Fleas
Natural Remedies

Natural Flea Control

Baking Soda
Posted by Sheila (Wichita, Ks) on 08/07/2012
5 out of 5 stars

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?

Borax
Posted by Kendra ( Pleasant Hill) on 04/14/2017

Do your pets have to stay out till you vaccum up the borax?


Salt
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 11/17/2017

Hey Eley,

You might try a lamp flea trap - no fuss and no mess.


Garlic
Posted by Om (Hope, Bc Canada) on 11/10/2015

Mark (Exeter, United Kingdom)---

Just to thank you, Mark, for your post. You said it and yet, people still believe and trust the veterinarian association. Health is a business and disease is desired for profit.

Let us hope these days be shortened.

Namaste, Om


Dish Soap
Posted by Sudsy88888 (Seattle, Wa Usa) on 08/30/2011
5 out of 5 stars

use a pie plate filled with water and add a few drops of dish soap to discover fleas in the house. I agree with the borax natural treatment to rid the house. Both my cat and dog get a garlic oil supplement vitamin down their throat once a week and absolutely no fleas on their mugs. Hallelujah!!!!


Lavender Oil
Posted by Teri In T Town (Tacoma, Wa, Usa) on 08/05/2011
5 out of 5 stars

My last dog never had fleas and we never used a thing on him, so I was really baffled when my current dog had a significant problem. I had my last dog, a chocolate lab, when we lived in a house that had slopes in the back yard covered with Lavender and Rosemary. Everyday he rolled around in the herbs, and seemed to enjoy the heck out of it, and would sun himself laying in the middle of them. I always thought it was because they were soft and made for a nice cushion. But, I think he was giving himself a flea treatment and I really loved the way he smelled when he came back inside.

After we moved, we got another lab who plays a lot with dogs in the neighborhood, and we were faced with a very significant problem!! I use a very dilute amount of lavender oil on her, combined with the orange peel treatment, premium raw dog food diet, and lots of vacuuming. You do have to keep up the routine to keep the fleas from coming back, but we have not been bothered with them since.


Borate Powder
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 12/31/2014

Hey Linda!

Borate powder could be boric acid powder, could be powdered borax..

You can get the boric acid from your pharmacy, and the borax from the laundry aisle.


Borate Powder
Posted by Mark (Exeter, United Kingdom) on 11/11/2015 12 posts
5 out of 5 stars

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


Colloidal Silver
Posted by Rick (Woburn, Ma) on 08/23/2010
5 out of 5 stars

I started adding a small amount of home made colloidal silver to my cats drinking water for the recommended health benefits about 6 months ago(maybe a tablespoon per pint). I noticed that he hasn't come home with any fleas or ticks this summer which was a big problem last year.


Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Robyn (Hampton, Tn) on 05/16/2010
0 out of 5 stars

I bought a bottle of brewers yeast at walmart for flea control as I read somewhere it might help.

It made my german shepherd so sick and he got an ear infection right away. I had to take him to the vets to get meds. The vet would not give me oral antibiotics, but gave me ear drops. I wish I had bought fish antibiotics and looked up the dosage from revival animal health or drs foster and smith for him. He ended up biting me really badly because he didnt want the drops put in his ear and I ignored the threat display to get them in his ear and he attacked me...not that it was his fault..he is a wolf hybrid german shepherd and he has a large set of teeth.

Never use brewers yeast for flea control it doesnt work and it causes illness.

ON the contrary, I have a big steel pot I use for all my animals water and every time I fill it up I put a cap ful of apple cider vinegar in it, the best kind is the kind at the health food store but I just use the kind at the dollar store, and it starts working in about two weeks. They dont even notice it is there and it cuts the yeast out of their bodies and the fleas dont really like the taste of it and I also mop with it and I love it for all it does!

Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Blankie (Fajardo, PR USA) on 12/13/2010
5 out of 5 stars

For years I have used Brewer's Yeast until now and that is because it has been difficult to find it here in Puerto Rico. I used to buy it at Walmarts and Walgreens Pharmarcy but it has been discontinued. I have always used it for my dog and her hair is shiny, she is quite healthy. She is always outside and she loves to sleep on sand (major factor for fleas and ticks) and she has no fleas nor ticks. I have used it on all the dogs I have had. The ones that died were of all ages (15 yrs) but never due to anything they ate or that I gave them.


