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How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood [Fast & Easy]

In today’s article we show you How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood , in a complete guide.

White stains that appear on wood after alcohol touches it are actually damage to the wood sealer, not the wood itself.

Knowing how to get rid of alcohol stain from wood is essential, since it is one of the most common materials in our homes and it is normal for it to suffer damage.

So if you have mistakenly used or spilled alcohol on a wooden surface, and there are some white spots that do not want to go away, you can follow this tutorial.

Alcohol stains on wood can be removed by moistening the wood area and resting a hot, damp cloth on them (not too much). Then go over it with wood cleaner.

Materials you need:

  • Paper towel
  • Towel
  • Steam Iron
  • Beeswax oil or cooking oil

Steps to remove alcohol stains from wood:

  1. Wipe the alcohol of the wood surface as soon as possible.
  2. Wait for the alcohol to be absorbed by the paper towel.
  3. Put the steam iron at a low temperature with no steam.
  4. Cover the alcohol white stain using a towel.
  5. Move the steam iron over the top of the towel.
  6. Don’t let the steam iron on the stain for more then 1 minute to not to damage the furniture.
  7. Once the alcohol stain is gone, wipe the wood surface with some beeswax oil or cooking oil to restore the wood shine.
Methods How to Remove Alcohol Stain from Wood
1. Using Steel Wool
2. Using Cooking Oil
3. Using Hot Water
4. Using Steam Iron

How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood – Detailed Instructions

It is important to treat the alcohol stain immediately, the greater the chance that you will clear the stain.

Step 1: Always start by dabbing with a piece of kitchen paper or a clean cloth. By the way, make sure that the kitchen paper doesn’t have any fun, colored images printed on it because the ink from that tends to bleed, oddly enough. You’ll only make the stain worse.

Step 2: Rub the steel wool lightly over the alcohol stains, you will notice that it disappears, you do not need to apply too much pressure with your hand to avoid marking the wood. 

It is important that you do not apply too much pressure with the steel wool so as not to create permanent marks on the wood, it has to be light.

Step 3: After all the white alcohol stain is removed, use a damp cloth to clean the dust that formed when rubbing the steel wool on the wood.

Step 4: Then apply a paste or liquid wax , to make the wood surface more beautiful, because it will be a little pale, blurry.

Step 5: If you don’t have steel wool, I recommend putting cooking oil on top of the stained alcohol spot. Put a few drops of oil on a cloth and rub the wood area gently. You will repair the stain coming off, if necessary drizzle a little more.

Step 6: When the white stain is gone, use a dry cloth to remove the oil from wooden furniture. If you want, use the cleaning product you usually use to remove any oil that may have been left in place.

Method 1: How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood using Steel wool

To remove that white stain of alcohol that remains on the wooden surface you can use steel wool. You should basically rub the steel wool lightly over the stain. 

This way, the stain will disappear, but be careful not to use too much pressure and leave the surface stained with the steel wool. 

Then, use a damp cloth to clean the dust from the steel wool that will remain in place. You can also use a wood product or wax for the floor to make the wood shine.

Another combination that can remove the alcohol stain, if the steel wool is not enough, is to use a little detergent. 

Then add a few drops of detergent to the stain before rubbing the steel wool to enhance the effect.

Want to know how to apply beeswax to wood in the most easy way to restore the shine of your furniture?

Method 2: How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood using Cooking Oil

How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood using Cooking Oil

Another simple method to remove alcohol stains is using cooking oil . 

To do this, you must drip a few drops of the oil on a cloth and rub it on the stain without applying too much pressure. 

If you feel it is necessary, add a little more oil until the stain is removed. 

After that, just wipe the dry part of the cloth on the surface to wipe off the oil.

If you need to remove oil based stains from wood this is the best step by step guide you can find!

Method 3: How to Remove Alcohol Stains from Wood using Hot Water

To remove alcohol stains using hot water, you must be very careful, as wood is a material that does not react well to excess water. 

You should then boil some water and apply it to the spot of the stain. 

Then let it act for a few minutes and dry completely with a cloth. Finally, clean the wood area with a wood cleaning product.

