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Repair Heat Stains on Wood

If you have a white spot on your wood table from a heated plate, put on a dab of mayonnaise and it will disappear!

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It doesn't work Comments By: L.Parrino Except for making my table smell like mayonaise, this didn't work at all. The white stains are still there. Help!!   Worked great! Comments By: Lester I put on a paste of mayo and let it sit for 10 minutes. I spent another 10-15 minutes rubbing on two white spots. They are completely gone!   heat marks Comments By: sherry I tried the mayonaise as well and left it overnight. the white markes are still there.   did not work for me Comments By: KP what did work was some fine wirewool and 3in1 gun oil, do not attempt to use wirewool on its own the 3in1 gun oil was an excellent lubricante, do not rub hard! the slower/lighter the better and follow the grain   Brilliant mayo + wire wool Comments By: Chris Perfect results on really deep white heat stains using mayonnaise rubbed along the grain with fine wire wool. Credit to Sherry for her idea of wire wool and gun oil but I used mayo instead as a lubricant   Use an iron - it really works Comments By: Darren I just did this 5 minutes ago (found the solution on another web site). It really works!! Set the iron on LOW. Get a white linen napkin (or white t-shirt). Place the napkin over the stain and place the iron on the napkin as if you're ironing the napkin. depending on how deep the stain is, it will dispappear in 2- 5 mins. I was amazed - how can heat remove heat? But trust, it works. I had the stain in our cherry wood table for months and tried everything to remove it.   Omigoodness Comments By: Meg and i was baking a cake and i put the hot wood 1's on my moms old special dining table and it took 1 away. Didnt work 4 the other 2. we stood 4 inches away with a hair dryer and rubbed w/ a dry cloth and polished w/ orange glow and it was good as new!   SO SO Comments By: JK I tried the mayo + wirewool and it removed the whiteness but the mark remained?   iron works Comments By: loro had a large white mark on the table due to a hot plate.. tried the mayo but no joy,so tried the iron and hey presto wonderful can't see the mark any more...thanks for the tip   cloudy white marks gone in seconds Comments By: del the secret to removing stains (including ring marks) is have the iron set on steam. when steam iron is ready place towel over mark iron over lift cloth all gone...   iron really works Comments By: clare really and truly, I dont understand it but it works utterly and completely.do not mess with mayo or steel wool.. the iron is the answer.   Mayo does not work, but steamed iron does! Comments By: AK I just did it...amazing! Like the spots never been there:) Thanks all!   hot iron works! Comments By: mjk0324 oh my gosh..had a white stain on my diningroom table for 3 weeks...tried the hot iron and napkin...and it took the stain right out....   it really worked Comments By: caroline b I tried the nail polish and it didn't work. I used the hot iron and they came right out. I've had the hot white marks for several years and my husband didn't think the iron would work, but it did.   How clever ! It really works !! Comments By: Daisychain I truly didnt think the hot iron idea would work.....but it most certainly did ! Its a tip I shall pass on to everyone I know.   Steam Iron Works Haaaaaaa Comments By: Scott The reason i cam to this site is because the the reason I got the white stain is because I used a steam iron to iron a crease in my pants and the mark appeared   White stain on waxed / laquered Ducal pine table Comments By: Gary Mellon Steam iron over white tee-shirted worked in about 30 seconds on several 10 to 15 square inch sized marks deposited by heat from hot food.   Steam Iron Comments By: Mark We just used the iron method and it worked great. My wife and I couldn't believe how fast and easy the iron go the stain out. Just put the iron on a white t-shirt lightly with a little steam for a couple seconds and it's gone   Yeeha for hellmans Comments By: Karen B I just simply smothered mayo on and wiped off with kitchen roll. Suprised at the outcome. Will be telling people that mayo is best - iron just made it worse.   Spooky !!! The iron works !!!! Comments By: Annette Dale I read the tips about the iron and was to scared to try it, I waited 6 months before I plucked up the courage to try it. My Ducal varnished pine table had two really white rings. I used the iron and white cloth and they were gone in under a minute. I will never understand how, butit works !!!!   TRULY !!!! THE IRON DOES WORK !!!! FANTASTICALLY !! Comments By: Tony Buchanan I can't believe what I just saw !!! The iron did it and I have been sooo scared to try it. The Mayo guy must have done something wrong with the iron - maybe he left the mayo on the table an ironed it, because believe me - the iron WORKS !!!   USE THE IRON TRICK Comments By: Lydia I nearly destroyed my boyfriend's very expensive coffee table with a Superbowl Artichoke Dip - I had several layers of padding under it but the heat still went through to the wood. There was a HUGE, square, white mark in the middle of the table and then there were tears. I used a pillow case and the iron trick and it worked TOTALLY. Just do a little bit at a time and you can see it start to disappear. I think you have to make sure the table is varnished - because that's what is scorched - not the wood itself. I was shocked - I didn't think it would work. Amazing. And it saved me a couple thousand dollars!!   