Expert: Eileen Cronk - 9/23/2008

Question
My beech wood countertop has water stains or blackish mould stains round the taps. How can I get rid of these? Can I use bleech?  I have tried to sand it, which has helped a bit, but the stains are still there.

Answer
Hi Jennifer
Nice to hear from you.
It sounds like the finish has worn off the wood around the taps..correct?
This should be sealed after removing the water marks with bleach.
It may take something stronger than household bleach but no harm in trying that first.
I am enclosing an article on bleaching wood.
It details the different types of bleach we can use on wood and how to use it.
http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/woodbleach.shtml
A really excellent article so read carefully.
Hope this helps
Kind Regards
Eileen