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.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Doglover-gsd (Morganton, Nc Burke) on 08/17/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
diatomaceous earth - is a poisonous vapor producing substance.
Dish Soap
Posted by Stacy (The Woodlands, Texas) on 05/15/2009
★★★★★
We just bathed our 5.5m old puppy with a mixture of Dawn, Joy Lemon and three drops of lemon essential oil. I mixed about 1.5 tablespoons but prob only used a couple of teaspoons. The fleas were jumping off of him onto my dress as I bathed him. We dried him on a white towel that became full of dead fleas. We scanned him and all but one of the fleas we found were dead on his body. He is a very tiny chihuahua, weiner, schnauzer mix and prob doesnt even weigh 5 lbs. I doubt it took longer than 5 minutes to totally bathe him.
Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Fran Lord (Union Point, Ga.) on 06/03/2009
Having problems with fleas on our dog. The vet said the dog was alergic to fleas. The liquid my daughter puts on his neck makes the dog sleepy. I am going to try apple cider vinegar and brewer`s yeast but what is ACV you talk about. Fran Lord
EC: ACV is short for Apple Cider Vinegar.
Dish Soap
Posted by Kim (Mountain View, Ar) on 07/23/2012
That's not true that essential oils are bad for cats, it's a scare tactic. I was advised by my holistic vet that lavender oil, peppermint oil and cederwood oil were all good for repelling fleas on dogs and cat, I used these oils on my dogs and cats and they worked well. For cats I mix 1 drop of oil to 3 cups of water before applying to cats fur. With dogs I use a much stronger mixture. 10 drops of essential oil to 2 cups of water. I also recommend using coconut oil {food grade} to kill and repel fleas off cats and dogs. The fleas hate coconut oil but the cats and dogs find it very soothing and healing.
Salt
Posted by T (Maryland, USA) on 01/11/2009
Try diatomaceous earth, which can be found at the big name home improvement stores in the lawn and garden section.
Also, when you vacuum, if using a bag be sure to seal and dispose of it EVERY time you vacuum. Bagless vacs can have the canisters thoroughly washed in hot soapy water - wash the filters too, every time. Fleas/eggs stuck in there will perpetuate the problem if you don't.
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Doug (Knoxville, Tn) on 09/18/2012
★★★★☆
This summer has been the worst for fleas. Have been fighting the critters for a few months on our lab and cocker. spot-on chemicals did nothing. I'm done spending money on monthly treatments and have read some of the research that is a bit scarey. I called the company of the one I recently used and was told, "the product works, your dog must be picking up new fleas daily. " So what good is it if they stay covered in fleas??? I am currently using the cedarwood oil I bought on line from a company in texas. It came with a 1oz. Spritzer you can refill from the jug. easy to use. It works as well as advertised, will kill a flea in seconds. We have used it frequently on the dogs with no harmful side affects. The only draw back is that it doesn't continue to work for any length of time. If the problem is bad, like ours has been this summer, the fleas return. But a heck of a lot cheaper and safer than spot on treatment. The 32 oz bottle should last quite a while. We've started a more aggressive approach with some of the ideas we found here, I. E. Brewers yeast, ACV, etc.. The cedarwood oil spray has worked well, but as you probably know.... the little critters tend to stay out of sight most of the time.
Cedarwood Oil
Posted by Crq (San Diego, California) on 11/23/2012
For the past two years I have been using a wonderful natural insect repellent for my dogs. It is a completely natural product using Lavender, Cedarwood, Rosewood, and Patchouli essential oils in an organic base of olive oil, shea butter, and beeswax. The product is excellent and smells great.
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 Sindee (San Diego) on 04/12/2015
My furbabie and I had so much fun playing fetch in my back yard then we came inside and began to itch and saw dozens of flea. Neighborhood cats like to congregate there and I just got this pretty little goldendoodle now we are fighting off fleas. I'm going to try several of these remedies and report back later. Thank you for all the great tips.
