Originally Posted by
sariana
I agree with trying a furniture polish of some sort. (We like Old English.) Buff it really well after. That might help to balance out the shininess.
For the next stain ('cause it WILL happen, eventually), try rubbing alcohol. (Try an inconspicuous spot first.) DH brought some rosewood bowls home from Pakistan, and some of them had black lines on them (from marking the cuts, I think). We thought they were ruined, but rubbing alcohol took off most of the ink without marring the wood. Some of the bowls had a shiny finish; some did not. The marks had been there for months, at least, before I tried to remove them.
When I was a teacher a kid accidentally wrote in sharpie on my dry erase boards in my classroom. Rubbing alcohol took it right off (thanks to my chemistry teacher friend who came to the rescue).
L, mommy to my one and only, super-sweet boy, G 6/08
I'm pro-big bird, and I vote.