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Small steps that worked for real people, on home.
The sky over Home · 153 small steps
- A full tank is an exit you keep ready
- A wave is not a green light
- Ask the human first
- Cause the scene
- Drive like everyone’s about to make a mistake — you included
- The bakery gives away buckets — you only have to ask
- Let the dog close the distance
- Let the missed exit stay missed
- Reading a nursing home: the air, the nails, and 2 a.m.
- The deposit has laws on its side
- When repairs stall, the rent can wait in escrow
- The vest means working
It sounds heavy. We’re here.
In the US
In the UK · Samaritans
Worried about someone else? What helps →
In the US · National Domestic Violence Hotline
Call 1-800-799-7233Text START to 88788
In the UK · National Domestic Abuse Helpline (Refuge)
For men in the UK · Men’s Advice Line Lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm
Outside those hours: Samaritans will listen any time, on 116 123.
Need somewhere safe to sleep tonight? What to do, step by step →
More lines: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
In Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland · your nation’s own 24-hour line
Scotland: 0800 027 1234Wales: 0808 80 10 800Northern Ireland (18+): 0808 802 1414
In the US · Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
Call 1-800-422-4453Text GO to 1-800-422-4453
In the UK · Childline
An adult worried about a child? Childhelp takes those calls too. In the UK: NSPCC, 0808 800 5000, 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Under 18 and told to leave home, or not safe there? What to do, step by step →
More: Childline’s online chat
Can’t talk out loud? Childline’s 1-2-1 chat → You make a free account first (no email needed).
It was not your fault.
In the US · RAINN — National Sexual Assault Hotline
Call 1-800-656-4673Text HOPE to 64673
In England and Wales · Rape Crisis (16+)
18 or under in the UK? Childline, any time: 0800 1111.
More lines: Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
In Scotland · Rape Crisis Scotland (13+) Lines open every day, 5pm to midnight
Call 08088 01 03 02Text 07537 410 027
Outside those hours: Samaritans will listen any time, on 116 123.
In Wales or Northern Ireland · 24-hour lines that cover sexual violence
Followed, watched or harassed? What to do, step by step →
In the US · VictimConnect Resource Center
Call 1-855-484-2846Text 1-855-484-2846
In the UK · National Stalking Helpline (Suzy Lamplugh Trust) Lines open Monday and Wednesday, 9:30am to 8pm. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:30am to 4pm
Outside those hours: Samaritans will listen any time, on 116 123.
Someone sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images of you?
StopNCII.org (18+): help stop them being shared online →
In the UK · Revenge Porn Helpline (18+) Lines open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm, excluding bank holidays
Outside those hours: Samaritans will listen any time, on 116 123.
Under 18 in the images? In the UK, Childline can help you get them removed (Report Remove): 0800 1111. In the US, NCMEC can point you to Take It Down, any time: 1-800-843-5678.
Forced or tricked into work or sex?
In the US · National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888Text 233733
In the UK · Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline (Unseen) Lines open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Sunday (reduced hours until further notice)
Outside those hours: Samaritans will listen any time, on 116 123.
An older person being hurt, neglected or exploited?
In the UK · Hourglass (older people and abuse)
Call 0808 808 8141Free text 078 6005 2906
If any of this is about you: call 988 in the US or Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK. In danger: 911 / 999. Someone to talk to →
Afraid of someone at home? Domestic abuse lines → Worried someone checks this device? Browse more privately →
About a child? Childline 0800 1111 in the UK, Childhelp 1-800-422-4453 in the US.
Sexual assault: RAINN 1-800-656-4673 in the US, Rape Crisis 0808 500 2222 in England and Wales.
In danger now: 911 in the US, 999 in the UK.
A teen or young adult in the US? Love Is Respect, any time: 1-866-331-9474, or text LOVEIS to 22522.
18 or under in the UK? Childline, any time: 0800 1111.
If you’re over 18: domestic abuse lines →
Worried someone checks this device? How to browse more privately →
Someone to talk to, and more →
Thinking of ending your life, or in danger? 988 (US) · Samaritans 116 123 (UK) · 911 / 999
Or browse another area:
- homeClear the snow off the whole car before you driveSnow left on the roof can block your view or fall on the car behind. Clear the roof, lights, plates, mirrors and windows before you drive.
- homeFind the vet that is open at night before your pet needs oneSave the number and address of the nearest vet that is open at night, keep a carrier within reach, and name who would care for your pet.
- homeUse cold water and a filter made for lead, because boiling does not remove itBoiling does not remove lead. Follow any boil or do-not-drink notice. If none, the CDC says use cold water and a filter certified for lead.
