How to Get a Food Coloring Stain Out of a Wooden Cabinet

Apply wood cleaner directly to the section of the wood cabinet with the food coloring stain. Use a dry rag to work the cleaner down into the cabinet surface. Stop after a minute or two of scrubbing and look at the rag to see whether any of the food coloring has come off on the rag.

Continue to work the wood cleaner into the wood surface with the rag for five to 10 minutes if the food coloring comes off on the rag. If after one to two minutes, the food coloring has not begun to come off, it probably isn’t going to and you must move on to more invasive methods of removal.

Put on chemical-resistant gloves and dip a dry rag into wood stripper. Rub the wood stripper onto the area of the cabinet with the food coloring stain. Let the stripper sit on the surface for the amount of time indicated on the stripper packaging.

Rub the area of the cabinet where you applied the wood stripper with another dry rag, working the stripper into the cabinet surface. If the food coloring comes up with the stripper, continue to use the rag to work it into the surface. If the surface wood doesn’t come up easily, use a wood scraper to lightly scrape across the stained section of the cabinet surface to remove the wood.

Apply the neutralizer recommended on the wood stripper packaging with a dry rag to neutralize the chemicals in the stripper and stop the stripping process. Apply stain to the cabinet that matches the rest of the wood and cover the entire cabinet surface with a waterproof sealant, such as polyurethane, to prevent future stains.