"Out, out, dang spot!"

Our house is where stains go to die. Especially after recent renovations, we've needed all the help we can get. Unfortunately, there's no easy trick for getting sheetrock dust out of every nook and cranny of the entire house, but here are a few tried and true methods for removing other kinds of spots and unwanted gook.

To remove oil, grease, butter, and sunscreen spots from clothing: Rub in some Dawn dish soap before tossing in the washing macine. For extra stubborn spots, soak the spotty section overnight in a concentrated solution of Dawn and water before washing.

To remove gum from a shoe: put shoe in plastic grocery bag, push bag into gum until it sticks. Place shoe, within bag, into the freezer for a couple hours. When you remove from the freezer, the plastic bag should pull away from the shoe, bringing the gum with it. A squirt of WD-40 has also been known to do the trick.

Gum on clothes or carpets ~ Don't use WD40! But, do employ the same "frozen" philosphy as used to remove gum from shoes. Take a piece of ice in a baggie and "freeze" the gum on the fabric or carpet. Scrape up with a butter knife. To remove excess gook that doesn't come up, simple dish soap and water with scrubbed with a toothbrush usually does the trick.

Gum in hair ~ Yep, you knew it. Peanut butter really does work!

To remove old Contact Paper from shelves: Wet a thin dishtowel, place over paper, press with steam iron. Pull up towel and the paper will peel right off.

To remove candle wax: Easy peasy. Freeze the holders for a day or two. Tap or shake lightly. The wax will pop right out.

This little trick deals with a different kind of removal, but a useful one at a Sunday morning brunch for the gang. To remove frozen bacon from its neighboring frozen bacon: Start out not freezing them together. Pull out a sheet of plastic wrap about a foot long. Place bacon on the plastic wrap, 1/2" to 1" apart. Place another sheet on top and repeat layers with all your bacon. Top with one last sheet of plastic wrap and roll it up. Wrap it all in aluminum foil and place in your freezer. Now when you want bacon, it's easy to remove the exact number of slices needed. (When does our group not go through a whole package at a time, you ask? Good question. It's that portion of a second package that's the one needing to be pre-separated for us. And, even when you use the whole package, being able to separate it more easily straight out of the freezer is worth the trouble!)

For tons of great tips stop in for a visit at Rocks in My Dryer!