Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Remove any ants already in your cat's food bowl. Wash the bowl. Clean the food area. Find a moat container. Fill the container with water. Place the food bowl in the moat container. Empty the moat container as needed. Keep up this process.

Answer: Dump out the ants and remaining contaminated food. Immediately close the bag and take outside. This helps keep the ants from crawling back out and getting back into the food. Ants leave pheromones behind that attract more ants, so make sure to thoroughly wash out the bowl with hot water and detergent. If the bowl is dishwasher friendly, you can put it through your dishwasher. After removing the ants, clean the area around the food. You have to remove the pheromone trail so ants from the colony won't return. Try using vinegar or lemon juice to erase the scent and deter future ants from approaching. You can also mop the area around the food container, or the entire kitchen floor. You can use what you normally use to mop, or use dish soap. Look for a shallow container that is wider than the cat food bowl. You can use a silver tray, a cake pan, a pie pan, a roasting tray, or anything else that will fit the cat bowl in.  Make sure the container you put the cat bowl in isn't too big. However, there should be about an inch between the edge of the moat and the food bowl. This distance helps keep ants away.  Some companies manufacture bowls that already incorporate the moat around the bowl's edge. These are great and easy to use and the entire bowl can be picked up and cleaned in one go. However, if you don't want to spend the money on that before seeing if it works, you can try this DIY method. Place a small amount of water in the moat container. You don't want to fill it too high so it spills into the food, but want enough water to provide a barrier for the ants. Ants aren't good swimmers, so it should drown or deter the ants from crossing. To help keep ants from crossing the water, try placing some vegetable oil, lemon essential oil, or dishwashing soap into the moat water. But only add dishwashing liquid if the space between the moat and food bowl is too small for the cat to drink from. Put the food bowl in the water. Make sure there is at least a 1-inch space between the edge of the moat and the food bowl. Fill the food bowl with fresh food.  If the container is extra large, put the food bowl close enough to its edge so your cat will be able to reach the food without difficulty, but far enough from the edge the ants won't be able to hop across. If the food bowl is too short, use a block or other item to raise the food bowl above the edge of the moat container. The water may contain some drowned ants or spilled food. It will need refreshing as it begins to evaporate. Eventually, the ants will stop coming. In some places, like in warmer climates, you may have to feed your cat in this manner persistently as the ants never go away.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Wash and wipe down the stem. Place the stem in a small Ziploc bag. Fill the bag with alcohol-salt solution. Slosh the bag until the stem is clean. Remove and rinse the stem.

Answer: After you’ve finished cleaning the body of the pipe, grab the stem and run some hot water over it. If need be, give the stem a preliminary scrubbing using a clean paper towel. Pay particular attention to the bowl, where the residue will be thickest and most stubborn.  Since the stem is so small and narrow, it’s easiest to clean it separately. Fortunately, this is even quicker than cleaning the pipe itself. Scrape the inside of the bowl with a toothpick or paperclip to chip away at thick residue that’s cemented in place. Position the stem in the bottom of the bag, leaving the top open wide. The stem won’t hold water the way the pipe does, so it will need to be cleaned in a separate container.  You could also use a lidded Tupperware container to hold the stem. Just make sure the material is not hard enough to break any delicate glass pieces. If the stem you’re using is comprised of multiple parts, disassemble it and clean each component separately to avoid damaging them. Again, use about one part salt to two parts alcohol. When you hold up the bag, the stem should be completely submerged in the solution. Carefully squeeze excess air out of the bag and close the top. Double check that the bag is securely shut before you proceed.  There should be enough space in the bag for the alcohol-salt solution to move around freely.  If any part of the top of the bag remains open, you’ll end up with a big mess on your hands. Grip the bag by the top and bottom and shake it from side to side. As you shake, massage the stem lightly with the tips of your fingers. This will create more friction to rub off persistent residue.   For bowls that are severely stained or have a lot of buildup, let the stem soak for 15-30 minutes.  Be careful not to handle the bag too forcefully, or it might leak or burst open. Open the bag and pour out the dirty alcohol-salt solution. Retrieve the stem and wash it under hot water once more. Place the stem alongside the pipe to air dry. Allow the pipe and stem to dry completely before using them. Lingering moisture can lead to mold growth and unpleasant odors, which can have an affect on the quality and flavor of the smoke.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Consider how long you’ll be neighbors. Confront them sooner rather than later. Be firm and honest about how they make you feel. Act as a united front if you’re married or have a roommate. Explain the kind of neighborly relationship you desire. Confront your neighbor who gossips. Stop your neighbor from bringing over food.

