A Table Miracle!

I discovered this great little home remedy last week and had to share.

A few months ago I got this gorgeous table on clearance from Restoration Hardware.  And with my employee discount, it was seriously a steal!

Here's a photo of it the day it arrived (please excuse the iPhone photo and half-decorated room).  That teeny tiny table in the back corner is what I had been using for 6 months before I found a table that I liked and could afford.  It's a bistro table and fit 2 people.  My new table seats 10! yay for parties!

A few weeks ago, I got an awful water stain on it and I was so upset.  I called the vendor and they recommended sanding down the spot and re-finishing - much too much work for me.  So I googled "remove water stains from wood".

It said there are 2 different types of stains, white rings which is when water is trapped in the finish and black rings, which is when water has made it down into the wood.  Luckily, mine was only a white ring.

Apparently mayonnaise is the fix for white rings.  Totally bizarre.  But I love my table and was willing to give it a go.  First step, buy mayonnaise - definitely not something I keep on hand. (BTW - if you're ever making yourself a sandwich at my house, don't use the mayo in the fridge.)

To remove white water rings from a table:

1.  Spread a small amount of mayo on the stain.
2.  Cover with paper towel and leave 15 min.
3.  Check stain, if it's not gone rub a bit more mayo and cover again.
4.  Use damp paper towel remove all mayo.  Stain should be gone.  It said if the stain is rather old and persistent you can leave it over night

Here's the before and after:

Not perfect, but pretty good, right?  It was my first attempt and I'm thrilled.  I read that if the stain is rather persistent you can leave it overnight or just rub it in a little more.  I'm definitely going to work a bit more on it.  But I am thrilled with the results!

If anyone else has any tips or a good wood protectant I'd love to hear about it!

LMF