Rid Your Home of Fleas Naturally

As summer draws to a close, the kids head back to school, and the tomatoes begin to get ripe in earnest, the world holds its breath in anticipation of another long-awaited event: the first frost—which will put an end to the legions of fleas that invade the house in summer. The spiders seem to lurk all year round.

I don’t like using chemical pesticides, but in years past I have sometimes been driven to desperation. A couple of years ago, I felt I had to flea bomb the whole house. While this did take care of the problem, this summer I decided to look into natural methods for ridding the house of fleas.

It turns out that there are many natural substances that repel fleas. Some of the best are citrus, lavender, rosemary, mint, eucalyptus, geranium, citronella, and tea tree oil.

I recently discovered a recipe for a homemade all-purpose household cleaner made with orange peel.

NATURAL ORANGE HOUSEHOLD CLEANER

Pell two oranges and put the peels only into a pint jar. Add distilled white vinegar to cover. Close with a tight-fitting lid and let stand for one week. Pour off the liquid and discard the orange peels.

This yields about a half-pint of a delightfully orange-scented household cleaning liquid that hardly smells of vinegar at all.

You may want to double the recipe!

HOW TO MAKE NATURAL ORANGE HOUSEHOLD CLEANER INTO A SUPER FLEA REPELLING CLEANER

To the orange/vinegar cleaning liquid, I added about 20 drops of lavender essential oil and about 20 drops of rosemary essential oil. Both these oils, when used as household cleaners, give your home a lovely fragrance.

The combination of lavender, rosemary, and orange is a triple-whammy flea repellent!

To use this cleaner, mix about ¼ cup of the cleaning liquid with 1-2 quarts of warm water.

NEXT, CLEAN ALL HARD-SURFACED FLOORS AND FURNITURE WITH THIS AROMATIC FLEA-REPELLING CLEANER

A good thorough housecleaning does a lot to rid the home of fleas, simply because their eggs are scrubbed up and poured down the drain. Adding an aromatic cleaning solution to the mix drives away adult fleas and keeps them from coming back for at least a week, and maybe up to two weeks. You might want to use rubber or plastic gloves when scrubbing with this cleaning solution, since it is pretty strong, even after diluting with water.

This will make your house smell wonderfully fresh and clean!

If you don’t consistently scrub all the floors in your house once a week, you are perhaps not alone. As a working mom, much of my cleaning regimen consisted of cleaning up spills and trying to control clutter. But if you want to control the summer flea population, you will need to up the ante.

I noticed an additional plus, this cleaner seems to act as a contact poison to flies. First their absence becomes noticeable—and then you notice that you are sweeping them up off the floor.

UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE, BEDS, AND BEDDING

If fleas have invaded beds and bedding—and they surely have, especially if children allow pets to sleep with them—bedding must be washed in hot water and dried at high heat, to destroy fleas and their eggs. Mattresses should be vacuumed.

Scroll to Continue

Everything Wrong With Vigor

Barbarian: Scariest Horror Movie of the Year

Revolutionary Buddha

Another way to repel fleas from beds is to moisten a cotton ball with lavender or rosemary essential oil and take a few swipes at the mattress with this before making up the beds with fresh linens. Don’t overdo essential oils on mattresses. Not that much is needed, and you don’t want the smell to be strong enough to disturb sleepers. The cotton ball you used to apply essential oil to the mattress can be tucked into a pillow sham.

Upholstered furniture should be vacuumed, and cotton balls soaked in lavender or rosemary essential oil can be tucked behind the cushions. One cotton ball per item of furniture should be sufficient. You may not want to even lightly swipe upholstered furniture with cotton balls of essential oil, lest it leave unsightly smudges that might attract dirt.

RIDDING CARPETS OF FLEAS

Decades of living with children and pets have given me something of a horror of carpets! They are ideal nesting places for fleas, and every spill, dog or cat “accident,” and every speck of dirt tracked in and dust blown in will impregnate carpeting for the rest of geological time. Even if you shampoo the carpets when needed…well, much of that stuff is still there. You will realize just how much of it is still there when you pull up the carpeting to replace it, either with new carpeting or some other kind of flooring.

