Natures Wisdom NW020 Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth 1-Pound

I ordered DE originally to get rid of some fleas that had found their way onto my indoor cat. I am a big fan of all things natural, and I tend to try those options first before anything else. However, I had some flea killing treatment I had been using on my little fur baby with no avail. It just did not work, it seemed to be getting worse actually. So after some anxious waiting for my FREE shipping (which arrived TWO days EARLY - I love you Amazon!) I finally received my package. My bag of DE was in a heavy duty zip lock type bag. My only frustration came from trying to get the darn thing open, which I ended up using scissors for, no biggie. My first action was to powder my carpets and the cat tree. It is as messy as people say. I held my DE in a measuring cup, and used a sifter to try to get an even application on the carpet, which was not that easy. I do recommend getting the tool that they will try to pair your DE with. Just get it! If you are using it for a pesticide, it will make your life so much easier. Anyways I applied it to the carpets, and pushed it in with a broom. I have left it there without vacuuming, today being day two. There is no way at this point to tell if its working on the carpets. Now to get it onto the animal in your life. I have a finicky cat, so it was a bit tough to get it onto him. I first tried to sprinkle it on top of his fur, which was not easy. Then I had the idea to use a make up brush that I had laying around, like a powder or blush brush. I dipped it in my DE and powdered my boy away. He sat still for me, and actually seemed to enjoy it! I also caught him rolling around on the carpet. As for the fleas on him, I found one today that I was able to nab. I check him at every opportunity. Whenever he is sleeping or eating or being still, and I have seen a HUGE reduction in eggs/larvae/fleas in ONLY two days. I have only seen him scratch once or twice as well. So far, this stuff is magical. But it doesn't stop there.... Through my research, I have found that you can also take DE as a supplement to your diet (your pets too!) Some people will look at you sideways if you told them you were putting a scoop of this flour like material in your morning drink. Well - I just don't tell anyone ;) Like I said, I am a fan of all things holistic and natural. I waited until the morning after to try my DE in a drink, because I have read that it give you an energy boost. Well - its true! The things I have noticed so far about taking DE as a supplement - I do feel an energy boost. I am definitely more .... regular....(TMI) but my favorite thing so far is the feeling of hydration that I have. It is not something I can really explain. I just feel overall more hydrated. I have started with a heaping spoonful - not big on exact measurements at my house. I usually start my mornings with some fresh squeezed lime juice mixed with water. I just added my DE to that and call it good. I will report back with any more updates! So far, I highly recommend DE for your pet, home, garden, and yourself. Do your research people! ****UPDATE 12/14/13**** I colored my hair (with henna, Rainbow Henna in burgundy to be specific) A few days before I received and started to take my Diatomaceous Earth internally. My hair grows notoriously slow. I read some pretty nice reviews about DE making hair grow faster. I figured this would be a great way to measure how much DE impacts the rate of speed at which my hair grows. Well let me just say, I am in MAJOR need of a touch up! My hair has grown more than half of an inch since I started to take this supplement. Taking DE is worth it, just for this benefit alone! I have been trying to grow my hair out for years, since chopping it all off in a crazy spur of the moment decision three years ago. I am very VERY pleased. As for the fleas, the DE helped considerably. The only problem was getting my cat to stay still long enough to powder him. I did give up at a certain point, and decided to use it for myself only. I do recommend using it on your carpets however, and if you have a calm cat (or dog) definitely powder them. It will help. MY little guy, was not having it. So more benefits for me :) Hope this helped someone in their decision!

