Avoiding the Derecho's Autumn Harvest | Health

On June 29th, like so many in the path of the Derecho, my power went out around 10PM. For roughly two days. Almost immediately I felt an itchiness arising from my carpet. By Sunday, since my apartment faces West and catches the afternoon Sun, I sought shelter in a hotel, as the temperature in my unit was fast approaching 90 degrees. I'm originally from upstate New York. Growing up, Summer was six weeks. I don't do heat, let alone this!

When I swung by my abode Monday morning, I had power, so I checked out of my temporary digs. The A/C was on; the apartment was cooling; but the scratchiness remained.

After spending the following, oppressively torrid, week cleaning on a daily basis, and making no headway in this war, I could no longer take what had escalated into a constant need to itch and a gritty blackness that my hands picked up with every touch. Having lived with a packrat for twenty years - that would be my ex-husband - I knew the enemy: dust mites. I threw in the towel and had the rugs steam cleaned, and began the long process, which continues to this day, months later, of washing - no boiling - all the clothes in my walk in closet that had been infested. It took a few weeks to get below a reactive threshold to the beginnings of "victory."

I found in the interim that others with no physical damage to their homes were experiencing the same issue and were clueless as to what was afflicting them. So I write this as a public service, particularly since the seasons will soon be changing, and with that will come a switch to apparel that has not been worn in a while. Probably full of mighty mites, so rather than harvest them, don't be rash and get a rash! First wash and then wear to avoid an October Surprise!