This Clever Hack Will Remove Water Rings From Your Wood Tables

Whether it happens after you've hosted a great party or you dozed off on the couch and forgot about your glass sweating on the table next to you, water rings and wood tables often go hand-in-hand. Even if you have the world's best coaster collection, the occasional water ring can still slip through. While their appearance isn't the end of the world, they're not always easy to remove, especially if they've been there a long time.

You might think the only option is to sand the table, strip any existing finish, and re-stain the entire surface. If you love DIY projects, you can certainly go this route. But if you like your table the way it is and don't want to devote hours of time and effort into removing the water ring, we've got a quick, clever hack for you. What's even better? You don't have to buy any specialty products or whip up any strange, stain-fighting concoctions. The main tool you'll need is probably sitting in your bathroom right now, according to Better Homes & Gardens.

Hot air to the rescue

If you've got fresh, new water stains on your wood table, this hack is the one for you. Better Homes & Gardens says you need to grab your hair dryer — yes, the same tool you use to create your bouncy blowouts is also going to save your wood table. First, set your hair dryer to its highest setting. Next, hold it a couple of inches away from the stain and move it around the area of the water ring. You want to keep the dryer moving so you don't blast all the heat onto only one part of the table.

Once you've followed the steps above and the water ring still isn't budging, you may need to take the process a step further. Put some elbow grease into it, and buff the stain with a soft cloth (like microfiber) in a circular motion while continuing to apply the heat from the hair dryer. Better Homes & Gardens suggests that you finish the process with a coat of furniture polish to give the table a good-as-new gleam.