How to Naturally Get Rid of AND Prevent Fleas

* What’s New: Fit On Raw on Facebook!

* Feature Article: How to Naturally Get Rid of and Prevent Fleas

Fit On Raw on Facebook!

Over the past year (yes, Fit On Raw is OVER one year old!), many of you have emailed me asking if I have an account on Facebook.

Some of you even found my personal account and sent me friend requests.  Unfortunately, I never use facebook so I just ignored the requests.

I’m sorry! If it makes you feel any better I’ve ignored many of my family’s requests, too.

Anyway, instead of using my personal account and friending you guys there, I’ve decided to jump on the band wagon and start a “Fit On Raw” fan page.  The great thing about the fan page is that I don’t have to friend you for you to gain access.  And if you want to add a comment, all you have to do is hit the “Like” button at the top of the page.

It also allows me to keep my crazy personal acquaintances away from my wonderfully raw readers.

So if you’d like to get in touch with me on Facebook, check out the Fit On Raw fan page here:

http://tinyurl.com/29chlbq

Or just click on the facebook icon over to the right.

Swayze

How to Naturally Get Rid of and Prevent Fleas

I love summer so much.  The warm weather.  The delicious fruits.  The itchy fleas…huh?!

AH @$#^!!!  FLEAS!!!

No big deal because I know a completely natural, safe, cheap, quick, and effective way to prevent AND destroy these horrible little devil bugs.

And if you remember my other devil bug article, you know I understand a thing or two about destroying bugs from below.

Prevention

I already talked about prevention in last Friday’s Diatomaceous Earth article, but I’ll quickly recap here:

Just spread or spray the DE over your yard, garden, and animals BEFORE flea season strikes (this may be all year long for hot and humid areas).

Easy!

Destruction

But what if you’ve already got a flea infestation in your home/on your pets?  There are a few steps that you need to take.

Don’t worry, it’s still pretty easy.

#1: Oil Bath

Not for you, silly, for your pets!

If you think your pets have fleas, you want to bath them in oil.  The oil helps to smother the fleas that are already there, as well as soothe the tender areas where your pets have been scratching and biting themselves.

First, take some oil – vegetable, canola, olive, coconut, all of these are fine – and rub into the animal’s coat.  The amount you need will depend upon the size of your pet.  You want their fur to be completely covered, minus the face of course.

Next, wash some of the excess oil away with water.  Your pet’s fur will be quite oily for a little while, but that’s okay.  You can bath them with a mild soap once the tiny fiends are gone to help break it up.

If you don’t have any pets, feel free to skip this step.

#2: Check Your Rooms For Infestation

If YOU are itching all over, then the fleas have likely taken a liking to your home.  Your next step is to start checking rooms in your house for the source(s).

If your pets brought the fleas in, then just check where your pets hang out!  For instance, the only places we’ve ever gotten fleas have been in our living room and my bedroom.  And these have only been in certain spots, exactly where my dog sleeps.

Otherwise, just go into a room and sit still for a while.  If you don’t feel itchy or like something is biting you after a few minutes, then there likely aren’t any fleas there.  If it is a big room, you’ll probably have to do this in multiple areas.

#3: Clean Your Clothing, Couches, and Carpets

Now that you know where the fleas are, it’s time to bring out the big guns and CLEAN HOUSE!

For any blankets, pillow cases, pieces of clothing, etc. that were in the infested areas, wash them in HOT water.  Once they’re finished drying, do NOT put them back until you’ve finished removing all of the fleas from the room.

For couches, chairs, and other upholstery that you cannot wash, a hand-held steamer works great.  Actually, I use my standard Shark Steam Cleaner (I’m sure you’ve seen the infomercials) that I bought at Costco.  Now they have a “portable steam pocket” model specifically for upholstery, small spaces, etc.

For carpets, start by thoroughly vacuuming the area.  Then be sure to seal up and throw away the vacuum bag, as the vacuumed-up fleas can breed there and re-infest your home.

#4: Use Your DE

If you have Diatomaceous Earth, generously spread the powder all over the infested area(s).  If you don’t have any DE, you can use a 1:1 mixture of baking soda and salt.  This works just as well to dehydrate the pesky demons, it just takes a little while longer to work than DE.

Now wait at least 2 days for DE and at least 4 days for the baking soda/salt mixture.  Try your best to avoid these areas completely during this time.  Then vacuum up everything and throw away the bag.

You can also use this method for your furniture if you have a hand-held vacuum to clean it up with once all the fleas are dead.  I just find the steaming method to be a bit easier.

#5: Are They Gone?

Now for the moment of truth: you need to check if the fleas are all gone.  Just go stay in the hopefully no longer infested area like you did before and wait.  If you feel no biting/itching after a few minutes, the fleas are gone.

CONGRATULATIONS!

If you still feel itchy, no big deal.  As long as you kept the area clear of any and all fabrics like I told you to, all you have to do is re-steam any upholstery and spread some more DE over the carpet.

If you didn’t, well then you’ve got to wash everything again.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Some More Tips

• It’s a good idea to put some Diatomaceous Earth on your pets after their oil bath for extra insurance.  Once the fleas are gone, you should continue to spread the DE into their fur at least once a week to prevent another infestation.

• If you don’t have any pets and the fleas got in on their own, you should mix the DE with water and spray it around your doors, windowsills, and any other areas where bugs are likely to get in.  This is a good idea even if you do have pets.  You can never be too careful!

• Vacuum your carpets everyday for about a week once the fleas are gone to pick up any eggs that may be left behind.  For maintenance, aim for vacuuming at least once per week.  If you aren’t doing this already…

That’s It!

That’s all you need to do to get rid of fleas naturally.  It’s exactly what I did last summer and this summer to destroy the fleas on my pets and in my home.

And I could have easily prevented this year’s infestation by spraying the yard and my pets with DE, but I plumb forgot.  After this annoyingly itchy start to a sweet summer, I definitely won’t be forgetting again next year!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze