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  1. #1
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    Default DH spilled nail polish remover on my dining room table & I have ?s

    Last night, while I was at the store, DH thought it would be a good idea to try to remove a small ink stain on one of DS's shirts by using nail polish remover on my very expensive dining room table. Needless to say, he spilled the nail polish remover everywhere. He used a hand towel to mop up the excess and ran it through the washer a couple times, but now I am afraid to throw it in the dryer, because I'm pretty sure that stuff is extremely flammable (says so on the back of the bottle, too: "liquid and vapors may ignite" -- yikes!). The towel has been hung to dry, but at what point do you think it will be safe to throw into the dryer with the rest of our laundry? I'm worried about burning the house down now!

    Also, has anyone here ever refinished a nice wooden table and gotten good results? DH has called a few professionals this morning, but I'm still in despair. Will my dining room table ever look decent again?
    DS1 2006
    DS2 2009

  2. #2
    MamaMolly is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    I'd probably wash the towel many, many more times or just chuck it out. Why take the risk?
    My first coffee table was a hand-me-down that had polish remover spilled on it. I tried to refinish it myself, but the wood was permanently discolored. So in your case with such a special piece, I'd leave it to a professional. It will have to be stripped probably, and then refinished. And the sooner the better. You don't want that stuff sitting around and getting into the wood.
    I'm so sorry it happened.
    Molly
    Lula '06 outgrew her allergy to milk & eggs, still allergic to peanuts and cats
    Dolly '10

  3. #3
    trales's Avatar
    trales is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Put it in the sun for a few hours, the chemicals will volatilize, wash and put in the dryer. It volatilizes very quickly.
    Tracey

    DD1 3/07 Itching to take over the universe.
    DD2 1/14 My mellow little snuggler.

  4. #4
    kedss is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    I'd probably toss the towel-
    My mom and I refinished her mom's table, not something I'd do around small children. Like the PP said, I'd take it to a professional, and make sure DH pays sufficiently through the nose to fix it. I'm sorry too!


    Kate
    mom to C, 12/03, H, 06/08 and R, 4/11

    "When a woman says "What?" It's not because she didn't hear you. Its because she's giving you a chance to change what you said." ~Author Unknown(posting on FB)

    "Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing." ~Phyllis Diller

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by wencit
    He used a hand towel to mop up the excess and ran it through the washer a couple times, but now I am afraid to throw it in the dryer, because I'm pretty sure that stuff is extremely flammable (says so on the back of the bottle, too: "liquid and vapors may ignite" -- yikes!). The towel has been hung to dry, but at what point do you think it will be safe to throw into the dryer with the rest of our laundry? I'm worried about burning the house down now!

    Also, has anyone here ever refinished a nice wooden table and gotten good results? DH has called a few professionals this morning, but I'm still in despair. Will my dining room table ever look decent again?
    Acetone - the major ingredient of most nail polish removers - is extremely volatile and will evaporate given the least chance.

    If the towel has been washed a couple of times and hung to dry, the stuff is probably gone already. Smell it and see what you think. A good soak in hot water would also cause the chemicals to evaporate pretty quickly.

    As for refinishing a table, nothing could be simpler. Get a good stripper for fine furniture (like Peel Away 6, which is non-toxic) and go for it. If you want better instructions, just PM me and we can discuss.

    Good luck!
    -Ivy

    Parenting two active, wonderful boys

    This is your world. Shape it or someone else will. -Gary Lew

  6. #6
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    if you have a custom cabinet shop in your area they can prob refinish it for you. My FIL works for one and does amazing work
    Margaret and
    (DS 2/06) and (DD 3/08)

  7. #7
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    Thanks so much for all your replies! DH is still working on getting the professionals out here. Crossing my fingers that they'll be able to work a minor miracle.

    I'm probably going to toss the towel since it's cheap and was absolutely soaked through with nail polish remover (the smell made me sick), but the shirt that DH was working on was one of DS's favorites from HA. Since that only got a small amount of polish on it, I'll follow what Ivy and Tracey had to say and wash it several times, leave it on the back porch for a few days, and then dry it.

    Thanks again for all your help. Moral of the story: a little ink on a shirt is better than a whole bottle of spilled acetone!
    DS1 2006
    DS2 2009

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