Things You'll Need
Table salt
Vinegar
Spray bottle
Borax laundry additive
Vacuum cleaner
Shallow pan
Lamp
Small white towel
Dish soap
Pets, as well as humans, bring fleas into the house, where they will live for what seems like an eternity. The life cycle of a flea has four stages in which they are determined to feast on you and your pet. At their most resilient stage, they are tiny and protected by a hard cocoon-like shell that keeps them safe for up to a year. Fleas will stay hidden in a house until they "hatch" and begin breeding trillions of offspring. Many people, as well as their pets, are allergic or highly sensitive to chemical flea treatments. However, you can use natural flea remedies to kill fleas and keep them from coming back.
Sprinkle salt on carpets and furniture and allow to set for up to two days. Vacuum up the salt with a vacuum clean that has been prepared with salt in the bag or canister. Vacuum daily during a flea infestation.
Sprinkle Borax on floors, carpets and furniture. Allow to set for up to two to days. Vacuum daily during an infestation.
Fill a shallow pan with a white cloth, water, and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Place the pan under a bright light on the floor overnight. Empty the pan in the morning; it will be filled with hundreds of dead fleas.
Fill a spray bottle with a solution of white vinegar and water. Spray the vinegar solution on the carpets, furniture and even the pets. Vacuum the carpets and furniture immediately. athe animals with a flea shampoo and add some vinegar.
Tips
Topical flea liquids are available for once-a-month treatment, and they should be used year-round even if you only see fleas in the warmer months. Fleas can surface on a warm day in winter.
Check with your veterinarian to see if your dog or cat can take the new flea preventive pill. It not only kills the fleas on the dog, but in the house and in the yard and seems to work as well as the topical flea controls.
References
Photo Credits
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insect image by Czintos Ödön from Fotolia.com
Writer Bio
Gina Stewart began writing in 1986 for the "Suburban Journals." She attended the University of Missouri-Columbia in her early 30s, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After graduation, she started writing for the "Centralia Guard" newspaper and the "Columbia Business Times." Today she is a freelance writer for many of her own clients who own blogs and websites.