The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Dish Soap and Lamp Method
Posted by Anne (Jacksonville, Arkansas) on 01/11/2009
★★★★★
I recommend this effective flea removal technique that has worked for me in the past. Plug a nightlight in near the infested floor area and using a shallow plastic pan or even a cake pan--a large size 9x13 or so fill with water and dishwashing liquid mixed together. The fleas will jump toward that light during the nighttime hours and fall into the soapy water and die. Empty and repeat several days. Continue this treatment until the fleas are gone. If you have a bad infestation you might want to try in several locations throughout your house. Good Luck
Salt
Posted by Cait (Waycross, GA) on 01/11/2009
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
Ok, an update on my "magic salt remedy"...so, it seemed the salt worked for the first week or so. I continuously left it on my carpets even when I began to see a significant reduction of fleas. Well, I went out of town for 2 days, left my carpets salted while I was gone, and when I got back, my infestation was out of control! Actually worse than it had been initially, which I really didnt think was possible! Im trying to Borax on the floors now, and am thinking about going and getting alcohol to spray on the floors and bathing the cats in blue dawn dish soap. I hope something works, because Im at my wits end and really cant stand this anymore..I will keep everyone updated again if anything seems to work. Just be cautious of the salt working long term is my advice I suppose
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Dianna (Austin, Tx) on 01/01/2009
i had forgotten to say that when i first got my little chihuahua that the breeder had used frontline on him and that he had a big red sore that didn't go away for months on the back of his neck and between his shoulder-blades where they had put it. all his hair had fallen out in that location and he scratched constantly. he didn't have ANY fleas - but you could tell that the front-line was not good for him in any way. try the pine tar soap! when the frontline wore off and his hair grew back and the irritation went away he got bad fleas and the pine tar soap worked a miracle! no more fleas and no poison necessary!
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Dianna (Austin, Tx) on 01/01/2009
you do not ever have to use poison every again for fleas!!! i have a tiny chihuahua who had fleas so bad that i was bathing and flea combing him twice a day. finally i found grandpa's pine tar soap and washed him with it and immediately the fleas were gone. it only took one other time to wash him and he has not had fleas since and it has been months. i live out int he country and fleas can get really out of hand here in the summer. this was really a god send for me. try it! you may have to wash a couple of times - but just lather it up and let the foam sit and then flea comb and the fleas just jump off. good luck.
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Cait (Waycross, Georgia) on 12/31/2008
I would not ever use this AGAIN! I know its supposed to be the best preventative remedy for fleas on pets, but the side effects are just not worth it. After moving into this duplex and it being infested with fleas, I bought Frontline for my 2 indoor cats. I put it on them, and within a few days started noticing little spatters of blood on my tile. One of my cats had a severe allergic reaction and his poor neck broke out in bloody sores! I ended up spending $200 at the vet to get his poor skin back to normal. a month later, he is still scabbing up and has to get frequent (and expensive) steroid injections from the vet. I felt like the worse mommy ever, and my poor boy was in so much pain!
Salt
Posted by Cait (Waycross, Goergia) on 12/31/2008
★★★★★
I am absolutely AMAZED at how well the salt worked to get rid of fleas!! I recently moved to a duplex with my 2 cats while my husband goes on tour to Iraq. I have never had a problem with fleas and my pets. It was literally in just a matter of a day or 2 that my home was INFESTED! I called my landlord and he had the pest control company come and spray my house. He told me flea eggs can lay dormant for up to 2 years. I am a neat freak, and frequently vacuum especially around baseboards. He said this couldve hatched the leftover eggs and thats why the infestation occurred so quickly. The spray that the pest company did had ZERO effect on the little nuisances, and both my cats, and I were at our wits end! I was being eaten alive and was ready to break my lease and find a new place! I got on here, and read salt would work. I was reluctant to use chemicals because of the fact both my cats are indoor pets and I was really worried for their safety. I heavily salted the carpets (2 large containers of salt for my 1200 sq ft duplex), and used a broom to get it deep in the carpet. I let it sit overnight, vacuumed the following morning, and lightly re-dusted the house with salt. Within 2 days I had NO fleas! I have seen 2 since I did this treatment. I must thank you all for your input, I would recommend salt as a safe and natural remedy for flea infestation, and also as a preventative measure!
Garlic
Posted by Ann Marie (Indianapolis, Indiana USA) on 12/30/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
Garlic (& other onion-like plants) are REALLY NOT that good for cats. It adversely affects their blood cells.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by June (KC, KS) on 12/25/2008
Hi, I bought my DE from www.herbalremedies.com. They have great prices. I mix it in my cat's food, and sometimes sprinkle it on their fur but don't use it on the carpet.
