Best Home Remedies to Get Rid of Fleas

Best Home Remedies to Get Rid of Fleas

Baking Soda And Salt

Mix equal parts salt and baking soda and sprinkle this mixture over the carpet and flooring, and leave the mixture undisturbed for about an hour. Sprinkle it everywhere you think a flea infestation exists. After about an hour, sweep from right to left with a strong broom so that the baking soda mixture goes deep down through the carpet, down to the flea colony and eggs. After ensuring you have been able to reach most of the flea colonies, leave the swept mixture for twelve hours to an entire day, depending on how severe the infestation is.

The salt and baking soda dehydrates the fleas and eggs so they are not unable to survive. Repeat this flea home remedy or treatment everyday for at least a week until most of the fleas are dead or dying. Vacuum the carpet and other places where you applied this mixture to clear away dead larvae, pupae and fleas.

Vacuum

Vacuum clean your home thoroughly, right from floor furnishings to nooks and crannies, curtains, sofas, chairs, upholstery, beds, bedroom furnishings, kitchens and other places in your home. Vacuum cleaning is one of the most effective flea home remedies that cleans your house of eggs, larvae, pupae reducing the infestation in your home. The vibrations caused by the cleaner causes the pupae to hatch, making it easier to kill flea colonies with an insecticide later.

Following a full vacuum of your house, it is important to clean out the vacuum bag immediately and throw away the content outside in the trash can rather than at home since fleas can easily find their way back from the bag to your house if thrown in the garbage can at home. Empty the vacuum bag immediately following the cleaning. Vacuum your home atleast thrice a week if you know that a flea infestation exists. This is one of the most easy ways to rid your home of pests.

Herbal Fleas Spray

If you have been thinking of a flea bomb loaded with chemicals to eliminate fleas from your house, you must reconsider once and give a try to this herbal spray instead. This homemade flea spray uses such ingredients as lemon juice and witch hazel. They are entirely safe for your pets and kids. Here’s the recipe for this herbal flea spray.
Get this:
Vinegar- 1 gallon (a little less than 4 liters)
Water- ½ gallon (a little less than 2 liters)
Lemon juice- 16 oz. (a little less than 500 ml)
Witch hazel- 8 oz. (a little less than 250 ml)
Fresh vacuum bag- 1
Home and Garden Sprayer- 1 (this sprayer should be able to hold at least 6-7 liters at a time)
Do this:
You need to do vacuuming and then spraying with the flea spray.
Collect everything that cannot be vacuumed and wash it at the hottest setting of your washer. This kills even the larvae and eggs of fleas.
Now vacuum properly. Vacuum each corner, upholstery as well as cervices with the help of various vacuum attachments. Use the fresh vacuum bag. This ensures unrestricted air flow. Debris that collects from earlier vacuuming may hamper smooth air flow.
Now mix vinegar, water, lemon juice and witch hazel.
Fill this liquid mix into the garden sprayer.
Spray using a heavy spray.
Spray your carpets, furniture, pet bedding, window sills, floors, every nook and corner of your house.
Do this daily for at least 2-7 days depending upon how bad is the flea infestation in your home.
When fleas become less noticeable, you may then repeat every 3-4 days and thereafter once a week throughout the flea season.
If you start using this non toxic spray just when the flue season is approaching, you will need to spray only once a week throughout the flea season.

Diatomaceous Earth

Now what is this Diatomaceous Earth (DE)? It is the the microscopic remains of fossilized algae, diatoms. It is a very fine powder, just like flour. Diatoms are the type of algae that can be found in freshwater as well as in saltwater. But how does this Diatomaceous Earth kill fleas?The cell walls of Diatom are made of silica which in turn is a component of glass. The exoskeleton or the hard shell of fleas or such other insects are vulnerable to the sharp edges of microscopic diatoms. The silica shards in DE cut through the hard shell of fleas and dry them out. This leads to death of fleas as well as of their larvae. What is more important is that DE is non-toxic to human beings and animals. But the only one which belongs to food grade category and not the one used for pool filtration systems.
How to use Diatomaceous earth to get rid of fleas?
Here are the steps that you should follow to use Diatomaceous earth to kill fleas.
Brush off all your carpets and vacuum thoroughly. Wash off everything that you can’t vacuum, with hot water in your washer.
Now wherever you think the fleas or their larvae might hide, sprinkle the DE in thin layers. You can safely sprinkle DE on your carpets, pet beddings etc.
Leave the Diatomaceous earth in all these places for about 12-48 hours. While fleas start dying 4-6 hours after you treat your home with DE, it’s still better to leave the thing for longer.
Now vacuum away all the powder and remember to discard the vacuum bag.
You may even use this Diatomaceous earth in your yard but this will need a large quantity of the powder.
Precaution: Always buy the food grade DE. While this Diatomaceous earth is non toxic, it is still a fine powder that may get messy and irritate your eyes or throat. So, it is desirable to wear a face mask while working with any such fine talc like powder. Don’t ever buy DE used for pool filtration systems as they are hazardous when breathed in. Diatomaceous Earth, however, is not so effective in humid environments and also when it is wet. Use it in dry form only. Try to avoid DE from coming in contact of the skin of your pets as this may dry out their skin

Calendula Oil

When your pet is infested with fleas, the itching could be intense and maddening. It’s unfortunate that they cannot communicate their feelings to you. For relieving their discomfort and preventing the fleas from getting attached on their furry coats, apply calendula oil generously on their furry body. Calendula oil will help keep the fleas away from their bodies and prevent them from getting attacked in the first place.

Vinegar

When your pet is infested with fleas, you could be stressed out preventing the fleas from getting into your house. This could be easier said than done. To keep them out of your house, take one tsp of vinegar and add it to 5 cups of water that you give your pet for drinking. Vinegar is a disinfectant and will help to kill the fleas in your dog’s body. You can use a vinegar bath for your pet before shampooing his body with an antibacterial shampoo. Apply vinegar on his body and leave it for 15 minutes before you wash it off.

Ammonia

I use ammonia to get rid of fleas. I close the window and then pour it on the carpet and anywhere your dogs lay. Take your dogs and cats out of the house for at least 4 hours. When you come back in, open all windows. There should be no more fleas. Just run the vacuum all through the house and give your dog or cat a flea bath.

When I do this, I don't get fleas back in my house for a good year.