caused the problem’ – figured I’d try it since it seemed safer than using mineral spirits! COULDN’T BELIEVE IT WORKED! I used dry iron, Med high heat, tee shirt between them.
I have a varnished desk and a an iron with steam made it worse for me. I then tried a heat gun (which is what I was originally going to try before reading this). It worked right away. You could even see the water rise to the surface and bead along tiny (otherwise invisible) cracks in the varnish. As I used the gun, I would wipe away the beads. ***=== NOTE: The surface texture was changed as a result of using the heat gun. ===*** I applied some orange oil afterward, but this did not help. I’m almost tempted to try lightly sanding with steel wool, but it’s really not that bad, and definitely better than the white spot. I was a bit aggressive with the heat gun, so perhaps being more gentle or using a hair dryer would have prevented the texture change.
Bless you. Your tip worked perfect and it was so easy.
Does Murphys oil soap help in any of this process?
WOW! I tried this on my 20-year-old light oak dining table which had several hot plate marks. I covered the marks with a dish towel and set the iron to steam. I passed the iron over the towel for 2 seconds max, then wiped the spot to remove moisture. Most spots were gone after 2-3 passes. Amazing! So glad I found this site!
This actually works! I tried every other trick, nothing worked. Figured I might trade a round white stain for an iron-shaped one, but did medium heat, steam, over a dish towel and it’s totally gone!
This worked brilliantly! A large vase had left a white circle on my wooden table. I used a thin cotton cloth to protect and then very lightly ironed over, using steam setting a moving constantly. A slight white tint remained but as per other recommendations, went over with some olive oil and it’s totally invisible!
It’s a miracle! The iron worked in less than a minute. I tried the toothpaste and bicarbonate soda, and the salt and olive oil without success. So glad that I didn’t give up and used the iron.
This is the dumbest advice EVER. STEAM MADE IT WORSE. Arghhhhhh
So sorry it didn’t work for you Holly, but it has worked beautifully for hundreds of people as the years of positive comments attest. I wonder what kind of finish your table has, if that’s the issue. Do you happen to know?
I tried everything else (nothing worked on my “Handstone’ table before finally trying the iron trick. It worked immediately!!! So so glad I did this. I used the tea towel, iron on ‘wool’ setting & level 2 steam and hovered above the tea towel for 15 seconds… and the white marks were gone.. just like that!