Granted, it’s probably worse if you live on a gravel road in the country and like to open your windows in nice weather.

To rid carpets of fleas, vacuuming and then steam cleaning carpets—and upholstered furniture—is the recommended approach.

For natural flea-killing treatment for carpets, mix equal parts salt and borax and apply to your carpets. A flour-sifter works well for this. Leave this on the carpets for 24 hours, to allow time for the mixture to kill fleas and their eggs, and then vacuum it up. Be sure to discard the vacuum cleaner bag in an outdoor trash receptacle.

Wash rugs and pet bedding in hot water and dry in a hot dryer.

Should essential oils be applied (lightly) to pet bedding? This is okay for dogs, but not for cats. Cats are sensitive to most essential oils, many of which can make them very ill.

PREVENT AND GET RID OF FLEAS ON DOGS, NATURALLY

The best discussion for preventing and ridding your dog of fleas using natural methods is at http://everydayroots.com/flea-remedies. The advice at this link comes from a woman who fosters animals. I love her approach, though I don’t have dogs, myself.

The author suggests mixing 2-3 drops lavender or cedar wood essential oil with 1-3 tablespoons water and apply to your dog’s collar. I love the author’s idea of putting this combination on a bandana for tying around the dog’s neck, for a jaunty look.

She also suggests adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar (1 teaspoon ACV per quart of drinking water for a 40-pound dog) to your dog’s drinking water and sponging the dog with water in which lemons have been steeped overnight. To make this sponge bath, slice one lemon into a pot of boiling water, turn off the heat, and let stand overnight.

PREVENT AND GET RID OF FLEAS ON CATS

Essential oils should never be used to get rid of fleas on cats. Any prolonged or direct contact will make your cat very ill.

The best approaches for getting rid of fleas on cats:

Do the thorough housecleaning using cleaners with essential oils, vacuum thoroughly, steam clean carpets and upholstery—and of course wash bedding (both yours and the cat’s) and rugs as above.

Bathe the cat, using Dawn dishwashing detergent or an herbal flea shampoo. The pet shampoo recipe given by the above author includes lemon juice and is safe for cats:

Mix together:

½ cup lemon juice

2 cups water

¼-1/2 cup Dawn dishwashing detergent or herbal flea shampoo

Mix this together and bottle for use as a flea shampoo (for cats or dogs).

Comb the cat’s coat regularly with a flea comb dipped in hot soapy water.

In the days before chemical pesticides, both dogs and cats were kept free of fleas using these bathing and combing methods.

• Cure Head Lice with Tea Tree Oil
  Cure head lice without putting pesticides on your child's head--and prevent re-infestation--with inexpensive herbal treatments.

• How to Cure Scabies Naturally, without Chemical Pesticides
  Scabies can be cured with Vitamin E oil applications, or with diluted oil of thyme. There's no need to see a doctor or apply chemical pesticides.

• Best Emergency Lights for Power Outages
  Ideas for stocking up on emergency lighting for your home during power outages.

• How to Install a New Showerhead: Another Ladies' Craft Project
  Longing for one of those fancy new “rainshower” showerheads? Or maybe what you’d love best is one of those combination overhead and hand-held showerheads. Replacing your showerhead is one of the easiest of all plumbing projects.

• Top Four Most Useful Herbal Preparations You Can Make at Home
  Make echinacea tincture, mullein oil, black walnut hull tincture, and wild cherry cough syrup at home.

• How to Replace Leaky Drain: A Ladies' Craft Project
  Does your kitchen sink drain leak? The fix for a leaky sink drain is to replace the strainer, and it’s easy!

• Easy-to-Grow Flowers for the Beginning Gardener
  Several perennial flowers provide amazing displays of flowers and foliage, yet require almost no care! Here are three to provide the backbone of your home flower garden.

• Growing a Doomstead Garden
  Gardening for self-sufficiency during the zombie apocalypse

• Winter Home Heating Strategies That Work
  Lower home heating bills and provide backup heating for power outages: Wood stoves, vent-free gas, kerosene, electric space heaters, foot-warming stones, and kotatsus.

