How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home

Frontline, Advantage, and other monthly treatments like them work quite well, but they are expensive and what if you can't afford to buy them every month? Are there other things you can do? The simple answer is YES. Let me give you a few ideas on the subject....

The Flea Comb: The flea comb can be very useful but I noticed that while using it the fleas would jump from the pile of hair I had collected and I knew that they would just end up back on my pet. So to fix this problem I got a small bucket and filled it with water. I then would put the collected hair that contained the fleas into the water, every so often pushing the hair under the water so the fleas can't jump out. Then when I was finished I would simply flush the water, fleas and all down the toilet. I'd like to see them jump out of that. :)

Brewer's Yeast Tablets: Also comes in a powder. This is for dogs. Usually given once a day with their food. I use the powder and my dogs don't seem to notice a difference. Brewers yeast is said to be good for your dogs skin and coat and for some reason fleas don't like it. Because of this it can be a decent repellent. Brewers yeast can be found in almost any store in the pet section. Please take precautions before giving this to your pet because some pets can have allergies to it so contact your vet first. Especially if your pet is prone to ear infections or skin infections. Also some brewers yeast tablets come with garlic in it too. Do Not give this to a cat. Garlic can very bad for cats.

Lemon juice water: This will help repel the fleas. Take a sliced lemon with the peel on and soak it in water, 12 ounces, overnight. Pour the lemon water into a spray bottle and spray lightly on your pet. You can also add lemon juice to the rinse water of their bath. Watch to make sure that the lemon water does not irritate your pets skin. If it does cause problems for your pet, discontinue use.

Salting the carpet: I have not personally used this method because I do not have carpeting, but I have been told that it works. Sprinkle regular table salt across your carpet, like you would a deodorizer, let sit for 1 hour and then vacuum up thoroughly. You might check with a carpet company to make sure this won't hurt you kind of carpet. Especially if it was expensive.

Treating the Yard: This one is a biggie if your animals go outside. In the fall I buy a bag of insect yard treatment and spread it in my yard. I do it again in the beginning of spring and maybe once in the summer. I usually wait till a good rain comes that way I don't have to pull out the garden hose. If you stop the fleas outside then that helps prevent them from coming inside in the first place.

Vacuum A Lot: Even if you have wood floors, fleas will find a place to hide in them. I use a shop vac once a month on my wood floors just for flea prevention. And I believe it helps a great deal. Make sure if you are having a flea problem that you dump the contents of your vacuum right away and put it in the trash. If you leave it sit the fleas can actually get out of the vacuum. Yes, they really are crafty little buggers.

Bathing: If your animal is infested with fleas it might be a good idea to use a flea comb or a regular comb, depending on the dogs hair type, while shampooing. After you shampoo your pet and before you rinse, comb your pet hair. This will help the flea shampoo get where the fleas are hiding. A regular bath won't always get past the pets undercoat. Using a comb will help with that.

Don't let fleas run your life. With a little effort they can be controlled. Make sure you give your pets baths and keep your house clean and you will win the fight. Good Luck.

Just for a giggle check out the funny You Tube videos at the bottom of this page. Very cute stuff. :)