I have successfully used three chemical bleaching methods. Go to your local real hardware store for the supplies. I suggest you protect yourself with rubber gloves and eye protection.
Bleach contact will dry your skin and feel like a burn, so rinse ASAP if it gets on you. Start with weak dillutions and work through stronger concentrations until you achieve the desired amount of removal. You must let the area dry to judge the result. Be careful how you apply the solution as it will remove the natural color of the wood as well.
I use a sponge with a abrasive pad on one side, a wash cloth, or steel wool and carefully rub it into the dark area. For small spots padding on with a folded up paper towel or a cotton swab is more precise and deliberate to avoid bleaching unaffected wood as much as possible. The grain will raise so sanding may be necessary after the area is completely dry, depending on your needs. More than likely staining will be necessary to blend the area back to match the surroundings. I use 1 part bleach with 9 parts water (10%) stepping up to most concentrated solution, 100% before moving up to the next regime.
Weakest: household bleach
Strong: oxalic acid (granular powder before mixing in water)
Powerful: 2 part bleach. Part A and B. (Note: this gets hot when applied.)
Oxalic acid is usually enough. It will get black stains from water out of an oak floor!
Source: old school book: The Furniture Doctor
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What caused and what can fix a large, dark, oval stain on my dining table?
By SMJ from MD
In all liklihood, that is a water mark. Did you have a plant on it at one time? Or, perhaps a spill of water from some other source? I had the same thing but really didn't notice it until I moved the pot.
SMJ, I forgot to mention that some of these water stains go deep into the wood, especially if the stain is the result of repeated wetting of the wood.
I have a dark circle stain on my dining table. I don't know what caused it, maybe moisture? What do I do?
You can try rubbing mayonnaise on it and buffing with a clean soft cloth.
I watered a plant and it overflowed and I didn't realize it. Now it's the next day and there is a very large, dark water stain on my mom's light colored wood dresser. She's gonna kill me. Is there anything I can do to fix this?
By Cydney
This happened to me and I found the info below on google. It worked. Try but be careful not to lift the venere. Good luck!
So here is what you need:
What you need to do:
Place the cloth over the stain. Press the iron down and hold for about 10 seconds. Wipe the stain. If it is still there, don't worry, try again. Keep repeating until the stain is completely gone. It may take a few times, but it will come out. It took me about 5-10 minutes to completely remove a giant stain on my kitchen table. After the stain is gone, remember to oil the furniture.