I know Diatomaceous Earth has many uses but I purchased it for use against fungus gnats in my potted plants. For any of you who have plants indoors, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Those nasty little/tiny flies that buzz around around your plants but sometimes become brave and fly around your house. You can't really swat at them because they are so tiny and usage of chemical pesticides never seems to work. For years I've used Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) to treat fungus gnats. I've purchased Gnatrol [ http://www.amazon.com/Valent-Gnatrol-WDG/dp/B003E7BGTU ] several times (some reason Amazon cannot find it through the "Insert Product Link" button. I've also purchased Mosquito Dunks 117-6 30-Ounce Mosquito Bits . Without going into too much detail, Bti is basically a bacteria that attacks the larva of mosquitoes/fungus gnats and kills them before they become adults. By mixing the product with water and drenching the plant, you essentially spread the bacteria throughout the soil and as the larva chomp on the organic matter (now contaminated with the bacteria), they eventually die. As I stated previously, I've been using Bti for years and it's always handy to have whenever you have to repot or plant new plants in pots because you never know when you're going to get a contaminated bag of potting mix with the larva already inside. That's exactly what happened to me several weeks ago when I repotted/planted about 10 new houseplants. As you can expect, my Bti solution decimated the fungus gnat population but there were a few stragglers around. The problem with the Bti drench is that it loses it's efficacy every 3-4 days and you have to re-drench. For plants that are very sensitive to overwatering, a couple of my plants started to wilt/die. Despite good drainage, some plants just can't stand that much water and I'm still to this day trying to revive them. Not willing to kill my plants by continually drenching, I ended up buying this product. I've known about Diatomaceous Earth for a while, but never bought it because Bti has worked so well. As you might have read, Diatomaceous Earth works by either cutting up insects (either their soft bodies or their joints) and "bleeds" them out or it works by absorbing moisture and "dries" them out. Upon receiving this product, I ended up sprinkling this all over the top of the soil on my affected plants. I didn't have a sprayer, so I did what one reviewer did and cut the tip of one corner of the bag. Then I gently tapped the bag as the contents "poofed" out. As a precautionary measure to make sure I would get the bastards, I sprinkled a fine layer of it all over the top of the soil (basically think a powdered sugar donut). The ideology behind this method is that when the larva mature to adults, they will attempt to come out of the dirt and to the top layer of soil (where they become a nuisance). If they have to burrow out of the dirt, hit that layer of Diatomaceous Earth and then walk around on it (like they normally do with untreated soil), then they will get cut up in the process. The end result? This stuff killed the remaining gnats. KEEP in mind that the killing method is not instantaneous. Since this pesticide is a PHYSICAL and not CHEMICAL pesticide, it takes time for it to work. I recall for a few days that the affected plants still had fungus gnats flying around them even after I used it. But around the 4th day, I noticed less and less of them until they were completely gone. I'm completely satisfied with this product and am glad to say that both the drench of Bti and Diatomaceous Earth is the ultimate fungus gnat killer combo.

As someone who traveled a lot for work, I ended up with dreaded bed bugs. I battled them for over a year, spending hundreds on professional pest control services, bug bombs, and other remedies, all the while being eaten alive every few weeks. Hours and hours of repeated deep-cleaning, vacuuming, and hot-drying my clothes made no difference at all. I read online that dusting my bed and furniture with Diatomaceouss could kill them and decided to give it a try. I liberally dusted my entire bedroom all around the floor boards, corners, and door frames. I also dusted all of my furniture, making sure to get it in all the nooks and crannies, using a puffer to shoot it into cracks. I put it everywhere. It did take a couple of months. I figured it hadn't worked when I got bitten again. However, after about three months, I cautiously noted that it had been a long time since I'd been bitten. After that, I began to mentally note with each passing month that I hadn't been bitten. Now, it has been over a year and I can confidently say that this product did, indeed, take care of my bed bug problem. According to research I've done online, it works by drying out and cutting up their bodies. This explains why it took a few months to work. It doesn't kill them until after they hatch. There must have still been a few batches of eggs hiding in my home, and those bugs hatched and some of them made it to bite me before eventually encountering theand being neutralized by it. While I now know how to be cautious when traveling to avoid bringing home unwanted hitchhikers, I know that if I ever get those dreaded house-guests again, this product is the answer.

After applying it to my freshly washed Bichon and her bedding, I picked at a small black item, only to notice that ALREADY (immediately after application) it was a dead flea. We dont really have an infestation, but I did notice a few on her occasionally, so I decided to try this. This I noticed even afrer already applying the monthly store bought flea/tick/chemical. I'm happy with what I've seen. Will now apply after every bath and occasionally in between, just to make sure we're covered. This is very dusty people - so be aware of that. I apply it with a cosmetic powder brush, which is now resigned soley for this purpose. Nothing fancy here, but it works for me. (one star down just because of application, high dust factor and cost - especially cost)

