Amanda Reykdal

*****************IMPORTANT SUPER IMPORTANT********************

I have been to SOOOOOOO many DE websites, researching and researching it. I like the stuff, really I do...BUT last nights events prompted me to dig a little bit deeper...here's whats up:
My kids, BOTH of them came down with croup...ya know that respiratory "infection?" Anyway, my 10 month old is cutting teeth, he's never had croup before, but my 5 year old gets it almost every time he gets a cold. Needless to say we went through the whole process, just this time with two children, not the usual one. (back and forth between hot steamy shower, and wrapped up in a tight bundle to the outside cool crisp air, 2am trip to wal-mart for stock up supplies of honey, lemon extract, vicks vapor rub & plug-ins) Then it hit me like a freight train...hold on here...5-year old had no prior symptoms, no cough or runny nose, no cold, no flu...healthy as can be. Same with the 10-month old, other than a slight fever, caused by the top tooth breaking through (I can only assume tho-I have no phd in pediatrics) Both kids are in fairly good health. Now here is where this gets pretty interesting...my boyfriend was sanding yesterday, taking some paint off our wood beam...and I assume this is what caused the respiratory discomfort in our kids. Though there was definitely adequate ventilation, I assume maybe not enough? Or not enough time?
This is were the DE comes in to play...AGAIN...no where have I read ANYTHING about this warning, it took my prying to figure this out. Hydrochloric Acid, look it up, its found in WAY too many products that we use, in-particular, its used in things like Lysol and even in Herbal Essence Shampoo...its also used in Goof Off, which is a product my b/f was using to take some of the stubborn paint off...now, I don't agree completely with the use of those chemicals, and I am sure that, in combination with the dust, is what caused the croupy symptoms, however, this is worth mentioning. All you DE experts out there, you already know that the main ingredient is silica...not harmful by any means...actually quite beneficial to us in ways...but, there is one thing that when mixed with, can give off lethal vapors...yes, you guessed it....HYDROCHLORIC ACID (goes by over 100 other names) so, this is definitely something I think people should be aware of, cuz this stuff is found in LOTS of stuff people use everyday...maybe a precaution that should be taken when using anything containing silica, including DE, when using with around or near anything containing Hydrochloric Acid!!!

john,
I have a very important question...if there is an overpopulation of fleas, would they kill an ant infestation? Or does it not work that way? Only ants kill fleas? They are a great deal larger than a flea...and I am not sure fleas are intelligent enough to plan a group attack...I am asking because, ironically enough, there were ants here before...actually lots of ants before. Outside the house, inside the house...mostly in the kitchen on the floor and on the floor in the bathroom, but this year in particular, there is a HUGE decrease in ants. They could even be found on the carpet before...mostly on a nibble of food dropped by mistake, but there were a LOT of them, Smaller ants like maybe the sugar ones, not big carpenter ones...(in case you're wondering, the homeowners are actually my friends parents so before actually moving in here, we were frequent visitors)

I cant say that we've waited long enough or worked the de in our carpets enough for it to be even minimally effective for our flea infestation, but as far as the dust bothering airways...didn't find this was the case at all. Actually, myself, my 5 year old son, and my friends two children had lots of fun sprinkling all over everything in the house, ourselves included. Needless to say, having such young termination helpers, the stuff got everywhere, including the ceiling. It was pretty dusty when all was said and done. None of us coughed, none of us had any symptoms what-so-ever...can't help but wonder if it makes a difference where you buy the de from??? if manufacturing companies are somehow not packaging it the same, or putting other ingrediants in it? would be interesting to run some tests...
Another tip, my bf, suffering from athletes foot for the past 4 years, has tried ever product out there to try and get some sort of relief from it...nothing...recently it got so bad that it was pretty infected...we made a de paste (just water mixed with it) and the next morning, infection was gone! maybe my new baking soda? we shall see

We just moved into a house infested with fleas. Literally infested. Its in Lynnwood, WA 98037. We don't know what to do anymore. We have bombed, we have salted, we have dichotomous earthed, we have steam cleaned the carpets three times, we have steam bleached the carpets, we have used every spray, and every powder out there and we still are infested. We even purchased a large lavender plant and put it right out the main door, still fleas jump on us outside. My bf made countless flea traps with the lights and soapy water. I mean he made BIG ones even, out of the covers of big storage tubs, so many that they almost covered the entire floor of our room. Not sure if this is a different bread of fleas, they are darker in color. (My b'f has this theory that they are rat fleas, not sure though) The homeowners did get chickens and a rooster which resulted in an abundance of rats, but those were all killed, and they were kept in the furthest corner of the yard. They did, however, get rid of all the chickens and the rooster. I think they might still have a duck or two though. My children get the worst of the bites, right now, they are both sleeping (my boyfriend and I can't sleep anymore) and they are both bug sprayed, but I am walking over to them, and one has 4 fleas on him, the other I just picked off 3. Its a split level house, upstairs mostly hardwood, has one dog. They are the homeowners. They rent rooms downstairs (that's us) The only thing that separates the up and down is a lattice wall. They claim no flea problem upstairs. Downstairs is mostly carpet, and at basement level. Two cats down here, one doesn't ever actually come inside. The other has lost a significant amount of weight and has worms (that our cat-obsessed roommate has literally picked out of his behind) The cat is pretty much blind. When my roommate is at work we have bathed the cat, trimmed its fur, flea collar, hell, I even lightly vacuumed the thing. The fleas seem as though they may not be as many on the cat that does come inside, but he still itches like crazy. Fleas jump on us from the moment we walk in the door. They almost seem worse in our room, where no animals go!!! I keep washing ALL of our clothes and bedding over and over and over and I pretty much keep them sealed in large plastic bags. We barely even use blankets anymore, just cuz we figure if the fleas are still here, so must be their eggs and larvae, which all stages of the damn rotten fleas gross me out bad...My kids have bites covering their entire body no joke. My bf was told by the foremen that he didn't want him to come back to work until the flea problem is resolved cuz he doesn't want his cats getting them. Now that's embarrassing. I don't know what to do. Please by the grace of GOD please help.