| How to Deal With a Burglar Breaking Into Your Home Posted: 08 Dec 2019 04:00 PM PST Your home is your castle, so you want to feel safe and secure inside of it. Unfortunately, your home might be entered by a burglar who's after your money or valuables. Typically, burglars want to take things without harming a home's occupants, but that doesn't make them any less scary! If you hear a burglar in your home, hide from them if you can. Otherwise, tell them you called the police and use your household objects to fight them off. In the meantime, secure your home to make it less vulnerable to would-be burglars. [Edit]Hiding from the Burglar - Escape from your home if that's possible. Generally, it's better to leave your home if an intruder is inside. Go to the closest door or window and flee to safety. Once you're secure, call the police for help.[1]
- If neighbors live nearby, run to their house for safety. Otherwise, look for somewhere you can hide, such as inside a grove of trees or behind a fence.
- Hide inside the closest room or closet with a locking door. Look around you and pick out the most secure hiding spot. If you can, move to a room or closet that has a locking door. Get inside and secure the lock.[2]
- You might also look for a hiding spot inside the room. For instance, you might get under the bed or inside a cabinet to further conceal yourself.
- Barricade the door to keep the burglar out. Push heavy pieces of furniture in front of the door to keep it closed if you can. Alternatively, lean a chair under the door knob so it's hard to push open the door. If the door opens outward, loop a belt around the door handle and the leg on a heavy piece of furniture.[3]
- For instance, you might push your dresser in front of your bedroom door. Then, sit in front of the dresser.
- Be as quiet as possible so you aren't found. Once you're hidden, try not to make any noise. Don't talk accept to tell emergency services that you have a burglar. Additionally, don't shift around or play with something.[4]
- Make sure your phone is on silent or vibrate.
- Don't try to move hiding spots. This will make noise and might draw attention to you.
- Listen carefully so you won't be surprised by the attacker. While it's scary to think about, it's likely that the burglar is going to go through your home looking for valuables. They might reach the room where you're hiding before the police arrive. Listen so that you can hear what they're doing. Pay attention to the following:[5]
- Do you hear footsteps or other noises coming your way? If so, prepare to run or fight.
- Does it sound like the burglar is talking to someone else? If so, there could be more than 1 burglar.
- Can you hear your property being picked up and packed? This can give you an idea of where the burglar might be located.
- Call the police once you're in a secure hiding place. After you find a hiding spot, use your cell phone to call for help. Tell the dispatcher your name, your address, and that you have a burglar. Then, explain that you're hiding and need to be quiet. Stay on the line until they say it's safe to hang up.[6]
- Keep the volume of your phone on low while you're calling for help. This minimizes the chance that you'll be heard.
[Edit]Confronting the Intruder - Confront the intruder only if hiding isn't an option. Generally, it's safer to avoid contact with an intruder rather than confronting them. You don't know their motives for entering your home, and they may panic and hurt you if they find out you're there. Do your best to escape or stay hidden.[7]
- Your personal safety is most important. Don't risk your life to save your stuff!
- Keep in mind that the intruder may be more likely to get caught if you hide and call the police. If they think you're not home, they might still be in your home when the police arrive.
- Shout "I've just called the police" to possibly scare them away. If you're discovered or can't find a hiding spot, yell that you've called the police already. Shout it out several times so you know that they've heard you. This might scare the burglar and get them to leave voluntarily.[8]
- You might shout, "I've called the police! The police are on their way! I called 911! The police will be here any minute!"
- Get your firearm for protection if you have one. You might choose to protect your home with a gun. If so, retrieve your gun from it's secure spot as soon as you hear the burglar. Then, prepare to use your gun for protection.[9]
- You may choose to shout to the burglar that you have a gun. You could yell, "I have a gun!" However, it's possible that the burglar could also have one.
- It's legal in some areas for you to shoot a burglar. However, there may be restrictions on what's legal, so research the laws in your area. For instance, you might not be able to fire on an intruder who is leaving.
- Pick up a knife if you're near your kitchen. Don't try to go to the kitchen to retrieve a knife. However, grab a knife if you're close to the kitchen when you hear the burglar. Keep the knife in your hand so that you can surprise the attacker with it if they get close to you.[10]
- While a knife is a great weapon, it might be hard to use and could get taken from you. Don't approach the burglar with the knife. Use it to scare them off.
