Water rings which appear as filmy gray spots are especially common on furniture. To remove, use one of the following methods.
Method 1: Rub with paste wax and 4/0 (very fine) steel wool. Method 2: Rub spot lightly with a soft lintless cloth moistened with camphorated oil. Wipe immediately using a clean cloth. Method 3: Dip a small piece of cheesecloth in hot water to which two to three drops of household ammonia have been added. Wring cloth out tightly and rub spot lightly. Wood Furniture - White Marks Some of the causes of white marks are liquids containing alcohol (perfume, medicine, beverages), heat and water. Your success in removing such marks depends on the amount of damage and its cause. The following treatments may be helpful in minimizing or removing such marks. Many spots will disappear if rubbed with a solution made of equal parts of boiled linseed oil, turpentine and vinegar, or with a cleaning-polishing wax. If the mark is stubborn, rub with 3/0 or 4/0 steel wool instead of a cloth. Rub with the grain of the wood. Do not use steel wool on high gloss finishes. Turpentine is flammable so follow cautions for solvents: no flame or spark nearby, do not get on skin, do not breathe. Rub spot lightly with a paste of powdered pumice or rottenstone and linseed oil. Spots on all finishes except lacquer can be treated with a cloth dampened with spirits of camphor, essence of peppermint or oil of wintergreen. As these may make the surface tacky, do not rub. When dry, you may need to smooth the roughened spot by rubbing with a paste of powdered pumice or rottenstone and linseed oil. Alcohol spots often respond to a quick exposure to ammonia. Rub lightly with a cloth dampened with non-sudsy water and a few drops of household ammonia. Not all treatments will work on all finishes. When completed, wax/polish entire surface. If spots cannot be removed, refinishing may be necessary. Wood Furniture - Yellow Spots on Light Wood As bleached or blond furniture ages, the chemicals used to bleach out the natural wood color begin to lose their effect, causing a change in color. Often this change is so gradual that it is not detected until a new piece is purchased in the original shade. Exposing light furniture to direct sunlight can cause a change to occur in only a few days resulting in unattractive yellow spots. Since nothing can be done to remove these spots, it is necessary to keep furniture of this type out of the sun. Wood Furniture - Scratches Light scratches will often disappear when carefully rubbed with furniture polish or paste wax. Deeper scratches can be hidden by carefully rubbing with a piece of oily nutmeat such as Brazil nut, black walnut, or pecan. Be careful to rub the nutmeat directly into the scratch so it will not darken the surrounding wood. Color the scratch with brown coloring crayon or liquid shoe dye (especially good on walnut). Stain the scratch with iodine: Mahogany--use new iodine; Brown or cherry mahogany--iodine that has turned dark brown; Maple--dilute one part iodine with one part denatured alcohol. Commercial scratch removers or stick wax to match the wood finish can also be used. After the scratch has been hidden, polish or wax the entire area. Deep scratches on some modern furniture finishes which resist staining are almost impossible to hide. Wood Furniture - Cracking and Checking Checking and cracking of finishes is usually caused by exposure to extreme heat or cold, or extremely dry or wet environment, and appears as thin, hairline cracks. It may also be affected by thickness of finish, chemicals in the finish, and age. Although it is usually necessary to refinish the surface, waxing with paste wax will improve the appearance when checking is not too extreme. Apply thinly, in a circular motion, and polish dry at once with a clean cloth. Try to rub the wax out of the cracks; if it dries in there, it may appear white. To remove the white lines, rub with a cloth saturated in turpentine. Use an old toothbrush to get wax out of the crevices. Wash with mild soap and warm water, rinse with clear water and dry well. Rewax the surface. NOTE--When working on a checked finish, always use a circular motion.
