Not only cockroaches or ticks are the little star bugs that can give us headaches. These two, along with ants, can wreak havoc in our home, but the bad news, and we all know it, is that not only are they the ones who do their thing in our space, they can practically make it theirs in a two for three, there are other little critters that can even make us sleepless, and they are the cumbersome fleas.
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Home remedies to combat fleas
Fleas love being in warm vertebrates like dogs, rabbits, cats, and in fact they can even be your own hosts. One of the reasons for their overwhelming presence in our home is the fact that flea eggs can be deposited anywhere within your home. These eggs hatch into larvae and eventually fleas.
The irritating thing is that flea eggs can lie dormant for over a year and that’s why sometimes when you’ve sprayed your home and felt flea-free, they appear out of nowhere. And that is why you need to regularly clean your house frequently once you have removed the fleas.
Here are some effective home remedies to combat fleas, with which you can not only eliminate fleas, but you can also control their recurrence.
1. Remedy to fight fleas with liquid dishwasher
If you want to get rid of fleas, this seems like the easiest way to catch and remove them is with a flea trap. This will allow you to clean the entire house of fleas.
- At night, place a bowl or plate in each of your rooms, preferably in the middle of the room. Place it on the floor.
- Now fill them with warm water. If you use a container, fill it partially, and if you use a plate, fill it to the brim.
- Now add dishwashing liquid to the water. Use a good amount.
- Place a tealight in the center of each plate. If a bowl is used, it may not be possible to place the candle inside. You can place the candle near the bowl.
- Now light the candles.
- Fleas are attracted to light. When they jump into the light, they will get caught in the high viscosity of the soapy liquid.
- If your house is heavily infested with fleas, you can keep doing this for 3-4 nights.
Warning: you must stay awake until all candles are extinguished. Also, don’t let your pets and children roam freely when you have set a trap with soap and water and lighted candles in the center of each room.
2. Herbal spray to kill fleas
If you’ve been thinking about a chemical-laden flea spray to get rid of them, you should reconsider and give this herbal spray a try instead. This homemade flea spray with natural ingredients is completely safe for your pets and children. Here is the prescription.
You need:
- 1 gallon of vinegar (a little less than 4 liters)
- ½ gallon of water (a little less than 2 liters)
- Lemon juice- 16 oz (a little less than 500 ml)
- Scottish elm 8 oz (a little less than 250 ml)
- 1 vacuum cleaner bag (clean, not used)
- 1 spray bottle for home and garden (this equipment must be able to hold at least 6.7 liters)
Do this:
- Mix all the ingredients and pour the mixture into the spray bottle.
- Pick up everything that cannot be vacuumed and washed on the hottest setting in your washing machine. This even kills the larvae and flea eggs.
- Now vacuum properly. Every corner, upholstery, cabinets, etc. Use the fresh vacuum bag. This ensures unrestricted air flow.
- Then spray the mixture on your carpets, furniture, pet bedding, window frames, floors, every nook and corner of your house.
- Do this every day for at least 2-7 days, depending on how bad the problem is.
- When fleas become less visible, you may then repeat every 3-4 days and then once a week during their season.
If you are going to start using this spray mixture just as flea season is approaching, you will need to spray once a week during flea season.
3. Remedy with salt to fight fleas
An ingredient as common as salt can make getting rid of fleas difficult, especially from your carpets. How is it possible? The salt becomes a dehydrating agent for fleas and kills their bodies. So, use this cheap way to control fleas. This is what you have to do.
You need:
- Table salt or any of the sea salts (you will need a lot, depending on the size of the area you need to sprinkle on)
- Large spice bottle with a shaker lid.
Do this:
- See if your salt is finely ground or not. If not, grind to get a fine salt powder.
- Fill your spice bottle with this salt leaving a little space at the top so that you can shake and sprinkle the salt on it.
- Sprinkle the salt on the rugs in each room. The salt should cover the area evenly.
- Leave for 12 to 48 hours.
- After 1-2 days, vacuum thoroughly.
4. Boric acid – remedy to get rid of fleas
Boric acid, more or less, works like salt when it comes to eliminating fleas. It acts as a desiccant or a dehydrating agent that causes severe dehydration in fleas. You need to sprinkle boric acid where you think there may be fleas, their larvae or eggs.
You need:
- Boric acid
- A stirrer (like the one used for spices or castor sugar)
You may even want to make your own shaker by taking an empty container with a plastic lid. If you do, poke the cap with a tool to poke holes in it. Place some pebbles in the container to avoid caking of boric acid when stored. Now fill 2/3 of this container with boric acid and your homemade shaker full of boric acid is ready.
Don’t forget to label it in bold as ‘BORIC ACID’
Do this
- Fill the shaker with boric acid. The rule of etiquette applies here as well. Anyone can mistake boric acid for some cooking ingredient. So, please label it ‘boric acid’ before you use it.
- Vacuum carpets, upholstery, etc. where you want to sprinkle boric acid and remove all objects such as bags, toys, shoes, etc. of the scene.
- Sprinkle the boric acid powder in thin layers. To do this, shake the container and apply a little powder to the area such as the carpet.
- Now take a soft brush and work the acid into the pile of the carpet.
- For the upholstery, you can use a hand brush and work your way down into the gaps. Remember, boric acid can discolor fabrics. So, give it a try before applying this remedy. Don’t forget to spray under furniture.
- Leave for 12 to 48 hours.
- Now vacuum all boric acid treated areas and surfaces.
- Keep vacuuming regularly. Since you have worked the acid down the carpets and upholstery, this will continue to kill the fleas.
- After a month or so, you can wash the carpets, upholstery, etc.
Caution: Although boric acid is of low toxicity to humans and pets as well, it should be used with caution when children and pets are around. Keep it away from food and also out of the reach of children. Do not sprinkle boric acid on countertops, especially in the kitchen where food is prepared.
5. Use rosemary to control fleas
If your home is not heavily infested with fleas, but if it is irritating due to even a mild flea infestation, you can use rosemary herb to control these flea problems in your home. You can use rosemary for flea control in various forms, such as a powder, a rinse, or an oil. While dogs can be bathed in rosemary water (rosemary leaves with boiling water), cats should not receive this treatment due to certain reactions in them. Rosemary oil can be poured (just a couple of drops) on your pet’s collar. However, because we are talking about house flea control in general, this is a recipe for rosemary powder and it can be used anywhere in your home.
You need equal parts of these dried herbs:
- Rosemary
- Rue
- Wormwood
- Fennel
- Mint
- Coffee grinder or mortar
Do this:
- Take all the herbs and grind them together using a mortar or in a coffee grinder.
- Grind them until they turn into a fine powder.
- Sprinkle this herbal powder on your carpet, furniture, pet bedding, under furniture, window frames, or anywhere else you think fleas may be present.
- This is a natural flea repellent and not a way to kill fleas.