• Cure Children's Bedwetting and Accidents with Herbs
  An herbal cleansing and toning approach to leaky children that focuses on toning the urinary tract and the nerves

• Cure Impetigo with Home Remedies
  Homes remedies for impetigo include black walnut hull tincture (which you can make at home), colloidal silver, and elecampane root.

• How To Grow Wisteria
  Wisteria--an easily grown and spectacular ornamental "tree" or vine.

• The Medicine Garden: Best Medicinal Herbs to Grow in the Home Garden
  A selection of medicinal herbs that are both beautiful and useful

• How to Cure Fevers, Plus a List of Danger Signs
  A comprehensive discussion about fevers: Danger signs, and how to cure fevers with herbs and other natural methods.

• Cure Foot and Leg Cramps
  Foot and leg cramps are almost always caused by magnesium deficiency--or, more accurately, insufficient magnesium intake in relation to calcium intake. The fix is easy! Get more magnesium!

• Understanding and Managing Type II Diabetes
  A discussion of diabetic diet, choosing herbs and supplements that help, and understanding causes of insulin resistance, and the causes of diabetes.

• Gathering and Using Elderflowers to Make Lotions for Beautiful Skin and Healing Salves
  Elderflowers blooming in the fields and along the roadsides in June are a beauty--and healing--bonanza!

• How to Grow Lisianthus from Seed
  You can easily grow glorious lisianthus ("Lizzies") from seed started early indoors. It just takes patience!

• How to Cure Ear Infections with Olive Oil, Mullein Flowers, and Brewer's Yeast
  How to cure ear infections--permanently--using herbs and nutrition!

• Cure Psoriasis with Natural Methods
  Herbs that are reputed to cure psoriasis are slippery elm and American saffron (safflower),

• More Powerful Herbs to Cure Colds and Flu--and How To Grow Them in Your Garden
  How to treat colds and flu with Lomatiu, Andrographis, Baikal Skullcap, and Boneset, with preparations and dosages--and information on how to grow and harvest these herbs in the home garden.

• Grow a Beautiful and Practical Garden of Medicinal Herbs
  Passionflower, meadowsweet, rosemary, lemon balm, thyme, Sweet Annie, chamomile, catnip, mint, ecinacea, black-eyed Susans, and Bible leaf make a lovely and useful herb garden.

• How to Cure Scabies Naturally, without Chemical Pesticides
  Scabies can be cured with Vitamin E oil applications, or with diluted oil of thyme. There's no need to see a doctor or apply chemical pesticides.

• How to Cure Warts, Moles, and Skin Tags with Castor Oil and Baking Soda
  You can avoid surgery or other medical procedures, and remove moles and skin tags painlessly at home, using castor oil and baking soda.

• How to cure bronchitis naturally
  A fast cure for bronchitis: a few drops of the essential oil of sandalwood on a lump of sugar. Real wild-cherry cough syrup and elecampane root tea give this cure a boost.

• Cure Your Bad Back
  Does your back periodically "go out," leaving you prostrate and with severe back pain for weeks? Chances are, all you need is magnesium!

• Cure a Toothache without Dentistry
  If you have a painful toothache because of and infection or impacted wisdom tooth, you can cure the infection with Echinacea.

• Cure Plantar Warts with Oil of Thyme
  Plantar warts can be cured without , laser therapy, cryotherapy (freezing), acid treatments, or surgery, and without wasting time and money on frustrating and discouraging over-the-counter products.

• Natural Home Treatment for Stomach Flu--Vomiting and Diarrhea
  Herbal and Natural Treatments and Home Nursing Care for Diarrhea and Vomiting, Symptoms of Stomach Flu and Food Poisoning

• How to Make Echinacea Tincture--Growing and Using Purple Coneflower for Medicinal Use
  You can easily make Echinacea tincture at home, using the roots of your own Echinacea plants from your garden and a pint of vodka.

• The Elderberries Will Soon Be Ripe! How to Make Elderberry Juice, Rob, and Syrup for Winter Colds
  In late summer and early fall, there is a bountiful harvest elderberries along the roadsides. The berries not only make delicious jam or wine, but are valuable home medicines as juice, rob, syrup.

• The Best and Most Fragrant Roses for Making Rose Water and Potpourris
  To make the most fragrant rose waters and potpourris, use the most fragrant roses. Modern roses often lack the sweet perfume of the old-fashioned roses traditionally used to make attar of roses.

• Cure Burns with Slippery Elm and Comfrey
  An Easy Home Remedy for Burns, Wounds, and Other Skin Affections

• Cure Cold Sores with Herbal and Natural Remedies
  Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, slippery elm, and probiotics are all reliable cures for most cold sores.

• Cure Gout with Natural Remedies and Herbs
  Gout can be cured with natural remedies, diet, and herbs, without conventional medical treatment.

• Cure Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) with Echinacea
  Quickly cure UTIs Using Purple Coneflower! I have found that Echinacea tincture (my own homemade version) will cure a UTI in a couple of hours--though later doses are needed to keep it from returning.

• Cure Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) Fast with Castor Oil
  Pink eye is easily cured with home treatment. I learned of this cure when I took my oldest daughter to a naturopathic physician for pink eye, and used it to cure a severe case. I have since used it successfully many times.

• Dislocated Wrist in Toddlers and Young Children--What To Do
  A child who seems unable to use her hand, but lets it hang limply her side, may have a dislocated wrist. Here’s what to do.

• Cure Yeast Infections with Yogurt or Probiotics
  Here’s how to cure yeast infections (Candida albicans) naturally.

• Cure Shingles Fast with Echinacea
  Shingles can be cured in 24-48 hours with Purple Coneflower.

• Cure Kidney Stones with Herbs
  Kidney stones may be passed painlessly and/or dissolved without surgery or other conventional medical treatment using inexpensive herbal treatments.

• How to Make Herbal Medicines: Infusions, Decoctions, Tinctures, Syrups, Oils and Salves
  Many of the expensive tinctures and other herbal preparations available from health-food stores and herb dealers can be prepared at home for pennies!

• How to Make Real Wild Cherry Cough Syrup at Home in Your Kitchen with Wild Cherry Bark
  Real wild cherry cough syrup is easy to make—and it’s the world’s most effective cough remedy!

• Cure Ringworm with Easy Home Remedies
  Ringworm is easily cured at home using iodine, black walnut hull tincture (which you can make at home), and other simple products.

• Cure Menstrual Problems--Excessive Menstrual Flow (Menorrhagia) and Bleeding Between Menstrual Perio
  Many menstrual problems are simply an indication of iodine deficiency, possibly along with other micro-nutrient deficiencies, and can be easily cured by adding seaweed to your diet.

• Cure Children's Growing Pains
  Children's growing pains--muscle cramps that usually occur in the feet and legs--are nothing more than magnesium deficiency.

Comments

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on November 02, 2013:

One of the best effects of the natural cleaner is that it gets rid of houseflies. This surprised me. Usually I have quite a problem with houseflies in warm weather.

I don't like to use chemical pesticides, especially in my home.

Allyson Cardis from Gloucestershire, England on October 29, 2013:

I've just read your really useful article. I love our cat but get bitten to pieces in the warm weather from the cat fleas, and they do seem to become immune to the stuff you buy if you use it too much.

Sharon Vile (author) from Odessa, MO on September 10, 2013:

I was surprised to find that using this cleaner also completely got rid of flies. After the first time I cleaned with this stuff, I found a lot of dead flies on the floor, but now they don't seem to come in the house at all.

The orange peel in the cleaner is important too, as fleas are repelled by citrus.

I used the method described in the link: Use a pot of water in which a sliced lemon has been steeped to sponge the cat and comb with a flea comb. This did make the cat a little sick for about an hour. (He kept retching off and on for about an hour and then was fine.) I am hoping it also got rid of his fleas.

CraftytotheCore on September 10, 2013:

These are really great suggestions! I didn't know rosemary and lavender were natural aides in killing off fleas as I have both growing outside.

Fortunately my pets do not have fleas. I know what a nightmare it is though. My friend rescued a stray cat that was covered in them. Next thing she knew her house was infested. I keep my cats on Revolution from the vet's office. They don't have fleas but the vets said they can carry mites too which I didn't know.

Thank you for these great ideas!