Woohoo it WORKS! Comments By: Tara Yes - the iron with STEAM option really does work! I've been staring at these white burn marks for almost a year (scrambled eggs on paper plates, whodathunk?) I tried the steam iron over a cloth and BINGO - amazing - the table looks just like NEW. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.   Another endorsement for the iron trick_ Comments By: Peter & Karen it really works!   Steam Iron Heaven sent Comments By: Dickon Povey Panic and wife's wrath.. White ring on newly revarnished table... Hot steam iron on doubled tea towel.... ten seconds... mark gone!! Thank you all!   It really does work Comments By: anon We used a white tee shirt and the iron on low (with no steam) but we did not have any luck; so we rolled the dice, cranked up the heat, still used the tee shirt, hit the steam button and then it worked like magic   magic iron!!!!!!!!! Brilliant. Comments By: Diane Thought my ducal table had be ruined! but didnt want to throw it out as it was a wedding present. Thank goodness of this site and this tip was 100% successfull. Had been trying to hide heat mark for a year now can put my table back in the middle of the room and show it off again. Delighted!!   hair dryer works best! Comments By: happyme i left a hot tea cup stain on my boyfriends wooden table and he was not amused. secretly tried the iron t-shirt thing (ruined my tshirt with strange wood color spots, so use a tea towel)...and had even more stains from the iron then before. i was horrified to say the least! secretly sneaked iron back into closet(vey worried by then) gave it another try with a blow dryer and it worked!!!! total relief. table looks better then before. thanks thanks thanks! (hold blow dryer really close to spot, it vanishes before your eyes)   Worked! Comments By: Anon Reproduction mahogony table, some kind of polyeuranthane finish I think. White stain from spilled glass of wine. Used hot steam iron through white towel. Worked like magic in seconds. Am amazed. Fabulous, thanks for tip.   hairdryer Comments By: Dee A Mayo didn't work and was a bit reluctant to use a hot steam iron, so I decided to try the hairdryer. Didn't think it was going to work to start with, but with a bit of patience, I can tell you the white heat mark caused by a hot coffee cup on our pine table completely disappeared!! I assume the heat reconstitutes the varnish and takes away the discolouration. Wonderful!   mayo with "magic eraser" worked Comments By: Anon I didn't have fine wirewool so I used mayo with "magic eraser" by Mr. Clean and I could believe it worked. The table looks like new after I put a horrible white spot on it by using an iron with only a towel under it.   MIRACLE HOT IRON!! Comments By: Jojo in New Zealand Can't beleive that this worked, but it did!! Hot steam iron on linen tea towel. Thanks so much to those who shared this miracle!!!   mayo worked!! Comments By: mayobeliever tried the mayo before the iron, b/c it was the easiest, and lo - gone. who would have thought it? at first only the white was gone, but the ring was still there. then buffed a bit more with a dusting cloth, and then sprayed the whole table with furniture polish. gone baby gone!   trial & error Comments By: nickJ Had ring marks and white blotches on birch varnished table. Used towel and iron on high setting as advised by another website. marks disappeared initially then came back worse. Girfriend's table and she was on her way home so started to panic!! Dropped the heat setting, put the steam setting on 1 and used a t-shirt instead of towel. As soon as marks disappeared i started wiping off moisture and used hairdryer at same time. marks now gone and not back yet! brilliant!   Steam ron it works !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: L.Htu Seng Iron and napkin , this work can remove heated mark on my table. It works amazing!!!!!!   Iron Absolutely Works!! Comments By: Amazed Mom We bought a table that had a huge white burn mark. We use the may at first, but this did not work. We then tried the iron. I actually made more white spots at first, but then tried to go over the spots and leave it on longer, it worked great. Unless you knew the spot was there, you would never notice. Make sure to polish it afterwards - it will make all the difference!!   This is the scariest thing but it was truly amazing Comments By: Amanda Thank you to all those who shared your comments about how using an iron was so scary to do - it pushed me over the edge to try it and I am so happy that I did. I can now take the tablecloth off of my beautiful & expensive wood table! I put some water in the iron and laid down a white napkin (folded a few times) and put the iron on the stain and pressed the steam button and removed the iron. I repeated for coverage over the entire stain. Thanks so much for the tip, I even shared it with the furniture company where I bought the table!   What an easy solution! Comments By: Anon I thought the heat stain had completely ruined my tables (that's right i damaged 2 tables!) BUT thanks to the steam iron the stains went away! Yay! Ps - whoever came up with the mayo idea anyway? why on earth would that work?   worked but another problem Comments By: Raghu Steam iron did work. But before I read this article I tried to scratch the deep white stain with edge of a spoon and the flakes started coming out. This is when I realised something was wrong. This seems to be coating which was coming out. Then tried the iron on other stains and it worked perfectly. Any ideas what to do for the scraped area. iron doesn't work as scratches are formed. Thanks   White marks removed in seconds from my table! Comments By: Margaret Larkin After years of unsightly white heat marks on my Strongbow dining table, I used a medium hot steam iron and white linen napkin and, hey presto the marks disappeared ! Many many thanks !   