And that’s where the trouble begins – not just with the fleas themselves, but with the vast array of commercial flea control products available. Ironically, the majority of these products, even the most popular ones, contain unsafe, harmful ingredients. Often these ingredients are toxic to the very animals they are supposed to protect – and can even do harm to you and your family. The National Resource Defense Council’s website for pet owners, www.greenpaws.org, offers a comprehensive list of commercial flea and tick products, their ingredients, and whether they are safe. You’ll be surprised to learn that most of them contain harmful chemicals.

The most popular treatments require expensive monthly applications during flea season, for the life of your pet. Frontline Plus, for example, can cost from $10 – 15 for each application. This means flea control can become costly, very quickly.

What’s the alternative? Natural Flea Control!

Natural flea control uses natural techniques and substances in the fight against fleas. In most cases, you will find that natural substances are commonly available and, as a result, are much cheaper than commercial products. Natural substances are often far less toxic as well. It’s important to point out, however, that “natural” doesn’t always mean safe.

Here is an example. Natural substances effective for flea control include “essential oils,” which are botanical compounds in highly concentrated form. One of these essential oils, pennyroyal, has been proven effective in flea control – but pennyroyal is toxic when applied to the skin of a dog or cat. In fact, it can be deadly if ingested. Since animals commonly lick themselves when they have fleas, they could lick the pennyroyal with dire consequences. You might make the assumption that pennyroyal is safe because it is a “natural” oil. You would be dead wrong. That’s why you need to carefully evaluate any natural flea control substances before you use them on your pet.

Please refer to our book, Flea Control: How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally, for comprehensive information!

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): “Many Americans believe that commercially available pesticides, such as those found in pet products, are tightly regulated by the government. In fact, they are not. Many of the products sold in grocery, drug and pet supply stores, even when applied as instructed on the box, can cause serious health consequences to pets and humans. Just because these products are on store shelves does not mean they are safe.”

The EPA did ban six types of organophosphates from the pet products market because they were found to be extremely harmful to pets and children. The banned substances are: chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, diazinon, and malathion. One organophosphate has not yet been banned: tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP). Be certain you avoid pet products with any of these ingredients. Carbamates, another dangerous class of chemicals, should also be avoided.

The NRDC offers the following advice:

Products with the following chemicals should be avoided:

Amitraz, fenoxycarb, propoxur, and tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP)

Products with the following chemicals should be used sparingly:

Fipronil, imidacloprid, metaflumizone, pyrethrins, selamectin

Products with the following chemicals are considered generally safer:

Lufenuron, nitenpyram, pyriproxyfen, s-methoprene, spinosad

Note that cats are particularly sensitive to the adverse effects of pyrethrins and pyrethroids (synthetic versions of pyrethrins). If products with these ingredients are used on dogs with cats in the home, cats can still be exposed to toxicity.

If you are planning to use ANY flea control product, it is advisable to read the label not just for warnings, but for a list of ingredients. Refer to the NRDC’s website, http://www.greenpaws.org, for detailed information about pet products with harmful chemicals. Download the handy toxic chemicals pocket guide (PDF) here: http://www.greenpaws.org/_docs/GP_pocketguide.pdf

Vacuuming and steam cleaning carpets and rugs will help, but there are natural treatments that can be even more effective.

One of these treatments is safe and uses a common everyday substance – salt.  Yes, you can get rid of fleas with salt! The salt acts as a dehydration agent and dries out the bodies of the fleas.

How to kill fleas using salt:  Obtain some highly refined household salt or sea salt. Make sure it is as finely ground as possible, almost to a powder consistency. Sprinkle it lightly but evenly over your carpet. Brush or rake it in. Leave this in your carpet for 12 to 48 hours, then vacuum thoroughly.

Salt can attract moisture, so do not leave it in for very long in very hot or humid conditions.  Otherwise, you’ll end up with salty, wet carpet.

For serious infestations, salt can be mixed together with boric acid. This chemical is found in a number of commercially-available products, such as Borax. Use the same technique as with refined salt; however, check with the carpet manufacturer to make sure your carpet can withstand boric acid. While boric acid is generally non-toxic, long-term, low-level exposure to boric acid can cause some health conditions in humans and pets, so this treatment should not be used frequently.

The accompanying video explains more about how to get rid of fleas with salt.

More information about how to get rid of fleas with salt and other natural, safe, effective methods and substances you can use to control fleas is available in Flea Control: How to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally.

Video Timeline
0 – 1:00 Barry´s background/motivation for writing the book
1:00 – 1:55 What does “naturally” mean?
1:55 – 2:35 Why use a natural flea control approach?
2:35 – 3:55 Risks with common commercial flea control products
3:55 – 4:30 Where to apply natural flea control treatments
4:30 – 7:20 Barry shares specific natural flea control tips

Give An Herb Bath

At the first sign of a flea, bathe your pet with a natural pet shampoo that contains flea-repellent herbs. Pennyroyal or eucalyptus oil boost the bathwater’s flea killing power. A badly infested dog needs a bath about every two weeks; a cat, about once a month.

Clean, Clean, and Clean Some More

Especially in the Summer, wash the pets bedding in hot soapy water once a week, and dry it in a hot dryer. Also vacuum your rugs every two to three days. Ninty percent of fleas are found where your pet sleeps.

Use Natural Powders

They generally contain such herbs as rosemary, rue, wormwood, pennyroyal, eucalyptus, or citronella, and sometimes tobacco powder. You can also dust the powder, or just diatomaceous earth, in all the nooks and crannyies you can’t reach by vacuuming.

Diatomaceous earth is a great home remedy that removes the fleas waxy coating and dries them out, which kills them. Caution: Wear a dust mask to avoid the easily inhaled, finely ground diatomaceous earth used in swimming pool filteres; and pennyroyal and tobacco powder in large quantities can be toxic to you and your pets.

Attack Internally

Finally, add garlic and brewer’s yeast to your pet’s diet. Even try rubbing the yeast into your pet’s fur. Both ingredients are said to make a flea’s taste buds curl in disgust. There’s no scientific proof, but some pet owners swear by this home remedy.

Preventitive care goes a long way with pets. Obviously they can’t talk to you and let you know that they are beginning to host fleas, so be aware of your pet’s behaviour and try these herbal remedies at the first sign.

About The Author

Mike Campbell is a published author and Internet Entrepreneur. For more information on the benefits of healing with herbs and home remedies, visit: http://www.simpleherbalremedies.com