Five Top Stain Lifters

When spring cleaning, knowing what to use to lift tough stains can be a difficult choice. There are many varieties of stain lifters available to consumers, but some are better for certain types of stains than others. Here are five top stain lifters and the stains they can tackle.

Best stain lifter for vinyl - If you have a stain on vinyl or rubber, you may think it's impossible to clean. After all, a pen mark on a doll or a rust stain on linoleum is pretty disheartening. A popular trick many have tried to combat these sorts of stains is hairspray, but there is a much better way to tackle vinyl stains than Aquanet. Acne cream with Benzoyl Peroxide at 10% can often take care of ink and other stains on vinyl, plastic, and even rubber. Be sure to test for colorfastness first, but I have known this treatment to work on virtually anything vinyl. To use 10% BP to lift a stain, simply rub the acne cream on the stain and allow it to dry. Once it has completely dried, scrape it off and reapply. It takes a few treatments to vanish a stain completely.

Best stain lifter for lime deposits - Lime deposits are awful, especially when on vases, coffee machines, old bottles, or even humidifiers. The key to lime deposits used to be vinegar, but CLR works much faster. This also can work on some metal based stains on vinyl or plastic. To clean glass with CLR, pour some of the cleaner into the vessel you need to clean and add two teaspoons of glass seed beads. Block the top, swish and swish. The more you swish, the cleaner your item will get. For difficult lime deposits, leave the CLR in the vessel overnight.

Best stain lifter for carpet stains - Carpet stains can be disappointing. One of the best ways to lift stains on carpets is to rent a Rug Doctor and let steam plus Rug Doctor's advanced stain fighting formula to power out the stains in the carpet. Plus, if you use a rug doctor you will enjoy a better smelling carpet and a completely cleaned rug rather than just a few spots. For your upholstery, be sure to rent an upholstery attachment so that chairs and couches can be cleaned as well. Renting a rug doctor costs very little and offers a great value in return.

Best stain lifter for food stains - Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser is a wonder! Using this seemingly harmless white sponge like cleaning device doesn't necessarily seem like the result will amaze, but after using my first Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, I'm completely hooked and will never go without one. This ingenious invention cleans coffee stains out of my sink and can scrub out my oven better than using harsh chemicals. It's my first line of defense against grunginess in the playroom and the first thing I try on scuffs or tough messes.

Best stain lifter for emergency stains - When I first was offered a Tide to Go by my aunt at a funeral, I thought it was gimmicky and silly. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly it got emergency stains out. Since discovering this simple pen-like contraption, I've used it on curtains that were spotted by a flipped shrimp, an antique doily someone used as a drink coaster, and the tip of an Easter shoe that had a chocolate dropped on it.

Selecting the best stain lifters for cleaning requires careful planning and a lot of experimenting. Be sure to read all guidelines and don't mix cleaning chemicals for any reason. It is also advisable that tests for colorfastness be performed prior to using a stain lifter on a large area. Not all stain lifters are advisable in all situations, but with practice anyone can become a stain fighting pro.