- Grab a heavy object that you can use as a weapon. You don't need a conventional weapon to fight someone off. Use a household item as a makeshift weapon to give you an advantage against the burglar. Strike the burglar with your weapon if they get close to you. Here are some great options for weapons:[11]
- A bat
- A hockey stick
- A pot or pan
- A wine bottle
- A lamp
- A statue or bust
- A belt
- Perfume
- Hairspray
- Bug spray
- Strike the burglar's weak points to help incapacitate them. If you're close to the intruder, hit them where it hurts. Aim your weapon or a kick at their groin first if they're a man. Then, attack their eyes, nose, neck, knees, and stomach. Hit them as hard as you can, then run away.[12]
- Your goal isn't to fight, injure, or detain the burglar. Just try to incapacitate them long enough for you to run away.
[Edit]Securing Your Home - Practice your plan for a home invasion in advance. Try not to worry too much about potential burglars because you're probably safe. However, it's helpful to practice how you'll handle a burglary so you're prepared. Make a plan with your family and practice it so you feel ready to carry it out. Here are some things to consider:[13]
- Plan an escape route from your bedroom and the common areas.
- Create a danger word that warns other household members of an intruder.
- Designate an area for all household members to meet up.
- Create a safe room by installing a heavy, locking door on one room.
- Keep your doors and windows locked at all times. Don't give a burglar easy access to your home. Close and secure all exterior doors and windows, even if you're home. This prevents crimes of opportunity.[14]
- Check your doors and windows before you go to bed every night to make sure they're locked.
- Add deadbolts to your exterior doors.
- Store expensive items in your garage out-of-sight. Burglars are hoping for an easy score, so they'll be tempted to grab things like bicycles or expensive tools. Keep these items in your garage when they're not in use, and make sure you or your children don't leave them laying in your yard.[15]
- Burglars might see these items laying in your yard while they're casing homes and come back later to steal them.
- Trim the vegetation around your home so a burglar can't sneak around. You might think that shrubs and bushes hide your home, but they actually hide would-be intruders. Burglars can easily creep around your home if they're shrouded in leafy vegetation. Eliminate these hiding spots by keeping your bushes, shrubs, and grass trimmed.[16]
- If you have a multi-story home, trim any tree branches that would allow a burglar easy access to a window or balcony.
- Install outdoor lighting so would-be burglars feel exposed. Burglars want to stay hidden in the dark, so they might avoid your home if it's well-lit. Put lights above your exterior doors and keep them on while it's dark outside. Additionally, install motion-activated flood lights over your garage and the side of your home.[17]
- Check around your home for areas that might need more lighting to be secure.
- Use curtains to prevent potential burglars from spotting your goods. While casing your home, would-be burglars will look through your windows to see if you have valuables. Make it harder for them to see inside by installing curtains or blinds over your windows. This makes it less tempting for a burglar to enter your home.[18]
- It's especially important to cover your windows at night. If you have a light on, the contents of your rooms will be very visible from outside.
- Install a security camera over your front door or garage as a deterrence. Burglars don't want to get caught, so they might avoid your home if they see a visible camera. Plus, you'll have evidence to give the police if they do break into your home. Put your camera above your door or above your garage to scare off potential burglars.[19]
- A camera will be a better deterrent if it's easily visible to intruders.
- Get a home alarm to scare off burglars and call for help. Investing in a home alarm system may scare off any burglars who do try to enter your home. Plus, it'll call the police on your behalf so help arrives faster. Research home alarm companies to find one that fits your needs and preferences. Then, get an alarm installed.[20]
- Be sure to display you home alarm company's sign outside your home so potential burglars know you're protected.
- Burglars usually target empty homes, so they may run away if they know you're there. However, don't count on that! It's best to stay hidden if you can.
- If you manage to see the burglar, try to memorize as many details about them as you can. If they get away, you can provide them to the police as they attempt to catch them.
- If you want a pet, consider getting a big dog to deter potential burglars.
- If you're particularly worried about a break-in, consider learning self-defense. It will make you more prepared to fight off an attacker and more confident in a crisis.
- If you use your cellphone to call emergency services, keep it on vibrate. Otherwise, there will be a loud ringtone if they need to call you back, which will alert the burglar to your location.
[Edit]Warnings - Learn your jurisdiction's laws on self-defense. While some allow the use of lethal force when an individual breaks into your home, others have varying definitions of "reasonable force".