Answer:
If you’re a renter or selling your home, and you know you’ll be leaving the neighborhood soon, you might just want to set boundaries (for instance by telling your neighbor "Sorry, I don't have time to chat!") and not actually get into a discussion about their behavior. Matters are a bit more complicated if you and your neighbor are both homeowners or long-term renters. You should confront them about your discomfort instead of trying to spare their feelings or let tensions mount. If you’ve politely given hints or tried to avoid them with no luck, you might have to have a face-to-face conversation with them. You should make your feelings clear as soon as you notice an issue developing. Delaying a calm, firm conversation will only encourage their intrusive behavior. You might feel the urge to just be nice and spare their feelings, but letting tensions mount could result in a bigger issue in the future. Further, if you lead them to believe their behavior is fine, you’ll end up hurting their feelings more when you finally make your feelings known. You should be clear and honest with your neighbors about any issues. Be respectful and polite, but try not to sugarcoat your point too much.  Try saying, “You are a warm, nice person. I know you’re being friendly, and I hope you don’t find me rude, but I’m just not very social.” If you’d like, you could add something like, “My schedule is just so tight right now, and I have so many responsibilities to juggle. I find our chats pleasant, but they always seem to make me run late!” If you live with a spouse or roommate, talk to them about how to handle your overly friendly neighbor. Come up with a strategy and make sure you both follow through with it. In any case, make sure you and your spouse or roommate are a united front. Sending mixed signals will only aggravate the situation. For example, if your neighbor follows you to your door and tries to come in, you could say, “My roommate and I have a 'call ahead' policy — we really don't like people dropping by.” Try explaining to them that, in your experience, good fences make good neighbors. Tell them that you’d like to have an amicable relationship and look out for each other’s property, but aren’t comfortable with anything more. Try saying, “I’ve become close with neighbors in the past, but ended up having a terrible disagreement that’s made me wary of getting too close to my neighbors. I hope you aren’t insulted, and I mean no offense, but I think it’s best to keep some boundaries.” You might like that your friendly neighborhood gossip lets you know about fascinating local news. However, keep your conversations brief, and stick to inoffensive topics. You should ask them not to talk badly about your other neighbors if they start to make things too personal. If they start putting someone down, try changing the subject or find an excuse to leave. If they ask you about your business or for your opinion on someone else, just let them know you’re not friendly enough with them to share your or anyone else’s secrets. Calmly say, “I really don’t like talking badly about other people, especially neighbors.” It’s nice when a neighbor bakes you a pie every now and then, but an overly friendly neighbor might try to make it a daily or weekly ritual. They might also try to make you feel obligated to return the favor. If it becomes a problem, express your gratitude, but make it clear you want them to stop.  Suppose your neighbor starts bringing over food every few days, and you’re tired of it. Tell them, “You know, I really have to start making my own food! I just can’t accept any more of yours.” You could try to be polite and say, “I don’t want to put you out or burden you.” If they persist, respond by saying, “I really hate to say it, but it’ll probably just go to waste. I really appreciate it, but we don’t eat many sweets (or whichever items they prepare).” You could also try suggesting a local charity, like a religious organization or soup kitchen,  that would welcome their baking or cooking skills.