INPUT ARTICLE: Article: You can tell if your Aloe vera plant needs to be watered by pressing your index finger a few inches down into the soil. If the soil is dry, your plant needs water. Aloe vera plants are succulents and do not need to be watered often. Overwatering can kill your plant! If you keep your plant outside, watering every two weeks should be sufficient. If you keep your plant inside, water it every three to four weeks. Aloe vera plants need more water in the warmer months, but less in the cooler months. Water less often in Fall and Winter, especially if your plant lives in a cool space. As a succulent, Aloe vera plants store water in their leaves. If you notice the leaves are dropping or are becoming almost transparent, your plant likely needs water. However, the same qualities can be a sign of root rot, caused by overwatering. Ask yourself when you watered your plant last. If you watered it recently, you should remove the plant from the pot and check for root rot. Water should never sit on top of the surface of the soil, so water with a light hand. Continue to check your plant weekly or bi-weekly by testing the soil to see if it needs to be watered.

SUMMARY: Check the soil. Modify watering according to the season. Examine the leaves. Water until the soil is just moist.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Store shoes on a shoe rack or in closets, so your guinea pig can't chew on the laces. Make sure children's toys are stowed on shelves or in containers. Store delicate or valuable items your guinea pig can chew on like paper money, jewelry, books, or small electronics like earbuds. If you have pillows or throw blankets that have tassels, beads, or sequins, remove them from your guinea pig's play area. Stow these smaller items in boxes or containers with lids, so your guinea pig can't get to them. Hiding spaces might include small holes in a wall or cupboard, floor or wall vents, spaces between furniture and walls, or spaces underneath appliances and furniture. For example, store boxes and containers under a couch or bed to prevent your guinea pig from hiding there. Get down on the floor and look for areas your guinea pig could squeeze into, as well as hazards they might come across. Remember, the world looks very different from a tiny piggy than it does to you, so try to see the world from your pet's perspective. If your guinea pig is exploring a room during floor time, temporarily block floor or wall vents by moving furniture on top of or in front of them. You can close small gaps in walls by blocking it with a piece of cardboard.

SUMMARY: Remove items your guinea pig might chew from the floor. Put away delicate and valuable items. Cover or block access to hiding spaces.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If your dentist recommends using bleaching trays, avoid buying a kit with "one size fits all" trays. These trays are likely to be bigger than your teeth, meaning the bleach will be pressed against your gums, causing sensitivity or irritation. Instead, opt for custom-fitted trays. Your dentist can make these for you, and there are also kits in which you make a mold of your mouth, send it to a lab, and receive custom trays back. Whitening strips are often much larger than your teeth and therefore end up depositing whitening gel onto your gums, causing pain or sensitivity. Before using whitening strips, hold them up to your teeth to determine how well they fit. If necessary, use a sharp pair of scissors to trim off the excess material. If you have sensitive gums, you may want to use a desensitizing gel before a whitening treatment. Ask your dentist for a recommendation, then apply the product as directed. In general, you will spread a light layer of this desensitizing gel over your gums a few minutes before each whitening treatment to protect them from the bleach. After you put in the bleaching trays or apply the whitening strips, use a tissue to wipe off the excess gel from your gums. This prevents the bleach from irritating your gums and protects them from the minor chemical burns that cause discomfort. If necessary, you can reapply the desensitizing gel with a cotton swab if you wiped it off along with the excess whitening gel or bleach. Don't leave the whitening strips on or the bleaching trays in for a longer period of time than the directions suggest, as this can lead to pain or sensitivity. It also will not help get your teeth whiter. Follow the directions carefully, and remove the strips or trays after the recommended amount of time. You can repeat the treatment the following day to whiten your teeth even more, if desired.

SUMMARY: Select custom-fitted trays if applicable. Trim whitening strips to fit your teeth if necessary. Apply a desensitizing gel to your gums before whitening your teeth. Remove excess whitening gel or bleach from your gums. Leave the strips on or trays in for the recommended amount of time only.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: On many modern designs, this is a relatively simple process. De-cock the hammer (or striker), pull the take down tabs. After a pull toward the rear of the frame, the slide should be able to move freely off the front of the handgun. The actual process may vary greatly depending on the model of firearm you are field stripping. Glock & Steyr users: Be triple-sure your firearm is unloaded as you must pull the trigger on the firearm to initiate the field stripping process. There are four major pieces to every semi-automatic handgun (though they may be attached in different ways). Frame: this is the stock (or "grip") of the handgun. The trigger assembly is usually embedded in the frame, and the magazine well is located inside of the stock. Slide: the piece of metal on top of the firearm; it keeps the chamber sealed, compensates for recoil (on many semi-autos), and houses the firing pin (and a few other components). If you have a polymer frame, this is where 70% (or more) of the gun's weight is. Barrel: the barrel assembly is the barrel and the chamber. Be cautious with the muzzle-end of the barrel and the beginning of the rifling (inside the barrel), as these are the two most important things to affect accuracy and can easily affect it adversely, if damaged. Guide rod and recoil spring: often these are one piece. The guide rod guides the slide as it recoils and the recoil spring pulls the slide back into place after a round is fired.

SUMMARY:
Dismantle the firearm safely. Identify the parts you are cleaning.