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.
Salt
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 05/10/2021 533 posts
★★★★★
Salt. Cheapo, salt in the round box. Iodized, not iodized, it doesn't matter what kind. Sprinkle on carpet and in corners. I didn't even have to de-flea the dogs who had brought home fleas from the groomer. Always a risk with groomers who offer walk-in nail clipping because those dogs don't get a bath BUT it's not a problem PLUS it's super handy to be able to just walk in and get their nails clipped when, with a 50 cent box of salt, it's never an issue!
Amethyst
Posted by Monica (St. Augustine, Fl) on 10/14/2015
★★★★★
I tried the amethyst crystal and it does work! I want to point out I too had the same issue with the stone not working after a period of time. It didn't seem logical for something to just stop working so I experimented and found out what worked for my kitty.
My cat has a horrible time with the fleas in FL. They are unlike any other place I have lived. Frontline doesn't work & just makes my cat sick. The crystal was worth a shot and would cause no harm. Within a week I saw a difference and there were no more new bites. This lasted for about 2 mo. and then the fleas started again. In case anyone is thinking its due to a change of seasons, no that's not the case. There is no down time in FL when it comes to fleas.
I don't believe the stone just stops working but perhaps our pets chemistry changes. Either way I decided to add another stone I had at the house to the bowl. It is blue calcite and once again it worked. It is a complement to amethyst with its metaphysical properties. I was so happy to see it work again, but about 1 1/2 mo. later I was back to square one. It stopped working.
Ok, so this time I bought another amethyst. Yes, now there are 3 crystals in the bowl! I know it's crazy but its working and my kitty is not scratching.
I am going to do as another writer suggested & recharge the stones by moonlight over night. I was doing it by sunlight and I guess that may be wrong in this case.
Anyway, to anyone who says nay, experiment a bit before you give up.
Borax
Posted by Nikki (Yuba City, Ca) on 11/22/2015
For the borax to work on carpet you need to sprinkle everywhere & leave it for at least 3 days. Otherwise it won't do anything. After 3 days or more, vacuum. Then sprinkle it again. The recipe for a spray borax is "Teds Mange Cure". Just search it here on E.C. It 100% works for fleas as well as mange. My dogs get rinsed after every single bath with Ted's recipe. They've never had mange. I've always used it for fleas. Hope this helps. Nikki
Dish Soap
Posted by Awesome Person (Texas) on 07/17/2013
★★★★★
I use dawn dish liquid to wash my dogs and it instantly kills most fleas.
Baking Soda
Posted by Sheila (Wichita, Ks) on 08/07/2012
★★★★★
Started brushing my dogs and cats with baking soda about 2 years ago. I originally did this as a dry bath. It definitely helped with the smell. But I have also noticed that I have not seen any fleas in this time. Usually I have to treat every year. I brush them once a week. It's worth a try right?
Garlic
Posted by Josh H. (Portland, Or, Usa) on 08/31/2011
★☆☆☆☆
I noticed that you are recommending adding garlic to every meal your dog eats to help prevent flea and tick infestations. At one point, I was a small business owner and one of my products was all-natural dog biscuits. Despite the fact that most DIY dog biscuit recipes call for garlic as an ingredient, I found out through further research that this is actually very harmful to the dogs. Garlic, onions and many other alliums contain a particular natural chemical that builds up in a dog's kidneys over the course of their life. This build up can eventually lead to kidney failure or death for the animal. It has also been known to cause a rare form of kidney cancer in some dogs. This is something that I thought you should know....
Thanks, Josh
Garlic
Posted by Mark (Exeter, Uk) on 04/13/2014
Please provide evidence for your claims, garlic is widely used by dog owners with no negative outcomes, the warning against garlic only seems to benefit profit hungry vets.
Garlic
Posted by Mark (Exeter, United Kingdom) on 11/09/2015 12 posts
Big Pharma takes over veterinary medicine; dogs and cats drugged with chemicals for profit
http://www.naturalnews.com/021935_pet_health_veterinary_medicine.html
Pet health is now in rapid decline
The result of all this is that our dogs and cats are sicker than ever. Ask any vet who's been practicing for more than ten years: They've never seen such an increase in the rate of liver disease, nervous system disorders, cancers and diabetes. Ever wonder why?
