u/overwhelmed_underdog

If any of you remember me and my sweet, gnat-fighting kitty (cat tax second photo 🫡) from this post, I hope you will all be excited to hear that it is DONE!!! The circumstances were less than ideal---it took a small flea infestation stemming from the roommates' cat requiring spraying to finally get me to clean (and, more importantly, to finally ask for help). My brother came by this weekend and helped bag trash and laundry, vacuum like hell, and douse the whole place in a good flea spray. Now not only does my sweet boy not have to fight gnats, he's also feeling much better from his new flea medication and a deep clean of our room. Thank you everyone for the support, and if anyone can learn anything from me, help CAN be there if you ask!!

This is the closet in my apartment bedroom and the source of a veritable ton of gnats currently taking over my living space. A combination of physical disability, a set of stairs and a several-minute walk between my room and the dumpster, and years of hiding any evidence of eating from abusive parents (creating a horrible habit) means for several months now, every piece of trash gets thrown into the closet and the door swiftly closed behind it.

The gnats finally hit the breaking point. I have an ACV trap set out for them, but I know it won't do any good until the trash is gone. My sweet cat is running himself ragged chasing after them. I'm at my wits end, I've been brought to tears by this a dozen times in the past week alone, but even just thinking about opening that door again fills me with unending dread. And to top it off, I'm currently between jobs and will not get paid for weeks, so I'm working on only the materials currently in the house. A dozen or so flimsy trash bags, a half-full bottle of ACV for traps, some dawn power wash, and the gnawing fear of anyone (save for apparently any number of redditors) ever finding out about this.

I have all night. I won't be sleeping anyway, with all the gnats flying around. Please just tell me it isn't too late.