Re: Moisture marks on furniture

Jul 25, 2003 2 Replies

Rate this thread:

dave martin 22 years ago

I not questioning the claim that peanut butter or petroleum jelly might remove white water blush stains from furniture finishes but don't understand how they might function chemically.

I thought that such watermarks were the result of microscopic globs of water suspended in the finish & removing them involves "sucking the water out" by means of a dessicant (like alcohol or diatomaceous earth.)

How then would petroleum jelly or peanut butter work? Aren't they both already saturated with water?

Don't know about the "some others" but if you are talking about the white
> blush rings one gets from setting down damp things on a finish you can get
> rid of them by putting some petroleum jelly or peanut butter over then marks
> and let it sit. Alcohol wipes also works but it can sometimes be iffy in
> regards to the finish, so you may want to try it on an unobtrusive location
> first if you do try it..
>
> --
> Mike G.
> Heirloom Woods
>
formatting link

> > Just received a beatiful cherry end table, but top has water marks and > some
> > others.
> >
> > Nedd info on removing to restore to original beauty.
> >
> > Bill Carroll

Vote

Mike G 22 years ago

Hi Dave

It's a fair question and I can understand why you would be skeptical.

The blush is caused by moisture infiltrating the finish. An oily substance displaces the moisture and thus, the blush.

I have used the petroleum jelly trick for some time and had heard about the use of peanut butter but was also skeptical about it's use.

What got me to try it (peanut butter) was a trivia question my wife found in a (I think it was) Readers Digest. The question was, "Why does peanut butter stick to the roof or your mouth?'. The answer was, "Because it draws the moisture from the roof of the mouth making it dry enough for the peanut butter to stick"

These aren't instant cures and it may take a day or two, but it does work.

Take care

Vote

dave martin 22 years ago

U Al & Mike, thanks for your responses. They both make sense. I'm sure I've read that the white bloom is due to water fog formation in the finish, but can see now that simply removing the water wouldn't suffice to remove the scattering source & might just make it worse because the index jump would increase.

Filling the voids with a low vapor pressure oil would destroy the index jump.

The peanut butter approach sounds good on both counts!

Vote

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required