How to Get Rid of a Flea or Tick Infestation Holistically: Treating Your Home, Yard and Pets
Finding fleas or ticks on your dog or cat can quickly turn into a much bigger problem than many pet parents realize. By the time you notice fleas jumping on your pet, there may already be eggs, larvae and pupae hiding throughout your home. And simply removing the fleas you see isn’t enough. Successfully dealing with an infestation requires looking at the entire picture: your pet, your home and your yard. From a holistic perspective, the goal isn’t to continually expose your pet and environment to pesticides. Instead, the goal is to make your home and yard as inhospitable to parasites as possible while protecting your pet from being reinfested. Why Fleas Can Be So Difficult to Eliminate Adult fleas are only one part of the problem. The flea life cycle includes: Eggs Larvae Pupae Adult fleas Most of the flea population isn’t actually living on your pet. Eggs fall off into carpets, furniture, bedding, cracks in flooring and areas where your pet sleeps. The pupal stage is particularly frustrating because fleas can remain protected inside their cocoon until vibration, warmth or movement signals that a host is nearby. This is why you may think the fleas are gone, only to see them suddenly return weeks later. Moderate or severe flea infestations can take weeks or even several months to completely eliminate because you have to continually interrupt the life cycle. Start With Your Pet Every dog and cat in the home needs to be addressed at the same time. Treating one pet while leaving another untreated can allow the cycle to continue. Use a fine-toothed flea comb every day, paying particular attention to: Around the neck Behind the ears Armpits Groin Base of the tail Keep a bowl of warm soapy water next to you and place any fleas you remove directly into the water. Bathing can also physically remove fleas. Soap and water can kill adult fleas, although bathing alone won’t eliminate an established infestation. See our recommended pet shampoos that are safe for your pets microbiome. Check your pet for ticks every day, especially after spending time outside. Look closely between the toes, around the ears, under collars, beneath the legs and around the groin. Tick Mitts and a Tick Removal Kit can be very beneficial. Vacuum, Vacuum and Vacuum Again One of the most effective nonchemical tools for controlling fleas is probably already sitting in your closet: your vacuum cleaner. During an active infestation, vacuum daily. Pay particular attention to: Carpets Rugs Upholstered furniture Under furniture Pet sleeping areas Baseboards Floor cracks and crevices Under couch cushions Inside vehicles your pet frequently rides in Vacuuming removes fleas and immature stages while also creating vibration that can encourage developing fleas to emerge from their protective cocoons, making them easier to eliminate during subsequent cleaning. The EPA specifically recommends daily vacuuming as an important first step in controlling an infestation. Immediately empty your vacuum outside of the home. Wash Everything Your Pet Sleeps On Wash pet bedding, blankets, washable toys, crate bedding and any human bedding your pet sleeps on. Use hot, soapy water whenever the fabric allows it and dry thoroughly. See our pet safe household products for safe detergents to use. Don’t forget: Couch covers Throw blankets Dog bed covers Cat bedding Car seat covers Crate mats With severe infestations, heavily contaminated pet bedding may be easier to replace than repeatedly clean. Steam Cleaning Can Help Steam cleaning carpets, upholstery and other appropriate surfaces adds another useful physical method for controlling fleas. Heat, moisture and cleaning can help kill multiple stages of the flea life cycle. Concentrate heavily on areas where your pets spend the most time. What About Diatomaceous Earth? Food-grade diatomaceous earth is frequently recommended as a natural flea treatment because its microscopic particles can damage the protective outer layer of insects and contribute to dehydration. However, natural does not automatically mean harmless. Diatomaceous earth creates very fine dust that can irritate the lungs when inhaled. University of Florida guidance specifically cautions that the silica-containing dust can pose respiratory concerns with excessive inhalation. I would not dust pets with diatomaceous earth or scatter clouds of it throughout a home where dogs, cats or people can inhale it. Mechanical cleaning should be your first line of environmental control. Be Extremely Careful With Essential Oils Essential oils are frequently promoted as natural flea and tick repellents, but this is one area where holistic pet parents need to be especially careful. Cats in particular metabolize many compounds differently than dogs, and concentrated essential oils can cause serious toxicity. Never assume an essential oil is safe simply because it is natural. Avoid applying concentrated essential oils directly to pets or spraying homemade essential-oil mixtures around cats without guidance from someone specifically trained in veterinary toxicology or veterinary herbal medicine. Also, there are very few good brands on the market. The only ones we recommend are DoTerra and Young Living. See our flea and tick essential oil recommendation on our fleas and tick page. Don’t Forget the Yard Treating your house while ignoring your yard can create an endless cycle of reinfestation. Fleas prefer shaded, humid areas rather than bright, dry, sunny locations. A holistic flea-control yard strategy starts with changing the environment. Keep grass trimmed, remove leaf litter, clean up brush piles and eliminate damp debris. Avoid excessive watering around areas where pets spend time. Pay special attention to: Under decks Under shrubs Along fences Dog runs Kennel areas Shaded flower beds Areas where pets regularly lie Opening these areas to sunlight and airflow makes them much less hospitable to fleas. You can find lawn treatments specifically for fleas and ticks on our fleas and tick page. Beneficial Nematodes May Be Another Option Beneficial nematodes are microscopic organisms that can be applied to soil and may attack flea larvae. They can be particularly useful in certain outdoor environments, although effectiveness depends on soil conditions, moisture and application technique. Research suggests they tend to perform better in sandy
