how to get rid of cigarette burns from vanity unit

[brookesmum]

We have an old vanity unit, which I think is painted, but is solid wood under neath, on the sides of it are stains where a gigarette has been lent, it is not so much a burn but a stain, anyway to get rid of these?

[lia*]

If not severe, the burn can be removed by rubbing with steel wool moistened with soap and water.

[KARL]

The coating is likely to be quite thin so care will have to be taken when rubbing - note that any shine will also go. From the description it seems like the discolouring is mostly due to heat and it is now a question of how deep the baking has gone and discoloured. If the coating is as soft as one might suspect (i.e. not Formica-like, but rather a form of paint) then I would rather use Jif or similar or even toothpaste, both of which are likely to be much less agressive than steel wool. Work very gently on just the affected area - try to judge when to stop rather than risk going through the coating (i.e. if the discolouring goes right through it you can't win).