- Call the police if you have been robbed so they can open an investigation.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Wash Sweaters by Hand Posted: 08 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST Washing your sweaters by hand is a great way to get them clean and fresh without the risk of stretching or shrinking them in the washing machine. While it takes a bit of time, washing them by hand with a gentle detergent can extend the life of your sweaters and help them maintain their shape, making it well worth the effort.[1] [Edit]Setting Up Your Washing Station - Separate the sweaters by color if you're washing more than one. Dark-colored dyes can bleed a bit when you're hand-washing, so you'd likely have to change the water before moving on to the light colors if you washed the darks first.[2] Therefore, if you're hand-washing more than one sweater and the sweaters vary in color, separate them into two piles – one for light colors and one for dark. That way, once you're ready to wash, you'll already have them separated so you can easily wash the light-colored pile first.[3]
- In most cases, you'll be able to use the same wash set-up for all the sweaters as long as you wash the light colors first.
- Turn the sweater(s) that you're washing inside-out. Before hand-washing your sweater, reach up into the sweater and pull the sleeves through to flip it so that the inside is facing out. This will minimize friction while you wash, keeping the outside of the sweater from pilling.[4]
- If you're hand-washing more than one sweater, repeat this for all of the sweaters you're washing.
- Fill up a clean sink with room temperature water. First, wipe down your sink with an all-purpose cleaning wipe or spray and a paper towel. Rinse the sink with water to remove any cleaner residue. Then, fill the sink with room temperature water.[5]
- While warm water tends to be more effective at removing stains, it could make the dyes in your sweater bleed or cause the sweater to shrink after you wash.[6]
- You can also use a shallow plastic or enamel wash basin.[7]
- Add about of a gentle detergent to the water. Pour of low-alkaline laundry detergent or baby shampoo into the filled sink or wash basin. Swish the detergent around in the water until it's combined and the water is sudsy.[8]
- While you can measure, the amount of detergent doesn't need to be precise here – you'll just need enough detergent so that the water gets sudsy.
- If you're washing a particularly large or thick sweater, or multiple sweaters, you can add a bit more detergent, about .[9]
- Low-alkaline detergents and baby shampoo are gentler on fabrics than high-alkaline detergents. Therefore, it's particularly important that you choose a low-alkaline detergent when hand-washing cashmere, wool, or any other delicate fabric.[10]
- Mix in white vinegar if you want to neutralize odors. If the sweater(s) you're washing smell as a result of perspiration, stains, or any other reason, mix of white vinegar into the detergent water. Swish the vinegar around until it's combined.[11]
[Edit]Cleaning Your Sweaters - Place one sweater in the soapy water and swirl it around. First, push the sweater down into the water to make sure that it's completely submerged. Then, use your hands to gently swirl it around in the water in a circular motion for about 2 minutes.[12]
- Make sure that you don't pull, tug, or rub the fabric together, as this can cause the sweater to lose its shape.[13]
- If you're washing more than one sweater, make sure that you start with a light-colored sweater first.[14]
- Leave the sweater to soak for 5 to 10 minutes. This will give the detergent time to seep into the fabric and break down any stains. If the sweater is particularly dirty or has a stubborn stain, you may want to gently swish it around every so often to stir up the detergent.[15]
- Remove the sweater from the water and squeeze out the excess water. After letting it soak, lift the sweater out of the water and hold it over the sink or washbasin. Ball or roll it up loosely, then squeeze it very gently to remove some of the excess water.[16]
- Make sure that you don't twist the sweater to wring it out, as this can stretch it out.[17]
[Edit]Drying the Sweaters - Roll the sweater in a clean towel to start to dry. Lay out a clean towel on a flat surface. Then, lay the sweater on top of the towel, making sure that it doesn't hang over the sides of the towel anywhere. Starting at the top, slowly roll the towel with the sweater inside. Press down lightly on the roll to get the towel to absorb more water, then slowly unroll the towel and sweater back open.[18]
- At this point, if the towel has gotten really soaked, you may want to replace it with a dry towel to speed up the drying process.
- Leave the sweater to dry completely. If the sweater appears wrinkly at all, use your hand to smooth out it out as much as possible. Then, leave the sweater to lay on the towel until its completely dry and ready to be worn.[19]
- If you're washing more than one sweater, you can start repeating this process to wash another sweater while the first sweater is drying.[20]
- Instead of a towel, you can also lay the sweater out to dry on a drying rack.
- Fluff the sweater in the dryer if the fabric is dryer-safe. First, check the tag of the sweater to make sure that the fabric is dryer-safe. If it is, you can use the dryer to finish drying the sweater and fluff it up. To do this, keep the sweater inside-out and put it in the dryer on a low spin, low heat cycle to keep it from shrinking. Let it tumble dry for a few minutes, depending on how damp it was when you put it in.[21]
- Generally, sweaters made out of cotton, acrylic, polyester, and linen are dryer-safe.
