You are "taking" them as string, how and more important, why? If you use a DateTimePicker control it has a Value property that returns a DateTime not a string.
So just use that property and don't convert or box the type to object and never convert it to String if you don't want to show it, leave it as what it is, a DateTime variable.
I am creating a reminder, the user has to to choose reminder date an
time, I pass these values over a webservice method so I receive the
values as string.
Then you're asking how to convert the string to DateTime, use Date.Parse or Date.TryParse:
If the format is common:
Dim dt As Date = Date.Parse(dateString)
If it might be invalid:
Dim dt As Date
If Date.TryParse(dateString, dt) Then
' ....
End If
If the format is uncommon or not the same as the current culture(read: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/8kb3ddd4.aspx):
Dim format = "MMM dd, yyyy" ', e.g.: Oct 02, 2013
Dim dt As Date
If Date.TryParseExact(dateString, format, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, DateTimeStyles.None, dt) Then
' ....
End If
DateTimePickercontrol it has aValueproperty that returns aDateTimenot a string.