As far as keeping fleas out of your house, vacuum of course, this kills fleas. I mix up a spray that really helps. I use a blend of any of these oils: neem, eucalyptus, tea tree, citronella, etc...and add water in a spray bottle. Add as much oil needed to get a strong smell, roughly 20-30 drops of each oil. I spray this on the carpet as often as I need and lightly on furniture. It helps repel and will also destroy eggs.
I've also read you can place liquid dish soap in a plate and put these around your house. The fleas are supposed to be drawn to the soap and drown. You then pick up the plate, dump the fleas and start over. I haven't tried this, but heard it's a good remedy.
Also, google for information on www.holisticat.com. This site charges for membership, but their old posts are free to read. They have great suggestions on natural pet treatments.
Borax
Posted by Rosy (Orlando, Fl) on 12/23/2008
★★★★★
I use Borax in my carpet for fleas and it didn't hurt my cats, but they didn't like it on their feet. It works best if you leave it on for a while. What I did was sprinkle under furnature and leave it there. I applied to the carpet that we see and let it sit for 5 hours. I just confined the kitties to a screaned porch for treatment. The borax left a film on the carpet, so wear socks after you vacume. Also vacume before and after the treatment. Empty your bag/canister, and spray filter with tea tree or neem oil. That way the eggs in the filter don't hatch and reinfest your house.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Kira (Saratoga, NY) on 12/23/2008
I bought my "food grade Diatomaceous Earth" off of Ebay. There's lots of people selling it there. The private websites wanted a minimum order placed that was too high for me.
Borax
Posted by Cait (Waycross, GA) on 12/22/2008
I read on here you could sprinkle borax and salt on your carpet to get rid of indoor fleas. Would the borax have any effect on indoor cats?
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Stacey Rae (Brentwood, CA) on 12/20/2008
I need help finding the product you recommended for ridding your home of fleas. I cannot find this "Diatomaceous" non earth product, nor can I find natural Borax. Could you please give me some suggestions on where to find these products? I have tried the local nurseries, they only have the "earth diatomacieous". Thank you
Essential Oils
Posted by Laura (Cambridge, Ontario, Canada) on 12/06/2008
★★★★★
Skin Allergy Remedies for Pets
Lavender Essential Oil Spray.
This works so well my dogs actually ask for it! I just use about a 1/2 oz of pure lavender essential oil in a spray bottle filled the rest of the way up with water. In the summer, my bichon and lab both get 'hot spots' on their paws and seem to become a little obsessive about chewing on them, especially at night. When it gets to be too much they will walk over to my night table and whine until I open it and give them a squirt or 2 of this mixture and they calm down, stop itching and go to sleep. Lavender is a natural bug repellant too, and is also great as an antihistamine. There have even been times when my lab will go get the bottle and bring it to me... can you believe it!
Garlic
Posted by Janice (Bodmin, Cornwall, UK) on 11/30/2008
★★★★★
my gran used to breed dogs for crufts many years ago, she told me she never brought flea or worm products but used cloves of garlic chopped up and put with the dog food once a month,i was dubious about this old wives tale, but there is always an element of truth in the old tales, ive tried garlic on my four dogs, ages ranging fom 16 down to 5 months, they are all healthy, havent seen no fleas or worms, im a believer.
Garlic
Posted by Nena (Johnson City, TN) on 11/25/2008
★★★★★
i have use garlic on my dog for years and they have no fleas and very heathly.and havent had to treat my home for fleas in years and i bath them in tea tree shampoo that adds to help flealess in tenn....just a speakle of garlic powder on their food each day
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Maxine (Havana, Arkansas, USA) on 11/13/2008
★★★★★
Not allowed to mention brand names. Do a search for cedarwood oil, there is a company in Texas and that is all they sell is Texas cedarwood oil. This stuff is a God send. It even kills bedbugs, headlice, fleas, ticks on contact. I have used many natural products for fleas , this is safe for even the youngest or pregnant animals. This stuff is only toxic to pests. Completly safe for humans. It smells good too. Got tired of toxic stuff on my 4 yorkies. It is all natural. One of there products is for soldiers in iraq , kills sand fleas. Also bugs can not get immune to this, unlike chemical products, bugs develope defences to. This is the only product I use for pests. I am not afilliated with this company in any way.