So you want me to apply a hot iron to my Ducal pine table?! Comments By: David & Ros Today we decided to dust and polish our dining table and discovered a large white mark under a table runner. No idea from what or when; we assume it's a heat mark. Tried briwax but little or no change. Arms aching, we dug out the home DIY books, called parents for advice etc - special removers, stripping varnish etc. Eek! Did an online search and found this page and frankly we didn't believe it: feared it might even be a spoof, but found similar reports elsewhere (thiftyfun.com and tipnut.com) and even a youtube video demonstrating. So, with white towel and steam iron, rubbed the mark through the doubled towel for a few seconds so that the towel got damp and hot. Lifted the towel to check progress, ie it wasn't getting any worse, and quickly flipped it over while it was still hot. After 3 flips the middle of the mark had obviously faded and after 3 more the mark had completely gone. Whole process took about 1 minute. Amazed. Seems that success may depend on the type and depth of finish, so your mileage may vary. Good luck!   Best tip ever! Comments By: Stella Came home to 3 white steam marks (from Pizza's) on my beautiful "Rimu" coffee table. Could have cried my eyes out but kept my cool and came online to see what I could find. Did the steam iron suggestion. It worked! All I can say is....thank you thank you thank you!   Steam Iron Great!!!!!!! Comments By: Joan Have a soft pine table-don't know the finish. Used steam iron and t-shirt. Worked but left fuss on the table. I had been using Pledge on the table and think I should have cleaned that off first. Polished afterward and most sploches gone now. Great tip!!   The iron really worked! Comments By: Sandra I didn't try the may option, I thought it'd be messy but I did try the iron solution on two white heat stains and they miracoulsy dissapeared. I used the iron in a low setting and used a white thin cloth. It worked great. Thanks!   steam iron is the best!!! FANSASTIC Comments By: ZAINAB i spoilt my mother in laws expensive table then found this site and tried every thing but nothing worked. was scared to use the steam iron at first.WHEN I TRIED THE IRON IN 1 MIN THE WHITE CLOUDY MARK DISAPPEARED. i would suggest this teqnique to everyone. IT IS THE BEST ! THANKS A LOT ITS A MIRACLE!   steam iron is the best!!! FANSASTIC Comments By: ZAINAB i spoilt my mother in laws expensive table then found this site and tried every thing but nothing worked. was scared to use the steam iron at first.WHEN I TRIED THE IRON IN 1 MIN THE WHITE CLOUDY MARK DISAPPEARED. i would suggest this teqnique to everyone. IT IS THE BEST ! THANKS A LOT ITS A MIRACLE!   Amazing Iron Trick Comments By: Joanne The iron trick works brilliantly. I was a little nervous of doing it but was so fed up with the white ring marks, (they had been there for at least a year) I thought I would give it a try.I used my iron set on low(silk & wool setting) and a white cotton T shirt,I just slowly ironed the T shirt over the marks on the table and the marks dissapeared like magic within about 40 seconds. Amazing!   IRON WORKS Comments By: SANDY Rainey OH MY GOSH - THE IRON WAS AMAZING - I PUT A HOT PAPER PLATE DOWN ON MY TABLE AND LEFT A HUGE WHITE SPOT - I TRIED MAYO IMMEDIATELY AND IT DID NOT WORK - I TRIED THE IRON AND IT WAS FABULOUS - I USED A TERRY CLOTH TOWEL. IT WORKS!!!!!   IRON with steam WORKS!!! Comments By: Sharon We read the iron tips for removing heat marks with some disbelief. We have a $3000 cherry table that had two heat marks, one was about 8" diameter, other about 3" diameter. Used folded up white T-shirt, hit each area about 5 seconds with iron on low steam setting, marks are GONE. If I did not see this for myself, I would not believe it!   USE THE IRON!! Comments By: Anon After much hesitation we agreed to try the iron trick that so many people have vouched for. A doubled tea towel and iron on low heat, high steam setting worked within 3 seconds. Amazing stuff!   Absolutely Amazing! Comments By: Simone ( New Zealand ) I am probably the world most skeptical person but the iron and cloth has just removed a very large heat mark left from a laptop on my beautiful english pine table that has been there for months, you have got to try this im still gobsmacked!   Mayo as a last resort Comments By: RatGuy I tried the iron to minimal success. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I tried the mayo and it #&%*! worked! Something about the oiliness in it. The iron removed the lighter spots, but with the mayo it is perfectly shiny. I appreciate whoever came up with that.   Soooo HAPPY!! Comments By: Sarah I have been hiding white scorch marks on my 25 year old table that has been in my family since I was a child. My husband contributed by placing a hot dish and making two white rings. Tried the iron on high heat w/steam and a white t-shirt. Every single mark/ring is GONE! Thanks so much!!   HAIR DRYER AND SPRAY POLISH Comments By: RON Heat up the wood with the hair dryer, Spray the polish on stain, continue to heat up the stain and rub the polish in, spray a little more polish and continue repeating as many times as required until it's gone. P.S. DONT STOP TILL IT'S GONE.