| How to Remove a Ring with a String Posted: 11 May 2020 05:00 PM PDT If your ring is stuck on your finger, don't panic! There are several techniques you can try to remove it. To use the string technique, wrap a thin piece of thread or dental floss tightly around your finger, starting at your middle knuckle and working your way to the edge of the ring. Slip the end of the thread under the ring, pull it taut, and start unwinding it in the same direction to slowly pry off the ring. If that doesn't work, try icing your finger to reduce swelling or applying a lubricant like cooking oil. [Edit]Wrapping the Finger with Thread or Floss - Select a thin piece of thread or dental floss for the job. Thin thread or dental floss will slide more easily underneath a stuck ring. The waxy surface of dental floss can make it even more useful in this situation. If you choose to use thread, make sure it's thin but strong.[1]
- If you only have access to thicker string, like a shoelace, go ahead and try it!
- Position 1 end of the thread at your middle knuckle above the ring. Use your free hand to place the end of the thread or floss at the knuckle on the fingertip side of your finger. Wind the string around your knuckle once to get the wrapping process started.[2]
- If you're working by yourself, you may need to briefly hold the string in place by squeezing the fingers on the affected hand tightly together.
- Wrap the thread around your finger from the knuckle to the ring's edge. The idea is to compress your skin close to the ring, so wind the thread tightly around your finger. Keep wrapping it around as you slowly move toward the ring. Make sure each wrap is directly next to the previous wrap. Stop wrapping once you reach the edge of the ring.[3]
- You shouldn't be able to see any flesh under or between the thread from your knuckle to the ring.
- Slip the end of the string under the ring and pull it up on the other side. Now that your finger skin is compressed, you should be able to wedge the end of the thread under the ring and pass it through to the other side. Pull the thread up and toward your middle knuckle.[4]
- Unwrap the thread from this position to slowly to remove the ring. Pull the thread taut toward your knuckle and start unwinding the string. Each time you unwind 1 of the layers, the ring will move a little farther up the compressed skin of your finger. Keep unwinding the thread until you reach the starting point at your knuckle.[5]
- It can help to gently nudge the ring with your free hand to help it along as you unwind the thread.[6]
- Pull the loosened ring completely off your finger. After unwinding the thread, you should be able to pull the ring completely off your finger. If the ring is still stuck, you may want to try another removal technique or seek emergency assistance.[7]
[Edit]Using Other Removal Techniques - Elevate and ice the affected finger for 5-10 minutes to reduce swelling. Lift up your hand so the blood drains out of the affected area. Then, hold an ice pack to the finger for 5-10 minutes to help reduce the swelling around the ring. After 10 minutes, relax your hand and try to pull off the ring with your free hand.[8]
- Don't try to force it! This could cause additional swelling. If the ring won't come off at this point, try another technique.
- Cut the ring off your finger with a ring cutter. You can get a ring cutter from a jewelry store, fire department, or emergency room. It's best to let a professional cut the ring off your finger so that you don't injure yourself. Keep in mind that the ring will be damaged if you cut through it.[9]
- Ask a jeweler if the metal can be welded to repair the band once you get it off.
- Apply soapy water or olive oil and twist the ring as you pull it. Cover the skin around and underneath the ring with warm, soapy water or olive oil. Once the area is saturated, use your free hand to twist the ring clockwise and counterclockwise to loosen it up. Then, keep twisting as you gently try to pry the ring off.[10]
- You can use any oil you have on hand for this. For example, baby oil, vegetable oil, and jojoba oil are all good lubricants.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Wrapping the Finger with Thread or Floss - Thin thread or waxy dental floss
[Edit]Using Other Removal Techniques - Ice
- Soapy water or cooking oil
- Ring cutter
[Edit]References |
| How to Fix Dough That Won't Rise Posted: 11 May 2020 09:00 AM PDT You have it all planned: the dinner, the wine, that fresh-baked loaf of bread, along with those amazing barbecue ribs, straight from the chicken factory. Everything is coming together when you discover that your bread dough just isn't rising. This is a common problem for many home bakers: you go to a lot of effort to make a nice shaped loaf, but your yeast appears to have gone on vacation. Fortunately, it's a problem that's relatively easy to diagnose and solve. Keep reading for instructions on how to get your yeast partying again. [Edit]Repairing The Dough - Turn up the temperature. Yeast loves nothing better than a warm, moist climate to live its yeasty life to the fullest.[1] If you want your dough to rise, you need to give the yeast what it wants.
