How to Remove Heat Stains from Wood

A steaming cup of coffee leaves its mark on a wood table.

Direct contact with heat can cause your wood furniture to go from beautiful to ugly in a matter of minutes. You may not realize that your hot casserole dish or steaming cup of coffee can create so much damage, but the resulting white heat marks are proof enough. Because wood is a naturally porous material, it absorbs heat and moisture from items set directly on wood furniture. To effectively remove the heat stains, you must get them out of the wood and not just off the surface.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton cloths
• Ammonia
• White toothpaste
• Wood soap
• Bucket
• Polish

Instructions

1. Moisten a clean cotton cloth with hot water. Add 3 drops of ammonia to the cloth. Wring out as much moisture as possible.

2. Buff the heat stain on the wood surface with the diluted ammonia to allow the ammonia to dry out the moist heat absorbed into the wood. Rub the wood for one to two minutes, and then wipe it off with a dry cloth.

3. 

   White toothpaste gently lifts heat stains from wood.

   Place a pea-sized amount of white toothpaste on a damp cotton cloth. Move the cloth in circular motions over the remaining heat stain to buff the toothpaste into the wood. Let the toothpaste remain on the surface for a couple of minutes.

4. Wipe the toothpaste off the wood surface with a dry cloth. Add 1 full cap of wood soap to a bucket containing 1/2 gallon of warm water. Wash the wood surface to remove toothpaste residue. Rinse the wood by wiping it off with a damp cloth.

5. Dry the wood quickly with a cotton cloth to remove all moisture from the surface. Restore moisture to the wood by polishing it with a wood polish recommended for the type of wood.

Tips & Warnings

• Protect the surface of a wood table with a padded table cover or thick place mats and coasters.

• Regular dusting, cleaning and polishing maintains the appearance of wood furniture for years.

• Never use abrasive cleaners to remove heat marks from the wood. These will scratch the wood surface and cause permanent damage.

References

• Michigan State University; Making Simple Repairs on Wood Furniture; Margaret Boschetti; October 1976
• University of Georgia; How to Care for Your Furnishings; Dale Dorman; 1997
• Mrs. Clean: Remove Stains From Hardwood Furniture
• University of Kentucky; Care of Furniture Surfaces; Linda R. Adler; December 1996

Resources

• Utah State University; Removing Spots, Dents, and Surface Imperfections; Leona K. Hawks; 1995