Removing stain from wood table

Q: I have red dye from a candle on my oak end table. I tried the suggestions of toothpaste and a cloth and hot iron, but neither one worked. Is there any way to get rid of the red dye? This is dye and not wax. Thank you! — Gen

A: Believe it or not, rubbing an eraser (the kind on the back of a pencil) along the grain of the wood may remove the dye. However, if the stain has set well, you may have to go with more drastic steps.

A finished/varnished table may need to be stripped and refinished. On an unfinished table, you could try bleaching the stain. Chlorine bleach is effective on dyes (oxalic acid or peroxide bleaches will probably not work in this case). You can try household-strength bleach or make a stronger solution from a swimming-pool bleach called calcium hypochlorite, which is sold dry at pool-supply stores. Mix it with a small amount of water to make a saturated solution.

The bleaching process may take a couple of applications or more. Dab the bleach directly onto the stain and let it sit for a few minutes, then blot it up and check how much the stain has lightened. You may need to lengthen the amount of time the bleach sits on the stain from a few minutes to as long as overnight. Each case is different, however, so proceed carefully.

The stain may bleach completely away, but not always — and you must consider that the wood in the stain area needs to stay close to the same color as the surrounding wood. So, if a full day’s bleaching only lightens the stain a bit, go ahead and clean the area with a damp cloth, let it dry thoroughly, and sand the surface with fine-grit sandpaper, which may take a bit more of the stain out.

You might attempt another bleaching session to try and finish removing the stain. Follow the same steps and sand at the end.

To minimize future damage from dyes or other spills, treat the unfinished wood with linseed oil.

HOME TIP: Three kinds of bleaches used on wood address different problems: Peroxide or A/B bleach lightens natural wood color; chlorine bleach works best on dye stains; and oxalic acid can remove water stains and brighten outdoor furniture.