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How to remove permanent marker from any surface

<p>There’s something heart-stoppingly terrible about seeing a pair of little hands drawing on your walls or floor. It just gets worse when you notice that they’re not using the kid safe textas you gave them – but the permanent marker they found goodness knows where. But never fear, there is a solution to this problem – here are ways to remove permanent marker from just about anything. Not so permanent anymore, is it?</p> <p><strong>Carpet</strong></p> <p>If you have a synthetic carpet, dampen a cloth with a solvent like acetone-free nail polish remover. Lightly dab the stain with this cloth and then leave for about 15 minutes. Then dab the stained area with warm, soapy water and wait for another quarter of an hour. Blot the area dry with a clean cloth or towel, and then blot once more with warm water. Dry again. If there’s still stain remaining, let it dry and repeat the process one more time.</p> <p>If your carpet is made of natural fibres, the process is very similar, but you need to use a consumer-grade dry-cleaning solvent. Make sure you read the instructions carefully before you begin.</p> <p><strong>Walls</strong></p> <p>Use warm, soapy water and your favourite all areas cleaning spray to have an initial pass at the stain. If that method doesn’t work, get out your trusty rubbing alcohol and dab the stain with a cotton ball or paper towel. Use a little water to clean the area once the stain is gone, and then pat dry with paper towel.</p> <p><strong>Ceramic tiles</strong></p> <p>You want to start by wiping the stained area with warm, soapy water and then apply some rubbing alcohol with paper towel or a cotton ball. Wipe the alcohol off with more soapy water, then rinse and dry the tile.</p> <p>If the stain persists, try drawing over it with a whiteboard marker and then rubbing it off.</p> <p><strong>Stainless steel</strong></p> <p>Just like with tiles, you can use a whiteboard marker to draw over the permanent marker before wiping it off with a soft, dry cloth. Failing that, use a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or paper towel.</p> <p><strong>Cotton upholstery</strong></p> <p>If marker has stained your cotton upholstery, gently blot the affected area with rubbing alcohol until it has completely come up. Make sure to test the alcohol in an area that can’t be seen in case the colours of the fabric run.</p> <p><strong>Cotton fabric</strong></p> <p>Place the stain face down onto a couple of layered paper towels. Use a small sponge to apply rubbing alcohol to the back of the stain and you should see it leaching out onto the paper towel. Rinse the fabric with cold water when you’re done to make sure the residue from the marker and the alcohol is gone.</p> <p>Do you have a great cleaning tip for removing pesky stains? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Alzheimer’s marker found in the brain

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A new study has linked an area of the brainstem called the locus coeruleus (LC) to several of the main features of early Alzheimer’s disease.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The team of researchers concluded that the health of the LC could be used as an indicator for early Alzheimer’s.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They also suggest that monitoring the changes in this area of the brain could shed light on the possible trajectory of the disease in individual patients.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Being able to detect and measure the initial site of pathology will be critical to improve early detection and identify individuals eligible for clinical trials aimed at delaying the disease process,” they write.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Affecting more than 44 million people worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, resulting in memory loss and declining cognitive abilities.</span></p> <p><strong>Plaques and tangles</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by an accumulation of plaques and tangles in the brain.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These two structures are believed to be responsible for damaging and killing nerve cells, which results in the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Protein plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid, which build up in between nerve cells.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another protein, called tau, can build up inside cells and its fibres can twist into tangles that are neurotoxic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers have previously identified the LC as an initial site where tau builds up, but it has been unclear how this relates to the progression of the disease.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This new study has found that a decline in the integrity of the LC is linked to a larger amount of tau tangles, by comparing brain scans of healthy and cognitively impaired individuals.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For those individuals with poorer LC health, the team found they had more severe disease symptoms and a faster decline in memory and executive functions, including poor attention, an inability to manipulate objects, and an inability to selectively concentrate on one sense.</span></p> <p><strong>Why this matters</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The research could pave the way for improved diagnosis, especially for individuals under 65 who may be diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With no current cure for Alzheimer’s, this finding could also assist healthcare professionals monitor the progression of the disease in their patients.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The study was published in </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj2511" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Science Translational Medicine</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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Mum "blown away" by $1.25 ALDI hack that removes marker from her favourite chair

<p>Nothing says destruction like a child with a marker. It’s surprising just how quickly they can wreak havoc, as within a split second your previously immaculate walls and furniture are now covered in different coloured scribbles that are impossible to remove.</p> <p>But one mum from Western Australia found a solution to the sneaky habit and revealed that a $1.25 Di-San pre-wash stain remover from ALDI is the perfect way to remove unwanted markings.</p> <p>“And this is why I constantly recommend ALDI’s stain remover spray,” Nicola Joanne wrote in Facebook group Mums Who Clean.</p> <p>“Haven’t found a stain it hasn’t removed yet.”</p> <p>Nicola – who posted a photo of her beloved Kmart velvet chair covered in scribbles – revealed the back story behind the piece of furniture.</p> <p>“Miss 2 snuck into miss 7’s room and into her art supplies while I was cooking dinner and used the beloved Kmart blush velvet chair as her canvas.”</p> <p>Speaking to<em> </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://homes.nine.com.au/2019/02/22/17/05/mum-removes-marker-from-favourite-kmart-chair-with-dollar-aldi-product" target="_blank"><em>9Honey Homes</em></a>, Nicola says that in as little as 10 minutes, her chair was as good as new.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7824030/scribble.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/8a5f7899748b410085137f74a8be9c7f" /></p> <p>“I have two children, so stains are a common thing in my house,” said Nicola.</p> <p>“The process I used was fairly simple: I sprayed the chair with the Di-San and with a slightly wet sponge wiped the chair.</p> <p>“The coloured Texta came off fairly easy, the black needed a little more persuasion.</p> <p>“Once the Texta was off, I went over the chair with a clean damp microfiber cloth to clean off the product, then I used a clean towel to help dry the chair a little.</p> <p>“I left it overnight to dry completely, but the cleaning process probably took about ten minutes or so.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4v4S5FX1n/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Be4v4S5FX1n/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Charlotte Launa (@charlottelauna)</a> on Feb 6, 2018 at 11:13pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Nicola’s post has been considered a lifesaver for many families around the country, as it has racked up over 1000 likes with many thanking her for the tip.</p> <p>“I love this spray … works like a dream!” said one user.</p> <p>“It’s the best stuff we use it on our clothes that have had stains we couldn’t get out for ages and they’re gone!” said another.</p> <p>Nicola says that even if the product doesn’t work the way you want it to, at that price, you really cannot go wrong.</p> <p>Will you be trying out this genius ALDI hack to remove unwanted stains? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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