(keep up the HEAT and rub in more spray polish and don't worry)   Hairdryer works! Comments By: Anon I was a little reluctant to use the iron on my mothers beautiful desks so I opted for the hair dryer and it worked great. Just be patient it takes a few minutes but does work. Rub with furniture polish and heat.   the iron fix worked like i couldnt beleive. Comments By: Paul Mac. I was VERY sceptical at first but it was an ugly stain...only took about a minute...disappeared like magic thanks so much..I used the steam setting.   IRONING REALLY WORKS!!!! Comments By: Jan I was amazed that the clody white bloom I made on my oak didning table was removed in seconds by my steam iron on a hot setting witha tea towel underneath. Very simpl and very effective - thank you for sharing these wonderful tips.   iron Comments By: Edwina Mitchell (Merseyside) It took me a couple of days to get the courage to do the iron remedy but believe me it was brilliant. Really works. I set the iron to the wool temp and ironed over a white t-shirt for 1 minute.   The Iron was brilliant! Comments By: Andrew Just looked at this site and read a lot of the pro's and con's for the iron. Had already tried the mayo a few days ago which didn't work. Decided to have a go with the iron method straight away and wow it works brilliantly. I started off on cold and gradually increased the heat adding the steam on a tea towel. THen polished off with a spray polisher and yellow cloth. - Thanks for the tip   heat marks on wood Comments By: irene mayo and plastic abrasive sponge works fine not as much chance of damage as wire wool   Use the iron Comments By: Matt I have a dark wood table that had two white heat stains. After reading the tips on here I tried the Mayo, that didn't work.. I then places a cotton towel over the stain, set the iron to max and ironed the stain for around 20 seconds. After removing the towel I just cleaned the area to find the stains had gone. great tip..   iron worked Comments By: A.N. Rajah Well we had two white heat marks on the bed side table. I was skeptical but did the steam iron.It is gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Steam Iron worked for me Comments By: Phil large white stain removed with steam iron set on low, using kitchen hand towel. Would never have tried this without testimony from others here.   The Hot Iron Worked INCREDIBLY! Comments By: Anon I went with the suggestion of a hot iron set on a steam setting with a cloth napkin covering the white heat stain. I was unsure of whether or not this would make it worse so I checked after only a few seconds of having using the iron and the heat stain was already gone! Thank you for the wonderful tip!   Love that ironing tip Comments By: annie I placed a hot cake on the table for just a minute and oh! what a mark it left. The ironing tip is amazing! Yes, you must use the steam setting and be careful not to leave the iron on it too long. It's not perfect but soooo much better. Thanks!   Genius! An iron to remove an iron mark! Comments By: Micky I'll never laugh at a tip website again. A visiting friend made 3 large, deep stains on our table with an iron in a rented apartment and I had no idea how to get them out. The steaming iron on a folded napkin worked a treat. Thanks!   Another good resource. Comments By: Andrew Try this site as well, it has good tips on removing heat marks and water spots: http://raidz.net/blog/how-remove-white-rings-and-water-spots-your-furniture   Still friends Comments By: Queen Jo Placed a very, very hot paper plate on my friends coffee table and you know the rest. I immediately panicked, grabbed the Pledge, began rubbing and rubbing; no can do. Got online for tips; fisrt one I saw was the dab of mayo tip; nothing doing. I got back on the same sight and the very next tip was the steam iron. It worked instantly. I still have my friend. Thanks to all!   Use Iron with Caution Comments By: mtp An iron caused my white stain, so I was reluctant to try it as a remedy. And, truth be told, it only seemed to make matters worse. (Maybe because the wood is so old???) So, I tried the hair-dryer & furniture polish approach and that has proved more successful for my finicky furniture.   THANKS Comments By: EVIE I JUST USED THE IRON AND T-SHIRT. THANKYOU SOOO MUCH FOR THE RECOMMEDATION! YOU JUST SAVED MY FROM A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN.   Thank you for saving my butt Comments By: Tom i thought my wife was going to kill me when she found this burn stain... this resolved it in less than 1 minute... thank you and my wife is none the wiser!   Fantastic success with iron Comments By: Yvon ne, Newcastle Very reluctantly tried the steam iron over doubled terry cloth on our strongbow dining table and it worked like magic within seconds. Tried everything else, i.e. vaseline, mayo, oil and vinegar without success.   Hot iron wins again! Comments By: Lori I tried the mayo trick and that didn't work. Maybe lightened the stain a bit but not much. Tried the hot steam iron and the stain disappeared in no time!! So glad I found this site!!   ducal table Comments By: Bill have had white heat marks on my ducal table for three years and after reading various articles on how to remove gave the suggestion of the hot iron a go The table has now been reinstated to its original condition Thanks to everyone   oh my god Comments By: Anon Following a misjudged ironing incident at christmas I have felt sick every time I looked at the huge cloudy white marks on my brand new varnished wooden dining table, I was terrifed to get the iron out again but following the responses on this website I decided to go for it and yes I actually works!! Followed with a good rub with olive oil and the table looks as good as new!!! Thank you Tipking!!   