Don's Flea Remedies
Posted by Don (Southwest, Michigan, USA) on 10/01/2008
★★★★★
Before vacuuming, pour a half-cup of moth crystals onto an area of flea infestation and then leave the crystals in the vacuum bag until it is full. It will kill fleas and any insect vacuumed.
I buy a bag of the lavender moth tablets at any discount store. They have two tablets in individual packets. I put a packet in my vaccum everytime I change bags to kill any critters I vacuum up. The lavender oil smells good too.
You can make a terrific flea repellant if you steep a quartered whole lemon in a pint of boiling water overnight then spray lightly on dogs back, hind quaters and on belly between front legs. You could probably also make it with two tablespoons lemon concentrate and one quarter tsp. citric acid to a pint of water.
Garlic
Posted by Shore1204 (North Cape May, New Jersey) on 08/27/2012
I am having the worst time with fleas this year. I have bathed my dogs in the lavendar dog shampoos, used advantage 11& armor spot treatments and cant seem to keep them away. My poor choc. Lab has it worst to where she is starting to lose hair. She dosent like the vet every vet I try is patient with her but I do not want to stress her out on top of what she is going through. What can I do. Somebody please help me.
Dish Soap
Posted by Sue (Hazel Green, WI) on 09/01/2008
★★★★★
I just bathed my 2 8 week old kittens with the vinegar and dish soap recipe. We picked some fleas off. It seemed to work for now. Hopefully no more for quite a while. Thanks for having this posted on this sight. I had been looking for a safe remedy for little kittens. They are comfortable under a blanket with a heating pad.
Dish Soap, Garlic and Lemon
Posted by Sherry (Wilmington, DE) on 08/04/2008
★★★★★
I had used Frontline on my two dogs in the past and they would both run and hide as soon as they saw that tube come out. Both of them had lowered red blood cell counts and the vet said that he didn't know why. After having read somewhere else that the prescription flea treatments were causing lowered red cell counts, I discontinued it. when the fleas started up again, I read some of the remedies on this website and decided to try the Dawn detergent first to get rid of them. GONE!! Worked like a charm. Since then, I've put a little garlic in their food and have been applying lemon juice to their coats (they don't run from the lemon juice!). I have had not flea one and their red blood cell counts are back up where they should be. I wonder how many more years have been added to my dog's lives by using natural methods? Thank you so much!
Dish Soap, Garlic and Lemon
Posted by Connie (New Liberty, Iowa) on 09/12/2008
i too used to be a frontline user. until this year. not only did the fleas still run all over my poor old girl but she got a major flea allergy on her pink skin from front line not working. i called them and they tried to tell me i was not doing something right lol . i have worked with dogs for years. used to work at an animal shelter. i live on a farm i think i know. i tried lemon joy last night and dawn before and both killed the fleas. now if i can find something to keep them from jumping on her and ideas out there. have a great day =]
Essential Oils
Posted by Nancy (Long Beach, CA) on 07/08/2008
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
I was referred to your site by someone in the discussion of flea treatment, specifically cats.
The information you provide re: garlic and lavendar, rosemary, etc., is in direct contradiction with my knowledge and what was posted on other websites. My understanding is garlic and essential oils such as lavendar and rosemary are toxic to cats. I've included an excerpt from one site for your info.
"http://eartheasy.com/article_natural_flea_control.htm
Cats should not be given any essential oils, period.
The use of essential oils with cats is a potentially volatile combination. Cats do not efficiently metabolize essential oils and their use can lead to symptoms of toxicity. In addition to essential oils, cats have known metabolic sensitivities to certain herbal preparations and allopathic
medications. Because the cat's body does not efficiently excrete essential oils, they can build up to toxic levels. Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite, lack of energy and shock. In addition, cats have very thin, delicate skin. Essential oils are absorbed rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream, overwhelming their systems. Cats dislike strong odors and generally keep away from strong scents -- even highly diluted essential oils.
