Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.)

[badger]

ugh, I was disgusted at those "rid your worms" sort of herbal supplements you can get and the description of some of the stuff that was coming out of the people attesting to those products. I didn't think I had them, too.

I used diatomaceous earth once when I had fleas. Was told that the sharp edges would slice them open and kill them, but considering you need to squeeze them between your nails to kill them, the DE hardly did anything to them.

[KnottedYet]

Best thing I ever found for fleas is the vacuum cleaner with disposable bag.

Looooooove my vacuum cleaner.

We had a massive flea invasion from the carpet when we moved into our new apartment. I vacuumed every day, bathed the dog a couple times in regular shampoo, sprayed him with cedar oil doggie fur conditioner, and problem was solved within a couple months.

Carpet is just yucky. So many yucky things lurk in carpet.

[makbike]

I absolutely love to teach symbiotic relationships to my students. My middle schoolers eat it up, squirm, tell me how disgusting it all is but they love it - the more disgusting it is the more they "eat it up." I am looking forward to pulling my tapeworm and roundworm collections out in a couple of weeks - will be the talk of the school - my short moment in fame m Long live our parasitic buddies.

[malkin]

One of my (few) favorite things about living here: NO FLEAS!

Not sure if it is the altitude or the lack or humidity or something else (like the politics, maybe?) I've heard that fleas burst at high altitude but I don't know if that's true. Once driving over Donner Pass a bag of chips exploded and scared the $%^& out of me; if fleas explode, they do so much more quietly.

[badger]

my place is all wood floor, and in the 10 years I've been here, I've had the occasional flea bite, but I've never had to treat the animals or "get rid" of the fleas. I hate carpet, it's so disgusting, I'll never have it in my home.

[emily_in_nc]

I hate carpet too. We moved into an apt. with brand-new carpeting in June, and it already has worn traffic spots, making it a PITA to vacuum in those areas, places where our dog has thrown up (we've cleaned, of course, but it's never quite the same), and who knows what other nastiness lurking within.

Looking forward to our condo in Belize which will have all tiled floors. At least then when it's grubby, you know it!

Carpet = nasty

[OakLeaf]

I hate tile, too. It's miserable to stand on for any period of time, freezing cold in winter, and heaven forbid you should drop anything on it. Plastic will shatter if you drop it on tile.

I loooooove cork. It's not inexpensive, and if you get it as a floating floor, you can't put it in bathrooms where it's likely to get standing water on it. But it's beautiful, comfortable, sound- and temperature- insulating. It's resilient and hard to damage, but if you do happen to put a dent in it, it hardly shows.

Bathrooms first, and they have to get either tile or linoleum, and I think DH has me talked into tile (appearance over function ) ... but I can't wait to re-do our kitchen with cork flooring.


Edit: OOOOOH, they now have cork in glue-down tiles that are okay for wet installations. Hmmmmmmmmm.

[Crankin]

We seriously considered cork for our kitchen/entry way. But, it was just too expensive.

[TsPoet]

I hate tile, too. It's miserable to stand on for any period of time, freezing cold in winter, and heaven forbid you should drop anything on it. Plastic will shatter if you drop it on tile.

I loooooove cork. It's not inexpensive, and if you get it as a floating floor, you can't put it in bathrooms where it's likely to get standing water on it. But it's beautiful, comfortable, sound- and temperature- insulating. It's resilient and hard to damage, but if you do happen to put a dent in it, it hardly shows.

Bathrooms first, and they have to get either tile or linoleum, and I think DH has me talked into tile (appearance over function ) ... but I can't wait to re-do our kitchen with cork flooring.


Edit: OOOOOH, they now have cork in glue-down tiles that are okay for wet installations. Hmmmmmmmmm.

You've got dogs, right? I'm looking at cork, too, but worried about scratches...

[OakLeaf]

I'm between dogs right now, and the cork in the downstairs went in after the last one passed away. But, one of the things that sealed our decision was seeing cork in a high-traffic area in the flooring showroom. I'm sure it gets the best of care there, but still. We brought home some samples of various materials to test out, and the salesperson was explicit that we could treat the samples however we liked, to see how well the floor would function. They were really hot on bamboo, but that stuff was fragile. We could dent it with a fingernail, and I'm sure they needed a new sample after we were done with theirs. We tried to stress the cork sample within reasonable limits and literally couldn't damage it. Just about anything we did would bounce right back out. Furniture legs don't even leave an impression after months.

Here's my favorite illustration. Not too long after we put in the floating cork floor, we were moving out an old tube-type TV. It was a small one, 20" or 22", and I'm not sure what it weighed, but those things weren't light ... probably 25# at least. I had it sitting on a bench, and it tipped and fell onto the floor from a height of maybe 18", onto a corner of the case. That did leave a dent, but if it weren't for the residue of silver paint, you wouldn't even be able to see it, and it's barely noticeable as it is. But also, the TV didn't break.

[emily_in_nc]

I hate tile, too. It's miserable to stand on for any period of time, freezing cold in winter, and heaven forbid you should drop anything on it. Plastic will shatter if you drop it on tile.

We won't have to worry about the freezing part...we'll be in Belize.

It is hard underfoot, I agree. I plan to wear Crocs or cushy sandals when I have to stand awhile, like in the kitchen. Plus use a small rug wit a pad underneath at the sink and stove.

Cork just isn't an option in Belize...being a third-world country, options are limited. But the tile is lovely and feels great underfoot in a hot climate. Nice on a doggie's belly too.

[tulip]

My parents have cork floors in their kitchen. They had a golden retriever until recently (he was 13 when he died, and they had had him since he was 3). Ten years of golden retriever claws on the floor in front of the dog-biscuit cabinet really left a mess. The cork is all scratched up there. The rest of the floor is holding up fine, though. It's just where the 60-lb dog did his dance every day that shows the wear.

Personally, I'm sticking with the wood floors that came with my house. I'll have to refinish it eventually, but it's been here for over 70 years and it'll probably be here another 70. I have the original wood floors in the kitchen, too.

Back to DE, I have heard it used against slugs in the garden. As for parasites, they are with us all the time. Every once in a while, I read something about some colon cleanser that cleans everything out and cures all ailments. It sounds really gross, and I figure that eating lots of carrots and apples and psyllium husks will be beneficial without the grossness of those ads. Why do I read those things??

[Miranda]

Crimony... wished I would have read this thread before I got in the freezer for ice cream... coulda saved me a few calories... EWWE... lol.

[KnottedYet]

Those are calories your worms NEED to stay fat and healthy!

[OakLeaf]

Those are calories your worms NEED to stay fat and healthy!

LMAO ... I think I'll have another snack.