| How to Clean Rubber on Shoes Posted: 16 Oct 2018 05:00 PM PDT Discoloration of the rubber on your shoes is often caused by a buildup of dirt and grime, and while it may make them look worn to you, you can revitalize your shoes with a bit of effort. Cleaning the rubber soles on your shoes can keep them looking newer longer, and save you from needing to buy another pair for some time. EditUsing Baking Soda and Laundry Detergent - Remove any caked-on dirt. If your shoes are particularly dirty, you may want to start by taking them outside and slapping them together to knock loose any large bits of dirt or mud. If you leave too much mud on the shoe, it will take a lot longer to get them clean.[1]
- Make sure to slap the shoes together outdoors so you don't make a mess inside your house.
- You may even want to use a butter knife or key to scrape set mud out of grooves in the shoe.
- Use a dry brush to remove loose dirt. Before you begin scrubbing away at the rubber parts of your shoes, start by brushing or even scraping off any loose dirt that's stuck to it. The more you remove with a dry brush, the less mess you'll have to deal with once you create your cleaning solution.[2]
- Don't worry about scrubbing too much, if the dirt doesn't come free quickly, it will once you begin using the cleaning solution.
- Use a dry brush like a toothbrush, but avoid steel bristle brushes that may damage the rubber soles of your shoes.
- Mix one part baking soda and one part laundry detergent. Depending on how much you need to clean, you likely won't need much baking soda or laundry detergent. Begin by mixing a tablespoon of each in a small bowl thoroughly. You can always add more of each ingredient if you find you haven't made enough.[3]
- The baking soda will act as an abrasive to help the soap remove dirt and grime.
- Avoid using laundry detergents with bleaching agents.
- Scrub the rubber with your cleaning solution. Use your brush to apply the combination of baking soda and laundry detergent to the rubber portion of your shoes, then scrub it in. Using a circular motion with the brush is often the most effective way to remove dirt and grime.[4]
- You may want to avoid using this cleaning combination on the fabric of your shoes, as the baking soda may be difficult to thoroughly rinse off.
- You can make a separate mixture of just detergent and water to clean cloth portions of your shoes.
- Use a different sponge or cloth to thoroughly rinse the rubber. Once you've adequately scrubbed the cleaning combination into the rubber soles of your shoes, take another clean cloth or sponge and soak it in clean water. Run it along the rubber, rinsing it with each pass until all of the mixture has been rinsed away..[5]
- Failing to remove all of the cleaning mixture can leave the rubber looking discolored.
- Leaving the detergent mixture on the shoe can also make them very slippery and dangerous.
- Dry the shoe completely. Once you have rinsed all of the soap off of the shoe, use a clean towel to dry the rubber before you wear the shoes again. Once you have the shoe dry, you'll have a better sense of how well the cleaning mixture did, and you can repeat the process at this point if you need to.[6]
- Leaving the shoes wet could lead to them beginning to smell.
- Wet shoes can be dangerous to wear, so be sure they're completely dry and free of soap before putting them on.
EditSoaking Rubber Soles on Your Shoes - Fill a pan with less than an inch of water. Find a pan that is large enough to fit your shoes in it, then fill it with enough water to submerge only the rubber soles. Make sure that the water is lukewarm and clean of any dirt or debris.[7]
- Remember when filling it that as you put the shoes in the pan, the water level will rise.
- If need be, you can soak one shoe at a time.
- Add dish soap to the water. Once the water level is about right, add one squirt of a mild dish detergent to the water and mix it thoroughly. The dish detergent is integral to the soak working, as water alone likely won't break up stuck on grime.[8]
- If you are soaking white rubber on white shoes, you may even choose to use a very small amount of bleach rather than dish soap.[9]
- Soak the rubber for a few minutes. Leave the rubber portion of your shoe submerged in water and allow it to soak for a few minutes. This should allow it time to break up any stuck on dirt and grime and make it easier to scrub what's left off of the rubber.
- Check to ensure that only the rubber is soaking in the water.
- You may choose to allow the shoes to soak even longer than 15 minutes if they're really dirty.
- Use a scrub brush to remove any remaining dirt. After the rubber has soaked for a while, remove the shoes and use the soapy water to scrub away any remaining bits of dirt and grime that are still stick to the shoe's rubber. Avoid using a steel bristle brush as it may cause damage to the shoe.[10]
- If need be, you can soak the shoes again after this step.
