Help me save some of my security deposit

November 23, 2015 11:23 PM

A very dark water ring stain on a wooden surface -- attempts to fix it have made it worse. Please help!

I'm about to depart a furnished sublet (which I've taken very good care of) as the tenant is returning in two days. Unfortunately, over the weekend the cleaning lady watered a plant which overflowed and left a dark ring on the blonde wooden console beneath it. My attempts to fix it have only made it worse -- I followed a forum's advice and used a paste of baking soda and white toothpaste to try and scrub it off. All it did was bleach the wood around the ring, making the mess even more noticable.

Is there anything I can do to fix it before the tenant comes back? I've tried wood soap to no affect. A wood wax, perhaps? The original wood stain is very yellowish-blonde. Any product recommendations, or perhaps something I can suggest to her and pay for -- would be much appreciated! I feel terrible that this happened.

posted by egeanin to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

There are people and companies who specialize in repairing furniture and wood surfaces. I've used them a few times for various repairs on hardwood floors and wood furniture, and they've always been able to make it look as good as new. I'd recommend seeking out one of these companies in your area.
posted by primethyme at 12:31 AM on November 24, 2015

Olde English comes in a bunch of colors. I'd start with that, just layering it on until you got close to the right color.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 1:07 AM on November 24, 2015

Noooooooo. No more products.

Is this her cleaning person? Or your cleaning person?

If it is her regular cleaning person, that's on the person you rented from. Be honest with the tenant. The wood probably gets wet and dries out all the time. NBD.

Before you send pics, try gently drying out the spot. The part of the finish you scrubbed away is possibly an easy DIY fix, but you can't do that until the water dries out.

Just try a blow drier. Be gentle. Time over heat. If it is ruining the surrounding finish, stop and let the tenant know.

Report back with progress pics. The next step is highly dependent on the results of drying the spot + what type of finish is on the wood + how much damage you caused with the baking soda paste.

Do not use oil or soap. Stop fucking with it. Just dry it out and report back. With pics, if possible.
posted by jbenben at 4:41 AM on November 24, 2015 [6 favorites]

Again if this was not clear - If it was her cleaning person that caused the damage, don't do anything and let the tenant know. It's a dumb place for a plant if the wood isn't sealed properly. Not your fault.

Baking soda and paste is supposedly for white moisture rings on wood, incidentlly, but even there drying the spot out and using polish is better than anything abrasive. I'm so sorry you used what was essentially sand paper on the spot. That was a bad idea. It's fixable, even at this stage, but not necessarily by you depending on the wood finish. If it is unsealed (no urethane or poly coating) stain instead of a wax finish, you'll be able to touch up the sanded parts with one of those marker things. If you want.

I'm still waiting for pics and more explanation. Just letting you know why the baking soda trick is usually a really bad idea. (I've done it myself! Don't feel badly!!)
posted by jbenben at 4:50 AM on November 24, 2015