Get Rid of Fleas with Dish Soap

People have many choices now for fighting fleas in their homes, and on their pets. There are collars, shampoos, sprays, powders, and many other flea and tick products. But it's getting where those types of products cost so much money, especially if you have to buy several of them each month. I can remember, when I was a child, one of us kids would sometimes come home with a stray pet. By the time we got it washed up and ready to present to our parents, it was too late; fleas had already jumped off of the dog and set up homestead. My mom wouldn't go out and buy a bunch of expensive chemicals to spray and treat the house. Instead, she would go for the dish soap. If you have a flea problem, and you're a little financially embarrassed right now, you can do something about the fleas in your house, too. Just get the dish soap, and a couple of other common items, and you'll begin treating those fleas right away.

Use a shallow bowl or pan to begin catching the fleas. A pie tin or cake pan works great but even a plastic bowl is suitable. Fill the bowl about halfway full and add liquid dish soap, or even liquid hand soap. It can be helpful to use soap with an outstanding color, like blue or orange, so you can see it on top of the water. Just drip a few drops of the liquid soap on top of the water and watch it disperse. When you have a thin layer over the top of the water, your flea trap is nearly complete.

Use something like a desk lamp for the light source to catch the fleas. The light source will attract the fleas to the soapy water. Put the water in an area where no animal or child will trip over it - or drink out of it - and set the lamp beside it. Position the light of the lamp so that it shines down over the water.

Fleas stay active, jumping and hopping all over the place. When they jump into the water, which they'll be attracted to, they can't escape. The soapy water prevents them from climbing back out of the pan. You'll find that you'll catch the most fleas at night.

Each morning, dump out the dead fleas, and fill the pan with soapy water again. Put it back in the same area and catch some more. You'll see less fleas - maybe even none - after you use this cheap trap for awhile.