So much more to offer than stains!

Title
We have discontinued our stain solution website.
Body

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

Managing Crabgrass Now for Next Year

Relying on chemical crabgrass preventer is just one strategy homeowners can employ to reduce the potential of crabgrass in the home lawn. Crabgrass preventers also will prevent other annual grassy weeds, like the foxtails, and a few broadleaved weeds, like annual chickweed. These products are...
Finish this story

Special Vegetable Edition - Straw Bale Gardening

I typically write about landscape improvements, however, Illinois Extension has been getting a number of calls regarding vegetable gardening in straw bales. So, I decide to write a special edition on the basics of straw bale gardening. If you are gardening on a budget, have poor soil, or lack...
Finish this story

McLean Master Gardeners doing what they do best

Master Gardeners are on the Garden Beat again BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – University of Illinois Extension McLean County Master Gardeners help thousands of local gardeners with their gardening questions each year. Questions range from the identification of plant, weeds, and insects, to...
Finish this story

Strategic Program Planning to Strengthen STEAM Education

STEAM experts and leaders join forces to better serve our local educators and citizens. In March, University of Illinois Extension, in collaboration with Illinois Informatics Institute and Champaign-Urbana Fab Lab convened a half-day workshop at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s...
Finish this story
Saucer magnolia is currently in full bloom in our area with an abundance of white to pinkish, showy flowers

Magnolia Pollination

Although spring was late coming this year, it has finally sprung, and with it both star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) and saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana) are in bloom. These beautiful ornamental trees, native to Asia, provide about a...
Finish this story

What to Know Before You Grow: Blueberries

Blueberries don't like most of the soils in Central Illinois. It's some of the best soil in the world, but for blueberries we have to make amendments that you can easily manage in your backyard. Our soil may be alkaline, but don't call us basic. Blueberries require acidic soil. They prefer a pH of...
Finish this story

How to Do a Soil Test

It seems during every class I teach, or group I talk with, there are two things I say every time: 1) Read your pesticide labels, and 2) test your soil. It is what I call my "Extension Mantra." The reason I routinely tell folks to read labels and test soil is not that I get a kick-back from...
Finish this story

Try Agua Fresca for your Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

This Saturday is Cinco de Mayo (fifth of May), and many will be celebrating Mexico's victory over the French forces with a "fiesta" full of Hispanic cuisine. With so many mouth-watering foods to choose from, including quesadillas, chips and guacamole, and churros, the food is easy to plan. However...
Finish this story

A Native Gem

Tucked into a corner of my house on a gravelly hill, is a small shrub planted several years ago when I first arrived in Knox County. This shrub is known as Clove Current or Ribes odoratum and it certainly lives up to its description! About this time every spring, it's spicy fragrance becomes quite...
Finish this story
All Our Specialty Websites
The future of farming
Raise healthy cattle for healthy profit
Enjoy evergreens throughout the year
Life is tied to the planet's health
Build a beautiful community
Together we make communities better
Turn leftovers into fertilizer
Create joy in a pot
Be a cottage foods seller
Producing food for a growing world
Keys to managing your diabetes
Be ready before disasters occur
We help you build thriving communities
Powering our needs
Taking good care of our planet
Build a brighter family future
Growing profits
Light a fire this season
Treat yourself to beauty
Healthy foods lead to healthier lives
Illinois is rich in native tree species
Pick a fruit from your backyard tree
Start living well today
Grow new revenue with that land
Herbs add flavor to life
Grow more food at home
Bring the joy inside
Grasses improve the health of our planet
It's a buggy world
Keep Illinois natural areas strong
Healthy lawns help us all
Raising livestock in a changing world
Your source for reliable information
Stay current in a changing landscape
Live a life of joyful purpose
Grow specialty mushrooms for profit
We have one planet
Explore solutions to nutrient loss
Make wise decisions
If your plant isn't happy, find solutions here
Explore all types of plants
Grow and eat this fall delight
Problems of too much or too little
Be a steward of the land
Grow the world's most beautiful flower
Protect your home environment
Big taste in each bite
Soil health impacts plant growth
Emerging news for commercial growers
Creating places for kids to grow
Take measures to avoid ticks
Cook the centerpiece of your celebration
Vaccines save lives
Be prepared for hazardous weather
Start their love of gardening early
eat move save cartoon characters

Eat.Move.Save.

Make healthier choices on any budget. 

butterfly on plant for illinois pollinator

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?