Homemade Remedies For Fleas You Have To Try

10 best home remedies for fleas
(Last Updated On: February 16, 2021)

I have tried everything. But no matter what I do to get rid of the fleas in my house, sometimes I still find some. You don’t have to suffer like I have though with some homemade remedies for fleas that will stop these pests from bothering you or your pet.

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The 10 Best Homemade Remedies for Fleas

How do I get rid of those nasty fleas?  We can’t say how many times we’ve thought that exact same thing. It’s not an easy process, but at least you don’t need to resort to harsh chemical remedies all the time.

There are homemade remedies to get rid of fleas that will neither break the bank nor break your back. If you’ve looked online already, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed with all the options available. That’s why we’ve composed a list of the 10 best natural remedies for fleas that will help you clean out your home and clean up your pet.

10 best home remedies for fleas

I Can Trap Fleas?

We’ve all heard of ant traps or animal traps, but what about flea traps? Sure, you can kill fleas by washing your pet with dishwashing soap, but you can kill them in your whole house by catching them with it!
– At night, get a bowl or a plate in each of your rooms.
– Fill them with warm water.
– Add maybe a capful of dishwashing liquid.
– Put a tea candle in it or nearby if using a bowl and light them up.

The fleas will jump to their death in the dishwashing liquid. All you need to do is empty it out in the morning.

Yes, it is as surprisingly easy as it sounds. Make sure you are mindful of the fire, especially if you’re going to bed.

Just a Little Vinegar

It may sound a little picky, but fleas don’t like to snack on your dog if their pH isn’t balanced. So what natural remedies on dogs can you use to mess up this balance without harming your pet?

Apple cider vinegar can do the trick with ease!

  • Feed your dog half a teaspoon per 25 pounds.
  • Test their urine to make sure you haven’t harmed their pH; it should be between 6.2 and 6.5

You can also use a spray involving apple cider vinegar with these simple ingredients:

  • 4oz of hot water.
  • 6oz of apple cider vinegar.
  • 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.
  • Mix it all in a spray bottle and you’re good to go!

Spray your dog weekly and be careful of the eyes or any scratches.

There are a few more homemade ways to get rid of fleas too, involving:
A gallon of vinegar
A 1/2 gallon of water
16oz of lemon juice
8oz of witch hazel

Spray them every week for a few weeks and you should see results! Try out this vinegar lemon juice witch hazel for fleas trick!

Related: Read about spotting Flea Dirt in this article

Easy Oils!

The use of essential oils is actually said to be one of the most effective natural pet remedies for getting rid of fleas. A lot of people swear by it. Citronella oil is one of the best and safest at home remedies that will repel not only fleas, but other insects too using:

  • 20 drops of citronella.
  • 10 drops of tea tree oil.
  • 10 of lemongrass.
  • 5 of geranium.
  • 1 gallon of warm water.

Mix it all together, and after vacuuming of course, mop all the flooring in your house. After a few days, once a week mopping should be fine.

Lavender, lemon, palmarosa, cedar, eucalyptus, clary sage, and peppermint can be used too. Rose geranium oil is ok for dogs with a few drops on their collar, but never use it on cats. Most of these oils won’t work well for cats since they spend so much time grooming.

Finally, you can also use cedar-based oil that you dilute with water. Put a capful in a spray bottle and mist your dogs with it. This oil works a little better for cats, and you can also sponge your dog with a mixture, but as always, be careful not to use too much.

Diatomaceous Earth (What is it?)

Admittedly, we hadn’t heard of this one before we did a little research. Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic powder used commonly to destroy flea eggs before they become problematic adults. Diatomaceous earth can’t really be used on things you can’t vacuum though.

Just like in the natural spray recipes we discuss later, you’ll need to wash everything impossible to vacuum in very hot water. When you use it, just spread it in your yard or in your home before vacuuming after two days. Be careful not to buy DE that’s for pools though; that’s toxic!

Don’t be a fruitcake! Use a Little Citrus.

Do you have an extra lemon just sitting around your home? Citrus from a lemon or orange can actually be used as a repellent for fleas. Just lightly rub a little juice onto your pet’s fur, but not too much.

Always be aware that the oil in these fruits can actually be toxic to your pet if too much is ingested. They can cause skin irritation if you rub on too much.

Salt and boric acid can be used in a similar way thanks to the way they dehydrate the flea’s bodies:
– Get some salt of your own (how much depends on the amount of area you need to cover).
– Grind it up into a powder.
– Then just put it in some kind of shaker and sprinkle it over your carpets.

Leave it there for up to two full days before you vacuum to find your home flea free.

Flea Spray Recipes

Remember how we said that citrus was a good way to repel fleas? Well that’s why it’s one of the main ingredients often used in flea repellent.

All you need for this simple mist is:
– A sliced lemon.
– 2 sprigs of rosemary.
– 1 of sage.
– 1 quart of water- that’s it!

Just mix everything together with the boiling water and let it steep covered overnight. Strain it and refrigerate it in the morning and you’ll have a natural pet remedy that lasts up to two weeks.

That’s not the only available herbal flea spray to you though.

With a spray that’s safe for both pets and kids, grab your ingredients:
– A gallon of vinegar.
– 1/2 gallon of water.
– 500ml of lemon juice.
– 250ml of witch hazel.
– Some kind of sprayer.

Mix it all together and use this tick and flea remedy to spray your home after vacuuming. Make sure to vacuum properly though, and put everything into your washer on the hottest setting to kill any existing fleas.

