Even if you’re considering a teenager as a babysitter, they should be able to whip up a quick list of references that includes previous clients or people who can vouch for their character. Ask for a list of at least 3 such people, and call them directly to confirm their recommendation. It’s best for your child’s safety if any babysitter you use has CPR certification and first aid training. If you’ve found an otherwise great babysitter who doesn’t have this kind of specific training, you might consider investing in the training for them — especially if you envision them becoming a long-term sitter for your family. Invite them over for an “interview” at a specific time (e.g., 6 o’clock) and see if they arrive on-time or even a little early. This is always a good sign! Also evaluate whether they seem prepared to discuss the job with you, and whether they seem excited about it. Sit down with the candidate and run through a list of questions you’ve prepared beforehand. Evaluate not only the content of their answers, but also their demeanor and comfort level. Ask things like:  What is it that you enjoy about caring for children? How many other families have you babysat for? What would you do if my child was choking? Could you stay later than scheduled if we’re running behind? Check out a detailed list of potential questions at https://www.sittercity.com/parents/find-child-care/babysitter-interview-checklist. If you'd like to take the next step beyond contacting references and asking detailed interview questions, you can typically check things like driving records, court records, and sex offender registries for free. To do so, you'll usually need to contact the relevant government authorities (or check their websites) where you live.  You can also pay to have third-party companies do more thorough background checks for you. You must get the person's written consent, however, before you do a background check on them. Your safest bet is to draw up a "Consent to Background and Reference Check" -- you can find free templates for these online. Give them at least 15-30 minutes to “hang out” with your child/children to get a feel for how their personalities mesh. Even better, set up a 1-2 hour “observation session” in which they babysit while you’re still in the house and occasionally checking in. Offer to pay for this observation session, like you would for a typical babysitting gig. Your kids shouldn’t have the final say on their babysitter, but that doesn’t mean you should completely ignore their opinions. Ask them if they liked the person, if they had a good time together, and what specific things they did together. You might want to use your kids’ opinions as the “tiebreaker” between two equally-viable candidates, for instance. Go over your house rules, the specific expectations for the job — meals, cleanup, bedtime, etc. — and the typical times when you’ll require their services. Take it as a positive sign if they ask questions and are eager to learn more about how things work in your home. Babysitting rates will vary widely based on factors like where you live, the number of kids you have, and the age and experience level of the sitter. A good general pay range is between $10-$15 USD per hour, though. Ask friends and neighbors how much they pay their babysitters. At the end of the day, you know your kid(s), your home, and your family’s needs the best. So if an otherwise qualified sitter just doesn’t “feel” right, you’re probably right to trust your gut and consider a different candidate. It’s great to give people a chance to prove themselves, but letting them do so while caring for your children isn’t the best scenario.

Summary: Ask for and check their references. Find out if they have emergency training. Take note if they’re on-time and seem prepared. Interview them by asking relevant questions. Take additional, more thorough background check measures. Let them interact with your kid(s). Get feedback from your kid(s). Set clear ground rules and evaluate their response. Compare their pay demands to the going rate in your area. Trust your instincts.


You can use a spray bottle to completely cover your sneakers with bleach, or to splatter them. Here's a lit of what you will need:  Canvas sneakers Bleach Water Spray bottle with nozzle Rubber gloves This will help you bleach them more evenly, and prevent you from damaging the laces. Even though you are working with a spray bottle, there is a good chance that some bleach may drip onto your skin. The gloves will keep your skin safe. For a stronger solution, use one part bleach and one part water. For a weaker solution, use one part bleach and two parts water. The bottle should have a nozzle with two to three settings: spray, mist, and off. This will mix up the bleach and water inside. Use the "spray" setting to squirt a few splatters onto your sneakers. This will give you a sort of galaxy effect. Use the "mist" setting and spray your shoes all over to completely bleach them. This may take around 20 minutes to several hours. The longer you leave them out, the lighter they will become. Keep in mind that some darker fabrics will never turn white. Some, such as black, may turn brown or orange. This will not only stop the bleach from acting, but it will also get rid of the smell.

Summary: Gather your supplies. Consider taking the laces out of your sneakers. Put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands. Fill a clean spray bottle with bleach and water. Close the spray bottle and shake it. Start spraying your shoes. Set the shoes out to dry. Consider washing your shoes with soap and water once you get the color you want. Re-lace your sneakers if you took the laces out.


Your fog machine should come with an owner’s manual that gives specific cleaning instructions. If you do some sort of cleaning routine that isn’t recommended by the manufacturer, it could void your product warranty. If the cleaning techniques don’t work, you may need to contact your manufacturer for a replacement, as long as your machine is still under warranty. So try not to do anything that may void the warranty. Most fog machines don’t need to be cleaned regularly. In fact, fog machines typically don’t need to be cleaned at all unless you have been putting low quality fog liquid products in your fog machine – these lower quality products can cause the fog machine’s heater to clog.  You definitely don’t need to clean your fog machine every year unless it starts exhibiting some symptoms indicating it needs a good cleaning. Cleaning a fog machine too often can cause it to stop working altogether. The main sign that your fog machine needs to be cleaned is when you start noticing a significant decrease in output of the fog effect. If your machine isn’t producing fog as much as it used to, then it’s probably time for a cleaning. Since you don’t want to clean your fog machine too frequently, you should wait until you see a significant decrease in fog output – not just a small change. If you use your fogger once a year (like at Halloween) and then put it away in storage for the rest of the year, you should clean the fog machine before you pack it up for storage. Don’t wait until you bring it out the next year because a clogged fog machine that sits unused for months on end will most likely be permanently unusable when you try to use it again. Before you store your fog machine for an extended period of time, check its output to ensure you don’t need to clean it before storing it.
Summary: Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions. Avoid overdoing it. Watch for decreased output. Clean before storing.