Baking Soda
Posted by Meems (Apache Junction, Az, United States) on 05/29/2011
★★★★★
I have a beautiful conure, but the lady on the first floor in our apartment building has 3 cats. They must have been loaded with fleas, because I brought them into my own home after they hitched a ride on my feet. The landlord knocked on my door and handed me a "bomb" to kill the fleas. I don't want to expose my little parrot to chemicals so I phoned her vet. I was told to use Arm & Hammer. Get a few boxes and sprinkle it everywhere. The fleas are drawn to the salty taste of it and the next day I could see their bodies were completely flat. They had dehydrated and died. Of course, yours truly tasted like a potato chip, but that didn't stop me from doing it again in one week. After vacuuming up all the Arm & Hammer, I never saw another flea. It worked great, was inexpensive, safe and only caused a tiny bit of inconvenience.
Borax
Posted by Bonnie (Torrance, Ca) on 12/02/2010
★★★★★
I had a nasty flea infestation, and the ONLY thing that worked was borax powder. This stuff is amazing! You can buy it at a hardward or gardening store, and it is pretty inexpensive. I take the powder, and sprinkle a lot of it into all the carpets... I find that using a stiff broom to brush it in really helps to get it deep into the carpets. Then wait a few days and vaccuum! The cool part is that borax powder is less harmful than table salt... A win/win if you ask me!
Borate Powder
Posted by Mark (Exeter, United Kingdom) on 11/11/2015 12 posts
★★★★★
FOR: Linda Baytown, Tx.....
Borax = sodium tetra-borate decahydrate
CAS-No. 1303-96-4
The most commonly occurring Borax compounds are:
- Borax/ sodium tetra-borate Decahydrate =
(Decahydrate means "10 water molecules")
- Borax/ sodium tetra-borate Pentahydrate =
(Pentahydrate means "5 water molecules")
- Borax/ sodium tetra-borate Anhydrous =
(Anhydrous means “without water”)
All 3 of the above are exactly the same product except for the number of water molecules .
========================
Boric Acid = Orthoboric Acid
CAS-No. 10043-35-3
Boric Acid can also be sprinkled directly onto a carpet or near the infestation of ants, fleas, termites, silverfish or cockroaches as the Boric Acid is abrasive to an insect's exoskeleton.
Boric Acid is an effective insecticide, by acting as a stomach poison in insects (ants, fleas, termites, silverfish & cockroaches).
To prepare poison add 1 teaspoon of Boric Acid and 10-12 teaspoons of sugar to 50ml water. Mix into a syrup and leave syrup near infestation.
To apply the powder, crush any powder that might have clumped up and using a sieve / sprinkle the powder onto carpets, fabrics and upholstery
(If you use a sieve, please do not use it in the kitchen after, as Boric Acid can be harmful when ingested).
Leave the powder down for 1-2 days, this will kill all eggs and larvae, then hover all the powder up making sure none is left.
Mark
Salt
Posted by Bethers (Addy, Washington, Usa) on 04/18/2010
★★★★★
Salt is a gift, cheap and truly shows how bad your flea problem may be in carpet rooms for sure. Lived in a trailer that was engulfed in fleas, we sprinkled salt around the inside perimeter of the home the next morning it looked like we salt and peppered the floor. JUST BEWARE if you have moisture in the the floor it will draw it up to the surface and make a pasty mess with the salt (worth the mess).
Lemons
Posted by Joy (Fayetteville, N.c.) on 06/26/2011
Can that be used on cats also?
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Erna (Venice, Ca) on 09/10/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
This is a warning about Diatomaceous earth: it was extremely effective on the fleas when I used it in my carpeted apartment, however it had dire health consequences for me. I used it on my apartment, vacuumed it up and then left for several days to go out of town. I hoped this would dispel the dust in the air, but it was still there, and breathing DE after a couple of days brought on a severe first-time asthma attack. I eventually just had to move out of that apartment due to the sensitivity it created in me, and I have had an asthma condition ever since. I found out later that DE consists of billions of fossilized remains of prehistoric algae that under the microscope look like little razor blades. This is the effect that it had on my lungs.