If you want to get rid of fleas, spray your home for 2-7 days. If you want to keep the fleas away, repeat every 3-4 days and once a week in flea season.

Wash the Pet

This is probably the most obvious natural remedy for fleas, but hey, it actually works! Fleas don’t often hold onto your pet, so washing them will cause them to slide off and drown. Just remember to wash them thoroughly, and to brush them afterwards too!

Clean your Home like Never Before

We know this is another obvious one, but we so often miss the important places that fleas can hide when we clean up. When we say clean, we mean everywhere. Throw furniture covers in the wash, disinfect floors, vacuum all over. Dump out the canister when you’re done since those pesky bugs might still be alive in there.

Steam cleaning the carpets can help too, along with once a week vacuuming.

Introduce a Natural Predator

If you want to keep fleas out of your house, the best way is to keep them out of your yard! Ever heard of nematodes? Well, these are actually the natural predator of fleas. They’re basically small worms that eat flea larva and are easy to buy at stores, but that aren’t the harmful type like heartworms.

Fire ants and ladybugs can work too, although nematodes might be a little easier to control. Mid-March and April is the best time for this treatment. It’s simple too!

Add water to the package and spray them in your yard. Use them quickly though since they are actually living. They can’t kill your fleas if they’re not alive to eat them!

Related: Top 5 Best Flea and Tick Treatments

Garlic (It repels more than Vampires)

Just like citrus, fleas don’t like garlic either. You may want to focus this homemade spray on your yard though when you send your pet outside. It might be a little strange to have your home smelling like garlic after all. All you need are:
– 8 heads of chopped garlic,
– A gallon of hot water.

Put all the garlic in a large soup pan and pour your water in. Then just cover it and let it steep for 12 hours before you strain it and spray it. Make sure you spray lightly though!

Garlic can also be fed to your dog too. Be mindful that it can hurt your dog if you give them excessive amounts. Just give them 1/4 of a clove for every 10 pounds and 1/8 if they weigh even less than that. Don’t give them any more than two cloves a day, to be safe.

Why should you use harsh chemicals and pay a whole bunch when you have natural remedies for fleas right at your fingertips? It might seem impossible to prevent fleas, and even more impossible to keep them away, but rest assured that these 10 tips can keep both your pet and your home flea free! With some cleaning and spray, you won’t need to worry about fleas or their eggs lying around any longer.

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17 Comments

  • toughcookiemommy says:

    It’s so hard to get rid of fleas. I love that there are ways to get rid of them right at home that don’t always include toxic chemicals.

  • afrugaldesteny says:

    My dogs have never had fleas, thank goodness! I’m not really sure why… just lucky, maybe!

  • GlamKaren says:

    Wow – so many ways to kill those little pests! I like the tea candle one the best – seems super easy. Just gotta watch that flame before heading to bed.
    Karen | GlamKaren.com

  • Cynthia @craftoflaughter says:

    My aunt believed in feeding her dog brewers yeast! I’m not sure it worked though. I love natural remedy’s but our monthly pill prevent heartworm as well as fleas!

  • Roxanne says:

    Great tips! We always used a natural flea and tick repellent that had tons of cinnamon in it. It worked great for our super fluffy Siberian Husky. He smelled wonderful for days! Also, wonder if you could use an electric tea light vs. a candle flame to attract the fleas. Maybe a safer route?

  • Kimberly says:

    Fleas can be such an annoyance in the Summer. Great tips for relieving our pets!

  • This post just reminded me that I have to put my dog’s flea meds on! I keep forgetting. Yikes!

  • Amanda Love says:

    Fleas can be such a headache especially if you don’t know how to control them before they start spreading! I really like this list of home remedies because you can simply use ingredients that you already have at home. Simple and easy!

  • We adopted a dog once that came with fleas, We took her in the house and immediately to the tub where we washed her with the blue Dawn dish liquid. It did the trick. 🙂

  • Debra says:

    These are all so great. we don’t have this problem right now, but I am glad to know that there are good natural ways to help!

  • rosepetalsinthesea says:

    Fleas can be so hard to get rid of, but I’m glad that there are many natural alternatives opposed to the conventional methods. I’ve tried ACV and it has worked really well. – HilLesha

  • We’ve never had a dog so. I guess I’ve never thought about how much work it is to keep them healthy and happy. Great info for dog lovers.

  • CourtneyLynne says:

    Ooooooo I’ve always heard about using vinegar for fleas but the rest are new to me. I will have to try a few of these out!

  • Megan McCoig says:

    I love the ‘catching them’ idea, that way they should all surround there and be none anywhere else. Will be sure to try a few of these – they are pests!

  • Karen says:

    Thanks for the advice! My sisters dogs struggle with fleas so I’m sending her this post!

  • Denea says:

    I will have to pass this along because her puppy is fighting fleas really bad and even the medicine isn’t helping! Thanks for sharing this!

  • klensum563@ says:

    I am a pet lover and I have two dogs and two cats. I have a cat that is three years old. When my cat was suffering from fleas then I have used so many medicines unfortunately, none of them worked. Actually she is allergic to every topical medicine. Then my one of my friends told me to use home remedies for fleas . Natural remedies are very effective and after 2 weeks my cat’s fleas are almost gone and now my cat is free from this problem completely. If you too want to get rid of fleas, you can visit this site . klensum563@

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