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.
Boric Acid Powder or Head and Shoulders
Posted by Tania (Stockholm)
★★★★★
For fleas in dogs wash them with boric acid powder or Head and Shoulders. Use white vinegar in the water just a little. Sprinkle Earl Grey Stash tea and fleas will run dogs love it could be the reason they roll in it!
EC: Boric Acid can be toxic to dogs.' Read more about this on our Mange page.
Dish Soap
Posted by Candice (Victorville, CA) on 11/21/2006
★★★★★
We rescued two kittens, just to find out that they were infested with fleas. Since they were so young they could not use the traditional flea baths/powers/creams. This is when I searched (earthclinic) and seen the remedy. I decided to combine a couple of them.
USED:
*Dish soap (Ajax, but any will do).
*Rice Vinegar (this is just what I had)
*Baby shampoo
*tweezers
*Heating pad (optional)
First-what I did was filled up the sink half way with lukewarm (make sure not too hot, because what is comfortable to us is hot to them) I then added the VINEGAR (any vinegar will work!) I put a very good helping.
Second-I dipped the kittens in the vinegar solution (minus their heads) then I began to massage the DISH SOAP on. YOU WILL SEE THE FLEAS RUNNING! They will be running towards the head. This is when you lather the kitten with the BABY SHAMPOO ... try your hardest not to get any in the eyes.
Third-Now dip the kitten back into the solution (making sure not to get the head wet) and use a cup or your hands to make sure that you are saturating the fur entirely.
Fourth-This is where it gets tricky. Using a pair of tweezers, tweeze off all of the fleas that you can. THIS IS TIME CONSUMING! But it is worth it! When done tweezing, redip and then rinse off with lukewarm (not too warm) water, and towel dry.
This is when the heating pad will come in handy. What I did was set it on LOW, and put a towel/small blanket over it and then set the kitten down on top if it (first checking to make sure that it wasn't too hot) this is when I went flea hunting once again. This was about an hour process, with two kittens. Once I was finished, I towel dried them very well, and the kittens went right to sleep. I haven't had any reinfestations and I only did this the one time. I have 10 (all rescued) cats and it would be very hard for me if they became reinfested, but so far so good! THANKS!
Essential Oils
Posted by Maryanne (Savannah, Georgia) on 08/23/2006
★★★★★
ESSENTIAL OILS, LAVENDER AND EUCALYPTUS, A FEW DROPS OF EITHER ON BEDDING OR THE BATH WATER GIVE GREAT RESULTS. IT CURES FLEAS AS WELL AS BITES OR CUTS AND SCRAPS. THE LAVENDER IS A HEALING AGENT. NOT TO BE GIVEN ORALLY BUT IT WORKS ON MANY PROBLEMS. I DO DOG RESCUE IN MY CITY AND I ALWAYS HAVE MANY IN MY HOUSE. THIS REMEDY IS VERY HELPFUL FOR ME AS I LIVE ON A FIXED INCOME AND ENOUGH TO GO AROUND IS ALWAYS AN ISSUE. IT TAKES VERY LITTLE OF THE OIL (I ESPECILLY LIKE THE LAVENDER BECAUSE IT SMEELS GOOD AND SEEMS TO BE CALMING AS WELL. THANKS FOR YOUR SITE, IT IS VERY HELPFUL TO ME. GOD BLESS
Essential Oils
Posted by dmpuppyove (Harrisburg, PA) on 04/15/2007
★★★★★
I am allergic to fleas really bad. I am also in rescue & can have as many as 10 dogs in my house (and on my bed) at a time. So I cannot afford to have fleas as I break out in hives. For 20 years this is what I have been doing. First I use a baby castle soap that I get at the health food store that has either tea tree oil, lavender or eucalyptus in it. Then every week I spray them outside with this- (I put 1 inch of Avon skin so soft bath oil in a quart bottle & fill with water) I have also sprayed my house now & then with a mixture of water & peppermint oil . I never have fleas. I can't afford to- my health will not tolerate it. And this also repels the mosquitoes & ticks.
