Wash your hands with soap and water. Make sure all parts of your hands and wrists are properly cleansed. Dry your hands completely using a disposable towel. Any place where you skin is broken must be protected. Apply a waterproof dressing to all cuts and injuries, even very small ones. Remove any rings or bracelets from your hands and store them in a safe place. Jewelry (even plastic jewelry) can easily damage your gloves. Take a moment to look at your finger nails. They should be kept short. If fingernails are too long, take some time to groom them. Look over each glove carefully. Ensure that each gloves in in tact, and free from any imperfections. If you notice any problems with the gloves, dispose of them and begin again with a new pair. Carefully place your hands into the gloves one at a time. Be sure that each finger fits into its proper slot. The gloves should fit well, but not too tight. When you are finished using the gloves, remove each one by carefully pealing back from the wrist opening. Dispose of used gloves immediately in the proper receptacle. Wash your hands with soap and water. Again, make sure all parts of your skins are properly cleansed. Dry your hands completely using a disposable towel
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One-sentence summary -- Wash your hands. Cover any cuts or lesions. Remove any jewelry. Ensure nails are short. Check gloves for tears. Put gloves on your clean hands. Remove gloves carefully and dispose of them right away. Wash your hands after removing gloves.

Especially for holes that are in a noticeable part of the garment, matching the thread color as closely as possible will help a lot in creating a stitch that nearly invisible. If possible, take your garment with you to the craft store so you can compare color choices in person. If you're repairing a silk or satin shirt, use a silk thread. Trim away as many straggling threads from the garment itself before you begin, and use either a 60/8 or 65/9 needle to prevent leaving pin marks. If you're fixing a patterned garment with multiple colors, match the thread to the predominant color. Stitches on the backside of the garment rather than the front will be much less noticeable. Working on a flat surface will help ensure that the stitch doesn't end up pulling the fabric in an unnatural way. If the garment is wrinkled, you may want to iron it beforehand so it lays as smooth as possible before you begin stitching.
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One-sentence summary -- Buy a thread that matches the color of the ripped garment. Flip your garment inside out and lay it out on a flat surface.

Make sure that the display shows the note that the string is playing and a needle that moves to the left or right of its meter display. The screen will also typically display yellow when the note is too low, and red when it's too high. The combination of colors helps you guide your tuning until the needle stabilizes into the center of the display with the desired note above it. To tune to G, the notesfrom bottom right to top right when the narrow end is facing upwardshould be: G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Alternative tunings are different, but stick to G standard tuning until you get more experience. Many lap harps come with a sheet with all the notes marked, as well as tuning instructions. Be sure to have something of this sort (or write down the notes above on a paper) so that you have a reference for what notes each string needs to be tuned to. For example, G (G-sharp) is a half step up from G, and G(G-flat) is a half step down from it. Most lap harps are tuned to the key of C or G and only play "natural" notes (no flats or sharps). If you're an experienced musician, don't be afraid to play around with some of the strings to turn a note or two flat or sharp. If the note is too lowfor example, the first string is A instead of Gyou need to tighten the string a full step. Hook the tuning key onto the silver knob, strum the note clearly until it shows up on the tuner, and then slowly tighten the string with your tuning key by turning it counterclockwise. As the note is fading away, you'll hear the pitch begin to change. Use this as a guide as to how much you've changed the sound, and if you're going higher or lower. Keep an eye on the tuner screen and stop tightening the string when the tuning needle centers. If a note has gone sharpfor example, the bottom-right string is A instead of Ghook the tuning key onto the string's peg, strum the note clearly, and gently turn it counterclockwise. Stop loosening the string once the tuner reads G. Watch the screen carefully and stop turning the key once the tuner displays the correct note. Keep an eye on the tuner screen and stop tightening the string when the tuning needle centers. Tuning can be slow and tedious work, so take plenty of breaks. If you come across a particularly difficult string, come back to it later. Check your progress periodically by playing up and down through the strings you've tuned. Make any adjustments as you go along.
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One-sentence summary -- Strum each string and observe the note on the tuner. Note how many half or whole steps the string is away from the intended note. Tighten each flat string by slowly turning the tuning key clockwise. Loosen each sharp string by turning the tuning key counterclockwise. Continue this process with all the strings until they're tuned.

You should cut the stems at an angle while submerged in either a basin of water or running water. Exposing the cut end of your flower to open air can be damaging, especially since this is one of the points when flower tissue is most hungry for water. Additionally, you should try to cut your flowers in the early morning or late evening, as these are the best times to cut flowers. If you notice that your flowers, when cut, exude a milky liquid, you can prolong the life of these with a quick boil in water. Soak the bottom two inches of your cut stems in boiling water for ten seconds before putting into a vase. Two common flowers that can benefit from boiling are poinsettias and poppies. If your flowers have leaves all the way down the stem, these can rot in your water and cause mold to grow. Remove all leaves on your stems that will be below the waterline. You can determine whether your water is hard or not by noting mineral deposits on facets and kettles. These will often look like a white, scaly film when dry. If this is the case at your home, your plants will fare better with demineralized water, to which you can add vase preservative. Demineralized water is sold at most supermarkets and should be used in your vase solutions as well if you have hard water. Your homemade plant preservative will likely work even more effectively than commercial recipes, but these are an easy to use and inexpensive substitute if you lack the ingredients for the DIY recipe. Many times, a commercial preservative requires only a clean vase and warm water, though you should always follow the directions on the packet.
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One-sentence summary --
Cut your flowers under water. Boil the stems of flowers with sap. Prune leaves below the water line. Use demineralized water if you have hard water. Add a commercial vase preservative to your water.