Works like a charm to stop ants, fleas and roaches from getting in the house and keeping them out of my garden! Mixed with Neem Leaf powder it works even better! This is the brand of Neem powder I've used: Banyan Botanicals Neem Powder - Certified Organic, 1 Pound - Azadirachta Indic a. The mix ratio I've used is: 2 to 3 parts Diatomaceous Earth mixed with 1 part Neem Leaf Powder. Ants hate this stuff! No, it does not kill on contact. It does take a little while to work since it has to cut through the insects' exoskeleton causing them to lose moisture and then dehydrates them, killing them. This is the best and safest means of controlling unwanted pests like ants, roaches and fleas! Harmless to humans and pets. Be aware it is an extremely fine powder, so when you are putting it where needed, do so without any wind or fans blowing. Wear a filter mask. If you do accidentally inhale it it will just make you sneeze or cough but it won't hurt you - just get some fresh air. I've lightly dusted my cats with it before letting them go play out in the yard. I also dust the areas where they play the most outside. I've also sprinkled it on my carpets and around baseboards and left it for a few days, up to a week, to help kill off fleas. Then just vacuum it up. Be aware that this stuff is indiscriminate as to the insects it can kill. It will kill beneficial insects, like Lady Bugs, just as it will kill fleas, ants and roaches.

My son stayed with a friend with a known bed bug infestation and within a few weeks all five members of my family started getting bites. I called an exterminator and he didn't find any evidence of them but told me what to look for. A few days later I found what looked like a dead bed bug or its skin in the couch. I felt so sick and scared. My son slept often on this couch and had about fifty bites. I researched methods to get rid of them online and came across DE. I ordered it and applied it throughout my house in every room. I bought the shaker and sprinkled it under every bed, around the second couch (we brought the infested couch outside and destroyed it), along all the baseboards, pretty much everywhere. We enclosed the beds and boxsprings in quality bed bug protectors. We put the legs up on bed bug interceptors. I cleaned and bagged up a ton of stuff. Washing blankets drying them then putting in plastic bags sprinkled with DE. I cried and prayed. We had the tell tale signs of smeared blood on our pillows and blankets (before the interceptors). I put a thin layer of DE around the matresses right on the fitted sheet and we all kept blankets from dangling to the floor. I prayed some more. Within two weeks the bites stopped. It's now been about three months and we are still bite free!! I'm slowly cleaning up the powder and thanking the good Lord every day! I should mention in addition to using this brand I also used a crawling insect DE I found on another website. But I'm sure they will all work the same. UPDATE Nearly two years later and still bug free. So thankful for this product!

I have a hairless cat and I could see the fleas on him. I sprinkled the dust on him using a shaker, then rubbed him with my hand. It definitely killed the fleas on him. However my hands were so dry after that. I put it on the carpet, but it has only been down for 1 day. I will report back after I vacuum it up. UPDATE: It took forever to vacuum the rug. This stuff is very fine and kept clogging the filter. However, it did help with the flea problem. Before I used this, I would see fleas jumping off the carpet onto my ankles. After this there were fewer fleas. I don't think this is a complete solution if you already have fleas, but it definately helps control them. I'm going to order another bag and sprinkle it in the yard (hopefully it will work in the grass).

This product was recommended to me by my daughter-in-law. I shouldn't have waited so long to try it! It's a plain, white powder similar to talcum or cornstarch in consistency. My D-I-L said she bought it at a feed-type store in Arkansas. The man who sold it to her demonstrated it's harmlessness to humans or other animals (I have an indoor dog and cat) by putting a teaspoon in a glass of water and drinking it! Anyway, I first bought the little plastic squirt-type container so I could get in tight spots (behind stove, fridge, etc.). I live in Texas, and have been relying on those very expensive exterminators. I have NEVER seen a bug in this house (it's 4 years old). But due to the changes in our economy I have been searching for an alternate way to keep the bugs at bay, and decided to give this product a chance. No exterminator since January, and I have been using this product for about 2 months, and STILL no bugs. As it's about to be high summer here, it's time for the creepy crawlers to start trying to make an entrance, but no sign of them, and I don't think there will be. I am editing this review simply to say DON'T TRY TO VACUUM IT UP!!! I thought my vacuum needed a belt, or something, so I took it apart COMPLETY because once I got inside, it didn't need a belt! It was completely clogged with the DE. I tried wiping it down with a damp cloth. No good. Had to get the LEAF BLOWER to get this stuff loosened up and out!!! And even after the leaf blower treatment I STILL had to wipe some parts that were so clogged the stuff was still there. I WAS NOT a happy camper! However, I'm still using it and still recommend it highly. I haven't had a creepy crawler in the house yet. Just please remember ...... DON'T VACUUM!

Fantastic product to take internally with a lot of benefits however it has a very specific odor like a washing powder or something , this is why I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 just because of that smell

Good

Quality is fine the particles are micro grounded. Multipurpose.