Natural Way to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Carpet

The Flea

Getting rid of fleas once they infest your carpet can be difficult. However, by using some natural supplies and diligent vacuuming, you can eradicate all of the fleas biting your family and pets. These nasty parasites feed off the warm blood of mammals and birds. A female is able to lay 500 eggs that take only between 2 days and 2 weeks to hatch. That explains why they are so difficult to get rid of once they have infested your rug.

Things You'll Need

• 20 Mule team borax
• Vacuum cleaner
• Dehumidifier
• Carpet shampooer
• Carpet shampoo (pet formula)
• Cedar oil
• Eucalyptus oil
• Fennel tea
• Wormwood
• Pet shampoo
• Flea comb

Instructions

1. Dust your carpets with 20 Mule Team Borax powder and allow it to sit on the carpet for 24 hours. Move your furniture and dust the carpet there as well. Also put it under the cushions of your furniture or live fleas may jump to your carpet later. Do one or two rooms at a time if you need to close the room off from pets or young children.

2. Vacuum all of the Borax powder up the next day. Borax dehydrates fleas and kills them. Empty your vacuum after use and tie the contents securely in a plastic bag to dispose of it. Running the vacuum frequently removes eggs and eliminates most of the food that flea larva need to survive.

3. Run a dehumidifier set at 50 or lower to reduce the humidity in your house. Flea eggs are fragile and many do not survive when the humidity is less than 50. This reduces the number of adult fleas.

4. Shampoo your carpets with a pet formula carpet shampoo, but add a few teaspoons of cedar oil, eucalyptus oil, and fennel tea to the shampoo. After it dries, run the vacuum again.

5. Bathe your pets to prevent re-infestation of your carpets. Make a tea from eucalyptus, fennel and wormwood mixed with shampoo to bathe your pets. While your pet is wet, pick any fleas you see off, and use a flea comb to remove any you don't see. Drop the fleas into the bath water.

Tips & Warnings

• Killing fleas on your pets reduces the number of fleas on your carpets.

• Run fans, allowing them to blow across shampooed carpets to dry them faster.

• Do not allow young children or pets to play on Borax covered carpets or wet carpets.