Dish Soap
Posted by Rachel (Underwood, Indiana) on 11/13/2008
★★★★★
I found out about dish soap years ago it works great. Kills the fleas instantly. But yes, they tend to run to the eyes and mouth area to escape the suds. My Mom was a dog groomer and taught me a way of protecting the eyes from the sting of soap,put a drop of MINERAL OIL in each eye before bathing the animal. the animal will not get soap in their eyes and you can make sure you can get close without hurting them. Now you still need to be careful around the nose and mouth areas. So try to put a barrier of soap around them so the fleas will not go there. Keep in mind though that you do not want to get Dawn in their nose or mouth, so be really careful when rinsing off. Try a wet rag in these areas. Also Dawn does tend to dry the skin out, so the animal may start itching the dry skin. If you put Avon's Intensive Treatment Lotion on the animal it helps with their dry skin and really lushes the coat. It also repells the fleas for several days, but it does make the coat oily when you first put it on, after a day tho the oil soaks in. You will notice a HUGE change in a very short time.
Dawn will also kill lice and mites. If you have a bird mite problem, wash the cage down with dish soap and spray the bird with a mite spray specially for birds.
I really love ___ for killing fleas. As a matter of fact, when I see someone at the store looking at flea shampoos I stop them and tell them not to waste their money, just buy a $1 bottle of ___. It kills fleas instantly and you don't have to have your animal sitting shivering waiting for 5-15 minutes with the flea shampoo which does not work anyway.
Rubbing Alcohol for Flea Infestations
Posted by Tangie (Jefferson City, MO) on 11/13/2008
★★★★★
I have a Chow German Shepard mix & a Lab both are outside dogs. In the summer months we had a problem with the biting flies, which causes bad sores on my dogs. I used (ACV/Water)1 cup of apple cidar vinear to 2 cups water sprayed my dogs every other day and it helped a lot.
Don't spray on open wounds.
I also have 2 small dogs and a cat inside the home that have fleas I use 70-90% full strength rubbing alcohol put it in a spray bottle and spray the carpets and all cracks and crevices of floors (carpets and tile) not good on wood. Not good around birds, I saturate one room, close the door and then go to next room.
Important:
* Put birds in a room that isn't being treated.
** Do not stay in the sprayed rooms leave until carpet/floor dries.
Once I had a flea my arm and ankle I spritz the area with the alcohol and the flea died instantly.
Essential Oils
Posted by Sarah (Portland, OR) on 11/12/2008
Be careful with essential oils like lavendar, tea tree, eucalyptus and others around pets. They can act as endocrine disrupters and are toxic to pets.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Amazon Thyrteen (Fresno, CA, USA) on 11/09/2008
First of all I want to say "NEVER" try anything on your pets you won't try on yourself. I won't give anything to my pets that I wouldn't take myself. The best rule of thumb is use human grade (whatever)you're using on your pets! I've noticed a lot of comments on Diatomaceous Earth. I would like to say that the only grade that is good for animals is the same grade that humans use, Freshwater, food-grade DE. If it doesn't state on the package that it is certified, food grade then you don't want to give it to your pets, period! I also noticed that on this site someone mentioned the use of "Neem Oil" it is a really good oil to use that is 100% natural. If anyone is interested in finding out more about Neem Oil go to,
www.organixsouth.com or call 1-888-989-Neem(6336). This oil is good for human use also for dry skin and scalp treatments. The one that I use is Thera Neem ,skin soothing 100% pure cold pressed. I'm one of their customers and have no affiliation with this company and I'm not getting anything for this endorsement, this is just great stuff!
Essential Oils
Posted by Alison (Houston, TX) on 11/05/2008
★★★★★
I am so happy I found your site! I read your suggestion for bathing your pet in essential oils such as lavender, bergamot and cedar. I went on line trying to find a product with these ingredients and found something called Wondercide which you spray on your animals fur - and it is working! I have an older Mastiff who suffers from major flea allergies. Her rear and tail were raw and hairless. All I did was spray the stuff on her and now she is doing great. Her hair is back, she smells better, she is free of fleas, and she is no longer incessantly licking and biting herself. I also sprayed her bed with the product and use it in my home and yard. Our home and family are now finally without fleas. BTW I live in the flea capital of the world - Houston.
Neem Seed Oil
Posted by Sue (Hazel Green, WI) on 10/23/2008
★★★★★
I tried the 1 oz Neem oil with 8 oz. vinegar in a spray bottle. It is working fantastic. I have 3 cats and are having a bad time with fleas this season. This spray has worked wonderful on them. They are enjoying not scratching and playing around more. Thanks so much for this web site. Keep up the great ideas.
