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  1. #1
    ohiomom1121 is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default Residue from Magic Eraser on new table...help!

    DD decides to get a sharpie and draw pictures on napkins on my brand new wood kitchen table today. I grabbed the Magic Eraser like I always did on my old table and it got it off. But now there are weird shiny spots on the table. I think it's some kind of residue. PLEASE tell me how to get rid of it. DH will freak if he notices it.

  2. #2
    niccig is online now Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    Quote Originally Posted by ohiomom1121 View Post
    DD decides to get a sharpie and draw pictures on napkins on my brand new wood kitchen table today. I grabbed the Magic Eraser like I always did on my old table and it got it off. But now there are weird shiny spots on the table. I think it's some kind of residue. PLEASE tell me how to get rid of it. DH will freak if he notices it.
    I don't think it's residue. Magic Eraser is abrasive - it's probably taken off some of the finish. I've noticed this when I've used the ME on the walls, the spot is a little smoother afterwards.

    Is there a way to oil/polish the table? Maybe that will help even it out.

    The other option is to just live with it - I know how upsetting it is for something new to get a blemish, but it's going to happen - and you had to get the sharpie off. The magic eraser was probably the only thing that would work. There's something to say for a patina of use because it's been loved.

    Can you put something over the area, like a place mat or fruit bowl so you don't have to look at it until you get used to it.

  3. #3
    sariana is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    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.
    DS '04 "Boogaboo"
    DD '08 "Lilybear"

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    twowhat? is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Is that how the Magic Eraser works? Just by basically buffing away the stain? Is that the only mechanism of action? I've always wondered...

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    larig is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by sariana View Post
    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).
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  6. #6
    ohiomom1121 is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    I wish I'd known about rubbing alcohol. The table is a pretty matte finish so I'm afraid polish would make it shinier? So bummed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by twowhat? View Post
    Is that how the Magic Eraser works? Just by basically buffing away the stain? Is that the only mechanism of action? I've always wondered...
    I was wondering too. I just used it for the first time on a sharpie- worked like a charm. I then used it in my tub, which has some soap scum that would not come out no matter what I used on it, and it came right out. But I'm not supposed to use anything abrasive on my tub b/c it's glazed.
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  8. #8
    sariana is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by ohiomom1121 View Post
    I wish I'd known about rubbing alcohol. The table is a pretty matte finish so I'm afraid polish would make it shinier? So bummed.
    It might make it shinier at first, but if you use a soft cloth to buff it well, the oil will soak into the table. It helps to protect the wood from drying out. It doesn't make a matte surface shiny (unless you don't rub it off well) though it can enhance a shine that already is there.

    Over time the surface will take on inconsistencies, as any wood does. Using a furniture polish now will protect the wood and might mask the shiny spots long enough for your DH not to notice them. Just tell him you're protecting the wood and that the oil will soak in. Soon enough the marks won't show anymore anyway.
    DS '04 "Boogaboo"
    DD '08 "Lilybear"

  9. #9
    pastrygirl is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by twowhat? View Post
    Is that how the Magic Eraser works? Just by basically buffing away the stain? Is that the only mechanism of action? I've always wondered...
    That's how I've understood it to work... and promptly stopped using it.

  10. #10
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    Perhaps a stupid Magic Eraser question, but do you guys re-use your Magic Eraser pads a few times or throw them away after the first use, i.e., on a few sinks?

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