Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: You have my profound thanks for your Good Housekeeping April magazine hint about a hot pizza box leaving a grease stain on a wooden kitchen table. I had gone to a chain home-improvement store for advice, and what I was told did not work. Yours did.– Virginia Kronk, via e-mail

For those readers who might have missed the solution, I am reprinting it with permission from Rosemary Ellis, editor in chief of Good Housekeeping magazine:

“Heat marks can be tough to remove. Here’s a method to try on lacquered wooden surfaces only. Mix a dab of nongel toothpaste with baking soda to make a paste. Rub gently over the stain until the paste feels warm.

“Then wipe clean with a damp cloth. You may have to repeat this process several times to lift the mark. Follow up with furniture polish or oil.” – Heloise