I’m not sure if bringing a third child into our home tripled the amount of stains we see, or if mom got tired of trying to prevent them when everything else got chaotic, either way stains have taken over the Riley home. As a result I am dedicating my Thursday Thirteen to a variety of methods for getting rid of different types of stains. Feel free to add to the list in your comments if you have any brilliant removal tips of your own as I can always use new ideas.

1. White Vinegar- Apparently this is the fix all cleaner. I knew that it removes laundry stains, carpet stains, and coffee stains from cups and pots. But after reading this article I’m thinking I need a few gallons of this stuff on hand.*

2. WD-40 & Dish soap for crayon marks- If you happen to be one of the many who have love magic erasers, skip this one over. For myself those crumbly sponges have really started to bug me, so for crayon marks on a painted wall simply spray them with a bit of WD-40, and wipe them away. Then of course you’ll need a hint of dish soap to clean off the WD-40, but then…Viola, your walls are clean.

3. If an obnoxious youngster paints on the wall with a rather obvious second color that won’t come off, paint over it.

4. Alka- Seltzer- Drop a couple of tabs in your toilet if you have a ring and the seltzer will magically make it disappear (or prevent the stain to begin with by using Clorox toilet bowl tablets).

5. For the kitchen and laundry I tend to count on good ol’ reliable bleach. Just make sure to wear your rags or you will inevitably lean against a counter and ruin an outfit.

6. Oxy Clean- If you get a carpet stain or stains or your clothes use a bit of this cleaner and it does a pretty good job of getting the stains out. Note: this stuff is far more effective on fresh stains, but I managed to severely fade out two rather large coffee stains left behind by dh on the carpet.

7. If the carpet stain resists peroxide, oxyclean, vinegar, and anything else you can think of, buy an area rug.

8. Soak your whites in Biz overnight. The next morning set them to wash as usual and they will look almost new without the dull look that some of your whites may have acquired over time. Now if you have a front loading machine like myself you may need to take over a bathtub, but it works just as well.

9. Peroxide- I am thinking this works on the same principles as oxyclean. Mix it up with a bit of baking soda making a paste and scrub stains away.

10. Bath Stains- Break out the soft scrub. I know you were probably hoping for something more convenient here, but I have yet to see a bathtub ring that could resist soft scrub. Also new products on the market for showers work great (that is if you remember to spray them after every single shower).

11. Windex- This is right up there with white vinegar removing ink stains, carpet stains, and of course hard water stains.

12. Oil stains? If you change your own oil or spring a leak, break out the kitty litter. Be generous when sprinkling this over your stain, let it absorb overnight and just sweep it up the next day.

13. When all else fails and you are completely inundated with stains, sale the house and buy a new wardrobe.

*For any of the above methods always try on a small inconspicuous spot first lest you goof up and destroy it all together