What Are Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Fleas? Do They Work?

If you have a flea infestation, you may be looking for a solution to help clean up the infestation as quickly as possible. However, you may be concerned about how the treatment may affect you or your pets. You may be looking for home remedies that are free from chemicals that you can do right away. It is just as important to make sure the home remedy works before you try it.

Dish Soap Trap

One suggested home remedy is to create a trap for the fleas by putting out a dish of water with dish soap in it. When the fleas jump into it, they cannot get out and they will drown. This is a completely nontoxic option. You can set several out around your house in the carpet. Fleas are more active at night and it may be best to set them out then.

While this can effectively attract adult fleas, it is not very effective at clearing up the fleas in your home. One reason is that it only deals with the adult fleas, and it does not kill the eggs or the larvae. The eggs that are currently in your home will hatch and you will need to set the traps again in a continuing cycle.

Baking Soda on Your Carpet

Another home remedy is to sprinkle baking soda on your carpet. You can take it a step farther and use a brush to scrub it into the carpet. This will work to help dehydrate the fleas and cause them to die. Then you will vacuum your carpet thoroughly.

This method can help with adult fleas, but it does not address the eggs in your carpet. They will hatch and develop into new fleas. Even if you are very diligent in vacuuming, you may miss just a few eggs and start the entire process again.

Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is the remains of fossilized algae. The powder will cause the fleas to dry out and die. It is important to leave it out for two days or it will not kill all of the fleas. It only works on the larvae and the adult fleas, and will not harm any eggs that have not hatched yet. Once you have finished treatment you will need to vacuum your house extensively.

This is effective, but it does take time and you will need to leave it down for at least two days to clear up a big infestation. If you do not use the food grade option, you may have irritation from the particles. It can be used for parasite control in dog food, so it is not going to harm your pet if they ingest a small amount.

Clear Up Fleas for Good

The best way to treat fleas is to hire a professional to take care of the fleas for you. They can take care of the eggs, larvae and adult fleas and make sure that your flea problem does not start up again in a few days. It is also important to treat your pets and start using a method to prevent them from catching fleas in the future.

Find out if fleas live on people

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