What will kill fleas?
Fleas can quickly turn into a nightmare and without a proper solution, the fleas keep coming back. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most used options for flea control.
If your cat has flease, the first thing you want to do is give them a bath with a pesticide free shampoo. Although water alone kills the fleas fairly well by drowning them, the shampoo will make the bath much more effective. The best shampoo I’ve used for my cats is BarkLogic Tick & Flea Pet Wash.
You’ll also want to use a flea comb to regularly comb your cat’s hair and catch any living fleas and flea eggs. Be sure to wash the comb after usage or the fleas and eggs will still be on it! Flea combs are pretty cheap and essential to have for any pet. Here is one great comb that does the job and is very low priced: Safari Flea Comb with a Double Row of Teeth
For information on topical flea medications, have a look at our post here: Best flea meds for cats
Homemade flea spray and killing fleas naturally in your home
- Salt for fleas & Baking soda flea control
Salt and baking soda will dehydrate and kill fleas. They can be used separately or combined into an effective home made flea killing mixture. The salt, baking soda, or mixture will be sprinkled onto carpet to kill fleas and flea eggs living in the carpet. Please be aware this is not safe for use directly on your cat, only on the floor. Leave this mixture on the floor for 24 hours and then vacuum. Don’t forget to throw away the vacuum bag/waste in case you sucked up any living fleas which might get back out. You can also mix some baking soda in your vacuum bags.
- Clean everything! Vacuum furniture and place anything machine washable through the laundry to kill fleas and eggs. You can put things into the dryer only and kill them with the heat. Continue cleaning every time you see any fleas.
- Does water kill fleas?
Water can be set out in one or several dishes throughout your house. The fleas will jump into the water and then drown there. A small amount of dish soap can be added to the water for additional effectiveness, but you should be careful to use non-toxic and pet safe soap, as your cat may take a drink.
- Homemade flea spray
Place several lemon slices into hot water and let it sit for 12-24 hours. Strain the water into a spray bottle. If the bottle is not full, then add additional tap water till full. Use this to spray your cat with a small amount first and watch for any skin reaction. If there is a reaction, cease use of the spray. This home made flea repellent will keep fleas away from your cat.
UPDATE:
I’ve recently tried this flea trap product and it works very well for flea control in your home. It contains no poisons or toxic chemicals and is totally safe around your pets. Using a trap like this in combination with the above methods makes for great all around protection against flea infestation. Its also pretty cheap, recommended: Victor M230 Ultimate Flea Trap
Killing flea larvae
It is very important to kill the flea larvae and eggs, as well as the actual fleas, or the fleas will keep coming back. Because of this, it is a good idea to keep up the above techniques even when no actual fleas are seen in your house. This will ensure that you kill off any leftover flea larvae.
Killing fleas in the yard
Flea nematodes are the most effective and safe way to kill fleas living in your yard. Nematodes are harmless to humans and pets, and perfectly safe for your soil and plants. Nematodes are microscopic predators that kill not only fleas, but all kinds of insect pests. In addition to killing the fleas outside, the nematodes will also kill off many other insects and parasites that attack your garden plants. Nematodes are very easy to apply, you just scatter them about your yard and they will do the rest. The best nematode product I’ve used so far, and also pretty cheap, is Flea Exterminator: 10 Million Live Beneficial Nematodes
