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It’s no secret that fleas are a nuisance. The itch from their bites is enough to drive any pet crazy. But fleas on dogs and cats can also cause real harm by potentially transmitting diseases. And once they’re in your home, getting rid of them is tricky.
You must eradicate fleas in your house before they become an extensive problem. Before calling a professional exterminator, consider trying more natural flea elimination methods. If your flea infestation is too intense for these treatments, bring in the pros for your peace of mind.
Effective Flea and Tick Treatments
Fleas and ticks present different challenges, but both species can harm pets. Most pets tend to pick up fleas or ticks through the summer and fall when it’s warm and they spend more time outside. During these seasons, you should watch for any signs of a pest issue.
Many pet treatments are dual-action, targeting fleas and ticks so your pets can stay healthy and pest-free. However, these products usually rely on chemicals — which may concern you as a pet parent.
Follow these eight tips to learn how to get rid of fleas more naturally.
1. Use a Flea Comb
A flea comb removes fleas of all sizes, including their eggs and larvae. These tools can be challenging to use because the teeth are very fine. Make sure your pet’s fur isn’t too tangled before you begin.
If you and your pet are patient, a flea comb can help you pick any pests off. Once you’ve removed fleas from your pet’s coat, dropping them in a cup of warm water and dish soap will keep them from hopping away until you can flush them.
2. Boost Your Pet’s Shampoo
Adding a flea-fighting mixture made of natural ingredients to your dog’s regular shampoo can deter fleas from making their pet their home and is an excellent additional step to take while using a flea comb. Here’s the recipe:
- 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup of dog shampoo
Use this mixture to bathe your dog every week. Comb your dog’s fur before each bath to remove eggs before they hatch into new fleas. You can also use this method for cats, though they won’t be happy about getting wet.
3. Give Your Dog Apple Cider Vinegar
If lemon juice doesn’t do the trick, try apple cider vinegar instead. Instead of putting the vinegar on your dog’s fur, add a teaspoon to a quarter-liter of water for your dog to drink. This combination will make your dog’s skin slightly acidic, which won’t taste good to fleas.
Like the lemon juice treatment, you can also use this method to treat cats and kittens for fleas. Never feed straight vinegar to your pets — it’s too acidic and can upset their stomach. This natural treatment also repels ticks, since they don’t like the taste of vinegar either.
4. Clean With Vinegar
While dealing with fleas and ticks on your pet, you must also treat your home. A growing flea population may take shelter in your rugs, slippers and other fabric items left on the floor.
In a spray bottle, add a quarter-cup of distilled white vinegar to three-quarters of a cup of water. You can also add some dish soap for tackling dirt. Use this mixture to wipe down your counters and surfaces, and spray the solution on your fabrics once or twice a week.
5. Wash Your Pet’s Bedding
Wash your pet’s bedding with a strong detergent, and dry it on a high setting if the material allows — 15 to 20 minutes on high heat will kill adult fleas, larvae and eggs.
Don’t forget about your pet’s favorite hangouts. Does your dog always cuddle up on a blanket in the living room? Where does your cat sleep? Wash those fabrics, too.
6. Use Essential Oils as Repellent
Some essential oils are toxic to pets, so always do your homework before putting them on your cat or dog. Essential oils can be an effective natural flea and tick treatment when used correctly. For example, mixing two drops of lavender oil in a teaspoon of water makes a solution that keeps fleas away. Apply it around your dog’s collar or neckerchief. However, this is not a safe solution for cats — and you should never put high concentrations of essential oils on your dog’s skin.
7. Vacuum More Frequently
Keep your home vacuumed. If your pet carries fleas, those pests travel throughout your home all day. Staying on top of the vacuuming will get rid of any errant fleas.
Since fleas like humid, cool spots, focus on areas that don’t get much sunlight. To target flea eggs, work salt, baking soda or Borax into the carpet fibers with a broom. This recipe will dry out any flea eggs inside your carpet fibers. Keep your pet quarantined in another room during this time, as they could get sick from licking the Borax.
Once your vacuum bag is full, seal it and place it outside in a covered trash container.
8. Clean up the Outdoors
Remember, fleas love humidity and darkness — two conditions that are common outside if you don’t keep your bushes and shrubs trimmed. Clear weeds, trim your grass and keep your pets away from those dark, humid spots outdoors.
It’s also a good idea to keep pets inside after it rains — fleas and ticks may be more active after a rainstorm. If your area experiences a lot of rain, it can cause these pest populations to thrive and be more of a problem than usual.
When to Call Professional Flea Exterminators
While these methods can help keep fleas away, they aren’t foolproof. The surest way to get rid of these pests is to hire a professional exterminator to evaluate the situation and inspect your whole home.
Don’t wait until the pest problem is completely out of hand. If more natural methods aren’t working, contact a professional pest control service so you and your pets can enjoy your home again. If you have concerns about the chemicals an exterminator uses, ask lots of questions and ensure you’re comfortable before agreeing to a contract.
Contact Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control for Flea Protection
At Barefoot Mosquito & Pest Control, we offer flea prevention, protection and extermination. We founded our company over 25 years ago to protect our families from pests while reducing chemical exposure.
We service Austin, Houston and San Antonio and would love to talk with you about whatever pest issue troubles you. Contact us online to request a free quote and find out more about our approach.