How to Remove Oil Stains from Wood: 2 Methods That Work

So, you accidentally spilt oil on your wood, and now you want to find out how to remove oil stains from wood.

Maybe you spilt oil on your mom’s wood furniture or your friend’s, and you’re desperately trying to get out of that mess you got yourself into. Whatever the reason might be, we got you covered.

This can happen even to the best of us. Sometimes, we’re simply not careful enough that we just spill oil on our beautiful wood furniture. But as bad as it may look, oil stains can be removed from your wood furniture. So, no need to let a little mishap ruin your wood.

Here, you will learn how to remove oil stains from your wood to get it back to its brand-new look.

How to Get Oil Out of Wood in Simple Steps?

Dealing with oil stains can be quite hard, especially if you’re in a hurry. But if you act calmly, then things will become a lot easier.

There are a couple of ways to get rid of that annoying oil stain with some effort. So, we have made a list of different methods to help you remove oil stains from wood.

1. Removing Recent Oil Stains

If you’ve just spilt oil on your wood and it hasn’t dried out yet, then you’re lucky since these oil stains can be easily removed as they haven’t dried out just yet. You need to do this as soon as possible. Otherwise, the stain will sink deep into the wood and make it worse.

So, here is how to get oil out of wood:

Things You Will Need

• Paper towel
• Gloves to protect your skin

As you can see, it’s effortless. Almost everyone has these products on hands, so no need to waste money on expensive products.

Steps to Take

1. You need to dry the stain with paper towels.
2. Hold the paper towels firmly against the oil.
3. Keep doing this until you have soaked up the oil.

2. Mix Soap

Hand dishwashing soap contains surfactants that dissolve both dirt and grease. It’s pretty useful when you want to get rid of oil stains from your wood.

Things You will Need

• A bowl
• Handwashing soap

Steps to Take

1. Pour water into the bowl.
2. Now you want to pour some hand dishwashing soap into the bowl.
3. Stir it up until it produces a good lather.

This will set the process so you can clean the stain later.

3. Clean the Stain

Now that you mixed water with hand dishwashing soap. You need to pour the solution into the stained area, and with a clean rag rub it against the stained area.

Things You Will Need

• A clean rag

Steps to Take

1. Pour the solution into the stained area.
2. Grab a rag and gently rub it back and forth until the stain is gone.
3. Don’t go too hard on the stained area as you could scratch the wood.

4. Rinse the Wood

Now that the stain is gone, you must rinse the area with a clean rag. Doing so will remove any oily residue or soapsuds.

How to Remove Oil from Bare Wood Easily?

Things get a little bit more complicated if you spill oil on unfinished wood. Not all oil stains can be removed from unfinished wood. However, it is still worth a shot.

So, here are a few steps to help you remove oil stains from unfinished wood.

1. Using a Wax Remover

When the oil soaks in on unfinished wood, it becomes a lot harder for it to be entirely removed. Nonetheless, using a wax remover helps tremendously, if you want to remove oil stains from your unfinished wood.

Things You Will Need

• A wax remover
• Gloves to protect your hands

Steps to Take

1. Cover the stain with the wax remover.
2. Use a paper towel and rub it against the stained area.
3. You may need to go a bit rougher to get rid of the stain.
4. Keep doing this until the stain goes away.
5. You may need to go over it a few times.

2. Using Mineral Spirits

If a wax remover doesn’t do the trick for you, then you could try this method. Mineral spirit is often used to remove thin paints. If you choose to use mineral spirits to remove that annoying oil stains, then you need to keep in mind that you should use it conservatively since you could damage the wood.

Steps to Take

1. Slightly dampen a clean rag with mineral spirits.
2. Gently rub the rag against the stained area.
3. Keep doing this until the oil stain is gone.
4. Do not let mineral spirits stay on the wood for too long.

3. Protect Your Wood

To prevent this from happening again, add a protective coating, which will also restore the finish’s original look.

Things You Will Need

• Paste wax
• A clean rag

Using paste wax will help you apply a smooth, gentle finish to your wood furniture. It will also add a protective layer, so spills won’t penetrate the wood.

Steps to Take

1. Apply paste wax with a clean rag.
2. Rub the rag back and forth.
3. Keep doing this until you cover the whole surface.
4. Let the wax dry completely.
5. Now wipe the waxed area with a clean rag to remove excess wax.

Final Words

As you can see, learning how to get oil stains out of wood is relatively easy and doesn’t take much time either. However, if you spilled oil on unfinished wood, then things could get a little bit more complicated, but you can still give it a try.

All you need to do is mix hand dishwashing soap with water. Then, pour the solution into the stained area and rub it against the surface with a rag until it is gone.