INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Dampen your skin by soaking your fingers in water for a few minutes, but not long enough for the skin to prune. Use a nail file, pumice stone, body brush, salt scrub, or sugar scrub to sand away some of the nicotine stains on your fingers. Use gentle pressure to rub the grit onto the yellowed area of your fingers just until the stain looks faded. Do not rub your finger for more than a few seconds since it can cause irritation. The sandpaper from a matchbox will also work. Stop rubbing the area if it becomes red or irritated A dilute solution of bleach and water may also help to get rid of yellow nicotine stains on your fingers. Mix 1 part bleach with 4 parts water for this solution into a glass container. Then, dip a nail brush into the solution and apply it to the yellowed area of your fingers. Leave it on your fingers for a few minutes and then rinse it off. If this isn't enough to get rid of the stains, then you can also soak your fingers in the solution for five minute intervals five times a day. After you rinse your hands, apply some hand cream or moisturizer to counter the drying effects of the bleach. You may want to wear a mask when doing this method. Don't attempt this method when you have an open wound or right after using a different stain removal method. Do not use this method if you are sensitive to bleach. If you use this method and it irritates your skin, then rinse the bleach off of your skin right away. Toothpaste can also help to remove nicotine stains from your fingers. Take any standard brand of toothpaste and squeeze a dab of it onto the yellow area of one of your fingers. Then, use a toothbrush to scrub the toothpaste into the yellow skin for a few minutes and rinse the area with warm water when you are done. Try using a whitening toothpaste for extra tough nicotine stains. Lemon juice is an effective natural bleaching agent that may help to remove stains from your fingers. Use a knife to cut a fresh lemon in half, then take half of the lemon and hold it against the yellow area of your fingers. Rub the stained areas with the lemon half until it's coated in lemon juice. Leave the lemon coating on your fingers for 5-10 minutes and then rinse it away with warm water. You can repeat this process up to five times per day. Keep in mind that this method will sting if you have any small cuts on your fingertips. This method is gentler than some of the other methods so it may be a good option if you have sensitive skin. Peel a potato and then use it to rub the stained area of your fingers for a few minutes. Rinse away the potato juice after a few minutes have passed. You can repeat this process up to 10 times per day. Take a single aspirin tablet and dissolve it in a standard 8 oz. cup of hot water. Dip the stained fingers into the water after it has cooled down a bit. Soak your fingers in the water for several minutes. Wash your hands with soap and water when you have finished soaking your fingertips. You can also add a few drops of water to a single aspirin tablet to form a paste and use the paste to scrub your nails. Use a nail brush to apply the paste to the yellow areas of your skin and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then, rinse away the paste and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.

SUMMARY: Exfoliate your skin. Apply a bleach solution. Scrub your fingers with toothpaste. Apply lemon juice. Rub your fingertips with a potato. Dissolve an aspirin in water.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Soap-based insecticides have to be sprayed directly onto the insects in order to work, and this usually means spraying the leaves. Spraying the leaves on a hot day or in the middle of the day can cause the leaves to burn. The best time of day to apply the spray is in the early morning or late evening. Soap can damage or kill some plants, and you shouldn't use soap-based insecticides on these varieties. In particular, plants to avoid include: Sweet peas Cherries Plums Portulaca Certain tomato varieties To make sure that the soap spray won't damage your plants, it's important to test a small area before applying the solution liberally. Pick a few leaves that are infested with bugs and spray the top and bottom of the leaves to coat the insects. Leave the spray for 2 days and then check the leaves for damage. If the leaves were damaged by the spray, dilute the solution and test it again. If the leaves are healthy, apply the spray to larger areas. Most soap-based insecticides use a 2 percent soap solution. For plants that reacted badly or were damaged by the soap, try reducing the soap concentration to 1 percent. To make this concentration from scratch, combine 4 cups (940 ml) of water with 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of liquid soap. You can also add 4 cups (940 ml) of water to a pre-made batch of 2 percent soap solution. Identify leaves and plants that are infested with bugs and spray the solution on the top and bottom of the leaves. The spray must come into contact with the insects directly, otherwise it won't work. Spray the stems and soil if necessary. Leave the spray on the leaves for a few hours. After a few hours, take a garden hose or spray bottle with plain water and spray the leaves you treated. This will wash off the excess soap solution and help prevent injury to the plants. Because the spray must come into contact with the insects to work, you may need to apply the spray multiple times. Spray the affected plants daily for 4 to 7 days, or until the pests are dead. If you find you still have bugs after a week, try the mixture with a different soap, or use a commercial insecticide instead.

SUMMARY:
Spray plants in the morning or evening. Avoid spraying plants that are sensitive to soap. Test the spray on a few leaves. Dilute the soap concentration if necessary. Apply the spray liberally to the insects. Rinse the leaves with water. Repeat as needed for up to a week.