Getting rid of a flea infestation is hard work. After catching a ride home on your furbaby, these tiny bugs can infiltrate the deep recesses of your carpets, furniture, and even your walls. While really bad infestations might call for a professional, or at least professional (and expensive) products, sometimes these at-home "remedies" do the trick!
If you have an unfortunate pest problem, try these methods before you drop big bucks on chemicals and pro services.
Vacuum the area really well
By the time you've discovered fleas in your home, there are probably more than you think. To help get rid of them, use a powerful vacuum on all carpets, mattresses, and furniture. Use or rent the type that has disposable bags, so you don't risk them sticking around.
On carpets and other areas you suspect a high infestation, sprinkle baking soda on the carpets first, the scrub over the area with a brush. You can also spread salt and leave it for one or two days before vacuuming. Double down on the areas your pet usually sleeps.
After the heavy-duty vac job, rent a steam cleaner: the high heat and soap should get rid of the fleas.
Wash your bedding ASAP
All of it. As soon as you recognize a flea infestation in your home, wash everything: bed linens and pillows, couch covers and cushions, curtains, and, of course, your pet's bedding.
Use strong detergent to increase the likelihood of getting rid of all the fleas.
Create a flea trap with dish soap
Fleas are drawn to dish soap, much like ants and other insects. You can create a flea trap in your home by mixing some with water and leaving the bowls in rooms where you think the infestation is most active.
The bugs will be drawn to the mixture and drown in the water. Leave these bowls out at night especially, because fleas are nocturnal. Refresh the water-soap mixture daily for the best results.
Use vinegar and witch hazel
Instead of spending a ton of money on toxic flea treatments for your home, mix up your own herbal spray. Combine four liters of vinegar, two liters of water, 500 ml of lemon juice, and 250 ml of witch hazel.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz—with a heavy hand—your just-vacuumed or super-washed carpets and couches, and anywhere else the pests might be hanging out.
Make a lemon-infused spray
In addition to treating wasp stings and bug bites, lemon juice can help remedy a flea infestation.
To make a lemon spray for your home, all you need to do is boil one pint of water with thinly sliced lemon. Let the solution sit overnight and pour it into a spray bottle the next day. Then spray it on the infested areas of your home until they're damp.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth
Diatomaceous earth is a super fine powder that is non-toxic. It scratches the hard shells of the fleas, causing them to dry out and die. It's not dangerous to you or your pet, but because it's so fine, you might want to wear a mask while you're sprinkling it around.
Leave the powder in place for around 48 hours, then vacuum it up and hope for the best.
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Rosemary can control fleas naturally
Rosemary can be used on pets and for light infestations. It won't kill the fleas, but they hate the scent so they might vacate the area. You can sprinkle ground rosemary around your home or on your pet (test a little area of their skin first to make sure they don't react badly). You can also make a rosemary infusion by boiling the leaves and water and spray it around. This method can help prevent the population from increasing.
To make a natural powder with rosemary, combine it with fennel, peppermint, rue, and wormwood and grind it into a powder. Then sprinkle the powder anywhere you suspect flea activity.
Decorate with flea-repelling plants
To help keep fleas out of your home altogether, pick up some flea-repellant plants to add beauty and pest prevention!
There are four go-to plants for flea repellent: chrysanthemums, lavender, spearmint, and pennyroyal. These plants won't help you get rid of an already-existing infestation but can help prevent fleas from dropping in unannounced.
Spread cedar chips in areas your pet likes to lay
If the flea infestation is in your yard and not in your home, there are a few things you can do as well. One of the most effective ways to get rid of fleas in your yard is to spread cedar chips, especially in the areas your pet enjoys hanging out. By removing debris and adding clean cedar chips, you strip away many of the places fleas like to hide.
Tend to your pet's needs
As you are using the home remedies above, you should also be sure to tend to your pet. Using dish soap to bathe them can help kill fleas on their bodies. You can also use a flea brush. Remember, fleas typically live around the neck and more densely furry areas. Always remember to wash your pet's bedding, too.
When all is said and done, all-natural remedies won't always work and you might have to talk to a vet or pest specialist about more extreme measures. But diligently removing fleas and keeping watch for them will help minimize the issue if it does, almost inevitably, arise!
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