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

Time to Bring Plants in for Winter, Minus the Insects

It looks like we'll be getting a frost here in Northern Illinois on Friday, so it's time that those last houseplants make their way indoors. But this question comes up every fall: How can I bring my houseplants in from outside without bringing in spiders or other insects with it?   Well...
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Steam Sterilization

For over a century growers have been using steam to heat the soil to help eliminate many pests of soils. Many greenhouses utilized this method of sterilization in the early 1900's and before. Back then there weren't very many alternatives to eliminate pests other than steam heat. Today there are...
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Fall Nuisance Insects

Now is the time of year we start to notice various insect critters trying to find shelter inside our homes. The good news is that most of these insects are perfectly harmless and are simply a nuisance. In fact, many of these insects are actually quite beneficial because they eat other soft bodied...
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Umami Like!

Last weekend I was in Chicago and came across a restaurant called Umami Burger. This jogged my memory back to my college days when I was learning about food and nutrition. I always liked the word umami because it conjured feelings of something savory and extra yummy. A Little on Umami...
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A trio of favorite trees

When people ask me about my favorite tree, I usually answer one of the following three because of their multiple seasons of interest states University of Illinois Horticulture Educator, Kelly Allsup. Downy serviceberrycan be grown as a multi-branched large shrub or small tree....
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Hartsburg Field Cover Crop Demonstration

One of the emerging trends to improve soil tilth, and to scavenge available nitrogen to prevent its loss from the field, is to utilize cover crops. A simple demonstration has been put out at the Hartsburg Field to demonstrate a few examples of self-terminating (meaning it is killed by the cold...
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White Pine Needle Drop…Good or Bad?

Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educator Autumn is the time of year when mature white pines annually drop older needles. Unfortunately, this year's wet spring and dry summer have caused problems with many evergreen trees, including white pine. It is important to recognize...
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Deep Soil Compaction - Is It Your Yield Thief?

Have you noticed that your field is not draining as fast as it did a decade ago? Do your yields vary greatly between a "dry" year and a "normal" one? Have you checked your soil for deep soil compaction or subsoil compaction? Compaction that is deeper than 8 inches. The use of heavier equipment,...
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Bring the joy inside
Grasses improve the health of our planet
It's a buggy world
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Healthy lawns help us all
Raising livestock in a changing world
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We have one planet
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Make wise decisions
If your plant isn't happy, find solutions here
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Problems of too much or too little
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