Having kids means that there will be disasters to your upholstery, carpets, walls and furniture. It just goes with the territory. Chewing gum on new tile floor, crayon on the freshly painted walls, and… who KNOWS what that tacky black stuff on the sofa cushion is. The only thing you're sure of is it isn't supposed to be there.

Welcome to the wonderful world of sticky kid stuff. If you found us because you were searching for how to remove gum techniques, or how to remove crayon from furniture, then you're in luck. We've got a handful of tricks to help you get gum, crayon, tar and … oh, I know what that is on the sofa cushion! Melted Gummi worms! Right – if you've got kids like mine, I've got some helpful household hints that can help save your furniture – and your sanity.

You're supposed to keep the gum IN your mouth!

If I had a nickel for every time I've said that, I could just replace the carpets, bedspreads and furniture that ‘wasn't me!' smeared with chewing gum. Here's how to get chewing gum (and most other sticky stuff) out of just about anything.

-Getting Chewing Gum Out of Hair

There are three things to try before resorting to the scissors – and all three are relatively painless.

The Peanut Butter Method: Rub a glob of peanut butter into the hair around the gum. Keep massaging it between your fingers. The oil in the peanut butter will help loosen the gu so you can pick it free.

The Ice Cube Trick: Rub an ice cube against the gum so that it gets hard and losses its tackiness. Again, you should be able to pick the hair free once the gum is hard.

The Citrus Remover: The oils in citrus fruits are a natural solvent. Use orange peels or lemon peels. Rub them against the gum to get it loosened up so you can pick it out of the hair.

Picking the Gum Out: Don't try to pull the gum out of the hair – pull the hair out of the gum. You'll find that if you work on a few strands at a time, it will hurt a lot less than if you try to yank the gum out of the hair.

- Getting Sticky Stuff Off Of Clothing

Any of the above methods will work on clothes too – but the citrus and the peanut butter are likely to stain. One neat trick is to put the gum-enhanced article of clothing in a plastic bag and stick it in the freezer. Once the gum is hard, you can bend the cloth and practically peel it off. Treat anything that remains with a stain remover that's meant to get out the tough stains .

- Getting Gum and Jelly Beans and Marshmallows Off the Upholstery or Carpet

Obviously, you can't toss your couch into the freezer to get that gum out. If your kids have managed to get sticky stuff in your carpets or upholstery, your first step is to try with an ice cube. Rub the ice cube on the blob till it's hard, then try scraping it away with a dull knife. Hit anything that's left with a spritz of a citrus based gum removing spray.

- Or spray it with a shot of Freeze It, which is specially designed for removing gum, candle wax and other sticky stuff from your furniture and walls.

- Removing Crayon from Furniture and Walls

- Gum's not the only thing the little critters smear on the furniture and walls. If your little Rembrandts leave their marks on furniture, floors and walls, a good citrus based solvent will power it off without damaging the fabric or wood.