We own two dogs and have two children in addition to the foster children that come in and out of our home (and half of them are newborns). Needless to say, I have become the Queen of Stain Removal.

To be fair, I find the hardest stains to remove are formula and blood; and the most difficult smell to be urine (be it dog or child). While I prefer not to buy ready-made cleaners, there are a few that I have to keep on-hand--especially for stain and odor removal.

First on my list is Totally Toddler Stain Remover and it is the one I use the most. Totally Toddler is a combination of "natural enzymes and mild detergents". Their website says that it can be used on clothing, mattresses, carpet, upholstery and other water-safe surfaces. As long as I haven't left the stain for a good week to really set in, it removes almost anything on an infant's clothing--be it poop (feces) or formula. I buy it in the gallon jug and refill my spray bottle. The only thing I don't love it for is removing urine odor. My currently-five-year-old still occasionally wets the bed (and new foster children sometimes have accidents) and truly--Totally Toddler does NOT manage to get that smell out.

Enter Nature's Miracle Stain & Odor Remover . Whether the urine is human or animal, Nature's Miracle lives up to it's name. I don't use it for much else, but for urine smell--it is worth it's weight in gold. Between bedwetting and jealous dogs marking turf, we use plenty of this in our home. In addition to simply wanting things clean, where dog urine is involved--removing the odor is critical to keeping them from revisiting the same place to urinate again. I have used this product on just about everything including mattresses.

When you have urine on a hard surface, clean it up with paper towels as much as possible. Then, to remove the odor in the residue, put a small dab of dish soap in a cup. Add enough white vinegar to fill it about 1/4 full, then put enough water to fill it to the 1/2 or 3/4 full mark. This should create suds. Apply the SUDS to the soiled area and use this to clean up the residue. It should neutralize the odor to prevent repeat offenses.

Last, if you have a set in formula stain (or a blood stain) the best thing I've found so far is Carbona Stain Devils #4 for blood and milk. The bottle is small and does NOT go far. In fact, I buy them 4 at a time or more (depending on what configuration of children are in the house). I apply the Carbona to the stain and work it in, then wash soon after (within the hour). So far, it has never failed me (and saved a number of items from the garbage).

With these stain removers on-hand, you will always be able to remove the toughest stains your dogs and children can hand you... But be forewarned: they may not be so careful in the future because they'll know you can remove anything from their clothing!