Somehow our home and pets managed to get fleas this
summer. We are unsure where the original
fleas came from because we have had indoor cats in our family for close to a
decade and never had a flea problem. Regardless of how we got them, I had to make them go! I started researching safe methods of killing fleas without harming cats, family and
belongings.
I read several stories of success using plain table
salt. The instructions sounded simple
enough: Cover your carpet with table salt and leave it on for three days. The
fleas eat the salt, which so severely dehydrates them that they die. You leave
the salt on the floor for three days, then wait 24 hours and do the whole
process again and supposedly, within two weeks’ time, your home is flea free.
 |
| Dottie |
I liberally doused our carpeted rooms with salt, assuring my
curious cats that this was for the greater good. They were dubious at best.
Six or seven hours into day one of Salt O’
the carpet and my oldest Cat Dottie, took to higher ground, refusing to walk on
any salted/carpeted area. She would run at break neck speed from point A to
point B and stayed on hardwood -tiled surfaces when at all possible. I felt so bad for her.
My husband and kids didn’t care for the crunchy feel of salt
between their toes either, so by day two, I vacuumed up the salt. We did see a
small difference in the fleas, so I knew I’d have to come up with a better
solution. That’s when I decided to combine the Carpet fresh product my cats and family don’t
mind with salt to see how it worked.
This is a super simple DIY project.
- Use at least 1/3 box of Carpet Fresh Pet Fresh to make room for salt.
- Add regular table salt to fill the box of Carpet Fresh. I used a small kitchen funnel aligned to the holes on the top of Carpet Fresh box.
- Shake well to mix ingredients.
- Sprinkle the mix liberally on carpet and let sit for as long as you can. I aim for at least 30 minutes.
- Then vacuum up.
Vacuuming daily, or at least every other day is a major key to
breaking the fleas’ life cycle, as is the salt. We are using this method in conjunction with Flea medicine recommended by our Vet to combat these little biters. The Vet warned us that this could be an ongoing
battle all summer. But at least we aren’t getting bit and our cats seem to be
doing better.
 |
| Fiona |
Now if I could just get them not to be afraid of the vacuum!
Please share in comments: Has your cat or dog ever had fleas? What
did you do to get rid of them?
I never knew that you could make this on your own. That's a cool DIY project and then you know all of the ingredients in it without worrying about extra chemicals and stuff that could possibly be in the store-bought brands.
ReplyDeleteHi Daisy,
ReplyDeleteI didn't want to use harsh, unpronouncable products either; so I was jazzed when I read the reviews on using salt.
I had no idea salt would help with fleas, how cool! Any non-toxic solution is a win with me. We have all outdoor pets and have had to contend with fleas a time or two but with all hardwood floors and no animals to cling to, it was a little easier to get rid of them indoors. However, this would have been great for our floor rugs, so will keep in mind if should happen again!
ReplyDeleteWe have found out that adding Brewer's Yeast to our animals diet was helpful in getting rid of fleas on them and keeping them flea free.
Just got a kitten 3 months ago. She was too small at 6 weeks to use flea treatment on, so I bought this herbal liquid soap for kittens. She didn't get crazy in the bath, and I think the water alone was enough to cut down on fleas. Also a flea comb was very helpful, but then you have to squish them. She's older now, used to baths. There's always the flea eggs and fleas in carpets, baseboards, mattresses, sofas, etc. I'll give your DIY mix a try. No one is getting bit here which is great!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of being able to make this at home. We have to use organic cleaner to clean up after our dog because it irritated his fur. This is perfect for not harming pets in the cleaning process.
ReplyDeleteHi Barb,
ReplyDeleteOh, how I wish we had hardwood floors right now. I'll try your Brewer's Yeast tip, thank you!
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteWe are having success with using a flea comb too. Congrats on your new fur baby and I hope this DIY project will help keep the fleas off of her.
Hi Maria,
ReplyDeleteYes, this DIY mix isn't harming our carpets or our cats!