- Fill a baking pan with boiling water, and set it on the lowest rack in your oven. Place the container of dough on the middle rack, and close the oven door and allow the dough to rise.
- Alternately, you can boil a cup of water in the microwave, then place the container of dough in the microwave with the water, and close the door. (Don't microwave the dough!)
- Some people turn on the oven, and place the dough on top of the stove, covered with a damp towel. The oven keeps the surface of the stove warm, and the damp towel provides the moisture.
- Add more yeast. If warm and moist isn't activating the yeast (you'll know in less than an hour), you can try adding more yeast.[2]
- Open a new package of yeast, and mix a teaspoon of yeast with 1 cup (240ml) of warm water (at about 110°F/43°C) and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let this mixture proof for about 10 minutes, until it gets 1/2- to 1-inch of foam. If this fails, you will need to get fresh yeast and try again.
- While proofing this yeast mixture, gently warm the flat dough to about 100°F (38°C) by placing the bowl in a warm place.
- Blend in the starter. Adding more flour as necessary: a ratio of 60% flour to 40% liquid is usually a good ratio for bread doughs so add sufficient flour needed to balance. Knead the active yeast mixture into the dough, then let it rise in a warm, moist place.
- This can also be an indicator to see if your yeast is not active. This method makes the yeast very active so when it is added to the dough, it should rise perfectly. If your dough still fails to rise, it will indicate the yeast is not at fault: there is another problem.
- You can also do this at the beginning of the recipe next time you make a different yeast dough.
- Knead in more flour. Check whether the dough is sticky to the touch. If so, this is probably under-kneaded dough. Knead in additional flour until smooth and silky to the touch and dough no longer sticks to your hand. Let rest and rise in a warm wet environment. Repeat if needed. You may need to let the dough rest overnight before shaping and baking.
- Knead the dough properly. There's an art to kneading. Too little, and you may not distribute the yeast through the dough. The dough will then be too weak to be able to rise. Too much kneading may make the dough so tough that it cannot expand. The dough should feel smooth and elastic, not tight like a rubber ball, or soft like biscuit dough.
[Edit]Troubleshooting Dough Problems - Find the problem. Consider several of the following points to do some preliminary diagnosis. It may be that a simple correction to the environment can fix the problem with no further effort.
- Check the dough and yeast type. Some sourdough cultures are very slow rising and may need several hours to rise. A
- Make sure the yeast is still within its expiration date. Powdered yeast in packets last a long time, as does storing jars of dry yeast in the freezer. However, both fresh and dried yeast has a lifespan after which they will function weakly, or not at all.[3]
- Check the environment. The ideal temperature is approx 100°F (38°C) and high humidity. Move too far out of that range, and your yeast will not be happy.
- Check the flour types. Breads made with cake or all-purpose flour, have low gluten[4] and protein contents, so your dough may rise—and then collapse.
- This can also happen if you have a dough that has too high a ratio of water to flour.
- Some flours contain antifungal ingredients to prolong shelf life. As yeast is a proud member of the Fungi kingdom, this will most definitely inhibit growth.
- Organic, additive-free unbleached white bread flour works best for a good loaf of white bread.
- Heavier flours such as whole wheat, rye and other types of whole-grain flour will result in a heavy loaf that does not rise as much as fine white bread flour.[5]
- Let the dough rest. Do not disturb the dough while it is rising, especially if it is a particularly wet dough.
- Use the proper container. The pan, banneton, or tray you use will make a difference. Too large, and the dough has nothing to push against when rising, so won't rise upwards. Instead, it will spread and possibly collapse.[6]
- Small buns do well placed fairly close together.
- Check your ingredients. Some spices, such as cinnamon, are naturally anti-fungal.
- For sweet fruit buns or cinnamon rolls, you usually want a fast rise, as the cinnamon will eventually kill the yeast off.
- Some dried fruits also are coated with antifungals as a preservative. Organic dried fruits are expensive but much better for baking. What many bakers do is use standard dried fruit but don't add it till the final proofing.
- Ease up on the salt. Salt is a required ingredient for developing the gluten proteins that make for a smooth elastic dough, but too much will kill the yeast. Add only the required amount, and add it to the flour, not the water, at the beginning.
