Hi moms,
This is so weird! We ate in our dining room the other night using paper plates (the heavy kind, like chinet.) When we cleared the table there were cloudy white marks left behind. No paper actually stuck to the table, it's more like a cloudy, filmy white stain. I guess because the food was hot it caused some kind of reaction from the plate to the table.
Regular scrubbing hasn't worked and I'm afraid to be too abrasive because I don't want to ruin the finish, it is a beautiful solid cherry table. Any suggestions??? I am so bummed, I've never seen anything like this :(
Trying the "mayo cure" now, fingers crossed, thanks moms!!!
Please let us know what works! The exact same thing just happened to my cherry table, too. We even had placemats down!
Use mayonnaise...the real stuff not Miracle Whip, low fat or fake...Best Foods Mayonnaise. Plop a blob of it on top of the white mark, make sure you cover the enitre mark and let it sit there. Usually 20-30 minutes does the trick, but longer won't hurt. Repeat if necessary.
I learned this from my Grandmother who was an antique dealer and it really works and won't damage the finish. You'll never know there was a problem..like magic!
This happened to our dinette table as well. It's a mark from the heat of the food. I remember doing something with a ward iron and a white t-shirt. I'd recommend searching google for the exact process ... it sure did work! Good luck :)
You would treat it like a water mark on wood. I know mayonnaise is involved, but I don't remember the whole procedure. I'm sure you can find it on the internet. Good luck!
Blessings,
N.
It's not from the plates it's from the heat. That can happen even with regular plates but it probably happens easier with paper since they're thinner. I would google something like 'heat marks on cherry table' and see what comes up. We have that happen to our table and my husband fixed it really well. You can use some household products too, I just can't rememer what they are (mayo maybe??). It will come out, at least mostly, but just look it up! I know it's a bummer...next time make sure you use placemats, trivets, etc.!
It is due to moisture and/or the heat of the plate which then leaves moisture.
That is a water ring, damage.
Hard to get rid of.
If I remember correctly, you use a little bit of mayo (the real stuff, not Miracle Whip or other sub) and rub it on the spot. Yes, it's greasy but if you leave it there for a few hours/overnight, it will take the mark away. Or, it used to. I haven't had to do this for a while.
That sounds like what happened to my sisters old table. The heat does something to the finish and leaves a cloudy spot. I am not sure what you can do for the table- I would call a furniture place and see what they suggest (like a re-finisher). Also, from now on, maybe invest in some cute and cheap place mats. They will protect your table from future destruction.
Another option--try oiling the table with Old English. Don't know if it will help, the cloudy might be permanent...but it might.
So sorry, and good luck.
I have had this happen to our cherry table a few times - so now we use placemats....hindsight is 20/20 huh....anyway the few times that this has happened to me....it cleared up on its own in a few days and I did not have to do anything to fix it. Not sure what happened or why it cleared up...but it did.
.
I had that happen to me, I actually think it is steam damage to the wax coating on the table. It was visible for a really long time on ours, probably close to a year before it faded to an unnoticeable spot. I just continued to treat the table with murphys wood cleaner and occasionally treat it with orange wood cleaner. I definitely would not scrub. If the light hits the spot right you can kind of see a dullness to the area but it's not too bad anymore.