The iron really works!! Comments By: Sherri I just tried the hot iron with a white t-shirt with MUCH hesitation and to my surprise - it worked great! Be brave - give it a try!   Can't believe it! Comments By: JoJo Tried the mayo, no joy, but the iron, absolutely incredible, what a fantastic tip!!   EXCELLENT STUFF Comments By: Renee Some of my marks were heat marks and a steaming hot through a towel worked excellently. For the other water marks, mayo seems to have done the trick. Its worth a shot, dont be scared to use a hot iron on the table as I was, it really works.   Go with Hair dryer! Comments By: Anon I read all the posted comments after placing tea pot on wooden office desk to get rid of large white heat stain and decided to go with the hair dryer trick. It worked great you just have to be paitent and hold it close.   WOOHOO Comments By: Anon It really does work, dont think for second, just do it and all your problems are solved   You ROCK!!!!!! Comments By: Chad and Amy I have a very expensive dining rooom table that my parents bought us that had five six inch white heat mark on it from a hot breakfast with paper plates. I tried EVERYTHING else before trying the iron and steam, however only the iron and STEAM took the stains out in seconds!!! THANK YOU so much I could not have imagined the look of horror if my parents had seen the spots on the table.   hairdryer seems least intrusive---????? Comments By: Gary Most report that the Steam Iron methodology worked best.....I have to admit that I am fearful of that approach..... My question...HAS ANYONE HAD BAD RESULTS from using a hairdryer? (apt to try that first) So did the hairdryer cause more damage or was it just ineffective? Please Advise.   white spot on table Comments By: anon Hair dryer did not work. The steam iron on medium worked immediately, and the spot is gone. I called the furniture retailer, and told him how I fixed it, and he couldn't believe it.   The iron worked like a charm!!! Comments By: Tracey I tried the mayo and made no difference. I tried the iron and worked like a charm. Didnt even ruin the shirt I used!   Hair dryer 0 Hot Iron 1 Comments By: Doug Tried the hairdryer as it sounded safer to no avail, tried med hot steam iron with a thin towel underneath all gone in less than a minute. twas magic in deed.   Low iron with steam over a t-shirt works like a charm Comments By: Craig I just wanted to add my experience to the chorus of success for the iron treatment. Our 14-yr-old daughter put a hot pop tart on our deep red table and left a big white stain. Just a few seconds with the iron and it started to disappear, to my wife's complete amazement. Another minute or two of ironing and the stain was gone!   Hair Dryer Trick Comments By: Anon I thought my solid oak table was ruined. Heat mark from a teapot. Saw the comments about hair dryers and tried it. It Worked!   Iron works... but what about the cloud? Comments By: jjc The iron thing worked great completely getting rid of the white scorch mark, but now there's an iron shaped haze where the iron was... while it looks way better, it's not perfect... ideas?   Water and heat marks on unvarnished wood? Comments By: Jenny Does anyone know if any of these remedies work on unvarnished wood?   Iron All the Way Comments By: Tews Golfer We tried the mayo, then the hair dryer...with no luck. But WOW, the iron worked within 15 seconds. Absolutely amazing! Used a little Murphy's Oil to bring back the shine.   Comments By: Jouee the iron worked foe me too. BUT I think I had it a bit too hot as it melted the varnish a touch (the former white heat stain now looks great, but feels rough to the touch)   steam did the trick Comments By: Laura I used my iron (with steam) and hovered it slowly back and forth over the stain and after about 3 minutes it completely disappeared. I think the trick is the steam....wow!   Steam iron is the trick Comments By: Jay my girlfriends room mate was upset over a heat stain from pancakes a varnishes table, pancakes...go figure. Used a steam iron and hovered over a pillow case for 30 seconds, totally fixed! You all are awesome thanks so much for the life saving tip!   OMGG the hair dryer really works Comments By: chad So I was at a friends house and he set a hot plate on his very expensive table...lifted the plate and surprise a white cloudy stain appeared. He was so upset and could think of nothing to do; so I jumped online and found a solution that worked...the hair dryer within seconds the cloudy stain dissappered!   Iron and Mayo Comments By: Sonia I used the steam iron and got most of the white mark out of my table. I then got a non scratch pot scratcher and mayo and scrubbed the rest of the stain, It is now all gone. I dont have to hide the table under table cloths any more.   You are amazing! Comments By: crystal emery I bought a new table last week and was very upset to find what I thought was a drink ring on the table (only to blame my husband) later to find out it was a heat mark from our lap top being on the table too long. I used the iron at first with no steam and medium and it failed to work. I was worried to try steam, but decided that since it had worked for so many others I would give it a shot. I set the iron setting to wool and added steam. After about 3-5 minutes of directing the iron over a white tee shirt over the stain, it started to vanish right before my eyes. I continued with a couple more storkes and the table is new agian. Thanks so much for your help with th is. This has to be the best do it yourself tip i have found to work online! Thanks again!   