So much more to offer than stains!

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We have discontinued our stain solution website.
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At Illinois Extension, our reputation is built on providing reliable, proven research-based information. It's behind every recommendation we provide, woven into the very fabric of every program, every encounter, and every word we write. Much has changed in the textile world since the Stain Solution website was created. We no longer have the expertise to confidently update the website to reflect those changes. 

We won't promise you something we can't stand behind. You deserve reliable information you can trust. 

Although we've discontinued the Stain Solutions website, there are still thousands of pages of content that can benefit your family, your business, and your communities. We hope you'll explore the many ways we can help you build a better world. When we are able to verify the information about stain removal, we'll begin again, a fresh start to helping you fix life's little hiccups.

 

Enjoy Our Blogs
Three apples on wood background

3 Apple Side Dishes for Fall

Visualize the experience of eating an apple. Hear the crunch. Feel the juice dripping on your chin. Taste the sweet and tart flavors. Ah, it feels like fall! Nutritionally, 1 medium apple (around 3-inches across) contains around 95 calories, 25g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and is a source of...
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Houseplants should be heading back inside

Late summer triggers a column on our houseplants that are going to be brought back into our homes for the winter. For many, we take them outside to let Mother Nature nurture them back to a better state of health, or to kind of take a vacation from having to care for them as carefully as we had been...
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goldenrod with insects

Roadside weed or beckoning torch?

Roadside weed, or golden torch beckoning all the bees in the neighborhood? Tall and gangly, goldenrod offers the latter to interested gardeners. My front landscape bed is dedicated to pollinators, so I have planted native Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) right in the middle, and it has not...
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A wicker basket on a table filled with a dozen starfruit.

Bring home the starfruit

Starfruit may not be the most well-known fruit, but I bet you can figure out what it looks like. Shaped like a star when sliced, it’s also called carambola and is native to Southeast Asia. Carambola trees produce yellow to lime green fruit with a waxy rind on the outside and a juicy pulp on the...
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woman holding $100 bills

What should I do with my student refund?

Who doesn’t love that feeling when a big chunk of change hits your bank account? You think, “What can I buy with that?” and start fantasizing about all the goodies you’ve had your eye on. But, hold on, before you burn through that cash, let’s think for a minute about what else you can do with your...
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Welcome to Naturalist News

Did you ever splash in mud puddles as a kid? How about climb a tree or catch lightning bugs in a jar? If so, you just might be a naturalist. Illinois Master Naturalists are individuals who continue to explore, wonder, and enjoy nature in all of her glory, warts and all. Truth be told, they are...
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The journey toward freedom

“A bird cannot hold its perch and fly. Neither can we grasp anything and be free.” – Deborah Adele This week we explore the fifth and final of the yamas, Aparigraha, or nonpossessiveness. It can also be translated as nonhoarding, nonattachment, nongreed, nonclinging or nongrasping. Aparigraha can...
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Coring and feeding the lawn this fall

Homeowners have likely heard of core aeration as a way to relieve soil compaction in the lawn. While that is certainly true, coring has several more benefits for the grass plant, microbial activity in the ground, and thatch ...
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Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ is a cultivar of our native wrinkle-leaved goldenrod that provides a spectacular display of fireworks-like flowers for up to 2 months in late summer and fall.

Goldenrods for Landscaping

For many gardeners, an entire season of continuously blooming plants is a primary goal.  Not only do these fantastic flowers deliver ornate beauty throughout the year, but they are also greatly beneficial to pollinators by providing a continuous food source of pollen and nectar.  Since...
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Make healthier choices on any budget. 

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Illinois Pollinators

Pollinators are vital to both plant life and human life on earth.

feeding baby spoonful of food

Feeding My Baby

When is the right time to introduce complementary foods?