I have tried everything to get rid of fleas but with things tight I was hoping to find home remedies that I could make to git rid of them in my home. Any ideas? Please help.
Jeannie
Here's what worked for our pets: Shampoo carpets with a commercial hot water or steam machine. This may have to be done more than once as you'll probably miss some of the already laid eggs. The combination of hot soap and the great suction of the water removal gets rid of a lot of fleas and eggs.
Mop hard floors with water, soap and either chlorine bleach or tea tree oil if you don't like chlorine. The bleach kills the fleas, but I'm not positive about the tea tree oil. Again, it probably will take more than one cleaning.
Go to a farm store or pet store and get the flea repellent that goes on the pets shoulder-blades. If you live in a town or city, your animals will probably get re-infected from other animals. Ours always com home from the vet with fresh fleas. You can try feeding your pets brewer's yeast, but that didn't work for me. (04/14/2004)
By Lynn
The pie pans with dish soap will work but fleas are attracted to heat. Did you ever notice when you enter a room and they jump on you? What I have done is put a light, like a lamp beside the pie pan this way the flea jumps up towards the light and lands in the dish soap and drowns.
If they are being carried by your pets, I use a flea dip on each animal, use flea products between shoulder blades and flea collars. I will then spay and powder. The fleas come on in cycles so you must treat and retreat within that time period. Remember to throw vacuum cleaner bags out after you are done.
IF all else fails call in an exterminator. (04/14/2004)
By Oklinn
You can buy Borax on the aisle where the laundry detergents are sold. Sprinkle this on all carpeting, upholstered furniture, etc. Let it stand overnight, then vacuum up. Borax is harmless to fabrics, and will not hurt pets or babies. (If you walk on it barefoot, it feels like really fine sand, but it won't hurt you.)
Also -- get a cheap flea collar, snap it to activate it, and put it in your vacuum cleaner bag. That way, if you vacuum up flea eggs and they hatch, they will die. Otherwise, you are supposed to put in a new bag each time you vacuum and discard the old one, which can get expensive.
I've had some success with the soapy water method listed previously; I always put the dish by a night-light so the fleas have light & heat to be attracted to, without a safety hazard of an electrical appliance next to water!
In my experience, the shoulder blade drops MUST be the more expensive kind you buy at the vet's office. The cheaper ones you can buy at Walmart, etc just haven't worked for me. (04/15/2004)
By Becki
In a spray bottle put equal parts white vinegar and water. Mist flea areas, mist pets, carpet, etc. Very cheap and very GOOD. Also go to a farm and feed place and get shaved cedar. Fill pillowcase and sew shut or whip stitch shut.
Sprinkle the cedar shavings around the house and in the garden and flower beds. Works Great! (05/11/2004)
By Mary
We buy Advantage online for less than what the vet and PetSmart sell it. It makes our cat a walking flea trap, the fleas that jump on the cat are killed by the Advantage. Also, check the litter box if you use scoop-able litter, I found fleas in the litter. Spectracide makes a good spray, called bug stop, it's clear and non-staining.
By Kelley
Misty put powdered garlic on dog food and mix it in. My dog just loves it and also loves the brewers yeast tabs just as a treat. (08/11/2004)
By Toni Krys
A friend of mine sent me this about fleas... we both are having problems with our dogs and cats. Hope this helps!
"Eucalyptus
If you live in an area that has eucalyptus trees growing, you're in luck! Go out and gather some leaves and some of the little nuts that they drop. Crush some of the leaves a little, and put them and some of the little nuts in strategic places around your home (i.e. behind furniture). Save the rest in a ziploc baggy so they will retain as much of their scent as possible.
Fleas will leave your home. If they come in on your pets, they'll leave because of the eucalyptus. They can't stand it!