Remove a stain of fresh alcohol from wood

Start by blotting the stain with paper towels. Then dab with a cloth soaked in cold water (hot water may encrust the alcohol stain).

This methods is sometimes sufficient, especially with alcohols which stain little or not at all (white wine, beer). 

Optionally, rub the stain with dishwashing liquid or soap before rinsing and washing as usual.

Advice!
If you do not have absorbent paper, sprinkle the alcohol stain with flour, talc or cornstarch: the powder will absorb the stain, then you will only have to brush! But be careful, contrary to popular belief, do not use salt, it fixes the stain!

How to remove an alcohol stain from a wooden table top

Although wooden tables are designed to withstand wear and tear, they occasionally get stained. Inadvertently pouring alcohol or alcohol-based perfumes or beverages onto the tabletop will leave white marks on the wood. 

Alcohol is capable of dissolving finishes such as varnish and lacquer, permanently damaging wood. The longer the alcohol stain remains on the wood, the more damaged the surface will be. 

Quickly remove an alcohol stain on a table using basic materials:

Step 1: Wipe off fresh alcohol that may still be on the table top using a clean cloth.

Step 2: Dampen another clean cloth with flax seed oil and rub the alcohol stain to remove as much of the stain as possible.

Step 3: Inspect the wooden table top for the alcohol stain. If the mark is still there, add baking soda to a bowl. Pour two drops of flax seed oil into the baking soda and mix the paste carefully.

Step 4: Rub the paste in the direction of the wood grain over the alcohol stain using another clean cloth.

Step 5: Spray the table top with furniture polish. Using another clean cloth, rub the wooden table until it shines.

If you have a sticker tape reside stuck to the furniture then this tutorial will show you how you can easily remove it!

Remove alcohol stains from wooden furniture

Not only floors suffer from the effects of alcohol, but any wood surfaces that are made of this material including furniture. So it’s good to have an option on how to remove alcohol stain from wooden furniture . 

Therefore it is easy for the furniture ruined by this substance to be the coffee tables in the living room, the tables in the dining room and the dressers in the bedrooms.

The most common form of the alcohol stain is a circular white stain, given by the imprint of the glass on the wood surface when a few drops of alcohol drip on it.

First of all, timing is very important. The faster you work against the stain, the more likely it is that no marks will remain. The stain must be dried and scrubbed immediately and if it does not go away immediately you can use a little bit of turpentine solution . 

To eliminate alcohol on wooden furniture, get a cotton swab , turpentine solution and white petroleum. Soak the cotton with the mix of the two substances dosed in equal parts and rub on the alcohol stain until it disappears.

If that doesn’t work either, because you noticed the stain after a few hours, then you have to remove the furniture finish with very fine sandpaper and then reapply the finish with a brush. 

The discolored area must be rubbed with a mixture of oil and methyl alcohol , or you can use only the latter to scrub and then put the damaged part vertically and ignite the alcohol from the bottom up, so as to get good transparency of the surface which is then smoothed and finished by applying shellac with a pad.

Unfortunately, shellac-polished furniture will be the most problematic to fix, as alcohol can act as a solvent for shellac. Therefore it is likely that for situations of this type it will then be necessary to re-polish the entire piece of furniture.

Here is a general guide how you can remove different type of wood stains from wood surfaces and furniture!

How to remove beer stains from wood

If the stain is caused by spilled beer , the beer stain should first be dabbed with an absorbent cloth and dried. 

A cloth should also be placed under the wood to absorb the liquid. Then sprinkle the stain lightly with sparkling water, because the carbonic acid pulls the dirt out of the wood. 

For stains that have had time to take effect, the area should be treated with lemon juice . 

Then rub it in lightly and let it act for about an hour. Then dab the wood area with detergent foam. After such treatment, the stain has disappeared.

FAQs

How to remove wine stains from wooden furniture?

Cover the stain with blotting paper or paper towels, and then smear it with clean turpentine stones.

How to remove a stain from alcoholic beverages from a wooden cabinet?

Use a sponge soaked in cold soapy water to remove the stain from the alcohol. You can also grind, apply wax and polish it.