To the sleep-deprived carpenter

January 28, 2008

Hi,

You posted something a few days ago, saying that you are not getting

enough sleep because of the mites. How are you doing? Are you

finding the information you need so you can keep the mites away? If

not, ask the group your questions -- many of us can give you ideas

about what to do, or we can tell you what we tried that did or did not

work.

I am currently sleeping on a heavy-duty camping cot made of synthetic

material. I spray it with Arrid Extra Dry every night before I put

the sheets on. I have to be sure that the sheets and blankets don't

touch the floor, otherwise the mites will crawl up from the floor.

Also, I have floor protection cups underneath the feet of the cot, and

I've filled those cups with baited diatomaceous earth (Safer brand

from Ace Hardware's garden section). The diatomaceous earth keeps the

mites from crawling up the legs of the cot.

I have to soak my sheets in the washing machine, with detergent and

bleach for at least an hour before I wash them, and that seems to get

most of the mites out.

I don't leave any of my clothes or linens sitting in drawers or

closets anymore, because the mites got into EVERYTHING made of natural

fiber, and infested it. I couldn't even leave a pair of socks sitting

out for one day without them getting infested. I bought a bunch of

plastic bins from Walmart, sealed the vent holes with duct tape, and I

use those bins to store all my clothes and linens. I labeled the bins

with masking tape so I can find things. It took me about 4-5 months

to figure out that I had to seal up all of my cloth things in order to

keep the bugs out. All of my other cloth things (mattresses, chairs,

rugs, cushions, etc) have gone to the county dump.

I hope your situation is improving.

Aloha,

myrtle

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