Q: What cheap, widely-available item can make someone's eyes teary and red in a matter of minutes? It's not a Hallmark card — it's an ordinary onion! Onions produce syn-propanethial-S-oxide, a chemical irritant that causes the eyes to produce tears and turn red.Peeling or chopping and onion normally will usually cause your eyes to water, but you may need prolonged exposure to make your eyes water enough to turn red. Try keeping the center portion or a section of the peel and running it beneath your eyes a few times when your eyes need to appear red.  Try to avoid using so-called "sweet" onions (like, for instance, Vidalia onions), as these generally don't produce as much irritation and tearing. For best results, use a strong-flavored white or yellow onion.  For a gentler approach, place a few pieces of the onion into a tissue or handkerchief and rub the handkerchief beneath your eyes. The barrier will protect your eye itself from coming into direct contact with the onions, but the irritant should still have an effect as long as the material in the tissue is not too thick. If you're trying to fake the appearance of crying, for an added effect, try rubbing a little inside the bottom of your nostrils to encourage a runny nose. Be careful to avoid getting any of the vapor rub directly into the eye, as this can be quite uncomfortable. One method that's virtually identical to the menthol method above involves products that contain peppermint oil. Simply use the exact same steps — rubbing a small dab below each eye — to produce a very similar effect as the fumes from the oil irritate the eyes. As above, avoid getting the oil into your eyes, as this can cause stinging and prolonged discomfort. Peppermint oil can be found at most high-end grocers, specialty food retailers, and health food stores. However, if you don't already have any, it may be more cost-effective to use menthol or an onion, as peppermint oil is usually more expensive by volume. If you need red eyes right away, don't worry — you can get them without any sort of special materials at all. Simply hold your eyes open for as long as you can, fighting the urge to blink until it's too painful not to do so. Since frequent blinking is the body's way of keeping the eyeballs well-lubricated, without this, the eyeballs will begin to dry out. When this happens, the eyes should become irritated, puffy, red, and often watery. Note that this can feel quite unpleasant! For added effect, try looking at a light while you hold your eyes open. Do not use a very bright light or the sun, however, as this can cause lasting eye damage and even blindness. One method for inducing red eyes that's frequently used on TV and in movies is balling the hands into fists and rubbing the area around the eyes. This mild form of physical irritation can cause the same sorts of symptoms that onions and other chemical irritants do — namely, red, watery eyes. If you're attempting this method, be sure to use gentle pressure. Crucial parts of the eye like the iris and cornea can be quite delicate, so don't damage your vision simply to make your eyes red. In addition, be sure to keep your eyes closed and to avoid touching the eye directly. Doing this can transfer bacteria from your hands (which can pick up millions of bacteria from ordinary daily activities) to your eyeball, potentially leading to a painful infection. Chlorine is a great pool-sanitizer, but it's also thought to be an eye irritant, though some sources suggest other chemical culprits. What is clear is that going for a dip in a chlorinate pool without goggles can leave your eyes puffy and inflamed (though the damage is not ordinarily serious or long-lasting.) The effect is increased if you hold your eyes open underwater for an extended length of time. Make sure you do not wear goggles, since the goggles will shield your eyes and prevent the pool from having an effect. Salt water pools also work well for this purpose. However, some eye health resources claim that saltwater is less irritating than chlorine, so the effect may be lessened. Though this isn't an ideal solution for many (especially people who need to be fully "sharp" and focused for any reason the following day), skipping sleep will usually turn your eyes red and bloodshot in the morning. As long as you do not make a habit of it, missing one full night’s sleep will usually not have a dramatic impact on your health.  However, missing out on sleep repeatedly is something you'll never want to do, as this can have major consequences for your health, including: reduced cognitive ability, decreased sex drive, depression, and increased risk for serious ailments like stroke and heart disease.  Remember never to drive when you're severely tired or groggy. Because sleep deprivation dulls your reflexes and impairs your split-second decision-making ability, it can make you a major danger on the road. One Australian study found that people who have been awake for 24 hours have a level of impairment equal to someone with a blood alcohol concentration of .10 (the legal limit in most countries is generally about .08).
A: Peel an onion and rub a small piece below your eye. Alternatively, try peppermint oil. Resist the urge to blink. Gently rub the area below your eyes. Spend time at the pool. Get less sleep.

Q: After a couple of days you can begin to allow your cat to explore some more of the house. After making sure that all potential routes outside are closed and secured, invite her to have a look around a few more rooms. Gradually allowing access to other spaces will help to lower her anxiety.  Keep an eye on her when you allow her to explore more and be on-hand to comfort or play with her if she appears stressed. If you have a cat-leash you could use it to make sure she is unable to make a run for it. If your cat is not used to a leash this could just make her even more stressed out. You can use a plug-in pheromone diffuser to release scents that are designed to calm stressed cats. You can buy these from your local pet store or vet, and they help to create a more reassuring environment after a move.  It is a particularly good idea to use one in the room your cat will be spending a lot of time in at the start. Different cats will react in different ways to these diffusers and some may not react at all. You could keep some catnip handy as an alternative. It's important to be relaxed around her, and to allow her plenty of time to adjust to her new surroundings. She might take a while to get back to her old personality, becoming more withdrawn or quiet after the move. Showing patience and sensitivity will help to reduce any anxieties and create a comfortable and welcoming environment. While you gradually introduce her to her new house, it's important that you don't allow her to get outside yet. Keep her in the house for two weeks so she can become fully acclimated to her new surroundings before you let her out. Spending this long in the new house helps to establish it as her new base, and lower the chances of her trying to make her way back to the old house.  Take extra care to make sure your don't leave doors or windows open in this period and generally be observant and careful. If you have a very adventurous cat who is desperate to go outdoors, don't give in. Keep her in for a minimum of two weeks; the amount of time depends on the disposition of the individual cat.
A:
Open up more rooms. Consider using a pheromone diffuser. Be patient. Keep her indoors for two weeks.