Many people find that they can use essential oils on their cats with no obvious adverse effects. Although one or more applications of an essential oil product or blend may not cause immediate harm, the effects of essential oils can be cumulative and manifest themselves at a later date in the form of toxicity for which owners and vets often can find no attributable cause. (source: www.aromaleigh.com)"
What's your response?
Thanks,
Nancy
Borax
Posted by Lisa (Home) on 06/08/2017
★★★★★
W---M--t sells Borax in boxes. Near laundry washing supplies. It works! After hundreds spent on vet bills and latest greatest treatments, Borax did it $3. For fleas, ticks, external mites...mange, etc. Keep away from dogs eyes and don't let them ingest any EVER!
Salt
Posted by Chu (Edmond, Oklahoma) on 05/13/2008
★★★★★
FLEAS: hi, i've been using salt in my carpet for flea infestations, i have a cat that goes in and out of the house like 7-11, so i will get reinfestation every once in a while, the first thing i tried was salt, i sprinkle it all over the carpets and leave it there from 3-7 days, and then vacuum it up, and no more fleas.
i had also tried diatomaceous earth but it didn't really work for me i used permaguard food grade fossil flour, and i was uncomfortable using it cause it is bad for your lungs, so from now on i will only use salt cause if its safe enough to eat i won't have to worry. i use the cheapest one i could find at 33 cents a can. i bought idolized and unidolized i don't know if it matters though.
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.
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 Sassy (Gold Coast, Qld) on 12/20/2010
★★★★★
Hi all, Neem oil is really fantastic stuff. But just I little bit of info, its classed as an insecticide, so using this if you have frontline etc on you animal will actually cause the frontline to stop working. Also, the drop things you put on the back of your animals. These actually work in the natural oils on the skin, so they don't really work until the flea actually bites the animal. Thanks :)
Beneficial Nematodes
Posted by Brian (Ft. Worth, Texas) on 01/17/2008
★★★★★
I have gotten rid of almost all fleas in my yard by applying beneficial nematodes - found at organic garden centers. This helps keep my JRT from getting infested and then bringing them inside with her. ACV is great to keep fleas and other undesirables off of her, and I love the other natural rememdies on this site. I think if anyone loves their animals, they will not use harsh, dangerous, or otherwise bad chemical solutions for problems!
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Nancy (Reddick, Florida) on 01/02/2008
I have been raising westies for many years, which are a very happy healthy breed. Last spring I bought one of the two major spot on flea products here in the USA and administered it to all of my dogs. All 10 got blisters from it. I asked my Vet what to do and he said I must have gotten a bad batch. Well, this whole year of 2007 none of my females had puppies, thats two heat cycles. They would come into season' normally and everything seemed right, but could not get bred. I started researching the ingredience on the flea product since they had a reaction to it. Boy was I shocked !!! This product is the first ingredient listed and everything my girls were going through showed up as side effects from this man made chemical. Drastic alterations in thyroid functions, changes in the levels of sex hormones, the list goes on. Needless to say, I spent alot of time and money at the Vets for tests on my girls/boys and they couldn't give me an answer.I contacted the manufacturer and they denied having any problems with the product. This chemical CAN also stay in the pets system for up to 56 days. So, if you give your dog this product as recommended every 4 wks. you're double dosing him with chemical. I also have friends that live in diferent parts of Florida who breed and used this product this year. The same thing happened to them, I will never use commerical flea products again.Please everyone, Take a minute and research the ingredience on anything you buy for your pets.
Side Effects From Frontline
Posted by Debbie (Northville, MI) on 07/20/2008
PLEASE REPORT THE FRONTLINE PROBLEM TO THE EPA. Last week I had the vet put Frontline on both my Yorkie and Silkie.They were perfectly healthy five year old dogs. They both almost died. Started with them being lethargic and edema developed at the application site, this went to seizures, shock, hair loss you name it. Keep in mind that the head person from Frontline contradicted herself by saying "this is impossible and in the next sentence when I told her she would be paying my bills she replied by saying "we handle all such cases on a case by case review" huh? sounds like this is a problem-check out some links by doing frontline poisoning online. you will find hundreds of such reports. Also the UK puts this right on the label--can cause lethargy, seizures, shock, hairloss, sores and death. Gee, too bad our country doesn't do this--it is the EPA that controls this-have your vet report it too. I am desperately trying to decide what chemical free options to try.
