Mumsnet users share their tips for removing household stains with Crown

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed

When you’re wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, stains around the house seem to appear out of the blue and just thinking about how best to remove them can give you a headache. Crown’s easyclean matt emulsion paint is 200-times tougher and more washable than standard matt emulsion, so you can keep your home looking better for longer, and can easily be wiped clean without damaging the look of your finished paintwork. With this in mind, Crown would like to hear how you tackle removing stains around the house.

Here’s what Crown has to say: “We are delighted to have been awarded the Mumsnet Rated badge for our easyclean® range, and to have been given such great feedback from the Mumsnet community. We are extremely proud of easyclean®, which is our toughest and most washable paint range yet, and we are over the moon that the Mumsnet testers loved it as much as we do!”

Have the walls of your house fallen victim to the wrath of a felt tip pen, an overzealous spaghetti dinner or a lipstick makeover gone wrong? How did you remove these stains so that the walls look as good as new? Perhaps in a moment of desperation you’ve considered that repainting the wall would be easier than tackling the clean-up? Have you reluctantly poured white wine onto a red wine spill on your new cream carpet? What’s your top tip for removing stains that you would share with other parents?

Whether you’re the first to grab your go-to stain remover or you’re busy googling where to start, share your tips on this thread and you’ll be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £100 voucher for a store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

[biffyboom]

I'm always noticing mucky handprints on the walls and patio doors, obviously at child hight, and seem to spend a lot of time trying to clean them.
I've found the only way to really get rid of them is to paint over them, but then I have to do the entire wall or the colour isn't even
When I run out of this colour I will be buying a more child friendly paint that wipes clean properly.

[lovemyflipflops]

Hairspray for crayon on walls ! Spray, leave then wipe.

[Baldwin1973]

We have found baby wipes are essential over the years - they manage to get all sorts of marks off the walls, woodwork and even the carpets. My husband brings his bike into our hall every day and it (the wall) gets covered in marks. Baby wipes and a bit of elbow grease tend to work wonders.

[sharond101]

Hairspray on ballpoint pen

[VeganCow]

Wall stain tip- I always keep some left over paint and if there’s a mark or on dark paint a white spot where someone caught their nail and removed a spot of paint, I use a small eyeshadow brush to go over the mark. On decent paint this will blend in. With cheap paint you can see a circle where the patch is

Carpet stains- I use solid soap, wipe some on a damp cloth and scrub scrub scrub then scrub more with just water to remove the soap. If it’s stubborn, a solution of bio laundry powder mixed with hot water should do it.

The bio is good for dog or cat pee as gets rid of the smell too. A squirt of white vinegar over the top should prevent further marking over the same spot.

[Sid98]

I use hot water and soap

[flowersanam]

Vanish stain remover is the one i use

[Hmumto3]

After having to paint the wall because of messy little hands I have not resorted to wipeable paint on my walls!

[DeanImpala67]

A novel use for the plentiful hand sanitiser we all have now is as a stain remover- particularly good for whiteboard pen on fabric. Failing that good old neat washing up liquid is still my go to for most marks. Or Cif and a sponge.

[wellingtonsandwaffles]

We have wipeable paint, but occasionally must give into another fresh touch up of paint! Occasionally colour in chips with the nearest colour felt tip, especially high up frames - you don’t notice! Covering things up with photos and plants also hides stubborn stains. On the floor, I’ve learnt the hard way about rubbing lily buds, and now hover straight up. Let mud dry, but bodily functions soak in bicarbonate !

[Sugarhouse]

Magic eraser is fab but I really need to invest in washable paint as it does bring some paint off

[buckley1983]

Agree with a previous poster re: wipeable paint! Prior to having a child.. my walls never required cleaning - Since the age of one, you could judge my son's height by the grubby line running the length of every wall where he has run his hand across it while wondering past! I do miss the matt finish - but it saves a LOT of time being able to wipe any marks off the walls & get on with my day rather than stressing over it!
I did once use the steam mop on the walls to get wax crayon off - worked a treat!
A frequent stain laundry-wise are those annoying little grease marks which I only notice when I'm about to iron a garment - Dr Beckmann Oil & Grease stain remover is perfect for these & gets the stain out every time.
In terms of mud stains.. I've never found anything which completely shifts it (all the TV ads say in small print at the bottom of the screen 'if treated within 90 mins' - I'm never fast enough to treat stains within 90 mins of them occurring!) - I'm going to keep checking back to see if anyone has any top tips on this one!

[MumC2141]

Wipeable paints and baby wipes.

[pushchairprincess]

When you get pollen dust on your curtains or blinds - get some sticky tape out and press over the pollen to remove - don't rub - lilly pollen is so hard to remove otherwise.

[HobNobAddict]

bottle of cheap coca cola down the toilet last thing at night - leaves it looking so clean the next day !

[welshmardymum]

I generally find a fierce temper and a damp cloth work for not getting that many things on the walls in our house!

[CaterwaulingPeasant]

I’ve used brown paper & an iron for waxy marks, and normally baby wipes for other small marks, but I’ve just decorated with wipeable paint for first time & in the process got these industrial wipes which are brilliant (other brands of a similar type are available I imagine)

They got both new & existing paint/silicone off surfaces, wish I’d had them to get the flipping Ikea stickers off too

[DisgruntledGuineaPig]

Baby wipes! They are magic.

[Montydoo]

salt and water solution for blood - great for when their has been a nose bleed - do it quickly lots of salt and water - works for bedding and clothes . soak overnight and wash on 50 degrees

[WilmaJean]

Magic sponges are great.. and baby wipes seem to have a magic stain removing ability too!

[AVT5]

bicarb and vinegar works wonders and washable paint

[Weirdfisher]

White Vinegar for removing slime, that stuff gets everywhere

[GregoryHouse]

Elbow grease spray is a recent discovery for me but it's ace at getting stains off all sorts of things/surfaces. I've had some building work done recently and there were various marks and stains everywhere but the elbow grease spray got rid of them all including some on my living room radiator that were there when I moved in and I hadn't been able to shift previously with other cleaners

[purplepandas]

Also agree re white vinegar and also elbow grease. Removing felt tips helped also!

[Theimpossiblegirl]

I thought I'd be past this now the girls are older, but I get make-up hand prints and fake tan stains instead of the pen, mud and food. The best tip is catching the stains early, the longer they are left, the harder to shift.
Wet wipes/make-up wipes are super handy for a quick wipe down of walls.