Home Remedies for Stained Wood Cabinets

It's inevitable: Your child opens a kitchen cabinet with a knife in his hand and nicks up your beautiful wood, or you run back to grab something from a drawer and forget you have your car keys in your hand -- yet another scratch mark is made. Or, you are in a hurry to prepare dinner and you bang a stainless steel utensil into your island cabinetry.

Fortunately, there are a variety of ways -- including some home remedies -- for making these dents or nicks disappear or look much less noticeable. While you should always follow the advice of your cabinet manufacturer and consider buying any repair products they offer, there are additional ways to keep your cabinets looking great.

Believe it or not, you can open your child's crayon box, pick a color that matches your cabinetry, melt it down and rub it into the dent or scratch. You can also use iodine to address small nicks in wood furniture with a cherry finish. Use it gently until the imperfection is reduced. Finally, a walnut or Brazil nut can match some wood stains. Its natural oils can be used on some scratches as can shoe polish. Be careful using any home remedy of this nature. Test the process on a hidden area first.