Some eucalyptus oil rubbed into your pets' fur helps them, too" (08/13/2004)
By Marianne
The little white sticky traps for Mice work great also. Make sure it is the white ones. Fleas like white. You can either fold them into a triangle or leave them flat. It is pretty wild to see the fleas that you really have. (08/14/2004)
I am currently battling fleas and a friend suggested dish soap instead of flea soap to wash our kitten. The dish detergent worked as well as the flea soap without the chemical content. I also went thru the house and cleaned carpets and furniture. I plan to continue this until the fleas are gone. (08/29/2004)
By Betty
My family and I have a bad case of the fleas. We have gone to the Vet. and purchased some Frontline for our house cat and Siphotrol spray. We have tried these both and it doesn't seem to be getting rid of the fleas. The vinegar spray is keeping off of our skin for a little while until the vinegar spray dries up. (09/25/2004)
By Viola
To Viola, yes the vinegar and water spray does work wonders. It has done wonders for us along with the 20 mule borax. And I use a bath room brush to grind it down into the carpets and in our living room is hardwood floors and the dining room so I am mopping the floors with vinegar and water. I spray the furniture with vinegar and water mix. And we are dealing with cat fleas. But do a lot of vacuuming. Everyday and sometimes twice a day. (09/29/2004)
By Letha
I would just like to tell all of you that tea tree oil can kill cats or make them very sick and cause long term damage. Don't use it! (10/17/2004)
By kelsey
I use johnson baby shampoo on my dogs to kill fleas. it works good on adults, but you have to re-bathe often for new ones. (03/22/2005)
By debbie
I feed my dogs each a garlic capsule each day. I put it inside a prune. My dogs like the prunes and it is an easy way to feed any medicine. When I had cats I put it in a small amount of canned cat food. I've used the garlic for many years with very good luck. (04/01/2005)
By Connie
I hate fleas. My cat brought them in from outside and we did not know it till our home was infested. Because we have little kids and I am pregnant, I am afraid of the pest control people. What I ended up doing was washing her in liquid ivory soap, killed them instantly, and then put advantage on her. As for the house, I heard that if you sprinkle equal parts salt and baking soda on the carpets and walk all over it to work it in all the grooves, leave it on over night, or 5+ hours, then vacuum it up, the fleas will be gone. The only thing is that they have a life cycle and it does not kill all of them in certain cycles, so i just repeat it about once a week or so till I find there is no more. It may be a little time consuming but at least I know my kids and myself are safe. (04/02/2005)
By Linnea
If fleas are biting you while you sleep, rub baby oil into your skin before you go to bed. Fleas cannot travel easily over the skin so they will not bite you. This can be used on your cat as well. (04/02/2005)
By jessica
Fig leaves. Fleas can not stand something in fig leaves. Put them under furniture through out the house just a few will do. You can even put them under your bed covers. Should put new ones out every 2 to 3 weeks. (04/26/2005)
By dudley
To keep your pet free of fleas and ticks, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to each quart of the animal's drinking water. (05/10/2005)
By RSocash
I've heard Palmolive dish liquid is also good. I also heard using VO5 conditioner after bath is good you still have to rinse the dog. Ear mites can be killed using a few drops of olive oil. (07/08/2005)
By nia
Diatomaceous earth from a garden supply or nursery will get rid of fleas without poisons. It isn't instant, but does work. I tied some in a knee stocking and used that to dust it around the house and on my cat. Don't vacuum it up for a few days (I didn't vacuum for longer than that except areas that were were heavily traffic and got too dirty). The diatomaceous earth is a really fine particle that scratches the shell of the flea but doesn't hurt people or pets like the pesticides with neuro-toxins and other scary ingredients. You can use it outside, too, but it has to be dry to work properly. (07/09/2005)
By Jenny
One thing I don't see here-how many of you have large yards or dirt basement floors? I learned last year to bomb the daylights out of my basement, as the floor is packed earth. I bomb twice a month in May and June to kill off any hatching eggs. Just make sure your furnace is turned off, as the spark from it switching on can ignite the fumes from the bombs. Also, for your yard-Amos pet treatment makes a spray for the yard, or you can do like I did-trim the grass really short early in the year-then on a weekly basis-sprinkle mothball flakes all over the yard. It took 2 years after moving into my apartment to learn all this, and my indoor cats still have fleas. Guess what I forgot? CLOSE THE HEAT VENTS!! The fleas were coming up from the basement that way. Good Luck . Hope this helps. (08/08/2005)
By Lona Smith
I use Borax Laundry detergent and brush it through my carpets and put it under the cushions in my upholstered chairs. Make sure you include the carpets under the beds if you dogs sleep under the beds. I have also heard that people do the same thing with diatanatious earth but I have never used this product. (08/08/2005)
By Carla Sadlier
Advantage will get rid of fleas. By the way, fleas kill cats and dogs. Ask your vet.
