How can I get rid of fleas without bombing the house?

I had the same problem this year. My son's outside Rottweiler was brought in my house and he brought his fleas with him. I have had dogs for years and never experienced fleas in my home before. This was incredible...and not in a good way.

I tried the bombs. No improvement. More bombs..still fleas. So then I went to searching the web.

I read about Borax (in the laundry aisle of the supermarket). Sprinke it on your carpet and let it stand for as long as possible. I also read about table salt and also sprinkling that on the carpet and letting it stand. So I did both at the same time. I put it down at night, tiptoed around the next morning to get ready for work and let it set that day too. I then came home and vacuumed.

By now I was too nuts to just wait and see if that worked by itself. So I bought some bug spray called TAT--real cheap stuff, available at the dollar store. It stated it killed fleas. So now that the carpet was nice and clean, I sprayed all the carpeting with TAT. I then took my little dog and stayed out of the house until the spray dried on the carpet (about 2 hours).

This process worked. I am not sure if it was the Borax, the salt, or the TAT insecticide, but those nasty little creatures are now in flea heaven. By the way, the 3 punch round of Borax, salt, and TAT costs less than just ONE of the bomb treatements (that didn't work anyway).

My housemate and I are in the middle phase of attacking fleas, wanting to keep chemicals out of the house. Basically, once you have had a hatching, i.e. they find you in your bed when the dog doesn't even come in there, you have to do more than home remedies because you have to get rid of the fleas that are already there. We did diacromateous earth throughout the house, as well as some salt, left it for two days while we laundered and dried all clothing and bedding on dry heat. Vacuumed EVERYTHING (even books) and settled back in. The earth did not kill existing fleas as they began biting again and got back on the dog even after we used Advantage II. We're settling on using Zodiac flea and tick from Petco this weekend as from what we've heard, you really need to apply the growth inhibitor to stop things.

That said, waiting for the weekend, I re-salted under my bed (heavily, getting it in all the flooring cracks) and have had no bites in there. I do think the salt does deter them and/or slow them down so this would be a helpful idea for anyone with just a few fleas or wanting prevention. The extra vacuuming (every day) and the dog getting extra flea baths has also seemed to get the situation under control.

Having gone through this for two weeks I'd say vacuuming and salt are your best friend (beyond treating the dog) until you can find the time to do the spraying. Diachromateous earth is probably better as a preventative strategy as it did not stop/kill our fleas and was very time consuming and messy.

Stuff from pet stores doesn't work, so don't use it.

Get a proper housespray from a vets. It's normal for you to need this as fleas always set up home in your home - the majority of the population will be there and Advantage can't help with this. The spray will come with the normal aerosol cautions - get plants and fish out the room (and obviously people and pets) then air about half an hour - hour afterwards.

I'm sure people will suggest sprinkling salt or borax round your house. Don't bother - salt does not hurt fleas, and borax is supposed to be kept away from children and pets. Fact is, you need chemicals to kill fleas, and specific ones.

Chalice

Go to the grocery store and get a clove of fresh garlic. Cut up just a tiny pinch very tiny and put it in your cats food. The fleas do not like the smell which they can sence through the cats skin. The fleas wont land or bite. Eventually after you vacuum a few times and wash your sheets in hot water, the fleas will be gone. It is cheap and harmless to you and your pets. I have cats and dogs for about 5 years and never once had a flea problem. They dont have flea collars and has never had ticks either. Its cheap and it works.

Keep up with their Advantage.

Wash all bedding, including bedskirts and pillows.

Over the next couple weeks...vacuum, vacuum, and vacuum some more.

In the beginning, toss out the vacuum cleaner bag when finished. Later on, to save on the cost of vacuum cleaner bags, you can dump about 1/2 a cup of 20-Mule-Team Borax (found in the laundry detergent aisle of the grocery store) on the floor and vacuum that up. This is to be done at at the end of the process, when you are reasonably sure the problem is under control. Then, should there be any fleas or eggs in the vacuum they will not be able to re-infest your home.

Never feed a cat garlic; it can be toxic.

Diana is right. That's what my vet told me too.

- Wash everything you can (bedding, clothes, curtains, etc)

- Vacuum all the carpet and furniture then remove the bag and throw it away OUTSIDE. (make sure to get between the cushions and stuff too)

- Spray a flea spray on all the carpets. (the spray should have a growth inhibitor in it)

- Let the spray work, then vacuum again. You'll want to throw that bag outside too.

Keep vacuuming 2 to 3 times a week for a few weeks. You should see a difference in 2, 3 weeks at most. Keep your cats on the Advantage for a couple more months after the infestation.

I have had the same problem.

I have taken my bed apart vacuumed the mattress and sprayed it and used the borax on floors , washed every thing bombed the room more than once moved all furniture and cleaned behind, sprayed the base boards, and I still have some straggler fleas.

I have wood floors and thought this would make it easier to eradicate the bastards from.

You have to clean every day for a few weeks or they will take over and you will have to call a pro.

Spray some insect repellent on your socks at night, I did this and they bit me on my arms. So be forewarned.

I have also put nothing but white sheets and linens on bed so I can

catch them so I can drown their sorry little asses.

I am going to try taking the garlic to see if this makes me less tasty.

I will add to this that when vacuuming I also place flea powder in the bag so as I vacuum the fleas are landing in that & its not all over the house ...for the house I like the spray because you can get in smaller areas better..But # 1 is vacuum everyday .... or be like me & do it twice a day... Hate fleas!!! seems this year was a horrible year for them...

There are a few good non-toxic solutions:

- Try Electric flea traps:

http://eartheasy.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=S10...

- Try Insect Dust (Diatomaceous Earth)

http://eartheasy.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=500...

"Diatomaceous earth comes in the form of a chalky powder, and is the natural fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. These diatoms particles are very small and sharp – but only harmful to the small exoskeletons of insects. Insects cannot become immune to its action, as it is a mechanical killer – not a chemical one. Because it is like a light dust, it easily clings to the bodies of insects as they walk and crawl over it. The tiny diatom particles then cut the waxy coating of insects and they eventually dry out and die of dehydration within 48 hours. It is an all-natural product that is so safe, it can be sprinkled around your vegetable patch, or rubbed right into your dog’s fur. "

Here is a great article on fleas, and natural flea control:

http://www.eartheasy.com/article_natural_flea_cont...

you will need to strip your bed of all linens and wash them in HOT water in the meantime while they are washing since you dont want to use a bomb then try Borax which is a powder soap (and it wouldnt hurt to use this on your sheets in the wash as well) you can sprinkle this onto your bed while the sheets are washing it will suffocate the fleas and when you leave it on for about 1hour then get the hose from the vaccuum cleaner and suck it all up and you can also use this on the carpet if you have carpets