Hot iron removing water mark Comments By: Mrs Beryl Morris (pensioner) It really, really works. I cannot believe it really has removed stains and very quickly, too. I used a double thickness of of a well-worn linen tea-towel. obviously I was very wary but stains were gone in less than a minute! Thank you all who recommended this method!   Help me get my heat stain out!! Comments By: nicholas On my other wood table all the advise was fantastic but i have a little problem. My other wood table it has paint over the wood and i have tried everything that worked before to get the heat mark off. If you have any advise please help me out!!   It's a Miracle! Comments By: Karen I was a total skeptic but tried the iron out of desperation and it worked beautifully!! All of the white stains on my wooden kitchen table are completely gone!   Finally, the solution Comments By: Kathy Tried the dry iron, the steam iron, but that only made it much worse and more obvious to see. Finally reread tips and tried the Mr Clean Eraser and mayo. It came right off with a little elbow grease. I quickly sprayed a dry rag with WD-40 and wiped it over the entire table and wiped it dry. The table looks new! Thanks for the "eraser and mayo" tip...it is the only thing that worked.   Steam iron Wow!!! Comments By: Chuck Steam iron worked like acharm   Steamed Away Comments By: Edwin Got a nice dinner table from the parents and there were white stains all over it. My gf wants to buy a new table because of it, but thank God I found this! The steam works so great! Even on old old old white marks. Got a couple of white streaks to finish but the rest of it looks amazing. Thanks again! Mayo seems like a bad idea more then a iron just imo.   Hair drier Comments By: amanda Didn't have the guts to use the steam iron. so tried a hot hair drier. It worked fantastically.   Firework and water damage on mahogany Comments By: Antique Terminator Yes ... we did it! Damaged 1 antique mahogany table with an indoor firework - nasty white mark - and another with water which had been standing under a large planter for some time -even bigger nasty white (the table surface was raised by the time it was found). Having left the white marks for several months I finally had a go. Both white marks came out using the steam iron with linen tea towel, remaining fainter white marks were erased with mayonnaise and a flash mark and stain remover. They've polished up brilliantly. Thank you! Just need to find out how to restore faded mahogany now!   Amazing! Comments By: Becky I have had a terrible white ring on my grandmother's dinning room table for about a year from a tea pot. I just tried the iron after reading all the comments and to my amazament it worked. You must use steam, and I used a white tea towel. Give it a try.   Hoollllley Conoollllley!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comments By: 1 lucky hubby that didnt make table worse... I'll I can say about the Iron is ,When my wife gets home ....She is gonna be so happy.I used the Iron and followed behind w/some liquid gold and it looks Great!(I will say make sure you move the iron as if ironing or the you will see the steam ports lol trial by error)   The iron really works Comments By: Anon I was sceptical about using a hot iron on my lovely table, with the white mark, but I did it anyway. Thank you so much. No more white mark. Brilliant.   Iron trick, Wow works on light oak Dining Table Comments By: Jim Gave it a try on table and it works! Table for 12, family used paper plates for Hot Pasta. Well it sorched the table leaving white marks where every one sat the first and last time we used the table without pad, table cloth and place mats. Antway $1200 table and chairs we bought 12 years ago. 1 minute rubbing iron with grain. appling steam over white t-shirt at medium heat... it worked. thanks.   It works, but also needs a buffing oil Comments By: Ernest Worked great on a Cost Plus dining table we have. Ate hot food on paper plates and left six hot spots! WHOOPS! Tried this fix on 05/09 and it worked. Best if Iron is set to LOWEST HEAT THAT STILL PRODUCES STEAM. All it took was about 10-15 seconds. It lifted off some of the nice laquer finish. Used Old ENGLISH wood oil finish and it came out fine. Cost 4$......   the iron on an oak table worked...fantastic Comments By: caw I decided to try the iron set on medium heat on an old gateleg dining table using a piece of cotton material, amazing 2 minutes and its gone   The iron works! Comments By: Schvenn I had a party when the wife was away at the in-laws tonight. I left pizza boxes on our oak table and have two very large white spots from the heat. I'm impatient, so I set the steam iron on high rather than low and used a dishtowel. I ironed for about 30 seconds at a time and kept checking, redoing the really bad spots once or twice until they were gone. Now the wife will never know. :)   Hovering steam iron works! Comments By: Brilliant I have a very expensive antique mahogany round table that was damaged by a hot pizza. It left a horrendously large white cloudy mark on my table. I too was reluctant to use a hot iron, but after rubbing the stain with wood oil for over 20 mins, the stain only slightly improved. I decided to use an iron; set on ‘cotton’ setting, using full steam, and hovered over the trouble spot in only 5 second bursts, approximately 10cm above the table. After 7 attempts, the stain disappeared completely. If you do it gradually, you can see the stain vanish slowly, and know when to stop. I then applied wood oil to the table and it looks brilliant.   