What To Do If Wood Furniture Gets Wet?

If Wood Furniture Gets Wet

We know how dangerous water can stand for wood furniture. If you don’t take immediate steps, your furniture will turn into a salvage piece. Here in this article, I’ll explain what to do if wood furniture gets wet and all the related facts you should know about damp wood. 

Whenever wood furniture gets wet, do all the possible things to make it dry immediately. Firstly, clean up the dirty water and make the furniture pat dry. Keep the furniture in an air-circulated place. Drying it slowly and carefully would help save your furniture from turning into trash.

What To Expect When Wood Furniture Gets Wet?

You can’t expect anything good from a piece of wet wood. A few hours and then your expensive wooden furniture will turn into the trash. 

Wooden furniture is super delicate to water. Getting your furniture wet accidentally would be one of the most common mishaps that might happen. If you don’t take immediate steps to save the wood, it might cause several defects. As:

  • Wood furniture makes various stains because of water.
  • Wood furniture appears discolored by getting wet.
  • Water can make your wooden furniture weak. 
  • The water can make your wood furniture sag.
  • Water might make the glue of your wood furniture gone, and the defective parts can fall apart.
  • Water can influence mold growth on wood furniture.

These Are the terrible things that are enough to make your wood furniture turn into salvaged ones. Well, you’ll find different kinds of wood in the market. But most of them are delicate to water. If you don’t remove the moisture immediately, it will undoubtedly cause various kinds of defects to your wood furniture. 

Does Wet Furniture Turn Salvaged  Immediately?

Well, you’ve already known there are different types of wood furniture. You’ll find hardwood, plywood, and particleboard.

However, the type is, water and excess moisture can make this expensive wooden furniture ruin. You must be thinking, how long does water take to destroy the highest quality of wood? This is quite a popular question as people don’t know how immediately they should clean up the water.

Depending on the wood type and environment, the researchers say it takes one day to one week to ruin any wood furniture. It can get destroyed in a few hours if the wood quality is poor. Even wet furniture holds the risk of growing molds in hours. The rich quality wood is not safe either.

They will also get ruined in a few days if you don’t clean up the water immediately. Also, the lack of air and light circulation might make the furniture rotten. This might not happen immediately, but the wet areas of the furniture will cause some permanent damage in the long run.

That’s the reason it’s suggested to wipe up and dry wet wood furniture as soon as possible. 

How To Dry Your Wet Wood Furniture?

Do you know the easy steps to save your wet wood furniture? Some easy steps can work as damage precautions. Nobody would want to dump their expensive wood furniture just because of an accident.

Here I’ll mention some easy and practical steps. If you can follow these steps immediately with your wet wood furniture, you might save it from all types of defects. 

Give a quick check on the steps you should follow:

  • If you see the furniture completely wet, first of all, follow the cleaning process. Here you can’t just wipe up the water. This might spread water all over the furniture. So, carefully remove the water from the furniture.
  • If the furniture is wet with dirty water, you need to use some clean water here. But don’t take so much of it.
  • Now you need to dry the furniture. Here it would help if you took it slow and effectively. You can’t put the furniture directly under sun heat. The direct sunlight will make the wet area cracky and easier to break. If necessary, you can use a plastic cover/polythene. This will keep your furniture safe from direct heat and make the drying process slow.
  • If your furniture is wet inside, keep the drawer unattached and doors open. Closure and darkness will influence mold growth easily.

These are the quick and simple steps to make your furniture dry. If the furniture includes any cotton or woolen parts along with it, you might need to detach and dry that too. Else, you might have to change the entire part later. 

How long does wet wood take to dry?

Well, now that you know how to dry out your wet furniture, you might ask how long it will take to dry.

How much water it soaked plays a significant factor here. I’ve already mentioned that wet wood furniture makes the drying process slow. You might make it dry in one hour. But direct sunlight or excess dryness will make your furniture defective.

So, if you’re using an air-circulated cooler area, it will take almost 8- 12 hours to completely dry. After approximately 12 hours, you can place your wet wood furniture in its general place. Till then, please keep it in an open-air circulated area. 

Can you fix water-damaged wood furniture?

Fortunately, water damage can be fixed if you can do it immediately. Doing late and letting the water dry by itself won’t work to save your wet wood furniture. With a few minutes and steps, you can follow the below-mentioned ideas to fix the water-damaged furniture:

Spread mayonnaiseSpreading mayonnaise is a quick homely solution. The oil consisting of mayonnaise would help to lodge the moisture of wet wood. You can try this out by spreading some mayo over the water-stained area of your furniture.
Install dehumidifierDehumidifiers are the wisest and most effective solutions for damaged and wet furniture. This equipment will restore the excessive moisture of the wood. This can keep a balance on the humidity of your furniture getting good. 
Deal with mold growthCleanliness would be the most crucial thing to save your water-damaged wood furniture. Firstly you need to check if any mold has started growing on the damaged area or not. If you find any mold, clean that up and keep your furniture in a good air-circulated area. A dehumidifier would also help in mold prevention in this case.  
Replace ruined woodIf mold has already swollen any part of your wood furniture, it’s better to jump for prevention. To stop the spread of mold, cut off the affected area. Else, it can swallow the whole furniture with time. 

These are easy and quick ideas to save your water-affected wood furniture. Follow these steps and protect the furniture that is going to be wasted in time. 

How to remove watermarks on wooden furniture?

Watermarks on wooden furniture can be a frustrating problem, especially if they are particularly stubborn or noticeable. Fortunately, there are several methods you can try to remove watermarks and restore your furniture to its former glory. Here are some of the most effective methods:

1. Use a hair dryer:

If the watermark is fresh, you may be able to remove it with a hair dryer. Simply set the hair dryer to a low heat setting and hold it a few inches away from the watermark. Move the hair dryer around, making sure to keep it at a safe distance to prevent scorching the wood. The heat should help the moisture evaporate and the watermark may disappear.

2. Try mayonnaise or petroleum jelly:

This may sound strange, but both mayonnaise and petroleum jelly have been known to remove watermarks on wood. Apply a small amount to the watermark and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. Then, wipe away the excess and buff the wood with a clean cloth.

3. Use a wood stain:

If the watermark is particularly stubborn, you may need to try a wood stain. Choose a stain that matches the color of your wood and apply it to the affected area with a brush or cloth. Let it dry for several hours and then buff the wood with a clean cloth.

4. Use a mixture of baking soda and toothpaste:

Mix together equal parts of baking soda and toothpaste to make a paste. Apply the paste to the watermark and let it sit for several hours or overnight. Then, wipe away the excess and buff the wood with a clean cloth.

5. Sand the wood:

If all else fails, you may need to sand the wood to remove the watermark. Use a fine-grit sandpaper and sand gently until the watermark is no longer visible. Then, refinish the wood as necessary.

Remember, prevention is key when it comes to watermarks on wooden furniture. Always use coasters or placemats to protect your furniture from moisture and wipe up spills immediately to prevent water from soaking into the wood.

Conclusion 

Water damage is a common thing for wood furniture. But a few easy and simple steps can save the furniture from rotting. Here in this article, I’ve mentioned both precautions and preventions about wet wood furniture. So, you no longer need to dump your damaged furniture. With these suggestions and steps, you can use these damaged furniture for a longer time.

Wilson C. Scully

Hello everyone, This is Wilson C. Scully. I'm likewise you. However, the main difference is that I like to share my kitchen and cooking experience with you.

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