apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I use diatomaceous earth with some success. I blogged about it here: http://www.notquitebettycrocker.com/2009/07/flea-fighters-or-how-we-used.html. I don't know if you'd count it as "natural" but it involve chemicals on my pets so I do. I do use Advantage, having found Frontline to be a complete failure this summer, but it's a necessity as I live in humid TN with two dogs and five cats.

A couple of things I learned and have been doing for many many years, my dog is 18 years old and have never used those chemicals on him like Advantage.

I give him garlic in the warmer months and I do the rosemary rinse. I have not had flees in years. I also know the sprinkling salt on rugs and other places where your dog has been helps.

Some of these and other methods are mentioned here-
http://www.healthy-dogs.net/fleas.htm

Correction: diatomaceous earth DOESN'T involve chemicals directly on my pets, so I count it as natural. I buy mine at a local nursery, and the bag notes that it's food grade, whatever that means.

These techniques work (especially the vacuuming). I can vouch for it. Also (although it is a chemical) you can keep a mothball or two in the vacuum cleaner bag.

Brewer's yeast! A little brewer's yeast in your pet's food every day, and after a couple of months, fleas and ticks stay away. Those pests hate the smell of the yeast!

Your last tip does not make sense. If your pet has fleas, the winter will not kill them. The fleas are kept warm by your pet. If your pet does not have fleas it will not get fleas from going outside in the winter, unless, of course they are in contact with another animal with fleas

I know you are talking about chemical free ways to get rid of fleas, but I don't find any of these remades work. The eggs are so very hard to get rid of. It is just so much effort for a not-so-good remade. Flea baths suck. Flea collars are nasty, and suck. I really like advantage.

I would also like to say to not buy any flea drops from the grocery/pet store (ie Hertz Frontline). At the clinic we always have cats coming in that have licked it off and have gone into convulsions from that stuff. Frontline is never sold at veterinary clinics

Pills in the pets, exterminator in the house, launder everything, vacuum everything over and over and over, and finally spray every surface with Lysol. The Lysol finally did it... Spray the vacuum too!

I am all for chemical-free flea prevention, but flea elimination required a full-on assault... Fleas, and their nasty tape-worm friends, are just too gross to tolerate.

Now I put boric acid in the carpet - dump it on thick, sweep it in, then vacuum it up - enough stays to kill the larvae should they arrive.

Sorry correction, Hartz does not make frontline, it has another name. My mistake

fleabusters and the like just use borax...it's a natural product, though because it's a powder may irritate you or your pet.

The neighbors had two dogs. I got beneficial nematodes to battle their fleas.

Harts is really bad like an above poster said.

I tried to do the non-chemical route, garlic (too much makes animals anemic though!) and vacuuming, etc. Those things help but my dog is SEVERLY alergic to fleas and she starts pulling out her fur way before I even see a flea on her. I had to get a pill from the vet (which killed all adult fleas within 30 minutes...they just dropped off her) and then Advantage and that really helped.

I just pray those chemicals which I have to use once every other year or so are not hurting her. :(

I very nearly burned down tho house using a variation of the flea trap. Instead of a lamp, we used a candle in the middle of a shallow pan of soapy water. I left it unattended since I figured noting bad could happen to a candle surrounded by water. I was wrong. The dog knocked a pile of papers onto the candle, catching them on fire, and eventually the carpet around it. Luckily we got to it with the kitchen fire extinguisher before it did more damage, but it could have been a lot worse. So don't use candles in you flea traps, I guess.

Another vote for Brewers Yeast.

When washing a pet, leave the tub or sink drain unplugged and let the water (and fleas) run away as you work your fingers through the animal's coat. Don't even have to use soap if you don't want to. Rinse and rinse and rinse and rinse and rinse. I did this once helping a neighbor with a newly-rescued kitten, poor thing was covered in fleas. My thumb and forefinger fit nicely around his neck, and he was a cooperative little creature, so I could hold his head well out of the water and give him a good thorough cleaning. He grew to a gorgeous big cat and lives happily next door and doesn't seem to bear me any ill-will for the 5 minute bath.