Plunge the water in the bowl. Use a towel to soak up any remaining water. Acidic toilet bowl cleaners can damage your skin. Be careful not to let these chemicals touch your skin. Acidic toilet bowl cleaners can damage bathroom surfaces, including tile. You should have a rag on hand to pick it up immediately if any spills or splashes. This chemical is sometimes listed on labels as hydrogen chloride, HCL or muriatic acid. It can be found in products like The Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner or Santeen Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Be careful not to mix these solutions with bleach. The mixture can create a dangerous poisonous gas. Many in-tank cleaners use bleach. If you have an in-tank cleaner, remove it and flush several times to rid the toilet of any bleach residue. Use a toilet brush that has nylon bristles to gently rub the cleaner into the hard water spots. Do not rub too hard or you might splatter the cleaner all over the bathroom. This can damage other surfaces. Once you have picked up the hard water spots, flush. These chemicals are abrasive and should not sit around in bathroom longer than is necessary.

Summary: Dry the bowl. Put on gloves and a plastic apron. Keep a wet rag on hand. Apply a cleaner with diluted hydrochloric acid to the bowl. Rub the toilet gently with a toilet brush. Flush immediately after cleaning.

It is common during the middle school years for homework to start to get more difficult and time-consuming. You might need to ask your parents or an older sibling for help. Find a quiet place where you can work on your homework every day after school, such as an office, bedroom, or even the city library if your home is too noisy to focus. Keep a planner to record homework assignments and due dates. Even a plain notebook will work. It's important to start developing your organizational skills now, because the amount of homework you have will only increase in the next couple of years. It is very important that you plan time in your day that you can be physically active. Exercise is great for your health and also helps to reduce stress. Scheduling time for exercise after school is especially important if you do not have a sport or physical education class during the school day. Try to be active for at least 60 minutes each day. You can pick whatever type of activity fits your personality: swimming, dancing, biking, running, even playing tag in the backyard counts! It's important to fuel your body with a variety of foods at every meal. Dinnertime is typically the biggest meal, so be sure that you eat foods that are healthy. The United States Department of Agriculture has made it easy to plan a healthy meal using a plate. Half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables and the other half should be grains and protein. Have a glass of milk or a serving of cheese or yogurt on the side. Avoid soda and other sugary drinks. Water or milk provide the nutrition you need without unhealthy additives and sugar. Also watch out for salt; most Americans consume way too much of it, and it can be dangerous for your heart. While you don't need to stress out about calories, keep in mind that if you eat too much or too little food, you will not have the right amount of energy to do the things you love. Consider helping your parents prepare dinner. You are old enough to learn the basics of cooking and meal preparation, and cooking is a very important life skill, plus it gives you bonding time with your parent. If your family has a cookbook, ask your mom or dad if you can choose a few meals and help prepare them each week. Remember, as you grow you will start to produce more oil and sweat, which can lead to odor. Bacteria also thrive on sweat and oil, so you need to bathe or shower regularly to clean it all off. If you participate in sports, be sure to shower or bathe as soon as possible after getting especially sweaty. Be sure to wash your face, especially if you have an oily complexion, if you have done anything to make you sweat, or if you've applied any make-up. The next morning, wake up and do it all again. As you get used to your daily routine, you may find that some areas need rearranging to work with your schedule or family life. That's OK! Do what works for you in order to stay healthy, clean, and happy.

Summary: After school, do all of your homework. Get some exercise. Have a healthy dinner. Take a shower. Get into bed by your bedtime.

While facing the camera completely straightforward shows your widest view, turning completely sideways can highlight your stomach. Instead, stand facing the camera and put all your weight on 1 leg. Push the hip of that leg back as far as you can, and let the other leg hang loose in front of you and bent at the knee. Push the shoulder of the same side that your weight is on back as well, and let the shoulder on the side of the front leg come forward and down a bit. Pressing your arms to your sides can visually add some extra bulk to them. Instead, let them hang loose and limp. To help your arms not be pressed into your sides, it's a good idea to put your hands on your hips. Or, if you have pockets, try putting your hands in your pockets to move your arms away from your sides. If you're in a photo with a group, use other people to your advantage! Angle your body so that one side is behind someone else to instantly appear thinner. For really large groups with multiple rows, don't stand in the front row if you're concerned about looking thin. Stand in the middle or back rows, even if you're not tall. In photos where you're sitting, you should be sure not to slouch to avoid showcasing your belly area. Keep your shoulders up and back, and your back straight. You can even try taking a deep breath to make sure your chest is up as much as possible. Another trick for sitting photos is to cross your ankles instead of your entire leg. Crossing your legs at the knees can highlight bigger thighs, especially if you're wearing a skirt. You can also not cross any part of your legs while you're sitting for a photo. Always be sure to sit up straight for photos where you're sitting.

Summary: Angle your body instead of standing sideways. Don't press your arms close to your body. Put your hands on your hips. Tuck one side of your body behind someone in group shots. Sit with your shoulders back and don't slouch. Cross your ankles if you're sitting.

If ingrown hairs become chronic and you try to use some object to dig out the ingrown hair, scars can form. Avoid any "bathroom surgery" and don't use tweezers, needles, pins, or anything else to dig out an ingrown hair. This will increase the risk of a scar forming and can increase the risk of spreading the infection. You need to hold off will all hair removal in the area until the infection is cleared. Ingrown hairs appear to form when the hair is cut at or below the level of the skin, leaving a sharp edge to the hair which then grows sideways into the skin. Continuing to remove hair from the area could result in additional ingrown hairs or further irritation to the infected area, both of which you want to avoid. Make sure you are not over-drying your skin. Use a bit of moisturizer on the infected hair after every treatment. This can help soften the skin and can reduce the risk of skin damage and scarring.
Summary: Never try to cut out an ingrown hair. Stop shaving, tweezing, waxing, or removing the hair in the affected area. Keep the skin moisturized.