HowTos Index

How To Disinfect Water by Boiling
Boiling is the best method to remove organisms. Well water can become contaminated with organisms during a flood.

How To Treat Water with Chlorine
Boiling is the best method to remove organisms. Well water can become contaminated with organisms during a flood.

How To Survive Disasters without Preparation
Caught unprepared in a disaster can be overwhelming. The trick is to be calm and think clearly.

How To Treat a Scorpion Sting
Bark scorpions live in Arizona, California and New Mexico. Bark scorpion stings are dangerous and treatment should be quick.

How To Take a Rectal Temperature
There are three ways to measure body temperature: rectally, orally or axially (under the arm). It's best to take a rectal temperature in kids who can't hold an oral thermometer under the tongue.

How To Treat Rat Bites
Rats and other rodents have a nasty bite that can lead to a serious infection. Care should always be taken to contain any rodent after a bite to determine if the animal has an infection.

How To Save a Lost Tooth
If a baby tooth gets knocked out, no harm done -- it was coming out eventually. Permanent (adult) teeth, on the other hand, are supposed to stick around for a while. If you or your child has a permanent tooth knocked out of its socket, here are the steps for saving it, courtesy of the American Dental Association.

How To Treat Common Bug Bites
Bug bites and stings can be painful but are rarely fatal. Learn how to respond to bug bites and stings

How To Put Out a Grease Fire
Grease fires are extremely dangerous because the fuel source (the grease) is a liquid, and easily splashed. Grease fire burn very hot and can quickly spread to cabinets or other flammable areas of the kitchen. Follow these steps when faced with a grease fire in your kitchen.

How To Perform an Ice Rescue
Know how to rescue someone who has fallen through ice cover. Use common sense and follow these steps to save a person who fell through ice.

How To Treat a Burn
Burns destroy skin and lead to complications. Learn how to treat a burn before you need to.

How To Stop a Nosebleed
Nosebleeds are a common concern with kids, as well as adults. Spontaneous nosebleeds can be a sign of hypertension or a precursor to stroke. Learn how to treat a nosebleed.

How To Treat a Laceration
A laceration is a cut in the skin from a sharp object. Control bleeding and clean a laceration before anything else.

How To Dress a Wound
Dressing wounds can be done at home. Most lacerations and abrasions can be handled at home without ever going to the emergency room. To take care of wounds at home, they must be cleaned and may need to be dressed.

How To Do the Heimlich Maneuver
Choking requires a quick response to remove the airway obstruction before it leads to unconsciousness. These steps are for conscious adults and children aged 1 to 8.

How To Do Hands-Only CPR
These steps are the American Heart Association's recommendations for providing hands-only CPR.

How To Have a Fun and Safe Halloween
Follow these Halloween safety tips to keep adults and kids safe while trick-or-treating.

How To Treat a Stingray Sting
Stingrays are found on the sandy floor of the ocean and are usually docile. Stingrays are, however, capable of a painful and sometimes dangerous sting. Know how to treat stingray stings.

How To Treat Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is a severe emergency that leads to coma and possibly death. It's important to recognize heat stroke and to stop heat stroke before it leads to irreversible damage.

How To Treat Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is caused by an increase in core body temperature often coupled with fluid loss. It's important to recognize heat exhaustion early and seek treatment as quickly as possible.

How To Treat a Sunburn
Sunburns are a little different than other types of burns, but the treatment is very similar. Learn how to treat a sunburn before you need to.

How To Teach Kids to Call 911
Teaching kids to call 911 is similar to teaching adults. The basic tenets are the same: Know when to call, make sure the call-taker knows where you are located and don't hang up. Teaching kids to call 911 should start as soon as they can play with the phone.

How To Treat a Jellyfish Sting
Jellyfish stings come from the long tenticles that trail the bell-shaped jellyfish. These tenticles have an alkali-based venom. The most dangerous reaction to a jellyfish sting is the possibility of severe allergic reaction.

How To Treat a Bee Sting
Bee stings are either annoyingly painful or deadly, depending on whether you are allergic to the venom. The best way to reduce any reaction to the venom is to remove the bee stinger as quickly as possible.

How To Rescue a Drowning Victim
When victims panic in water it can be very dangerous to try rescuing them. Follow these steps to rescue a drowning victim.