Amethyst
Posted by Xara (Belmont, California) on 09/27/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Thank you so much for this remedy! I have 5 cat's, so buying the stuff that you squeeze on the back of their neck can get VERY expensive, not to mention the fact that they HATE it. Last monday morning I was noticing they were all getting pretty itchy again, so I decided to check out the pet section here, and boy am I glad I did! Instaed of spending my usual $100.00, I stopped at a new age bookstore and picked up 4 chunks of amethyst for well under $10.00. By thursday evening they were all itch free,....it's amazing! Not sure how or why it works, but it does!


Dish Soap
Posted by G (Ny) on 03/16/2013

I don't believe that only Dawn dish soap works. Any dish soap will do. What happens is the soap coats the flea so it cannot breath. (I have read that they breath through their skin. ) Try the dish soap that you have available. I have used whatever I had in the bowls under a night light, or even a few drops in a glass of water to place fleas I have picked off of one of my animals. The fleas will sink with just the few drops mixed in. Good luck.


Essential Oils
Posted by Fraizer (Venice, Fl) on 07/20/2009
5 out of 5 stars

I too have been searching for a natural remedy to rid my 2 cats of fleas. I tried the Vinegar and some home remedies, but none of them worked for me. I refuse to put any pesticides or chemicals on my pets because they are really harmful to them, and my cats have had bad reactions to them. I will not mention brand names, but I finally found success with a store bought product. Go to your pet store and look for a natural flea powder or spray containing natural oils (peppermint, cloves, etc.) that will kill fleas. They are more expensive, but are non toxic to humans and pets and WORK GREAT! My girls are no longer biting & scratching. Be sure to spray or sprinkle the powder over your entire house as well. My cats smell like TEA BAGS but are no longer FLEA BAGS!!! Please do not put poison on your pets. Find a natural remedy.


Brewer's Yeast
Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio) on 04/29/2009
5 out of 5 stars

I had the worst flea infestation EVER, last year. I have two Dogs, and I live in Ohio, right near the lake, so the humidity here is terrible. The infestation was so bad, my 2 year old was getting bitten all over. I didn't know what to do. I tried ACV, in their water, and It didn't really improve anything. Although, I think I was a little impatient, I read that you have to wait 6 weeks for results. Tried Garlic, the kind you get in the jar in olive oil, AND powedered. Did not workat all.

Brewers yeast seems to be working well, so far. I started in March, now it is almost May. They are a lot better now then last year at this time. I also use flea collars, because, I have to do something aggressive for these dogs, they suffered so much last year. My German Shepherd actually liked off all of her hair on her hind side, and was bald. I used Tea tree oil, about a dropperful in some Castile soap for their baths last year, but this year, I'm planning on trying Neem Oil. I'm going to try rubbing it on their fur as a repellent as well. See how that goes. Wish me luck!!

Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Ann (Castle Rock, Co) on 08/17/2009

We are getting ready to move to Washington state and I wanted to try and get a head start of protecting my dogs from fleas. I have a begale and 2 mini-dashunds and was wondering how much brewers yeast they should get? I bought tablets, but not sure if they should get the whole tablet (if so how often) or if it should get crushed up (and still how often) I already give they fish oil tablets 2x a week to help w/the dry skin that happens here. Also I'm seeing that my little ones don't care for the garlic powder on their food, will it be just as effective if it is cooked (say in biscuits)? Thanks for all the great advice on here! Glad I found this site!!!!


Salt
Posted by Cait (Waycross, Goergia) on 12/31/2008
5 out of 5 stars

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!

Salt
Posted by Cait (Waycross, GA) on 01/11/2009
3 out of 5 stars

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


Garlic
Posted by Jeff (Willits Ca) on 03/09/2017

Garlic is NOT an onion like food!!


Garlic
Posted by Lori (Syracuse,n.y.) on 07/24/2013

How much garlic a day for fleas for my puppy 2 months old?


Dish Soap
Posted by Rachel (Underwood, Indiana) on 11/13/2008
5 out of 5 stars

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.

Garlic
Posted by Marge (Land O Lakes, Fl, usa) on 09/30/2009

how long before you saw an improvement with the fleas?


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.