- Check the ratio of flour to water. 60:40 flour -to-water is best. Too wet might work fine but it is more likely to spread flat, or rinse well and then collapse.
- Failed bread dough can be recycled into batters, pastries and other baked products without entirely wasting it. In that case, you would rely on a non-yeast aeration product such as baking powder, bicarb and citric acid, beer, lemonade, soda water, or layering butter as per puff pastry.
- Test your water and flour periodically. The pH can be an issue: if it's too high, or too low, it will kill the yeast. Test a sample of water alone, and a sample with neutral water mixed with flour in one sample and some of the flour mixed with neutral water and then test with baking soda (for acidity), or vinegar (for alkalinity). If the liquid foams slightly, it means that the pH is unbalanced. If there's no foam, your pH is fine. Note: you can also purchase a pH testing kit at your local pool supply store.
- Ensure the oven is preheated at least 5 minutes before you need it. Using a pizza stone can also aid heat transfer to the tray or in the loaf is sitting on, or you can put the loaf directly on the hot stone. A lot of bread fails in a cold start oven.
- The big problem with slow rises for bread is the dough is kneaded to activate gluten and proteins to form a smooth elastic dough. Over time, this relaxes so the dough becomes weak and the bubbles inside it collapse. It's a timing trick to develop and look into to see if your dough weakens before the yeast is ready. You can improve the dough by adding extra gluten or bread improvers, but for gluten-free bread, it is not easily fixed and is simply part of the bread you will have to expect. When you want a fine dough, such as sweet buns or yeast pastries, a slow prove is ideal so it does not have very large bubbles - this is sometimes even done in the fridge overnight.
[Edit]Warnings - Fixing yeast pastries can be very difficult in some cases, especially if layered with butter like puff pastries for yeast croissants. If you were to re-knead them, you will create a brioche-style dough which can be fine—but if you want that flaky characteristic, you will need to start again.
- Should all repair attempts fail, you may need to change ingredients entirely and start again.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Get Crayon Out of Clothes Posted: 11 May 2020 01:00 AM PDT If you've found a crayon scribble on your clothes, your first reaction might be to toss it in the laundry. However, since crayon is mainly wax it won't wash out on its own. Fortunately, you can remove the stain by scraping off and lifting the excess wax. Then, wash the fabric in hot water with detergent and baking soda. This should get crayon out of most clothes, but you can treat stubborn stains with WD-40 and liquid dish soap. [Edit]Removing the Crayon Wax - Freeze the crayon stain until the wax hardens. If you're trying to remove a small stain, put an ice cube into a small sealable bag. Place the ice cube in the bag directly onto the crayon stain and hold it there until the crayon wax feels hard. This should take about 5 minutes for a small stain.[1]
- If there are several stains, put the clothing into a bag and place the bag in the freezer. Chill the fabric until the wax stains harden.
- Scrape off the excess crayon with a dull knife. Remove the ice cube or take the clothing out of the freezer once the wax is hard. Hold the fabric in place with 1 hand and use a knife to carefully scrape the wax off of the fabric. Scrape as much of the wax off as you can.[2]
- If the wax starts to soften before you scrape it off, put the clothes back in the freezer for a few minutes so the wax can harden again.
- Scrape the knife away from your body to prevent cutting yourself.
- Heat an iron to "warm." To loosen the wax that's in the fabric's fibers, plug in an iron and heat it on the "warm" setting for at least 5 minutes. Double-check that the iron isn't on the steam setting because steam is too hot.[3]
- Lay the stained fabric on an ironing board and place a paper towel over it. Place the fabric on the ironing board so the stain is visible and lay a clean paper towel directly over the stain. The wax will transfer to the paper towels.[4]
- If there's a lot of wax on the fabric, you'll need extra paper towels so you can replace them as they pick up the wax.
- Iron the paper towel-covered fabric to lift the wax. Place the warm iron right on the paper towel that's covering the crayon stain. Hold it there for about 5 seconds without moving the iron around. Then, lift the iron away and carefully pull up the paper towel to see if the heat loosened the wax. If there's wax on the paper towel, lay down a new paper towel and put the iron on it again.[5]
- Continue to heat the stain until no more wax is transferred to the paper towel.
- Replace the paper towels as soon as you see wax on them. If you keep using a paper towel that has wax on it, you may spread wax to other parts of the fabric.
[Edit]Washing Crayon Stains out of Clothes - Rub a pre-wash stain remover on the fabric. Choose a gel or liquid pre-wash stain remover and spread enough of it to cover the remaining crayon stain on the clothes. Follow the manufacturer's directions about how long to leave the stain remover on the clothes. Then, wash the stains from the clothes.[6]
- Some manufacturers recommend that you blot the stain remover and let it dry before you wash the clothes.
- Place the stained clothing into your washing machine. If you accidentally washed a load with crayons in the machine, remove the crayons and leave the stained clothes in the machine. Don't dry them, which would cause the stains to set.[7]
- Put laundry detergent into the machine along with 1 cup (225 g) of baking soda. There's no need to use a different type of laundry detergent when you wash the load. Just use your standard detergent. Then, sprinkle 1 cup (225 g) of baking soda over the clothes in the machine.[8]
- Baking soda is abrasive, so it will physically break up the crayon stains. This makes it easier to wash the stains away.
- Wash the clothes on your machine's hot setting. Adjust the water temperature on your washing machine so it launders the clothes with the hottest water. The heat from the water will loosen the crayon wax that's in the fibers of the clothing. Then, the detergent and baking soda should remove them as the machine agitates the clothes.[9]
- Avoid using this method on delicate clothing or clothing that should only be washed in cool water. Take these to the dry-cleaner instead.
- Check the clothing for crayon stains after the cycle ends. Once the machine stops, take out several pieces of clothing and inspect them for crayon stains. If you still see stains, use chlorine bleach or treat the clothes with a laundry stain remover, then wash them again in hot water.[10]
- You can use powdered, liquid, or gel stain removers.
- Dry the clean clothes once the stains are gone. If you look at the clothing and don't see any crayon stains, it's safe to put them into the dryer. Dry the clothes using whichever setting you prefer.[11]
- It's important to only dry the clothes once the stains are completely gone or you'll risk setting the stains.
[Edit]Removing Stubborn Crayon Stains with WD-40 and Bleach - Lay the fabric over paper towels and spray WD-40 on the stain. Placing paper towels underneath the fabric will prevent the WD-40 from getting onto your work surface. If you don't have paper towels, lay the fabric on a piece of cardboard or flattened paper grocery bags.[12]
- Flip the fabric over and spray the back of the stain with WD-40. Turn the fabric over and avoid touching the WD-40 with your fingers. Lay the fabric back on the paper towels and spray the back of the spray.[13]
- Spraying the back of the fabric will help the WD-40 lift the crayon stain.
- Let the WD-40 sit on the fabric for 10 minutes. This gives the solvent time to dissolve the wax stain so it's easier to wash out. If you're short on time, you could skip this step but the stain may not lift completely.[14]
- Wash your hands well with soapy water after spraying the WD-40.
- Rub a drop of liquid dishwashing soap into the stain. Turn the fabric over so the front of the stain is visible. Squirt a drop of soap onto the stain and use your fingers to massage the soap until it suds on the fabric.[15]
- If you have sensitive skin, wear gloves to rub the dishwashing soap into the fabric.
- Wash the clothes with fabric-safe chlorine bleach. Put the clothes into the washing machine and add fabric-safe chlorine bleach. If the care label on the clothes advises against chlorine bleach, use oxygen bleach instead. Then, turn the machine to the hottest water setting and run the machine.[16]
- If the crayon is on fabric that's dry-clean only, avoid trying to remove the crayon from the fabric. Take the clothing to a professional dry-cleaner instead.
- If you accidentally dried clothes along with crayons, clean out the dryer. Spray a rag with WD-40 and wipe the inside of the drum. Wipe the stains with a soapy cloth and wipe a damp cloth over them. Then, run a load of dry rags through the machine.[17]
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Removing the Crayon Wax - Bags
- Knife
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Paper towels
[Edit]Washing Crayon Stains from Clothes - Pre-wash stain remover
- Laundry detergent
- Baking soda
- Laundry stain remover, optional
[Edit]Removing Stubborn Crayon Stains - WD-40
- Paper towels
- Liquid dishwashing soap
- Fabric-safe chlorine bleach or oxygen bleach
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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