Here's some info on fleas in the home and how to safely get rid of them if you're worried about always using chemicals. Also the diatomaceous earth can be used outside and around your home as well. I actually just used this answer a few days ago in the pet section but decided to use it here as well after seeing so many flea posts.


That being said... for all of you having issues with fleas when I lived in California a few years there was always this season that fleas seemed to kick up and I had just had my son he was only a few weeks old and also my dog so I was scared of what to use I didn't want chemical residue left in my carpets and such. My neighbor who had lived on base for years gave me some great advice and I'm passing it down. If you are dealing with a house infestation of fleas, here's a great way to get rid of the problem. Mix together 1 1/2 pounds of diatomaceous earth, 1 1/2 pounds of natural borax and 1 cup of salt. (Don't use the earth and borax that you can purchase at a pool store, rather use the products that you can get from your local garden store.) The diatomaceous earth works because it contains very tiny particles that have sharp spines, which puncture the exoskeleton of the flea, killing it. The borax and salt work by absorbing the moisture of the flea and make all of those cracks and small areas that they might find to live in your home much more undesirable. You can use the mixture by sprinkling it throughout your home onto carpets (I recommend using a broom to sweep it further into the carpet) and into those harder to reach areas. Allow the mixture to sit for a couple of days and then vacuum it up. Although these powders are not poisonous it's never a good idea for you or your pet to breathe it continually for days so if it's possible to go elsewhere ( like maybe a larger tiled or linoleum covered room with a gate to keep them there) while it sits then that's definitely an option you should use. Alternatively, if you prefer not to douse the house with the mixture, you can always pour it into your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum everything thoroughly so that any of the sucked up fleas will die inside the bag. Keep in mind that this solution will not kill the un-hatched flea eggs and therefore the process may need to be repeated several times depending on the severity of your problem.

As far as the pups and cats go Dawn is the best choice I've heard for washing them but I also suggest adding garlic to the moms food and vinegar to her water ask your vet how much but this is a natural deterrent it's kind of like what mosquito repellant is for us but naturally. Good luck and sorry it's so long!
:)

While these techniques and materials will work, primarily because vacuuming causes more fleas to be exposed to your chemicals, they are both more labor intensive than the already intense process of getting rid of fleas and they are more expensive.

While many tout diatomaceous earth as being organic, it's just fossilized seashells in a fine powder. Breathing it can cause silicosis in the lungs.

Borax can be purchased much more cheaply at the "Dollar" discount stores in the form of roach powder. Boric acid, Sodium Borate(Borax@ detergent), and Disodium Octoborate (Bora-care@) all depend on Boron, a metal poison.

Salt is one of the harshest chemicals around. Look what it does to slugs or ham.

As for fleas, look at this:
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/pest-control/fleas-apt-386490.html

I had fleas once in my basement because I put up a female dog that was in heat and this got fleas in my basement badly.

I talked to a old lady and she said that if I would get some banana stalks and put them in my basement it would get rid of the fleas.

I went to the farmers market and at that time they sold bananas on stalks. I bought some in order to getthe stalks and then threw the stalks in my basement and the fleas were gone. I don't know iof it killed them or ran them off, but it suregot rid of them.

The best thing to kill fleas on your dogs and cats is to bath them with Ivory Liquid detergent. It will kill the fleas on contact and not hurt the animal.

Works every time.

Detergents do not kill fleas. Sometimes they make it easier for the fleas to drown, but the "kills on contact" is neither claimed nor substantiated.

I am terrably sorry, but you don't know what you are talking about. Ivory Liquid is the only detergent that will KILL fleas. I have used it for years and at 73 years old, I know what I am talking about.

Just try it if you don't believe it.

Tom

I am terrably sorry, but you don't know what you are talking about. Ivory Liquid is the only detergent that will KILL fleas. I have used it for years and at 73 years old, I know what I am talking about.

Just try it if you don't believe it.

Tom

How? Explain it's method of action, please. Then tell me why the manufacturor is unaware of it.

I don't see how you can explain it's method of action. You just shampoo your dog with Ivory Liquid and it instantly kills every flea that is on the animal.

As far as why the manufracturor is unaware of it, I don't know.

Don't dispute it unless you have tried. I have many times and it works as I said.

Have you tried it are you just giving your opinion without check it out by trying it first?


I see from your profile that you are a pest control expert. Then why don't you check it out. If you do it will show you that what I say is correct.

I don't see how you can explain it's method of action. You just shampoo your dog with Ivory Liquid and it instantly kills every flea that is on the animal.

As far as why the manufracturor is unaware of it, I don't know.

Don't dispute it unless you have tried. I have many times and it works as I said.



So you have no idea why these claims of yours might be true. Yet you think that all these people all over the world with flea problems should make Proctor & Gamble richer by buying their soap. What are you, marketing or a stockholder?

I'll tell you how it works, because I have tried it, as well as every other old wives' tale I come across. It's my job.

Detergents can kill some insects by coating the breathing spicules along the flea's abdomen, thereby suffocating the flea. This will only work before dilution with water.
In addition, drowning will kill some fleas and rinsing an animal with water will flush some off it.

All I can say, and I am through answering this topic, it worked for me many times and I just squirted the ivory liquid on the coat and lathered it up with water and after I bathed my dog I flushed all the fleas that were DEAD down the drain.

The fatty acids of soaps disrupt the structure and permeability of an insect's cell membrane. The insect's cells then leak, and the insect quickly dies. Safer's Soap is a registered pesticide that has the government's blessing to be used as an insecticide.

Here is an article by Texas Coop Ext that states that Ivory compares well to actual insecticides: Insecticidal Soap (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/misc/insectsoap.html)

Here is an article from UCONN on insecticidal soaps: IPM-UCONN-Insecticidal Soaps (http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/homegrnd/htms/31isoap.htm)

By the way, insects breath through spiracles. Spicules are a skeletal element of sponges and other animals.