Salt
Posted by Sandra (Pasadena, CA) on 05/08/2007
★★★★★
Last year we had a really bad outbreak of fleas in our house. My 2 year old kept getting bites all over her body and my husband and I too. I didn't want to use all the toxic powders or even boric acid since she has asthma. I got desperate and bought 10 cans of salt from the store and sprinkled it all over the house (mainly the carpet). Let it sit for 4 days and then vaccumed with a vaccum that has excellent sucction and a HEPA filter. THE FLEAS WERE GONE!!!!!. I guess the salt dehydrates them and kills the eggs as well. IF you live in a humid climate don't leave the salt in the carpet too long as it retains water. Wash all the linens and couch cushions etc....repeat the vaccum every day for 3-4 days to get all the salt out.
Lemons
Posted by Donna (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) on 06/30/2007
★★★★★
My dog had fleas when she was four months old, and I didn't feel comfortable using flea medication on her because she was too small for store bought medication, and the stuff from the vet was too expensive. I read that there's something about lemons or lemon juice that repells fleas. I cut some lemons into quarters, and covered them with boiling water. I let the water sit overnight, and in the morning poured it into a spray bottle. I sprayed her several times a day with the lemon water, and also put some crushed garlic into her food. The fleas were gone in no time, and since lemons and garlic only cost a couple of dollars, I saved lots of money!
Crab Apple Flower Essence
Posted by Lynn (St. Petersburg, Florida) on 07/01/2007
★★★★★
I own several cats, and I recently moved to a new house where the new sod was infested with flea eggs/larvae. Within 2 weeks we had a flea infestation second to none. My cats go into the back yard which has a Cat Fence-In System, which keeps them in, but they brought tons of fleas into the house. I spent hours online searching for a non-toxic remedy. I ended up using diatomacious earth in the yard, which helped quite a bit. However, my cats were still scratching and miserable. I found that within the true homeopathic remedies of flower essences, "Crabapple" essence took care of the problem. There are others in different lines of homeopathic preparations which work also. I put two drops in their water bowls, and was putting it in their food, but only need to do the water bowls now as they are no longer scratching and chewing themselves raw. There are remedies for earmites, too. I think it's important to let people know that I am NOT referring to herb oils or plant extracts. Those didn't work for them. Essences are completely different and work on a vibrational level, which for some sounds unbelievable, but try it for yourself (it's at your health food store, and cheap) and do research online, with "flower essences" or "homeopathic remedies" for pets, and with some digging you will find it. Please feel free to contact me for further information as I would welcome the emails. Thanks.
Lavender Oil
Posted by Shirlena (Oakland, MO) on 02/27/2007
★★★★★
Using Lavender essential oil does get rid of fleas on the dogs just like others have said. It will also keep them from getting fleas in the first place. If they do come in contact with them outside, they won't stay on them long.
Here's what I do. I make an all-purpose cleaner for most of my house cleaning that keeps all bugs out. Here's the recipe:
1-cup alcohol
1-cup distilled water
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops peppermint oil
Mix in a 24 to 32 oz. Spray bottle. Shake to mix then spray on and wipe with soft cloth, if needed, use a different dry cloth to buff. Use on just about anything and most surfaces.
My dogs, since they were puppies have slept in a wire cage each. They go to bed at night at the same time and they stay in their home cages while I run errands. They feel safe and secure there. I clean the wire cages with this mix and there have been no bugs on or in the cages. We've not had one bug of any kind (not even spiders) in our house since I started using this mix.Bugs of all kinds hate lavender. This recipe can be altered without any problems. You may use only lavender oil and omit the peppermint oil. You may use different amounts of any of the ingredients and it will still work fine. Also by using this mix, everything will be sparkling clean.
Thanks for a great site.
Lavender Oil
Posted by Pamela (Granite Falls, Washington) on 08/02/2007
★★★★★
Yes...to LAVENDER for flea control. I recommend lavender castile liquid soap to bath them in and diluted essential oil lightly applied to their coats between baths. Initially, I started using lavender because I am so sensitive to chemicals. Now, I use it because it works so well.