Removed the ring in seconds Comments By: Alan I had a white heat mark which i tried toothpaste then a hair dryer on with no luck, i tried the iron for about 5 seconds with a bit of steam and the ring had gone completely, i am now in my wifes good books :)   no messing Comments By: sandra...Plymouth Been on holiday, came back and my son had scorched my mahogany coffee table with a hot pizza box, tried the iron and napkin solution and hey presto, the white mark is gone. Brilliant!   thank you thank you thank you!!! Comments By: dk our pottery barn table we had for sale got coffee mug heat marks. we wanted to sell it. a buyer was on their way over but i was so nervous to lose a buyer over the spots. So i googled the problem and found the iron trick on here. Thank you so much for sharing.   Amazing! Comments By: Jamie I was so reluctant because I actually CAUSED the white stains by ironing on the kitchen table with a towel underneath. I did the steam trick, low heat, with a couple layers of cotton underneath and it vanished. Thanks!   Iron with STEAM works! Comments By: Lisa Go for it! It works. Takes less than 30 seconds to remove the stains.   steam iron and t shirt tip really works Comments By: phyllis i was 5 minutes away from going to the store to buy a sander and some stain to try to remove the white stain on my dining room table caused by a hot pot someone set on the table. i went online and saw the oron tip. it works great in 30 seconds. no more stain.   steam iron and t shirt tip really works Comments By: phyllis i was 5 minutes away from going to the store to buy a sander and some stain to try to remove the white stain on my dining room table caused by a hot pot someone set on the table. i went online and saw the iron tip. it works great in 30 seconds. no more stain.   ruined with mayo Comments By: Ninny I put mayonnaise on my water stained antique table..silly or what? I now have a much worse dark grease stain. Any ideas what i should do next? I daren't go near it with an iron!   HOT IRON WORKS.... Comments By: Bonnie All I know is that I had a white stain on my wood table for 1 month tried hot iron with a t-shirt in 2 min it was gone Thanks for the tip.   iron for heat marks Comments By: marie totally gob smacked used the steam iron remedy with tea towel tables like new thanks all.elated   MAGIC ERASER Comments By: Jay74937 Use a magic eraser, and ONLY a magic eraser. It will take some elbow grease, but the white spot will disappear. The entire area should be retreated afterwards.   STEAM IRON ON TEA TOWELL WORKS Comments By: Geri I tried the mayonnaise, left it an hour DIDN'T WORK, also tried petroleum jelly overnight DIDN'T WORK, also tried baking soda & oil, DIDN'T WORK, then tried salt & olive oil DIDN'T WORK...all were recommendations from websites on how to remove white marks off oak table. Got out my STEAM IRON & used a tea towell on top of my table AND THAT WORKED...couldn't believe my eyes...only took a few seconds, I still keep looking to see if those white marks have come back...they have NOT. YEH...for such a simple fix that really works !   Steam Iron Comments By: Mattr Fantastic. I was sceptical, so used low setting and steam for 2-3 seconds and the mark is gone.   What a treat! Comments By: Anon The iron worked a treat - did NOT for a second think this would work but had to try something as the table I had ruined with a white mark was not mine. A couple of runs over a white cloth with a steam iron and the mark had improved considerably. Thanks!   I would never have believed it.... Comments By: Wendy Until I used the iron and white cotton napkin. I tried it out on an older table first and was amazed. It did a miraculous job on both old and new furniture with the iron on about medium (no steam).   GREAT Comments By: DAWN IT WORKS HAD MY DOUBTS BUT JUST DONE IT AND IT IS FANTASTIC!!!   OMG! It really worked Comments By: Pat Less than 10 seconds with a stem iron and a t-shirt and the heat stain was gone. Still don't believe it....waiting for the mark to reappear.   WOW! IRON TIP WORKS! Comments By: Michelle C. I got white marks on a table my mother bought me when I moved into my apartment and suffice to say, she was not pleased. I tried the iron tip and now my table is looking good as new. Don't know how it works but it really does!   wierd but true Comments By: Twila, Newfoundland I read some comments on this website about the iron on the table. I said to myseft if people is trying it on more expensive furniture than mine, it must work. tried it and it didn't work. Cursed like the devil and said should have known better than put a iron on wood. Come to fine out you must use a thin white cotton napkin and high heat. Hold crap my table looks like new and the white mark was there about 2 years. Love this web site. Thanks   Converted sceptic Comments By: John Turner I have had a white heat mark on a very good oak table for several years and tried every stain treatment I could find. Twenty minutes ago I was a sceptic now I am completely converted. I used an hot iron and an old cotton tee shirt and the stain was removed in about five minute gentle ironing. I assume the rating and the higher the better.   