Removing blush

May 19, 2020

There are three methods that I use to remove blush. Blush is created with moisture is embedded in a finish, making a white cloudy mark. It can come from cups, wet cloths, spilled stuff, or whatever.

1. White ring remover cloths. These go for less than 5 dollars and are reusable, if sealed back up, until they get so dirty that you don't want to use them any more. They contain a very fine abrasive and an oily compound. The ones I use have tallow acid, made from rendered beef fat (so the dogs around will love you.) Just wipe the area for a couple of minutes and the stain goes away. It leaves a bit of an oily film that I usually just cleaned up with an emulsion furniture polish (Guardsman or Mohawk). Because of the abrasive, it may raise the gloss a bit. You can dull it back with a coarser abrasive or just spray on some flatter aerosol lacquer. Or rub out the whole top. Available at most home centers, hardware, or big box stores (like WalMart).

2. Dampen a cloth in denatured alcohol and lightly swab the area, like an airplane doing a touch and go. This works particularly well with shellacked finishes. The blush can disappear within a few seconds as the DNA evaporates.

3. Get an aerosol can of something usually called "blush eliminator" or "no blush" These work on lacquer finishes only (99% of factory finished furniture). They are just slow evaporating lacquer thinner that dissolves the finish, then flashes off, allowing time for the moisture to go with it. Specialty stores that cater to touch up people or internet orders will sell these. You can also spray a slow lacquer thinner in a spray gun if you have such.

Typical before and after.