Stains — a homeowner’s nightmare. Whether it is the gravy stain on the dining room chair or the red wine stain on the carpet, stains make our homes look older and messier. I know! That is why knowing the basics of stain removal is SO important.

Luckily for you, there are some amazing stain removal guides out there to help you out. They’re free and you can easily print them out and keep them handy.

Top 5 free stain removal guides:

1.  Adorable Printable Stain Removal Guide from Tip Junkie

This cute, colorful and printable stain removal guide will help you get chocolate, coffee, tea, lipstick and other stains out easily.  Print it out and keep it in your home management notebook or like Tip Junkie, frame it!

2.  Free Stain Removal Guide from Alberta Carpet Cleaning and Nationwide Carpet Cleaning

This guide is not a printable version, but you can very easily copy the sections that you think are most common for your home and compile them in a document that you can print it out. The guide covers stains like, Mustard, Wax and even, Beer.

3.  Stain Removal Basics from Martha Stewart

The queen of housekeeping has a lovely printable for stain removal for washable items only. Along with the common stains, vinaigrette is one of the stains mentioned here.  Nice!

4.  Stain Chart from Better Homes and Gardens

A practical, printable stain removal chart from the helpful folks at Better Homes and Gardens will help you get stains out in a jiffy.

5.  The Stain Removal Guide for Unknown Stains from Stain-Removal 101 

While all the above printables and stain removal guides are great for getting stains and spots out when you know what caused them, what do you do when you don’t know the source of the stain? You know when you dining chair has a big blot but you can’t figure out what it is. Is it mustard? Or is it umm… a leaky poopy diaper accident? Yeah, that.  This stain removal guide while not printable is a good reference to have when getting out unknown stains. It also includes separate instructions for upholstery and carpets. Bookmark it or print out the whole page and keep it handy.

What stains do YOU find the most difficult to get rid off? What are the most stain-prone area in your home? Join us in the Smart Seat Covers community on Facebook  and Twitter to share!

Photo by Stephanie Spitzer courtesy of Flickr.com