Ridding Your Pets of Fleas Without Harsh Chemicals

Anyone with pets struggles during the warmer months to get rid of the fleas that can infest your pets and home. The medication given by veterinarians can be great for your pets, however, once the fleas have entered your home, the eggs can be anywhere and everywhere. Your pets will be flea-free, but you wont!

There are safer solutions than using bug bombs or having exterminators come in your home to spray for fleas. Anyone who has a child like mine can understand that with severe allergies chemicals are not always kind to their system. So here are some other ideas to help kill the fleas and keep them out.

First you want to make sure your animals have been treated with flea medication, Frontline is great, however now one of the best treatments is Capstar. Capstar is actually a pill and you can watch with a half hour of giving this pill to your pet the fleas will fall off dead. After you know that your pets are clean than it is time to work on your home.

Fleas are mostly made up of water so one of the best ways to kill them is salt. Literally buy containers of iodized salt at your local store. Pour the salt in a visible layer over carpets and rugs. Let sit for at least a few hours preferably overnight. Than vacuum up the floor, this will kill the fleas and eggs and than keep them from reproducing in your vacuum cleaner bag.

After your floors have been vacuumed move up to beds and couches. For beds and couches start with throwing sheets comforters and throw blankets in the wash. This will kill anything within the blankets. For pillows where you can't wash them stick them one by one into your freezer for a few hours, no eggs can survive that. On couches you can try the salt remedy however another remedy can also make everything smell delicious too. Take any citrus you have and peel the rind off make sure you have at least one cup of rind. Take the rind and boil it in 4 cups of water. Boil the rind for at least a half an hour preferably a full hour. Then turn off the burner and let sit overnight. This is great to do when you are salting the carpet that way it is ready when everything is mostly clean. Once the liquid and rind have steeped take the rind out of the pot and pour the water into a spray bottle. Use this to spray all over beds, pillows, couches, and chairs. Just like the Frontline that contains Orange Oil and scents that detract fleas so will this spray. It does not stain and it makes everything smell fresh instead of like chemicals.

For flea season doing some preventative measures can make all the difference. Spraying your beds and couches with the citrus spray can also prevent fleas from ever setting foot on those things. Also Capstar can be used on your dogs at the first sign and can keep the fleas from getting severe within the home. Also putting garlic in with your dogs food will keep fleas from latching onto them in the first place and is good for the dogs immune system.

If the flea infestation is very severe you may have to result to harsher chemicals but some of these things may keep your family from dealing with the allergic reactions that can happen with these sprays and fumes.