Neem Seed Oil
Posted by Gabriela (Pahoa, Hawaii) on 02/24/2008
★★★★★
My pet recipe: Neem Seed Oil (100% pure only). I use it on everything, when our pets have itching, they scratch constantly and inflict wounds on themselves. If they have tics in their ears, they might inflict a wound somewhere by constantly scratching on the outside.
Neem Seed Oil is against parasites, mites and tics and fleas. It is also anti-bacterial. I used it on little turtles, chickens and cats. These are our only animals. I am so confident with this. I have solved problems, the vet said, were psychological. In one case, it truly was. Our cat was not stopping to scratch herself and inflicted wounds on herself because we had been away for some time and she was traumatized. I solved this problem by using Neem Seed Oil on her wounds first and then I put a little dog-shirt on her (like a T-shirt for tiny doggies you can buy). She was so estranged about the funny thing on her body that she forgot about her licking and couldn't anyway. After a few days, she got it off herself and had all forgotten her obsessive licking. When I use Neem Seed Oil, I put it on my hands, and oil the animals generously on all the spots necessary. They hate it - but usually one or two treatments are enough.
Dish Soap
Posted by Celine (Pine City, MN USA) on 10/22/2008
★★★★★
I came to this site looking for a remedy for the three cats we have. For the first time in two years of having them they have acquired fleas. I know I had allergy reactions to the Hartz formula for dogs so I switched to switched to frontline and no longer let the dogs on our bed. But keeping the cats off the bed wasn't going to happen so I needed a remedy that I wouldn't react to so I went to search for a natural one. After all fleas have been around for ages. I found this site to the answer to my prayers and my animals. I first tried dish soap. The cats didn't seem to mind it. I used a flea comb to make sure they really got lathered up with it. I started at the very top of the neck with just the dawn, as a contributor suggested. Because the fleas will move upward to where they can go where there is no soap. Then I wet the cats down. Then I lathered them up real good. The dish soap killed them! The cats have no fleas. I'm going to spray them down with Apple Cider Vinager to make sure they stay off of them before I let them outside. (The dogs are inside with no fleas) I will report back how well the ACV works at keeping them off but I'm confident it will. Thank you for having this site!
Dish Soap
Posted by Sherri (Houston, TX) on 10/16/2008
★★★★★
I TOTALLY agree with ___ Soap for killing fleas! It worked so well that fleas seem to "run away" from the suds -- I'd started sudsing my dog's back around the shoulder blades, then washed his neck. Next I was going to start on his ears, but when I lifted one of his long floppy ears, I was mortified to see hundreds of fleas lined up next to each other to escape the soap. It looked like small brown fish scales at first, they were so close together; it actually nauseated me a little to see it.
I poured out a LOT of ___ onto a washcloth and went to work on the fleas in his ears, then rinsed them under the tub spigot to make sure they rinsed off. But I never bathed him in that order again -- I came up with a much better system over time:
I wrapped a soft washcloth around my index finger, then applied a generous dab of ___ to the end. I carefully worked in the soap around his eyes, nose, and mouth area, being careful not to get any soap too near the sensitive areas. I made sure to work the area under their chin too. Then I got the inside of his ears sudsy to prevent the fleas from escaping to that area when I worked the rest of his body. I continued down until I reached his neck area, and all around the neck zone.
Next I did his privates, then tail, then hind legs -- I didn't want the fleas to escape to his private parts like they did in his ears the last time! Finally, I could work the rest of his body in any order I chose to, because I had put up a suds barrier to all the escape areas.
Sherri
Dish Soap
Posted by Stephanie (Ft. Worth, Texas) on 10/16/2008
★★★★★
We just tried the ___ Dish Soap method for getting rid of fleas. It appears that it worked like a charm. In the past, when using standard over the counter flea shampoos, we would see them crawling and have to pick them off by the dozens. With the Dawn, there were NO crawling fleas--only dead ones. And...the best part of all is that the cats didn't seem to mind it nearly as much. My guess is that it didn't sting them like the other shampoo.
Thank you very much for giving us a better and safer alternative for flea removal.
We have used the ___ in a dish with the light for home flea removal in the past. Thanks for the reminder of this "forgotten" rememdy as well. We are about to try it today as well.
Stephanie and 2 grateful cats
Dish Soap, Garlic and Lemon
Posted by Jamie Lopez (Lansing, Michigan) on 10/16/2008
i was just woundering about the lemon remedy that you put on the pets can you also use that to spray on your furniture too?please help i am in need of help bad .thank you.
