Removing an Object That is Not Displayed

Hi, I was wondering how I could remove an object that is not displayed.  For example, the user has the option to enter text into one of the scenes, if they enter the correct text they get a check mark which shows they entered the accurate information.  If they just choose to look at that scene and not enter any text, when they try to go back to the “HOME” scene, I get an error saying that that chek mark is a nil value ( I think it says this because the user never entered anything for the check mark to show up and since it never showed up on screen, its a nil value.  However, if I do not make a forward deleration to the variable for the check mark and I do not remove it at exit scene, it doesnt freeze up my app, but the check mark “flashes” on screen when I am transitioning between scenes.  Obviously, I cannot have that check mark flashing in between scenes, but I am not sure how to remove it even if the user doesnt trigger it to display.  Any suggestions?