Fleas in the home are not only a nuisance to your dog or cat but they are also a threat to human health.
Here is a method of killing fleas that is ages old but mostly forgotten. One application lasts up to 5 years!
BORAX – safe, naturally occurring in nature and non toxic in small amounts (even table salt can kill you if you eat too much…)
- Get a box of 20 Mule Team Borax from the laundry detergent section of your grocery store.
- Get a coffee can and punch holes in the plastic lid with a sharp pencil. This will be a giant salt shaker.
- Fill the can ¾ with Borax and add 2 heaping Tablespoons of baking soda. Shake it well.
- Next, sprinkle the mix on all carpeted areas of your home. Get under couches, lift the cushions up and get under those, get under chairs, around planters, area rugs and in closets too. It should look like a light snow has fallen when you are done.
- Then, get on your hands and knees and sweep your hands back and for to try and work it deep into the fibers of the carpet.
I recommend putting a mask on or wearing a bandana over your nose and mouth for this part. You can eat a teaspoon of Borax without ill effect and pets have no problem licking small amounts off their paws. I just don’t recommend people and pets breathing in the dust when first applying it. A push broom can also be used to work it deep into the carpet fibers.Borax or sodium borate is a mineral in salt form. It is very safe – similar to table salt. It is sometimes used as a texturing agent in cooking but it is sold as an adjunct to laundry detergent. It really works well to break down tough stains and controls odors. - After you work it in deep – vacuum it up. No matter how “good” your vacuum cleaner is – the fine powder will stay behind. You don’t have to leave it on for a day but you can if you want to.
How does it work?
This is the same formulation that FLEABUSTERS used to use and probably still do but I have not heard much about the company since Frontline and Advantage have come to be.
Borax causes desiccation of insects after they ingest it. The ingest it because after they walk or crawl through it it sticks to their exoskeleton, legs and antennae. Insects always “clean” themselves do they end up ingesting it. The salt of borax requires 11 times more water to stabilize hydration than table salt – hence the insect perishes. Insects also eat the microscopic organic matter in your carpet and therefore ingest even more. Did you know that the flea larvae (the caterpillar stage) actually survives by eating the poop from feeding adults? When you see the dried blood droppings on the skin when a pet is infested with fleas, flea poop – that is partially digested blood that falls to the carpet and then feeds the flea larvae.
This is the only method I know that kills the adult, larvae and pupae stages of fleas naturally. Eggs are not killed.
PROBLEM: A week or two after application – all of the eggs will hatch out at once to avoid dehydration. Suddenly fleas will be everywhere.
Actually – this is a really good sign that you did it correctly. Use a safe spray to kill them all (a topical flea spray is fine).