Comments on: How to Get Rid of Fleas

on 6/30/2006 Even though puppies might be a bit young for flea spray, flea vaccination or flea pills, you can still use flea shampoo, flea combs and common sense. And keep your clean and healthy pet away from the flea prone neighbor's dog!

on 6/30/2006 Sprinkle baking soda all around on carpet and around door facings. This cuts down on flea entry.

on 6/30/2006 My tip is a little strange, but I swear by it. Use a good flea shampoo on your pet. Here is the strange part; spray your carpet and floors with Pine-Sol. Half water, half Pine-Sol mixture. Spray until the carpet is moist. Do this every day or so for about a week, also remember where you are getting the fleas from. Outside, plant some penny royal, or get a good insecticide to treat the yard. If all else fails, try a flea bomb, they really work.

on 3/12/2006 We had 3 dogs and had to let them go due to moving. The dogs were with us in the new house for 2 weeks before finding them homes. After they left, within days we had fleas everywhere in the house! Researching on the Internet I found this:
Small plate
Dish Soap
Lamp
The fleas jump into the plate and don't jump out. Remember, fleas are attracted to the heat. I bought a desk lamp that I could bend as far down to the water as I felt safe. I caught fleas, and any other bug, that happened to like heat. The candle I would be a little fearful of, and it might burn itself out too soon. My fleas were gone within a 2 week period and I could keep the lamps on day and night without worry.

on 3/2/2006 This is 100% safe, non-toxic to children, animals and our waters.
I've been doing this for 8 years with my Rottweiler, she loves it, it also leaves her smelling wonderful for weeks, her coat beautiful, shiny and unbelievably soft!

Its the original Dawn dish soap! It kills fleas instantly. Yes they can swim, but not if they are dead! I have also taken my dog's bedding and machine washed it killing fleas every time. Just add a squirt of Dawn to the load, not too much or else you will have suds of fun!
I've found that it also actually repels them for up to a month, it doesn't dry the dog's skin out, but moisturizes it! My dog really looks forward to her baths, so I usually wash and rinse twice. The most important thing to remember is to start with their neck, right behind their ears and work your way back, the fleas literally jump off! I've also used a similar method for my cats! I guarantee if you try it once you'll never use any thing else again,
PS. Dawn is anti-bacteria, too.

on 1/16/2006 Thanks to a combination of tips from this site, my apartment is 100% flea-free! Thanks everyone!

We adopted a new kitten to join our other indoor cat and little did we know, she came to us covered in fleas and flea eggs. We covered our carpets in 20 Team Mule Borax and swept it in with a broom - it took 1.5 boxes to cover a 900 ft. apartment. Then we got both the cats a dose of Advantage. The fleas were literally falling off the cats after we put this on. And neither one reacted badly to it. After a few days, we vacuumed up the Borax, and we haven't seen a flea since.

on 12/8/2005 I have used human lice shampoo, it kills the fleas.

on 11/22/2005 I have wrapped clear, masking tape around my hand (sticky side facing outward) and patted the fleas off my dog. The fleas get pressed onto the stick of the tape with little effort, and they can't jump off. This works best when the dogs hair is really short. I find this is a great technique to get rid of the fleas between washes, and my dog doesn't mind one bit. I have got about 50 fleas off the dog before after he brought them in from outside.

on 11/30/2005 While Diatomaceous earth does work for fleas, please be aware that it is designed for outdoor use. It can cause lung problems, so please be careful and use a mask when spraying it. They do not recommend that you use it indoors.

on 12/27/2007 After nearly poisoning my cat and myself with flea sprays, I decided to try Diatomaceous Earth as outlined by some posts here. My goodness! The fleas are gone, and my cat looks so much happier! To all who posted, my cat and I thank you so much for your advice. I'll never use poisons in my home again, as I'd rather get rid of pests with natural methods.

on 11/22/2005 My friend has dogs and I have a cat. This summer has been the worst for flea's. My friend said that taking a spray bottle filled with bleach and water all around house kills fleas and they don't come back.

on 11/22/2005 Every time my husband and I visit my in-laws we leave our cats with my parents. Every time we go back home our cats have gotten fleas from my parents cats. Here is how I eradicate them, without poison and very cheaply. (it usually takes about a month, sometimes longer depending on how diligent I am)

First, my cats are indoor only. So they are not constantly tracking in more fleas. I close all doors to rooms the cats do not need to be in (our bedrooms and the computer room). This makes the contaminated area smaller and easier to deal with (plus I don't have to worry about being attacked at night by hungry fleas).

I bathe the cats using the all natural shampoo I use on myself. Fleas can swim, but not very well and any kind of soap will cause the adults to drown. The eggs on my cats are also rinsed down the drain (and yes, fleas lay the eggs on your pet, they are not sticky though and fall off easily, you can see them if you brush your pet on a dark surface like black construction paper, the eggs are very small and white). I use something natural (be careful of certain natural oils and things that can be poisonous to your cat) because whatever goes on the cat will go IN the cat as soon as they lick themselves. Some adults will survive. That's OK. I continue to bathe them every week until a few weeks after the fleas are gone.

I use an all natural herbal flea collar, it smells great and doesn't poison my house or my cat. (the pennyroyal tip is a cheap way to make one if you have a garden and like to sew, but if you are like me natural foods stores will usually carry some commercial versions that look like regular flea collars but smell better)

Vacuum every day. Throw out the bag or keep the vacuum outside. The vibration of the vacuum causes the pupa to hatch so you can kill them.

Take an old towel (or towels, or blankets, whatever) and put them where your cat sleeps most often (for us it was the back of the couch, and the chair in front of the window). Throw this towel in the dryer every day. Any fleas living in/on it will be killed. Wash it at least once a week. This is also a good way to protect your furniture when you don't have fleas. Also wash any other cloth they may be near at least once a week (like the throw blanket on the couch).

If you have a really big problem (or if you just want to anyway), shampoo the carpets. The heat and soapy water kills them as well as deep cleaning so that even the ones way down there get sucked out. Again make sure to use carpet shampoo that is safe for your pets.

Most importantly: take regular table salt and spread it all over your carpets. Wait at least 30 minutes and vacuum. Some people will vacuum, then salt and leave the salt on over night. The theory is that the flea larva (like the caterpillars of fleas) will eat the salt and die of dehydration. This really works. I have done only this part when I was really busy and it took longer but it got rid of all the fleas.

Safety: I am pregnant right now (and just got my cats back after a long vacation). I can not be around any poison. Salt=safe, shampoo=safe. I can't use pennyroyal because of my pregnancy.

Costs: Salt=Cheap (you probably have it sitting in your kitchen right now, if not buying some is cheaper then the gas you will use to get to the store) Shampoo=cheap (again, something you probably already have, just make sure the kind your have is safe for your pet).

on 11/22/2005 Someone suggested putting liquid softener directly on cats to soften their skin after they've been washed with Dawn. Fabric softener is nasty stuff, it's full of volatile neurotoxins and carcinogens. With laundry, at least it's diluted a great deal. But putting a 50% mixture directly on an animal seems very dangerous!

on 11/22/2005 Fleas come into the home by your sink and tub drains also. And they like coffee, so check whenever you open a can or jar of instant or regular coffee. For the drains; before you go to bed, sprinkle Comet or Ajax (or any other powered cleanser that contains bleach) around your bath and kitchen sinks. Leave over night and repeat for 3/4 nights, then twice a month or so.

on 11/22/2005 This is surely the best way, and it won't hurt the animal. But don't use citrus scented Dawn. They use Dawn on the animals that get covered with oil from tanker spills. If they can use it there, it surely must be safe for your dog or cat.