- If you are using a bleach solution, you may want to wear gloves to avoid any potential skin irritations.
EditUsing Nail Polish Remover on Scuffs - Remove any dirt or mud from the rubber first. Nail polish remover can do an excellent job of removing discoloration and even grime from the rubber parts of your shoes, but it's not a good choice if your shoes are caked with mud or are any color other than white.[11]
- You may want to wash the rubber parts of your shoes using one of the other methods before using nail polish remover on scuffs.
- Do not use the nail polish remover on the cloth portions of the shoe.
- Soak a cotton ball in nail polish remover. While you can use a number of things to apply nail polish remover to the rubber soles of your shoes, cotton balls tend to be the best size and shape to easily clean the sides of your rubber soles and other small bits of rubber. [12]
- You may want to wear gloves when dealing with nail polish remover.
- You will likely need more than one cotton ball if the shoes are dirty.
- Scrub away any scuff marks. Using the nail polish remover soaked cotton balls, start by scrubbing away any scuff marks on the rubber soles. In doing so, you may find that the entire area you scrub shows as a brighter shade of white than the rest of the sole you've yet to clean.[13]
- Scrub away all of the significant scuff marks before moving on to cleaning the whole sole.
- You may need to use more than one cotton ball on some really set scuff marks.
- Clean the rest of the sole with the nail polish remover. Once the significant scuffs and stains have been removed from the shoe's sole, run the nail polish remover soaked cotton balls along the entirety of the sole, scrubbing when necessary to clean the entire area completely.[14]
- If you do not clean the entire sole, parts will still appear discolored compared to the brighter whites you achieved in the areas you already scrubbed.
- Avoid using detergents or cleaners with bleach in them unless you're cleaning white shoes.
- Make sure your shoes are rinsed well, otherwise they may be extremely slippery.
- After your shoes are clean, you can use nail polish remover to touch up scuffs as they occur.
- You may need to repeat the cleaning process more than once to get your shoes looking new again.
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| How to Catch a Bat in Your House Posted: 16 Oct 2018 09:00 AM PDT It can be annoying or even scary when a bat finds its way into your house, and it's tough to get rid of when it's panicked and flying around. No matter how scared you are, staying calm and focusing on catching the bat, not hurting it, is the best way to go. By remaining patient and using a few simple tricks, you can catch the bat and release it outside in a safe, humane way. EditFinding the Bat and Protecting Yourself - Find the bat if it's hiding. If you don't know where the bat is, start your search during the daytime, when the bat is asleep and easier to find and catch. Start looking in areas that don't see a lot of light, such as an attic or a secluded room. Look in places that the bat could hang from or crawl into, such as:[1]
- On curtains
- On the back of furniture
- In a houseplant
- On hanging clothes
- Between seat cushions
- Under or behind cabinets or entertainment centers
- Keep pets and other people away. The more people around the bat, the more stressed out and harder to catch it will be. Take any pets and children out of the room, and ask anyone else to leave as well.[2]
- Put on heavy, protective clothing. Before you start trying to catch the bat, put on a thick, long-sleeved shirt or sweatshirt, long pants, and sturdy shoes or boots. Bats can bite and carry diseases like rabies, so it's important to protect your skin when you're nearby, especially if you don't know where the bat is.[3]
- Avoid thin materials like cotton, which a bat can bite through.
- Wear thick work gloves to protect your hands. Your hands will be the most exposed to the bat, so put on thick leather gloves, or work gloves of a similarly strong material.[4]
- If you don't have gloves, use a thick, rolled-up shirt of a heavy material.
- Avoid using a towel, since the bat's claws can get tangled in the loops.
EditCatching the Bat with a Bucket or Your Hands - Close the doors and wait until the bat lands if it's flying around. The bat will eventually get tired of flying around, so close the doors to keep it in one room and wait for it to land, keeping your eyes on it at all times. It will probably aim for a place where it can hang, such as behind curtains or upholstered furniture, on clothes that are hanging up, or even in house plants.[5]
- Stay quiet and still while you wait for the bat to land. This will help it calm down more quickly.
- Don't try to catch the bat in mid-air. It's almost impossible, and will only panic the bat more.
- The bat doesn't want to touch you, so stay calm if it accidentally bumps into you. It will flit away as soon as it can.