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 Kelly (Rogers, Ar) on 06/11/2008
I used the squeeze on my 7 yr old lab I thought he was going to die 30 min later. He was foaming at the mouth wouldn't eat or drink, he just lay there. I called the poison control number on package and they told me it coats their mouth if they lick it. So to give him tuna packed in water and give a bath in dish soap such as Dawn then watch and make sure he didn't have any other problems.It and other products of this kind can cause diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration. The tuna worked for that but he had an allergic reaction and now has hot spots he did not start getting until after sentry was used. I have tried so many things I hope the acv and peppermint works just tried tonight.
Dish Soap and Lamp Method
Posted by G (Buffalo, NY) on 11/09/2007
★★★★★
Please Post. After having my house INVADED with fleas...I used the flea bombs, shampooed my rugs, threw any thing I could in the dryer (rugs, bedding, clothes that the kids had left on the floor, etc.) on high heat. The dogs and cats were dosed with the flea medicine that is put on their necks that I bought on line (also available at the vets, but you don't have to take your animal in to have them checked first and only takes about 2 days to receive in the mail..costs the same)..I could tell that the fleas literally fell off on my cat! I sprayed the rugs with a spray (more than once, but supposed to last for 6 mos.) that I bought at the pet store. I also went to the dollar store and bought nightlights to fit into any socket I could get to in all the rooms infested. Under the nightlights, I placed WHITE bowls of water with just a few drops of dish soap (mix it around, doesn't matter what kind/color). The soap covers the fleas and makes them sink to the bottom of the bowl. The light colored bowl allows more light to be absorbed, attracting the fleas. Even after everything I had done previously, I was still finding fleas in the bowls (a couple every day or so.) for a few weeks. But, I believe that keeping my pets on the 3 monthly dosage of the flea medication is what finally ridded our house (but, remember, my house was infested) because it kills the fleas on bite, no time to lay eggs. If I found a flea on me, or one of my animals, I would just get a small glass of water, add a few drops of dish soap, place my fingers under the water and release the flea...it sinks...it can't breath, and dies. (works for ticks also.)
This "light colored bowl of soapy water" also works great when placed next to candles outside to attract mosquitoes!!
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 and Lamp Method
Posted by Brenda (Princeton, Kentucky) on 10/13/2007
★★★★★
Dawn Dish Soap in water helped my son to get rid of some fleas in his home. I came across your website to see if I could find something to help his flea problem. I told him about the use of a low bowl with water and dawn dish soap placed in the corner of a room with a desk lamp turned on at night. He tried it except he used a nightlite. The next morning, a lot of fleas were floating in the water. He is having better success with this method than any other he has tried. Thank you very much for your website.
Crab Apple Flower Essence
Posted by Paul (Oakland , CA) on 08/13/2008
Hey thanks...i'm trying the crab apple essence....two drops in the water....how much in the food...?...one...two drops?... once a day?...have you heard of any ill effects? I also ordered "Flea Free"...which is at least not a super deadly chemical like Frontline etc....Paul
Crab Apple Flower Essence
Posted by Sarah (Los Angeles, Ca) on 09/19/2011
Hi... Is this also safe for dogs? I have a 4 lb. Chihuahua and am loathe to use chemicals on her. She got sick when I gave her brewers yeast. Thanks!!
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!
Essential Oils
Posted by Dudley (La, Ca) on 12/05/2010
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
PLEASE NOTE::::
Everything I have read says that tea tree oil and lavendar oil among others are very toxic cats... Please be careful and speak to a vet before putting any essential oil on them!!!
