Fleas

Most fleas make their way into the home through a warm-blooded animal that has been outdoors. Once inside your home, fleas take up residence and begin to multiply. While professional pest control services are available, it's possible to successfully tackle the problem yourself.

Many pet owners do not want to use harsh chemicals on their pet or in their home. Here are five steps to getting rid of fleas in your home. To get rid of fleas you must treat your home, your pets, and outdoors.

Wash everything.

The key to totally eliminating fleas is to make your home a non suitable environment for them. Wash your pet's bedding and any machine washable items regularly in hot water. Add a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil to the rinse for additional protection.

Eliminating fleas from carpets.

Fleas not hang out on your pet, they also live in your carpet and upholstery. Here are two very safe and natural home remedies to use on your carpet to rid your home of fleas.

Table salt. Ordinary table salt will help get rid of fleas. Salt dehydrates the fleas and eggs. Sprinkle salt on all carpeted areas and couches.

Diatomaceous Earth. DE is made of parts of a fossilized hard shelled algae. It works as if it were shards of glass to the fleas, causing them to dehydrate, but is safe for pets and children.

Whichever method you use, leave on carpet for a couple of days and then vacuum all carpet and empty vacuum bag. You must repeat this step weekly until you do not find anymore fleas.

Flea bath for your pet.

If you do not eliminate fleas on your pet, you will continue to see fleas no matter what you do to your home. Here are a couple of natural flea bath or dips recipes.

Essential oil bath. Fleas will propel from the scent. Draw a bath and add a few drops of tea tree or lavender essential oils. Bathe dog as usual. Repeat as necessary.

Olive oil. Oil will smother fleas when applied to coat. Leave on for 15 minutes and then wash several times to get oil out. Repeat as necessary.

Flea repellent.

Keeping fleas off of your pet will help keep fleas out of your house. Making a flea spray to spray on your pet before they go outside and before they come in your house will help keep fleas under control. Here are several natural flea sprays.

Lemon juice. Fleas hate the smell of lemon juice, so lemons are an effective flea repellent. Cut lemon into slices and immerse in boiling water. Let it sit overnight and pour into a spray bottle. Spray all over your pet , paying special attention to the back of their ears.

Lavender and cedar wood essential oil. These oils mixed together in a spray bottle will also keep fleas away.

To keep fleas at bay, continue to vacuum your carpets and upholstery every day for several weeks. Keep an eye on family pets for signs of unusual scratching that may indicate the continued presence of fleas. You should also consider applying flea granules to the carpet. This mild treatment is safe for use around children and pets, and kills flea larvae for up to one year.

If you have difficulty ridding your home of fleas and infestations continue to occur, you should hire a professional pest controller to take care of the problem once and for all. Although this treatment method may cost a bit more money out of pocket, the health of your family and pets will be well worth the investment.