Jennifer
Northern Virginia (08/22/2005)
Before using Hartz anything you might want to read this article. The government is forcing them to cease making certain flea products due to the death of so many pets.
Jennifer
Northern Virginia
(08/23/2005)
I have found it very reliable to use a nightlight without the cap and a red bulb, put a little dish of soapy water (about 4 drops to a pot pie tin) under it. the red bulb reacts as the blood along with the warmth of the light then when they jump towards it they drown in the dish of soapy water. Works very well. It's been in the family for years since my great grandma. i know it will work for you. change water when it looks full, you don't want the others fleas to survive on top of the others and get out. (08/30/2005)
By seimprefroggi
Bring 2 cups of water almost to boiling and then add one sliced up lemon remove from heat cover and let steep overnight. Use a wash cloth and apply to pets coat until moist daily until fleas are gone then weekly. (08/31/2005)
By nailfanatic
I had a friend tell me to take hydrogen peroxide and put my cat in the tub and pour it all over the cat watching not to get it in his eyes, nose or mouth. Well let me tell you, the fleas dropped to the tub and died instantly. It might lighten the coat of your cat for a few weeks but it works and is safe for them! (09/12/2005)
By cindy
My small dog was loaded really bad with fleas, she constantly itched and scratched until she turned red and raw and lost her fur. When I took her to the vet he suggested SIMPLE GREEN household cleaner. Pour a tablespoon into a large water picture, Pour onto dogs fur and rub in like shampoo. Do not get near eyes, nose, mouth etc... Rinse repeatedly. Fleas should drop. She also got a cortizone shot from the vet seeing that she was allergic to fleas that really helped.. (09/14/2005)
By Bethany
The salt remedy does seem to work. am currently trying to find out why... but I can confirm that within a few hours of laying LOTS of salt down the fleas seemed to have disappeared! (09/15/2005)
By yzzy
I can relate to all of your flea problems! I have been so frustrated for the past couple of days, but I think I have found a natural solution. I sprinkled 4 cans of Morton's Salt all over my floors in the dining and living room. I have not had a single flea on me since, and that was only about 2 hours ago. Now I need to buy more salt and do the rest of the house! Try it! It really works, naturally, which is very important! (09/16/2005)
By aireyk
We believe that the salt method in the carpet is working instantly for us right now. We have noticed that fleas are dying as I am typing this message. Any more home remedies posted would be appreciated. Thanks. (11/09/2005)
By Casey and Dani Lynn
I used Dawn detergent with several drops of lavender essential oil to bathe my dog. I left it on for 10 mins before rinsing it off. The next day there were no more fleas on her. (11/10/2005)
By Maggie
I have used the Dawn dish soap and the head and shoulders, neither of them kills the fleas, just stuns them. I will be trying the skin so soft tonight before I go to bed if this doesn't work I will have to bring all 4 of my babies to the vet. If you have flea's in your carpet, buy BORAX and sprinkle it on your carpet then use a broom and brush into your carpet leave it on for a few days 2-3 vacuum and repeat this does work the flea's are at the bottom of your carpet that is why you need to brush in the borax so it gets deep into the carpet not only does it work but it is safe for the whole family. good luck all
(11/27/2005)
By Jessie.
Sprinkle regular table salt on the carpet and furniture, leave for a whole day and vacuum. Repeat 3 days in a row, skip three days and repeat. This attracts the fleas and dries out the eggs and the fleas, if you run around barefoot it may dry out your skin a little and your pets won't be harmed by the salt. (12/07/2005)
By
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