- Place a tub or bucket over the bat. Once the bat has landed, carefully and quietly place a plastic tub, bucket, or similar container over it. This will prevent the bat from flying away while you work to remove it.[6]
- Make sure the tub or bucket is large enough to comfortably fit the bat, so you don't accidentally injure it in the process.
- For best results, use a clear tub or bucket so you can see the bat as you trap and transport it.
- Slide a piece of cardboard over the top of the bucket to trap it. Work a piece of cardboard or stiff paper under the bucket to completely cover the opening. Keep the container as close to the wall or surface as possible, and be careful not to pinch the bat as you trap it inside.[7]
- You can also use the lid of the bucket or tub (if it has one).
- Scoop it up with your hands if you don't have a bucket. To catch the bat with your hands, approach it slowly and quietly, then reach down and smoothly pick it up in both of your hands, keeping a firm but gentle hold on it.[8]
- Try to hold it so that its head is facing out, near the tips of your fingers, so you can keep the most pressure on its body.
- If the bat bites you, or if you get bat saliva in your eyes, nose, or mouth, seek medical attention immediately, since bats carry rabies.[9]
- Take the bat outside and release it onto a tree. Quickly and carefully take the bucket outside to a nearby tree. Tilt it against the tree trunk and, holding the container at arms-length, carefully remove the cardboard to let the bat hop out.[10]
- If you used your hands, hold the bat up against the tree trunk at arms-length. Carefully loosen your grip and let it hop out onto the tree.
- Bats typically can't take flight from the ground, so releasing it onto a tree will help it to escape more easily. This is especially important for a bat that's stressed and fatigued from flying around your house.
- Seal up any potential entries once it's gone. Check common bat entry points around your house, such as chimneys or openings that lead to attics or cellars. Seal them up as best you can, or hire a contractor to do so, to prevent another bat from getting into your house.[11]
- Bats can enter or hide in any space that's big enough for 2 of your fingers.[12]
EditHelping the Bat Escape - Close interior doors into the room and turn off the lights. If the bat won't land long enough for you to catch it, you can try to encourage it to escape instead. After locating the bat, close any doors to other rooms and turn off the lights. This will create a contained environment that's more comfortable for the bat, helping it to calm down and find an exit.[13]
- Open a window for the bat to escape. Once the room is sealed off from the rest of the house, provide it an outside exit. Open up a large window (or a few), or prop open a door to the outside.[14]
- The more windows you open, the more likely the bat will escape!
- Try to open windows near where the bat has been flying, so it's more likely to find the open air.
- Leave the room for a while and stay quiet. Ask everyone to leave the room, including children, pets, and other adults. Shut the door behind you and stay quiet to help the bat calm down even more.[15]
- Check to see if the bat is gone after 30 minutes. Peek back into the room after about half an hour to see if the bat has left. Use a flashlight to look around for it. If it's still there, wait another hour and check again.
- If the bat still hasn't escaped but has calmed down enough to land, try to trap it with a bucket. If it's still flying around quickly, call pest control for help.
- If you can't get rid of the bat, or if you consistently find bats in your house, call pest control. Bats may be living in your attic or cellar, or getting in through an entry you can't find.
- Stay calm. Remember that the bat is just as scared as you are, if not more so! Aim to catch it and release it humanely, not hurt it.
- Bats can bite and carry diseases such as rabies, so you should always wear gloves when handling or getting close to one.
- If you're bitten or get the bat's saliva in your eyes, nose, or mouth, get medical attention right away. You can't get rabies from touching the bat's feces (called guano), blood, urine, or fur.[16]
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| How to Enable Dark Mode on Android Messages Posted: 16 Oct 2018 01:00 AM PDT Android Messages offers a feature called "Dark Mode" for their official Android app. This setting can help to prevent eyestrain at night and in darkness. This wikiHow will teach you how to enable the Dark Mode feature on the Android Messages app. - Launch Android "Messages" on your device. It's the blue icon with a white text box, typically found on the home screen or in the app drawer.
- Make sure that your app is up to date. If it's not, go to the Google Play Store and update the app.
- Tap on the menu. You will see the three dots menu at the top right of the app.
- Tap on . It will be the fourth option in the list.
- Watch the Messages app's interface darken. If you want to turn off this feature, just Tap on the option in the same menu. That's it!
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