- Use a steamer to remove any wrinkles. Once the sweater is dry, you can use a steamer to remove any wrinkles left from the hand-washing process. To steam the sweater, hang it up on a hanger or lay it out on a flat surface. Then, run the steamer down the sweater in long strokes, making sure that you put the steamer on the right fabric setting.[22]
- If you steamed the sweater on a hanger, you'll likely want to remove it from the hanger after so that the sweater doesn't get any shoulder bump indentions from the hanger.[23]
[Edit]Thing's You'll Need - Sink or shallow washbasin
- Water
- Low-alkaline detergent or baby shampoo
- White vinegar (optional)
- Flat surface for drying
- Clean towel(s)
- Drying rack (optional)
- Steamer
[Edit]References |
| How to Make a 3D Paper Snowflake Posted: 08 Dec 2019 12:00 AM PST Three dimensional paper snowflakes look beautiful hanging in a window or on a wall. Fun for kids or adults, they are easy to make. Some like them for Christmas, but you may like them any time! - Gather the materials. You'll need six (or eight for a fuller snowflake) pieces of paper. White copy paper will do, although you can use more elaborate types of paper like construction paper or origami paper. You'll also need scissors, clear tape, and a stapler or some double-sided tape.
- Fold each of the six pieces of paper in half diagonally, and then in half again diagonally. If the paper you are using does not make a perfect triangle, cut off the rectangular edge that sticks out to make the sides align perfectly. You should end up with a square folded into a triangle. Fold the triangle in half, noting where the folded "bottom" of the triangle is.
- Cut three slits in the triangle. Position the scissors along the bottom fold, and parallel to one of the edges going up to the top. Cut almost all the way up to the double folded crease, but not quite. Keep about the same distance between each cut. (This might not be suitable for thicker paper, since the number of layers makes it difficult to cut through.)
- Unfold the paper so that it is flat. Position it so that one of the points of the square faces you. It should look like the picture.
- Keeping your paper diamond side-up, roll the first two innermost paper lines together to form a tube. Tape these two pieces together. You should see triangle shapes on each side of the roll.
- Turn the diamond over to the other side of the paper. Take the next two paper lines and pull them together on the opposite side of the tube and tape together as before. This will be a more rounded shape and wider than the first tube.
- Keep turning the paper and joining the paper lines together on opposite side in the same fashion until all paper lines have been joined.
- Repeat Steps 2 to 7 with the remaining 5 pieces of paper.
- Join 3 of the completed rolled pieces together at one end and staple together using the other hand. Do the other 3 pieces the same way. Now you will have 2 pieces consisting of 3 strands or "arms" each. (For smaller snowflakes, it may be easier to use double-sided tape or white glue in place of staples.)
- Staple the two new pieces together in the middle.
- Staple where each of the six arms meet. This ensures that the snowflake shape is pulled into place. See picture at top for the finished snowflake.
- Hang them up, use them to make a center piece or use them to decorate in your own way in places where they can be admired.
- If you want larger snowflakes, use larger paper. You will probably need to cut more lines though; work it out from how large your piece of paper is. Don't try enlarging your snowflakes until you are comfortable with the method of making them with the suggested paper size first.
- If you want a "perfect" snowflake, make sure the lines you cut are identical for each square.
- Use thicker paper if you want a fuller snowflake.
- You can also place these snowflakes on lollipop sticks to make a pinwheel.
- Try scrapbook paper with different patterns on each side for an interesting look.
- You can vary the paper color if you want to match a Christmas color theme - red or green for instance. Those left over bits of holiday wrapping paper also work very well - just keep in mind that one side of the paper will be plain white while the other side will be colorful. You can also use tinfoil or glitter paper.
- If you want a more appealing look use glue dots, or glue sticks. Find these at arts/ crafts stores.
- It's best to use 6 pieces of paper instead of more. Seven can make it look a bit too packed and it's harder to see the shape of the flake.
- For those who are making a smaller snowflake, it's easier to use a toothpick.
- If you want to "jazz up" your snowflakes, put liquid glitter on the snowflake along various parts of the paper lines. Just remember though, that these do not store very well (easily crushed) and you might be throwing them out.
- Be careful when you pull them apart.
[Edit]Warnings - Don't use any kind of hot glue if you are making this; it may burn or rip the paper.
- Be careful using scissors. You might cut yourself. Especially if you are nearby younger kids when crafting this snowflake.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Six pieces of paper, any kind should do. The size of your paper square can vary from 4" to 10" (10cm - 25cm). The paper should be of a good strength to hold up the snowflake structure.
- Scissors
- Tape
- Stapler (a mini stapler is great for smaller snowflakes).
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]Quick Summary |
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