Natural flea control is a viable alternative for home and pet owners who are uncomfortable with using harsh chemicals like flea bombs to remove stubborn fleas. Fortunately, flea infestations may be purged using natural and organic flea remedies. There are a number of organic germicides that work wonders in both killing and repelling fleas from carpets and pets. Most natural flea control methods involve antiseptics such as lemon, vinegar (especially apple cider vinegar), witch hazel, and in some cases, garlic (though this ONLY for dealing with fleas on humans).
Natural Flea Control Remedies for Pets
Create a Natural Citrus Repellant against Fleas
Natural flea control doesn’t get more organic than this. All you need for a homemade citrus repellant is to cut a lemon into quarters and then boil in a pan with 3 to 4 cups of water for about 30 minutes. Afterwards, simply strain the concoction and let it cool. Once it is cold enough for application, you can either use a spray bottle to spray it onto your pet’s coat, or use a clean sponge to lightly coat the fur. This method seems very simple but is actually a very effective and gentle way to organically control fleas. Many professional dog groomers use this method exclusively to protect their dogs’ well groomed fur. One thing to note is that while cats hate the scent of citrus, this natural flea remedy is safe for cats as well.
Using Flea Combs to Remove Live Fleas
A flea comb is the most basic tool for flea control. Flea combs are different from other combs in that they have very fine comb teeth (usually 36 teeth per inch) which are very effective in trapping and removing fleas. Fleas combs are cheap as well and you can get a very high quality MiracleCoat Flea Comb
Natural Flea Control Remedies for Carpet and Flooring
Vinegar, Lemon Juice and Witch Hazel Solution to Kill Fleas in Carpets
This method is a very cheap and effective method, but requires a vacuum cleaner with a fresh bag, along with a home/garden sprayer. Garden sprayers are actually quite cheap and easy to use; we recommend the Chapin 20020 SureSpray 2-Gallon Sprayer
After acquiring your sprayer, you just need to fill it with this home remedy for fleas:
- 1 Gallon Vinegar (apple cider vinegar preferred)
- 1/2 Gallon Water
- 16oz Lemon Juice
- 8 oz Witch Hazel
*Note* There are a lot of variations on this recipe, but this one contains the most natural ingredients
Once your sprayer is ready for action, vacuum the floors thoroughly and commence spraying a heavy mist (not a stream) onto carpets, bedding, sofas, window sills and floors; pretty much anywhere your pet hangs out. This spray is non-toxic and inexpensive and should be repeated every 12 hours for the first two days, after which you can proceed to spray only once a week during the flea season.
Drowning Fleas with a Flea Trap
This method can be quite effective and satisfying as you will visibly be able to see the removal of fleas in your house. For this method you will need to take a saucer or bowl and fill it with liquid dish soap and then place it on the middle of the carpet infested with fleas at night. Then take a reading lamp or other source of bright light and place it directly above the bowl (as pictured at the beginning of this page). Because fleas are intrinsically attracted to light, they will jump towards the bright light only to fall into the bowl of liquid soap and drown. The downsides of this method is that it is slower (usually taking two weeks or longer for complete riddance) than more aggressive forms of flea control, but at least you don’t have to spray anything on your carpet! The other negative is the fact that you have to keep your pet away from the bowl so that your pet doesn’t try to drink the soap. For this reason you should consider using a commercial flea trap, which are still natural as many do not use poison but rather a glue to trap the fleas. The Victor M230 Ultimate Flea Trap
While natural and organic flea control is obviously the safest for your home and pets, you should at least be aware of the other more powerful forms of flea control involving chemicals. There is a slight trade off of safety for effectiveness, but the additional risks are often not that much more than natural flea remedies. We recommend you check out our home remedies for fleas page along with our flea removal tools page. Whatever route you choose, know that the Earth thanks you for at least thinking of natural flea control.