We are straying a bit from the topic of “Weekly Kitchen Tips” today. This is more of a household tip, but I find it helpful because so often my mindset in the kitchen is affected by how my general household is running. It comes from Jami who shared the measuring hard oils displacement method of last week.
For killing fleas and fleshing carpets – use 1:1 ratio of borax and cheap salt (purchase in bulk) add several drops of your favorite essential oil – I like clove. Mix well and let sit a couple of hours so the oil really mixes in. Then sprinkle on your carpet like those purchased products. I save big spice shakers for this purpose. Leave it on your floor as long as possible, over night or longer is best. Then vacuum as usual…. house smells great and your carpet is de-bugged!
You can make smaller batches for the pet’s bed, just remember to vacuum before allowing your pet to sleep on it. Borax isn’t something you want to wallow in……
I usually mix 4 cups borax and 4 cups salt, and use 8-10 drops essential oil for the main rooms of my house – The borax kills any fleas or mites and the salt drys out any eggs. Use every 3 weeks in the spring and summer if you have a big flea problem. Enjoy!
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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I think I’ll try this.
I would love a natural was to de-flea my dogs.
I use this method for controlling fleas, except I leave out the salt. I have a metal vacuum and don’t want the corrosive salt to damage it. I find that using the borax every two weeks for about three cycles eliminates any fleas. I also bathe the cats in diluted apple cider vinegar to make them unattractive to the fleas. I add about a tsp of ACV to their wet food daily, as well, so they get some internally.
I will be getting some DE to treat the yard and prevent any fleas from living in the grass and hopping onto the cats when they visit the outside.
Thanks, Mommaofmany, I’ll try the apple cider vinegar on my dogs. Not on my cat, though, I think she’d shred me. Maybe I can try and spray her with a spray bottle! About how much ACV do you add to a bath?
Just wanted to point out that there are 5 stages in the flea lifecycle. They exist in eggs, larvae, pupae and adults.. The Treatment above won’t necessarily remove all of these stages… I reccommend a thorough hoovering. Make sure you place the hoovered up dust in an airtight bag/container and dispose in your bin outside your house immediately..