12345jj's Profile

i second the food-grade diatomaceous earth. it's an inexpensive powder that you brush on so that you can't see it. when small bugs touch it, it cuts their skin and dehydrates them over a few days. you could even brush it on the toilet paper. like baby powder, it's safe as long as you don't breathe in a bunch of it. a small amount of it will last you forever because you don't need to make piles of it. we used it to exterminate bed bugs. exterminators will just toxify your home at a significant monetary and health cost to you, and bugs could come back, but the d.e. powder lasts indefinitely as long as you don't rub it off. it's not an instant repellant, though...i wonder about electrifying your screens? :)

just came across this post...uggh. i'm feeling embarrassed by this whole thing. i rented a closet for $100/mo in west philly for a year, same sq ft as this article, shared a bathroom with 5 other ppl., used the money for other more important things while finishing ivy league degree. also later lived in a storm drain in CA while working at a top university...used a bathroom at a local coop. needed the money for other more important things. Now me & husband & kids share a "small" 1 br/1 ba and often have family living with us, and it feels so luxurious and wasteful. i wish my tight spaces looked a tenth as nice as the one in this article! i also wish everyone was more understanding about the need to conserve space, money, and resources. you want more space? go take a stroll outside.