Mr Clean Magic Eraser is my solution to every stain; if that won’t do it I give up.
I was thinking of a Spray ‘n’ Wash kind of thing.
You know, now that I think about it, my go-to stain remover is dishwashing detergent, rubbed right into the stain. It works really well for grease, and it probably wouldn’t actually hurt the curtain if it didn’t work.
Why do you think being water-based has anything to do with whether or not the pigment it carries will stain? Dissolved Rit dye is water-based. Latex paint is water-based. Prepared Koolaid is water-based.
Right, and all those things are relatively easy to clean off a smooth plastic shower liner.
Knowing the base of your stain is the fundamental part of cleaning it effectively. If water based, it should come up with water or alcohol based cleaners. If oil based, try dishwashing detergent. If those don’t work it’s a mixed base, try baby wipes (which have both water and oil in them). Still not budging? Try a Magic Eraser (which doesn’t work by dissolving, but by very very fine abrasion). If a Magic Eraser doesn’t do it, you’ll have to nuke it from orbit, I’m afraid.
Dishwashing detergent sounds good. The bleach didn’t work, unfortunately.
Oh no, I know water based stuff stains, I just remember getting oil based paint on my fleece jacket as a kid, and that the way to remove it was far and away different than cleaner/detergents that I originally though.
L’Oreal True Match has dimethicone AND water in it…so mixed base then. I ran out of facial wipes (same as baby wipes) earlier this week, so I’ll grab some tonight and report back.
Ya know, I have Magic Erasers, and considered it, but that’ll be the nuclear option. Those suckers are great, but they DO abraid things.
You guys are the best!
A trick I came up with recently:
My 12 yo neice stayed two weeks with me this summer and on the last day she was here we discovered she had lice.
I did all the usual stuff, but when I put the pillows in the dryer they were coming out awful…lumpy and balled up.
I tried the tennis ball trick - the ball just rode around on the fins in the drum. I tried a clean Keds tennis shoe - it got stuck behind the fins and started melting the rubber sole. I live 40 miles from the nearest half-decent shopping, so going out to buy one of those dryer balls wasn’t an option.
I finally got into the trash and took out a pair of jeans my SO ruined with battery acid (in the crotch! :eek:) and cut the legs off. I washed them and tied them in knots. They worked perfectly. They have decent weight, they bounce around the dryer and can even be dampened for the steamy effect.
This one gets repeated often because it’s true: now that the seasons are changing is a wonderful time to go over your clothing, knick-knacks and other household items, and discard whatever is discardable, preferably to a charity organization. That blouse you got as a gift, wore once to make the giver happy and haven’t worn again can make someone else very happy instead of taking up space in your closet and effort in your life. That deep-fryer which doesn’t match your cholesterol pills, same.
I just took down to leave beside the garbage two bags of clothes I have worn once or not at all in the last season; there aren’t any local organizations that take used clothing, since those get better picks from factories, but there is people who will take items left beside the garbage containers. There was a similar bag already in place when I got there. I feel all virtuous and organized.
Do let us know how it went!
Probably way too late to post this, but…
A small Home Depot fire extinguisher mounted on a wall out of young kids reach in or near the kitchen (ours is on the wall at the top of the stairs going down to the basement).
Because neither life nor cooking by me is ever really ‘Martha Stewart Living’. 
Bumping this old thread to ask if anyone has any tips for removing chewing gum and or wax (from hair removal strips) from various fabrics and surfaces.
Please don’t anyone bother with the undead references. I know it’s an old thread but there’s plenty of good advice that I’m probably not the only one to have forgotten and new members won’t have seen.
Freezing and chipping is your best bet. If you can, put the thing in the freezer for a while. Sometimes rubbing it with an ice cube will do it, but I will admit I’ve resorted to liquid nitrogen wart remover kits. 
The chipping part has to be done carefully, and may damage the surface, depending on what it’s on. Razor blades and slow steady hand help.
Wax on fabric or carpet may leave a residue stain after you’ve chipped off what you can. For that, get an iron set on low and a brown paper bag. Put the bag over the wax stain and iron it. Put a clean part of the bag on the spon and iron it. Repeat until the mark is gone. Don’t rub the iron back and forth or you may spread the wax - just set it on for a few seconds to let it melt and absorb into the paper.
What’s funny is that I was thinking not even 8 hours ago about starting a similar thread. Bumping one that already has 3 pages of great advice was a better idea. A life hack for a thread about life hacks, if you will.
For things that don’t spoil, buy in bulk. If something you need is on sale, don’t buy one or two. Buy six or a dozen. You’ll save money and won’t have to be running to the store when you run out.
In line with what Annie, said, the price of meat has become insane. I finally broke down and ordered 1/8 cow, which is about 50 pounds. Picked it up yesterday.
Plenty of different cuts, individually vacuumed sealed and flash frozen. I can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner. $5/pound, and it’s all grassfed and hormone free to boot. I’m kicking myself for having waited this long to do it. It’s cheaper than Wal-Mart meat!
So my tip is: go buy that 1/8 cow or split a quarter with a friend. You really don’t need that much freezer space.
And my other tip: Ballcap Buddy. A plastic contraption that holds the ball cap in place while you wash it.
Google around for one. Wash caps in the top rack of the dishwasher (plenty of Amazon reviewers said avoid the washing machine). If they’re especially gross and greasy, spray some Goo Gone gel on them. Presto, clean ball cap.
I was able to use vodka and a kitchen towel to get gum out of our couch. It worked beautifully!
Adding a general household tip, not specific to gum. If you have a white ring from a drink on a wood table put a cloth over the ring and use an iron on low to medium setting to go over the area. Repeat until the ring is gone.
Both our Lab mixes died last year- and the yellow one shed TEN chihuahuas daily. Husband said- get a poodle, they don’t shed. We got a standard poodle. He doesn’t shed, and is a dear lovely dog, BUT even clipped close (I’m not at all interested in all those fancy haircuts) he brings in all sorts of outside fir needles, grass clippings, dirt bits, anything that would stick- he’s a reverse dust mop! I get his feet shaved, not for style, but to minimize the track-ins. I keep “dog towels” right by the back door and rub him down when he comes in, gets most of it.
We have slate tile floors. I sweep mostly, vacuum some, and have a steam cleaner that gets up the puppy mistakes, the grandkid spills, the husband droppage, and has an attachment that does shower walls. I use lots of kitchen towels too, and those yellow microfiber ones from Costco.
This revival was right up my alley, good hints, some humor, and some snark.