Amethyst
Posted by WestWind (Orlando, FL) on 07/27/2009
★★★★★
Ameythest for fleas. Yea, it really works. Buy a stone from any new age shop for about $1 and put in cat's water dish. That's it. You never need to buy a new one. I first heard of this when my cat Zeus who was all cream color took off on me for almost a week. When he came home he was covered in fleas (being cream, they really showed). A friend told me that one of his friends did just what I am suggesting and her cat never has fleas. I was skeptical, but gave it a try. I don't remember exactly how long it was but it couldn't have been too long because I never remember worrying about fleas on him again (and he was an outdoor/indoor cat in Florida where the fleas are unbearable). I now have 3 other cats, one who used to go outside and two that never do and I never have any problems with fleas. They all get exposed to fleas, however, as I have a Bassett Hound who get them occasionally and brings them in the house. Obviously this doesn't work on dogs however - have no idea why. Just must be a chemistry thing.
Economical, natural and couldn't be easier. Give it a try.
Borax
Posted by Pierre (Phuket, Thailand) on 07/11/2009
★★★★★
YEA - Hi all, I have been infected by flea and teaks, now is the raining season in Thailand where I living at the moment. I owned 3 dogs and have a see what is the Flea infection , but like this one I never see before! They was there, a millions and millions!!! I take under control this infestation using Borax, mix 4 part of Borax, 1.5 part of Salt 1.5 Soda. I cover all my garden and all place they the dogs playing. Left over night plus 24 hours. I added to the drink water ACV but not much because the dogs do not liked. Finally I prepare mix Hydrogen Peroxide, ACV, Borax and spraying the dogs.
Now I am on the second week and thats work, thats more then miracle, the dogs are more calm and can sleep over night, and not toxic for the dogs and for the human.
Hope that help, Just do it. Cheers Pierre.
Dish Soap
Posted by Cheryl (Centerton, Arkansas) on 09/18/2008
★★★★★
You can use Dawn in a shampooer just put it in the soap container and mix it with water. I also have a spray bottle with flea shampoo and water in it to spray under the beds and hard to reach areas for any fleas & eggs that might have fallen off the dogs. It also works good on furniture and carpet as well for bad cases. If its a mild case like I have now, I recommend water and vinegar solution to spray everything down plus it works as a deodorizer.
Benadryl
Posted by Marty (Fort Worth, Tx. ) on 10/01/2018
Just a note to you and whoever may be reading this on Benadryl, Make sure that it has no Acetaminophen/ "Tylenol" in it, because, Acetaminophen is deadly for dogs. Just in case you don't already know.
Dish Soap, Garlic and Lemon
Posted by Janice (Seminole, Florida) on 09/13/2008
To Connie: I live in Florida which has a huge flea problem and I have two cats that go in and out at will. I use Neem shampoo initially, which kills all existing fleas and their eggs organically. Then I follow with a ACV and water mixture as a final rinse which I do not rinse off. I let 'em loose and no flea problems whatsoever. If it works on my cats, I see no reason why it wouldn't work on your dogs. I have not seen ANY fleas on either animal and I do this every 4 to 6 weeks.
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.
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.
Salt
Posted by Nikki (Fl) on 06/14/2021
★★★★★
Gounded up salt like popcorn salt. The salt is so fine that the flea's legs pick it up and it drys them out
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Deirdre (Connecticut) on 06/07/2021
Hi Gina,
So sorry you are going through this. Please read all the borax and diatomaceous posts on Earth Clinic in the pet flea section (where your post is located). Sounds like you need to treat your backyard FIRST and those two remedies are mentioned for treating flea infestations both indoors and outdoors. You'll have to reapply after it rains, but one of them should help. If you use diatomaceous earth, please note that it must be food grade.
Also, consider a raw food (or freeze dried raw) diet to strengthen your pup's immune system. That might help too. Quality food can make a huge difference in flea control I've discovered over the years.
Good luck. Hope you get this issue solved very quickly.
Salt
Posted by Hisjewel (America, New York) on 09/12/2016
★★★★★
We have cats for pets.
I found that salts works like a charm. The finer the better. I use Diamond fine salt just for this purpose to sprinkle on the carpeted steps. Salt dehydrates them, big ones little ones, and the fleas yet to be born. And if a water bug passes by his fate is the same as the fleas.
I put it on my mom's carpeted steps before the hot weather comes in. I might leave it on a few days. Then I sweep it up.
