Problem: Article: Ants enter your home through cracks when they are searching for food. To keep them out of your home, place cream of tartar across any cracks where they can get inside. This will repel them and keep them out of your home. Ants are repelled by many natural household items. Place these items near any entrances to your home to repel ants and keep them from invading your home. Try coffee grounds, garlic cinnamon, chili peppers, paprika, peppermint, or cloves. Lemons can also repel ants. Squeeze the juice along the entrance and place the peeling on each side of the entrance. Ants do not like mint, so having mint around your home will help deter ants from entering. Plus, surrounding your home with mint will make it smell nice. Plant mint plants along your house’s foundation to repel ants. You can also put mint plants in pots near entrances to your home.
Summary: Cover openings into your home with cream of tartar. Place natural repellants near all entrances. Plant mint around your home.

Problem: Article: If you've noticed a reduction or change in your hearing, schedule an appointment with a healthcare professional so they can examine your ears for any obvious abnormalities and ask you pertinent questions about your history and lifestyle. Most problems that negatively affect hearing are benign and reversible, so don't be scared to seek professional opinions.  Don't try to self-diagnose or get an unqualified friend or family member to dig in your ears. Your healthcare professional may refer you to an ear specialist for further examination. An ear specialist (otolaryngologist) or audiologist can conduct a more thorough ear exam, including a hearing or audiometric test, which evaluates the ability of sound to reach the brain. This is a relatively quick and painless test and vital to understanding if your hearing issue is permanent or not. The otolaryngologist will be able to tell you if your problem is related to SNHL or CHL. Make sure you get the doctor to explain the diagnosis clearly and provide you with various treatment options. If your problem is SNHL, then treatment will likely be forthcoming from an otolaryngologist. However, if you problem is CHL, then you have many more treatment options, possibly including some simple and safe home remedies depending on the cause. Researching hearing loss on the internet will give you an idea of potential treatments, especially for CHL, but always stick to reputable medical sites.
Summary: See your doctor about your hearing problem. See a specialist to get a hearing test. Understand your diagnosis and treatment options.

Problem: Article: At the supermarket, be sure that your bacon is the very last item you select before checking out. If you pick up your bacon at the beginning of your supermarket trip, it’s potentially developing bacteria while you are checking the other items off your list. Do not use previously opened bacon that has already been stored in your fridge. Cured meats like bacon can spoil or develop bacteria at temperatures higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so be sure to prepare your bacon for individual freezing immediately after purchasing it. While this step might seem obvious, it’s still important. Even beyond washing your hands before and after you prepare your bacon, you should also wash your hands at any point after touching the bacon and before touching any supplies. For instance, if you need to grab some more wax paper or a freezer bag, don’t forget to wash your hands first. Otherwise, your roll of wax paper or box of storage bags will be contaminated. It’s important to disinfect both before and after you prepare your bacon for freezing. Any bacteria that is on your counter can be transferred to the wax paper and onto your bacon. Be sure to check the “use by” date and the number of days recommended for refrigeration, as well. While freezing keeps your bacon fresher longer, you should definitely freeze your bacon prior to the expiration date. Likewise, if you needed to store the bacon in your fridge before freezing it, be sure to freeze it before the end of the suggested refrigeration period, which is seven days. The longer bacon is stored, the less flavorful it will be. For best quality, store your bacon in the freezer for no more than one month. Three months is the recommended maximum storage time. Always thaw food in the refrigerator or in cold water. If using cold water, replace the water at 30 minute intervals. Do not thaw bacon at room temperature.
Summary: Grab the bacon last. Freeze immediately. Wash your hands. Disinfect your counter top. Check the date. Use your bacon immediately after thawing it.

Problem: Article: Place the diced tomatoes into a medium mixing bowl and crush them using the back of a fork. Continue until the tomatoes are soupy, yet still chunky.  If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, you could also crush the tomatoes by hand instead of using a fork. Doing so would actually make it easier to control the process. Set the tomatoes aside after crushing them. Pour the oil into a heavy, 2-qt (2-L) saucepan. Set the pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Give the oil at least 30 to 60 seconds to warm up. You should be able to turn the pan and easily coat the bottom with the oil once it's warm enough. Add the minced onion to the hot oil and cook, stirring frequently, for several minutes or until the onion becomes slightly translucent. Add the minced garlic to the oil and onion. Saute, stirring frequently, for another minute or until the garlic looks golden in color. Watch the contents of the saucepan carefully at this point. Minced garlic can burn quickly if you leave it unattended. Add the prepared tomatoes, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper to the saucepan. Allow the mixture to cook at medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to boil gently. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes. You can simmer the sauce for up to 90 minutes. A sauce that simmers for longer periods will be thicker and more flavorful. Remove the finished sauce from the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. If you want to save part of the sauce or all of the sauce for later, you can pour the cooled sauce into an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to one week. If frozen, the sauce can last for up to two months. If the sauce seems too chunky or thick, use an immersion blender to puree it until it reaches the right consistency. After you puree the sauce, it should be ready to use.
Summary:
Crush the tomatoes. Heat the oil. Cook the onion. Cook the garlic. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. Let it cool. Blend the sauce, if necessary.