Olive Oil to Remove White Scratches From a Wood Table

Recipe

• Olive oil on its own makes a fine polish for wood tables, chairs, floors and other wooden surfaces, but you can add a single ingredient to make a polish that also cleanses the wood. Most homemade furniture polishes call for equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, but you can use other citrus fruits or white distilled vinegar in place of the lemon juice. Mix the two ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or fork until they are well blended.

Application

• Although the citrus juice or vinegar in your homemade furniture polish will help clean the surface of the wood, remove excess dust before polishing. Wipe the wood table with a clean, dry cloth. Normally you can just dip a cloth in the polish and wipe it onto the table to give it a luster, but since you're dealing with scratches, you'll need to change things up a bit. Instead, pour a small amount of the polish directly onto the scratches and let it sit for up to 24 hours, then buff the table with a clean cloth.

Other Uses

• Homemade olive oil and lemon juice furniture polish applications don't stop at small scratch removal. Use it on any wooden surface that has lost its luster. Just pour a small amount onto a polishing cloth and buff in small, circular motions until the shine returns. Additionally, for rings that occur when someone doesn't use a coaster under a glass, pour a small amount of the polish directly onto the inevitable water stain and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. When you wipe the polish away, the stain will disappear.

For Deeper Scratches

• If the scratches are very deep and actually penetrate beyond the protective topcoat and into the wood, this method will not help at all. You will need to fill in the scratch, which you can do with a fresh walnut or a commercial wood filler. If you go the walnut route, simply crack the walnut open and rub the meat against the scratch diagonally until the scratch is filled. If you opt for a wood filler, read the manufacturer's instructions which may vary from product to product.