STEAM IRONING YOUR DUCAL TABLE Comments By: Mandi Having had several white stains on my Ducal dining table I am gobsmacked at the amazing result. No chemical, not cost - and now a rejuvenated table. Thank you so much   Hot Iron fantastic Comments By: Linda Munro I thought it would not work but boy it sure does . I just did it on my Grans old Varnished dining table and the mark just vanished. Thanks everyone x   No Mumbo Jumbo Comments By: Sceptic Anon Try the steam iron trick, it really does work. You wont believe it. 5 secs on the stain and the wood looks as good as the day I bought the table, the stains are completly gone.   unbelievably effective steam iron trick Comments By: Gerr I like many others was very very scared to go near a table with a white heat mark with a hot iron as it was the iron that caused the problem in the first place!!. Having heated the iron and using a white cotton T- shirt I nervously applied the steam iron to the mark and within seconds it was gone, Great tip.   It works GREAT Comments By: Herb had a white mark on table and it came right out. Thanks Great site   PEOPLE... USE OLIVE OIL!! Comments By: steve its that simple... don't have to use mayonnaise, just use olive oil or canola oil, rub it on with a soft cloth.. done, no hairdryer, no iron, no heat gun   "Hot Iron" Did the job!!!! Comments By: E.V. Tried many cleaning products until came accross this website & tried using a white T-shirt with hot iron. Within seconds the white stain disappeared!!!   MORE HEAT!! Comments By: amanda Mayo didn't work, iron on a white t-shirt did the trick!   Iron & Cotton Shirt Comments By: I'm a Believer!! We have an amazing solid oak table that I made the mistake of using to iron on my son's various Cubs badges. I put down a towel and took all the precautions I could think of to keep from damaging anything... Once finished, I pulled up the towel only to find a large milky white stain that would not come out no matter what I did. I wanted to fix this myself seeing that having the table professionally refinished would cost and arm and leg. I tried baking soda & toothpaste, teabag, mayo and various other tricks I had seen posted and none seemed to work. My last ditch attempt was to use the hot Iron set to the Cotton setting and a 100% Cotton Tee-shirt. I thought to myself that this is how the stain basically set in the first place so I wasn't overly enthusiastic!! I laid the shirt down, turned on the iron and started to "iron the stain"... I lifted the Tee a good 30 seconds later and the stain was still there... I decided to try the steam while ironing my table and after a good minute with a couple blasts of steam I pulled up the tee and low and behold, the UGLY stain was gone!! I would not in my wildest dreams have thought it possible but the proof is in the pudding!! I saved myself several hundred dollars and got my beloved table back... Try it... It really Works!   iron and mayonaise doesn't work Comments By: CV I tried the iron on steam but it didn't work. Details on the methods used by others on this site are a little sketchy. I put the iron on wool setting and steam. I tried moving the iron around the 4 foot square are for about 2 minutes, checking periodically. No improvement. I tried it on both a higher and lower heat. Still didn't work. I thought maybe I was letting it cool down too much by checking it so I tried ironing the area for 2 minutes solid. Again didn't work. Tried the mayonaise method. Put some on the table and rubbed it in. Again no improvement. I'm not sure where to go from here. Might try the hairdryer technique.   TV unit with pizza box damage Comments By: Karen I bought a nice TV cabinet but it had a huge white mark on the top from a pizza delivery box, so I got it very cheap. I googled for a solution and found the iron trick. Started ironing with a medium steam setting and a white t-shirt and it started to work! I was so excited I dragged my mother in from the other room to witness it. She was totally amazed!!! Thanks so much!   It worked a treat! Comments By: Karen I've had white marks on my pine dining room table for years, as it was a very expensive one so didn't want to replace it so just used to put a table cloth over it (not very fashionable!)however just tried the steam iron and it worked a treat! first of all I did it with a tea towel but the impression of the tea towel came out on the table (I panicked a bit as it made it look worse!) so then I got a white cottone pillow case and it worked a treat!! really pleased, just wish I could get the stratch marks out now!!   Using an iron on heat stains ! Comments By: Jim in France This is amazing. A linen cloth on the stain and iron it, at a medium heat for about four minutes... and the stain has gone. Don't understand, don't care... it really works.   WAS SCEPTICAL Comments By: greg tried the mayo, no luck(i was using Hellmans tho, maybe Kraft has more wood repairing quality's) but i did try the iron and no luck at first but tried again with a thin cloth and high steam and it worked great.   fine steel wool and oil Comments By: nancy I just used fine steel wool and canola cooking oil. It worked just fine and I finished off with a orange oil for furniture. What a relief to get rid of those heat marks!!!   me again Comments By: Nancy I posted recently about using steel wool and canola oil. I wanted to add that later it was evident where I had used the steel wool in that it removed some of the finish, but today I got out my furniture wax and let it soak in, then buffed it up and then use regular spray furniture polish and it looks amazing, shiny and beautiful.   The Steam Iron Does Work Comments By: Ann Thank you SO MUCH for sharing. The steam iron removed all the white milky stains, now I will posish it. New table in 15mins. No need for mayo and steel.   amazed!!! Comments By: Terri Thanks for the iron tip!! Couldn't believe my eyes. I bought all kinds of expensive old english oils. Nothing worked. But the iron on a paper towel took off the white marks in seconds!! Now my husband will have to find something else to grip about.