Ridding My Home of " Vampire Fleas"

Fleas are blood sucking little buggers and once you get them it's really hard to get rid of them. Is there any safe way to get rid of them, other than using chemicals, as some of products can be really dangerous. I had a bad experience once with my cat and a flea collar. She had a severe reaction to the collar.
I decided to do an on line search for home remedies, as I had gotten a kitten who was infested with fleas. I did not realize it for about a month after I had her. Also my other cat began scratching as well, and she did not have any fleas before that. I was also getting bit by the fleas. I really did not want to use fogger bombs, as I have a bird, and I did not want anything to linger in the air. I also did not want to use flea collars or sprays, and the kitten was not old enough anyway to use any products on her.

So here is what I ended up using. I used Dawn dish liquid ( original scent ) to bathe the kitten in. I applied the soap and let it sit on her for about 10 minutes, then I filled the tub with water and put her in the water, then I lathered her up and scrubbed her good, when I was rinsing her off I could see the dead fleas dropping off of her. I then dried her off and took a small comb and combed through her fur trying to get any live fleas and eggs. I also shampooed my carpet and furniture with Dawn as well, after it was dry I sprinkled everyday table salt all over my carpets. I let it sit for about 4 days. The salt will dry up the eggs and kill them. I also tried to vacuum everyday. I also did the white sock test to see if I had anymore fleas. I wore shorts and walked around with white socks to see if the fleas would jump on me, and I did not find any. keep in mind it may not get rid of all the fleas the first time, and you may have to do it again. I also had to bathe my kitten a second time to be sure I had all the fleas and eggs. I ended up with only 10 fleas in the tub. I only had to do my other cat once. I would suggest combing at least once a week to keep a check on the pet.
(Note) I have heard what most people don't know is fleas bite down as soon as you wet them, so it makes them harder to kill. You should soap them down and let it sit about 10 to 15 minutes, and then wash and rinse them, and don't forget to use the flea comb.

I would also like to mention that I used Apple Cider vinegar to keep the fleas off of me before I did this whole procedure. The fleas were driving me nuts.The vinegar also helped with the itching that I had from getting bit by the fleas. I used organic Apple Cider vinegar. I also used Aloe Vera gel for the itch and to heal the bites. The Aloe Vera worked very well.

Now onto what I learned from my on line search.

Dawn Dish Liquid was recommended a lot, and I also had heard about it from friends as well.
Salt was another big recommendation as fleas are 99% water. Sprinkle that salt on carpets, pet bedding, anywhere you feel you need to. Then let it sit for 3 to 4 days and vacuum up, be sure to empty the bag or clean out the canister if it is bagless.
Boric Acid. I really don't trust this one.
Mothballs. Be it in the vacuum cleaner or around the house. I feel they can be toxic to our pets.
Buy a flea or lice comb, this will help pick up eggs and fleas especially after giving the pet a bath.
Garlic is said to be toxic to our pets, so best to avoid it. Although I don't know how true it is, as I used to give my pets garlic to rid them of worms.
Frontline Plus and Advantage is said to be the best product for flea control. It is supposed to kill fleas in all stages of life. Some people say it works and other people say it does not work. Frontline is expensive. I have not heard or read about any bad affects from these 2 products.
Flea collars. I really don't put much stock in them.
Floggers and bombs. These products seem to be safe, but the problem of the clean up after wards, and the inconvenience of having to move pets from the home for a few hours, and that is not always possible. These products are good when you have a really bad infestation of fleas. There are many more remedies that I have not listed here.

I would suggest vacuuming often, possibly renting a steam cleaner or hiring a professional steam cleaning company to clean the carpets and furniture.
I would also suggest washing all bedding and area rugs in hot water and Dawn dish liquid. I would also suggest protecting human bedding with vinyl mattress and pillow coverings. This prevents fleas from infesting human areas. I have used this method for at least 6 years now, as it also prevents dust mites and germs and staining the bed for various reasons.

Now onto reasons why I don't trust chemicals.

Here are a few sites that I came upon when looking for natural ways to get rid of fleas. This is why I really rather not use chemicals. Some of the stories are really sad to read. You will find out a lot about what chemicals do to our pets.

http://www.boycotthartz.com/
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/flea-tick-drops.htm
http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/articles/hartzmountain.htm

So in ending, perhaps a Little Holy water, dawn and salt will do the trick, rather than poison our pets with horrible chemicals.