Removing white rings from wood

A few weeks ago a reader on the HGGH Facebook page asked this question: 

“What’s the quickest, safest, non-toxic way to erase white rings from wooden tabletops? I just tried mayo, which I’ve successfully used before, to no avail.”

I decided to share all of your fabulous responses here so the thread didn’t disappear into Facebook timeline compost. Thanks to all the hip homies who weighed in on this Facebook discussion!

• Krystal: hair dryer/heat gun
• Deborah & Clare: toothpaste
• Local Kitchen, Linda & Roxanne: for dark wood, use a walnut to camouflage rings and scratches; rub the walnut meat over the spots
• Sharron: make a paste of butter and ashes from the fireplace
• Susan: ash or baking soda mixed with few drops of water to make a paste
• Carissa & Kendra: fabric and an iron; put a piece of fabric down and run the iron over it for 30 seconds to 1 minute, carefully peel the fabric away, repeat until gone
• Andrea: hairspray
• Donna: for really stubborn ones, shoe polish (in a similar shade) works well
• Andrew: Amish wood milk works wonders
• Caroline & Odia: ashes from your fireplace (or from cigars!); put enough ashes to cover the spot, rub in a circular motion with a good amount of pressure; repeat two or three times if needed
• Sandy: creamy peanut butter; apply in a thin coat like waxing a car, let sit for about 20 minutes, then buff off. (I do this to my dining table about once a month.) 

 Do you have any additional methods to share?

Comments

[Karen]

I used to use a mix of equal parts vinegar and olive oil to remove rings. You just rub it into the entire table, and it takes care of any imperfections, other than nicks, of course. I had an antique table that required waxing, and I did this when the wax was gone and the table was basically bare wood. I've since read that vinegar can mess with coatings on wood, but it depends what you have. It always worked beautifully for me. I don't do it anymore on my dining table, as we've purchased a new one, which hasn't yet required the treatment. I do still use this on my coffee table though, with great results.