Question: I am using redwood 4x4s for the posts on an exterior deck. EVERY 4x4 at the Home Depot is stained with black from the binding straps, etc. See pic. Obviously this is not going to work if we're going to use a transparent stain and want it to look good.

Is there an effective way to remove this type of staining from redwood without damaging the natural color of the wood?

[![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y2Nhi.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y2Nhi.jpg)

Answer: 
Two suggestions:

1. Try finding a different supplier. Check out another big-box store, or even better try to find a local lumberyard/sawmill. The local place may well have sawn their own on site and they'll never have been banded, so there won't be an issue. The time saved in cleaning may be worth an extra buck or two that they may charge. *It should go without saying that you'd return the marked up wood to its vendor.*
2. Use a plane, jointer or sanding block to sand through the marks. They're not likely more than skin deep, so taking off 1/32" or so is probably all that would be necessary and wouldn't appreciably weaken the wood in any way.

And a third idea based on [Graham's answer](https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/197801/34147)...

3. Pressure wash them. We did that with our deck prior to sealing it and all the lumber yard stamps washed right off. *Warning:* We found it difficult to get a nice, even surface coloration when pressure washing. No matter what I did, some of the surface grey seemed to remain, though most of the wood returned to the nicer, more golden color it started out at.
### It looks like you need to plane it anyway!

From that picture, it looks like that post has a lot of surface damage. Has it rattled around in the back of a pickup on the way home, to pick up all those dents and scratches? If you're worried about how it'll look, I think those should be your first thing to worry about, not a bit of superficial dirt! And considering how comprehensively battered it seems to be, you'll need to run a plane over each side to sort those out - which as other comments have said, will naturally take off any dirt along with that thin layer of wood.

If you'd taken good care of your materials though, you could...

### Use oil to treat the wood, and don't worry too much about marks

If you're planning on applying polyurethane varnish or waterproofing woodstain then clearly you need a clean face on the wood before you apply it. Softwood is most likely to need this, because you need to keep water out of softwood to stop it rotting. (Based on the damage I can see, I suspect this may be what you've got?)

If your "redwood" is cedar or other rot-resistant hardwood though, generally you would use an oil-based treatment on the deck. The first step before treatment is to scrub off dirt with a tough brush, and that will naturally shift most of those marks. Any residual dirt on the wood simply fades over time, either by the dirt washing off, or the top fraction of a millimetre of wood slowly eroding with wear, or when you scrub it again next year to re-oil it.