If you’ve had a piece of wooden furniture for a while, chances are it likely has a couple scratches on the surface. Now that you are preparing your home for the holidays, you may not want these finishing flaws to stand out. Before you spend money on a professional, try these do-it-yourself, natural remedies to minimize the visibility of the scratch.
- White vinegar and olive oil: Mix equal parts of white vinegar and olive oil into a small bowl. Use a microfibre cloth and rub the mixture onto the scratched surface, in a circular motion, until the scratches become less visible.
- ‘Magic’ marker: Use a furniture marker, close enough in colour to match your furniture, to hide the scratch. Simply swipe the tip of the marker onto the scratch, and watch it disappear!
- Eyebrow pencil: Use a trick from your makeup bag and colour in the scratch with an oil-based eyebrow pencil. Make sure to match the colour of your furniture as closely as possible.
- Iodine: Iodine, a medicinal product that is typically used for cuts, can help cover scratches on light-coloured furniture. Dip a cotton ball into the iodine, and rub it over the scratch. Wipe the excess iodine with a microfibre cloth.
- Coffee: For furniture with a darker color, use strongly brewed coffee to make scratches less visible. Dip a microfibre cloth into a brewed cup of coffee (that you’ve allowed to cool) and rub it over the scratch in a circular motion. For a little bit more potency, you can rub the used coffee grounds over the scratch as well to fill in the colour.
- Diversion method: If worst comes to worst and you cannot mute the appearance of the scratch, simply leave the scratch as is and cover it with a holiday coaster, tablecloth or centrepiece and let a professional help you later.
