Sometimes there’s isn’t much you can do to protect your furniture against scratches, particularly from pets and sharp objects such as utensils or keys. But you can remove the scratches without having to refinish the piece or replace it. Wooden furniture is often scratched, but you just need a few items to take away the damage. The most surprising item you’ll need is a nut–the meat of fresh walnuts contains oils that will help conceal scratches.
Step One
Crack open a fresh walnut to reveal its meat, using a nutcracker.
Step Two
Rub the meat over the scratch, rubbing in the direction of the wood grain.
Step Three
Rub the affected area with a clean cloth. Continue rubbing with the walnut and cloth until you see the scratch start to blend in with the rest of the wood. This method works well for light scratches.
Step Four
Fill in a darker scratch with a crayon that matches the colour of the wood and rub with a clean cloth until it blends in with the rest of the wood.
Step Five
Apply iodine to scratches in mahogany, using a clean cloth. If you have a maple piece of furniture to repair, dilute iodine with household alcohol and cover scratches with the solution.