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How To: Remove Desktop Wood Stain?

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It's shocking that we keep glasses of liquid anywhere near our computers. It's an expensive computer-ruining disaster waiting to happen. A recent glass spillage on our desktop fortunately didn't reach the big guy but it did spread nicely across much of the desk surface, including under a bright pink post-it pad...

 
 

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The strange timing and circumstances of the spill were such that we didn't get to the water under the post-its ASAP. The result is the aggressive stain you see in the photos above. So, we turn to your collective reservoir of knowledge in hopes that you have some miracle suggestion, short of stripping and restaining the pine desktop. Thanks!

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Comments (32)

a magic eraser?

posted by Rebecca_South on July 29th 2009 at 1:46pm
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does anyone know how to get stains off laminate? I left my Piet Hien table after an outdoor dinner party one day after the party and the hawthorn berries from the tree made horrible stains, yes I know stupid of me. Now the table is being help in storage but would like to give a good home.

posted by LoriSF on July 29th 2009 at 1:47pm
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being held in storage ^^

posted by LoriSF on July 29th 2009 at 1:52pm
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A non-abrasive cleaner and some elbow grease...

posted by bepsf on July 29th 2009 at 1:54pm
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Try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

posted by lwsb on July 29th 2009 at 2:10pm
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Yikes. Not sure, but good luck.

Emily

posted by Emily Sneds on July 29th 2009 at 2:11pm
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First I would try some rubbing alcohol. Next I would try some oil - even olive oil. Then a magic eraser. Good luck!

(Oh, and after ruining 2 Mac keyboards myself, I highly recommend KBcovers.com for those of us who like to drink at our desks.)

posted by home body on July 29th 2009 at 2:31pm
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scrubbing bubbles works like a charm! i had this happen the other day and just gave it a shot and it worked.

posted by JessicaMarie on July 29th 2009 at 2:31pm
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I might even add hydrogen peroxide to my list, after the rubbing alcohol.

posted by home body on July 29th 2009 at 2:32pm
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Some random things that work at removing stains are toothpaste and nail polish remover. I'm not sure if either of these would harm the desk surface though...

posted by melissa81 on July 29th 2009 at 2:37pm
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don't use a magic eraser! this will likely strip the away the wood stain (i.e. not the stain you want to get rid of), and at the very least dull the sheen.

posted by rachpie on July 29th 2009 at 2:46pm
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I don't think that's coming off... how about making it the permenant home for a pretty coaster? Good luck -- hope something works.

posted by FrontPorchPirate on July 29th 2009 at 2:56pm
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Mmm, I don't know if you're going to get that off without removing the stain itself. Of course you could just try sticking post-its all over the desk and spraying it with water. :/

In any case, good luck.

posted by whytephoenix on July 29th 2009 at 3:35pm
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I did something similar with a teak coffee table. Where I am though, apparently the humidity is so high that any paper can get stuck...

One suggestion was to leave baby oil on it over night. Should wipe away the next day.

posted by ephcee on July 29th 2009 at 4:03pm
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Maybe you can just embrace it. Cut out a stencil of a cool, repetitive pattern and paint it on, placing one of the parts right over the post-it stain.

http://www.modernests.com

posted by MODERnestS on July 29th 2009 at 4:05pm
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I'm a firm believer in OxyClean! (RIP Billy Mayes...) Maybe try making a paste of OxyClean and water and letting it sit on there for a few minutes?

posted by mayes on July 29th 2009 at 4:06pm
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oxylean and peroxide wont work. They only work on organic pigments... not post-it pink. Alcohol MIGHT work. I would try that first. I give it a 30% chance.

If the ethanol doesn't work, I'm an advocate of *carefully managed* nail polish remover. It definitely WILL remove the finish, but if you're lucky, you might end up with just the mildest texture haze and a complete loss of pink.

Put a tiny bit of nail polish remover on a cotton ball... just so it's very slightly damp. Rub a lot. Pink should come off. Repeat with new cotton ball. It's all about using very little solvent to get off the pink with minimal finish removal.

posted by modern on long island on July 29th 2009 at 4:32pm
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oh, as for the other poster's berry stain.... go to town with oxyclean!

posted by modern on long island on July 29th 2009 at 4:33pm
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You are probably going to have to refinish at least the top of the table. Acetone (in nail polish remover) will likely remove the stain, but also the finish that holds the stain. The dye from the paper has penetrated the shellac or whatever the surface is, and I don't think you are going to get one off without the other. Sorry!

posted by SherryBinNH on July 29th 2009 at 4:38pm
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rubbing alcohol

posted by Lady J on July 29th 2009 at 4:43pm
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DO THIS: white toothpaste! Rub it on stain with your finger! My sister did this to a dresser while staying at our parents house. We freaked when we saw the bright blue post-it square, but googled it, and tried. Stain gone!

posted by Amymj on July 29th 2009 at 4:57pm
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Some dish soap and water might even work.

posted by home body on July 29th 2009 at 4:58pm
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It's clearly water soluble, so:

A damp paper towel.

just leave it on the mark. hopefully it will soak up some of the stain.

Then dry it off, and repeat...

posted by johan on July 29th 2009 at 5:31pm
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Please let us all know what worked!!!

posted by nancy_s on July 29th 2009 at 6:23pm
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i bought a vintage hutch that had a heavy brown stain on it (paint i think!) & i thought for sure i'd have to refinish it. i cleaned it with murphys soap & lightly scoured the stain with fine steel wool. then i rubbed and polished it with old english orange oil (old english doesn't sell it anymore but does have lemon & almond oil) and while it didn't remove the stain entirely, it removed a good deal of it. you now have to get up close to notice the stain. not only did the orange oil make the wood look exceedingly beautiful, i didn't have to refinish the hutch! i now regularly use orange oil on all my furniture and wood floors.

posted by timmy jr. on July 29th 2009 at 7:34pm
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I did the same thing the other day (the pink as well) and the magic eraser worked for me. Took a bit of elbow grease and a couple of days.....

posted by bluroket2 on July 30th 2009 at 12:42am
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bleach kitchen spray, something like Clorox Clean Up?

posted by sparklyj on July 30th 2009 at 2:35am
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A friend of mine had an "Sharpie accident" similar to the pink stain... She used OFF spray, worked wonders!!!!! So maybe, just maybe, you can give this pink stain a try

posted by Romina on July 30th 2009 at 10:14am
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Not sure it this will work with the coloring, but I found a trick using a dry iron and cloth to absorb water stains. It worked great. I think I might have used paper towel instead of the cloth though. Try googling for it.

posted by Cheddar on July 30th 2009 at 2:01pm
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Sandpaper?
Ask a wood worker in your neighbourhood. He/she can undoubtedly tell you what (not) to do.

posted by Elise_B on July 30th 2009 at 4:24pm
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Goo Gone?

posted by Cord on August 2nd 2009 at 5:27pm
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Baking soda should do the trick--take some baking soda and sprinkle it on dry, then add a tiny bit of water until it turns into a paste. Scrub *lightly* and then it should disappear. I've never tried it on finished wood, but i have tried it on kitchen counters with sharpie and unfinished wood. Good luck! This works well on white stovetops also.

posted by Dharmishta on August 22nd 2009 at 2:55am
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