Pure Lemon, Rosemary and Lavender Oils
Posted by Pati (Orangevale , California) on 08/03/2007
★★★★★
I have a Purebred Turkish Angora Cat that is 18 years old now & has never been sick a day in her life. So experimenting I decided to mix a few drops Pure Lemon Oil into my hand with natural Organic Shampoo & bathed her in that mixture. It rids her of any Fleas and Itching & makes her white long hair shiny & bright! It does not dry out her skin. So I decided to use just a drop or two of pure Lemon, Lavender & Rosemary oil mixed with my shampoo a large amount on my hand & left it on for a minute or so & then rinsed very well. I then Conditioned with Organic Conditioner or Marine Conditioner from the Sea & now my hair stops falling out, the itching has stopped from dry scalp & my hair is thick, very long down to my lower back and shiny.
Diet
Posted by DZ (CT) on 09/10/2007
★★★★★
Last spring I started my dogs up on Advantage flea control, thinking I would need to carry through with monthly application until November. Well, I ran out of it in June and decided to wait as long as I could before reapplying (not a big fan of chemicals). I am still waiting! I have combed off a few fleas in the 3 months, but no more than one at a time, with weeks passing before finding another one. What's amazing is that they go to the dog park several times a week and theoretically should be covered in fleas! I am guessing it is their good diet and regular exercise. I feed them Blackwood kibble for senior dogs (one of my dogs is young, but she gains weight fast on regular kibble), partially undercooked turkey or beef, and a teaspoon of molasses. I personally think that dogs who are infested with fleas are probably eating low quality kibble... if you've done your research, you know the kind of disgusting, cancer causing ingredients in the cheap stuff.
Dish Soap
Posted by Robin (Mansfield, OH) on 07/19/2006
★★★★★
We have two dogs and four cats. Needless to say, fleas are a major problem in the summer. Upon searching for a flea killing product, we were told by a local store employee to try ___ Dishwashing liquid. She had used it on her animals and claimed that it worked. We were desperate and would try anything reasonable. Sure enough it worked!!. While bathing the animals, we saw the fleas literally running from the soaped areas. We scrubbed the animals throughly with a brush while bathing them, making sure that the soap was completely throughout the fur. We reallly found dead fleas in the water and on the floor after the bathing was done. Wash your animals once a week with this product and the fleas will not be a problem.
Dish Soap
Posted by Laura (Umatilla, FL) on 11/07/2007
★★★★★
For your pet, Fill your kitchen sink with 1/4 body temperature water. Add ___ dish soap, white vinegar and baby oil together to form a bubble bath. Have a baby shampoo ready for their head.
Ease your small dog, or kitten/cat in the bath (use rubber gloves so you don't get scratched) Immerse the body and not the head!
Pump some baby shampoo on to your hand and rub on their neck and between the ears across their head. The fleas are Dead!
For your HOME: Use ___ dish soap in a glass pie plate with water 1/2 inch deep at several sunny places in front of a door and/or window. The fleas jump in and die. Change the water every day and in less that 1-2 wks ALL fleas are gone. A guy for a pest control company wouldnt charge me because of my little kids and the risk of inhalation of his chemical. I stuck to his intruction and WOW I was flea free! Its cheap too! The ___ dish soap and a hose water sprayer kills bugs off my bushes in Florida (I love dawn dish soap!)
Dish Soap
Posted by Michael (Shell Beach, Ca) on 03/03/2008
★★★★★
We just bathed one of our cats with the ___ dish soap method and it was amazing. It was like instant the fleas had no time to run and hide and didn't even know what hit them. By the end of the bath we had a not so happy but flea ridden cat. Thank you so much Michael and Christin
Dish Soap and Lamp Method
Posted by Nicci (Midland, MI) on 10/26/2006
★★★★★
This is a remedy my grandmother used. It is safe for the pets, and easy to do. Just take a little dish saucer (one that sits low to the ground), fill it with water and add two drops of dawn dish soap. Place it on the ground in the corner of a room along with a desk lamp. Turn the lamp on and let it sit. The water may need to be changed every couple of days. This remedy works well especially at night because the fleas are attracted to the heat of the lamp, so they jump in the water and the soap weighs them down and the drown. Very effective on minimal flea problems.