Skin So Soft, ACV Solution
Posted by Tina (St.Louis, Missouri) on 09/06/2008
5 out of 5 stars

We brought a new kitty home and realized that he had fleas. After being infested and trying everything from the store for my dog and new kitty, I came here and found the skin so soft from Avon. It worked AWESOME. And they smell good. My cats coat is soft and I havent found any fleas. Hopefully in a week I will do it again to get rid of any leftover fleas. And then I sprayed my house with the apple vinegar solution. Not very good smelling but that passed. So I am really greatful for all of you and this website, it helped my animals.


Borax
Posted by Diane Hacker (Emerald Isle, North Carolina) on 05/29/2008
5 out of 5 stars

re: fleas in the house: sprinkle 20 mule team borax around the house. it dehydrates all insects.

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?


Dish Soap
Posted by Michael (Shell Beach, Ca) on 03/03/2008
5 out of 5 stars

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
Posted by Casper (Port Crane, Ny) on 09/03/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Any dishwashing liquid will kill fleas. The ones containing lemon will work even faster. Fleas have an oily surface to them that keeps them alive. Mess that up with a little soap and they suffocate. You can always kill a few fleas taking your four legged friends for a swim. FLEAS CAN'T SWIM AND WILL ONLY DROWN IF IMMERSED IN WATER! I have black labs that swim most every day and fleas are never a problem.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Charity (faithville, Us) on 06/07/2021

Fennel works in much the same way as Rosemary.

Crush fennel seeds and use them to repel fleas around the home, or rub powdered fennel into your dog's coat. Feverfew flowers contain natural pyrethrins. Steep the flowers in boiling water, allow to cool, strain, and use as after-bath rinse or insect repellent.

Home Remedy For Dog Fleas - The Safe, Natural Alternative

www.fidosavvy.com/home-remedy-dog-fleas.html


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, USA) on 06/08/2021 402 posts

SALT

I don't know why they didn't post my response to your emergency - SALT. Salt, salt, salt. Not a lot - just shake it onto the rugs, carpet, pet bedding and cast some into the corners where the floor meets the wall. Skip vacuuming for a few days and just leave it to do its thing. You don't even have to treat the pooch. Just use salt.


Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Helen (Melbourne, Florida) on 10/04/2020
0 out of 5 stars

Be careful with Brewers Yeast for Fleas. I started giving it to my two dogs a few years ago and after a couple of weeks, both dogs were scratching like mad. I thought they had fleas but couldn't see any. I Googled Brewers Yeast and found that many dogs have a bad reaction to it.

Brewer's Yeast
Posted by Jholl (Ky) on 11/06/2020 28 posts

Sprinkle borax on carpets and sweep it in with a broom. It is dehydrating and kills fleas. Harmless for dogs, even if they lick it some. It is actually good for them in very small quantities. It helps with arthritis. Look it up here and/or look up Walter Last and borax to read more about it.


Multiple Remedies
Posted by Theresa (Mpls., Mn) on 06/19/2017

Hey Mstee,

Dealing with seasonal or inhalant allergies can be tricky. You might keep a diary to see what allergens are in your area that are blooming to see if you can pin point a trigger; if you find, say, a correlation between the fir trees blooming and a break out you might consider herbal thuja or stinging nettle. You do not say what you feed, but the diet you feed has a direct affect on your dog's immune system. A food allergy can be harder to pin point as many diets contain many different proteins. You might consider alkalizing your dog's drinking water with baking soda, and also rotating it every few weeks with Ted/s Borax protocol for dogs. The treated water will help balance the PH which in turn makes your dog's GI track unattractive to systemic yeast - this in turn helps restore healthy gut flora which aides the immune system. Borax water also helps knock down yeast and staph. You might also consider a single protein source for the food and see if you can rotate from beef protein to chicken protein and so on, to see if you can pin point a food allergy. You might also consider colostrum to help boost the immune system, and turmeric and quercetin and herbal Yucca Intensive [must be taken with food] to combat inflammation. Please let us know how it goes!


Mothballs in Vacuum
Posted by Bonnnie (Vivian, La.) on 08/20/2016
5 out of 5 stars

To get rid of flea eggs or keep them from hatching, use moth balls in your vacuum bag. The flea eggs do not hatch. I was told about this years ago by a professional bug man.



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