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If you’ve ever set down a hot plate on a wood table then lifted the plate only to be horrified at the hazy discoloration it left behind then you are not alone. Especially on newer pieces of furniture that have a really glossy finish you’ll notice these kinds of marks even more. But, there is a way to get these spots back to normal and of all things it involves more heat.

vintage table with heat damage on top
Via: Shadow Byrd/ Flickr

We’ve seen people try this with heat guns, but not everyone has one and it seems like one could go overboard with that gadget pretty easily. But, I recently stumbled upon a tutorial on how to remove heat patches using an iron and a clean tea towel.

Electric iron on an ironing board with a stack of ironed clothes
Via: Marco Verch/ Flickr

The trick to using this method is to make 100% certain that the steam function on the iron is turned off. Fold the tea towel in half and place over the discolored area. Then on a medium setting iron over the towel, checking often to make sure you’re not going too hard and keeping the iron in constant motion.

After a minute or 2 you should start to see an improvement in the discoloration. Continue in this way until the spot is gone.

using an iron and tea towel to fix heat damaged table
Via: Woodified/ YouTube

As always if you have antique furniture you’ll want to be careful to not ruin the finish that’s on your pieces. Antiques were finished with different materials to today’s finishes and can be affected by heat and water differently. If you are hoping to use this trick on antiques you might want to think twice. But, for newer pieces this trick should work quite well.

See how to fix heat spots with an iron in the video below.