All 153 tips on home
- A cat straining to pee is an emergency
- A chipped pet still needs your phone number on file
- A full tank is an exit you keep ready
- A restart is the strongest lock
- A wave is not a green light
- Aim where the fly is going
- Ask a shelter or rescue for help before you give your pet away free
- Ask if there is a cat before you send lilies
- Ask the human first
- Ask what the cartridge costs before the printer
- Back up what you can’t replace, then prove it opens
- Bait it where it hides
- Break the box down before it goes out
- Build the sick kit while you're well
- Burn it to the edge the first time
- Buy the plunger before the couch
- Buy the rusty skillet
- Call before you make them vomit
- Catch the cold water while the shower warms up
- Cause the scene
- Change the locks the day you get the keys
- Change the sheets before you leave
- Check the label before you dust the house for bugs
- Check the oven mitt is dry before you reach in
- Check the speaker before you press play
- Clean cheap, and never mix the bottles
- Clean more than the lint trap
- Clear the snow off the whole car before you drive
- Close the bedroom door before you sleep
- Dig out the tailpipe before you run the heater
- Double it and add thirty
- Drill the hole before you fill the pot
- Drive like everyone’s about to make a mistake — you included
- Fight the marker with its own solvent
- Fill spare freezer space with bottles of water in case the power goes off
- Fill the stripped hole with wood and glue
- Find the breaker, then test the wire
- Find the silent leak with food coloring
- Find the vet that is open at night before your pet needs one
- Find the water valve and replace the old hoses
- Finish your drink before the restroom
- Flush the tank while it’s still young
- For honeybees, call a beekeeper first
- Forward the spam text to 7726
- Get the program from its maker’s own page
- Give each website its own email tag
- Give the fire extinguisher
- Go down and in when the tornado warning comes
- Go to the eviction hearing
- Hang the shirt in the bathroom while you shower
- Heat the rice sock in short bursts
- If someone is being shocked, don’t grab them
- If they’re driving, hold your reply
- If you can change your voicemail, you can call for help
- It is the bread they don't eat
- Keep the engine off while you sleep in the car
- Keep the gas oven for cooking and the vents open
- Keep the heat out before it arrives
- Keep the napkins in the glove box
- Keep the non-stick pan off the high flame
- Label the cable the day it arrives
- Lay the light flat on the floor
- Leave notes for future you
- Leave the washer door open so the drum dries
- Let the bottle dry before you cap it
- Let the dog close the distance
- Let the grease set before you throw it
- Let the missed exit stay missed
- Let the mower eat the leaves
- Let the unknown number ring out
- Light the charcoal without lighter fluid
- Light the number
- Look at the mattress seams before you put your bag down
- Make one free call the day you are told to leave home
- Measure it with your hand
- One adapter, one plain strip
- Open the empty bag before it goes in the bin
- Pass the truck, or drop back behind it
- Patch the jeans from the inside
- Photograph the serial numbers, not just the stuff
- Point the fan at your feet
- Powder under the insole
- Predictable is the kindest thing a driver can be
- Pull over before the gauge reaches red
- Pull the filter out of the dishwasher floor
- Put a drop of soap in the vinegar
- Put the guest network on the fridge
- Put the last jump lead on bare metal away from the battery
- Raise the desk before you buy one
- Reading a nursing home: the air, the nails, and 2 a.m.
- Roll what forgives, fold what creases
- Say no through the closed door
- Say where you are first
- Seal the gaps the mice come through
- See the street at night before you sign
- Set the sugar water beside the bee
- Shocks from the shower mean an electrician — today
- Shut the doors before the fireworks start
- Signal before you brake
- Slide the lid over the pan
- Soak the showerhead before you replace it
- Soak the shrunk jumper in hair conditioner
- Soap the mirror before you shower
- Spinning digs the hole deeper
- Stand the sponge on its edge
- Step at the edge of the stair
- Switch the wet phone off and leave it off
- Take the batteries out before you put it away
- Tape the ends of used lithium batteries and take them to a drop-off point
- Test the pavement before you walk the dog
- The bakery gives away buckets — you only have to ask
- The birds are already telling you
- The box it came in was the present
- The cheapest change is a coat of paint
- The deposit has laws on its side
- The elbow is for when there is no tissue
- The eraser works because it sands
- The exit number is the mile marker
- The first-aid kit is three kits
- The house picks the water heater
- The lint in the trap is your clothes
- The liquor store has your moving boxes
- The microwave stays charged after you unplug it
- The mould comes back until the damp goes
- The restroom minute is a legitimate reset
- The slowdown is usually dust
- The smell is alive, which is why covering it never works
- The steel hones, the stone sharpens
- The tailgater is a problem that passes
- The vest means working
- Tie the two cords together
- Touch metal before you pump gas
- Treat every gun as loaded
- Try a plunger before you pour anything down a blocked drain
- Try the cheap bidet attachment first
- Two duvets, or one size up
- Upload the crop, keep the whole picture
- Use cold water and a filter made for lead, because boiling does not remove it
- Walk the dog before you adopt it
- Wash it in the tub when there's no machine
- Watch the baby animal before you pick it up
- Water destroys paper better than a shredder does
- Wear the glasses when you wonder about them
- What actually keeps you warm outside
- When in doubt, don’t touch it
- When repairs stall, the rent can wait in escrow
- When you move, tell each sender your new address, and use mail forwarding as a back-up
- Where’s the bottom of the tank? Two honest answers
- Why your towels stopped drying you
- Wood heat is cheap only if you burn it right
- Write down the numbers your phone remembers for you
- Your garbage disposal has no blades
- Your neighbour may not know how loud it is
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