Fleas

Dip your pet into a baby shampoo bath (you can even wash them with citrus-based dish washing liquid). Majority of the fleas will fall into the water and drown.

If you are buying the commercially sold pet shampoos, depending on whether you have a cat or a dog, be careful with the ingredients. Some shampoos can be toxic for cats, especially the ones for our daily use, and that is exactly why you should check particularly for a feline shampoo with mild ingredients like oatmeal. As for dogs, you can simply dip them in warm water and let them chill for some time, since they like water, and the possibility of the fleas drowning is higher that way.

Frontline is a popular medication that works effectively against the flea infestation (other similar products will do fine as well, but consult with your vet first). There should be a particular dosage used on your pet, so it won't come to an overdose reaction.

It is recommendable to use it on the same day you treat your house.

Never use Feline Frontline on dogs, or Canine Frontline on cats. It won't work.

The product price and specifications can be found on Amazon, e.g. for dogs or for cats.

Washing really does miracles with drowning the persistent fleas, since once they find themselves cozy in your sheets and clothing pieces, there's no helping the biting nightmare.

The first thing you should do after noticing the first signs of the flea presence in your house and biting marks on your skin,  is to gather and roll in a bundle, in case you don't plan or can't wash them immediately, all the potentially infested things as sheets, blankets, clothes, even plush toys, cushions and rugs lying on the floor. You should push them into the washing machine and press 60 degrees temperature (if possible), but you should make sure that the washing will go through at least one hot cycle. A useful tip would be to let your washed things dry for at least 30 minutes (in a dryer if possible). Fleas will most certainly fail to survive two hot cycles.

However, beware that sometimes, washing just the sheets and clothes won't eliminate the fleas in their entirety. Some of the fleas might have nested and lied eggs in your matress, so you might have to deal with it as well in order to complete the process of elimination.

The immediate action you should take is to vacuum-clean the sheets, matress and the pillows. Even the rugs should be vacuumed at least once per day. By doing this, you will eliminate the fleas nesting in your bed or couch, along with their eggs, which will successfully interrupt their life cycle. After every vacuuming, you should dispose of the vacuum bags so it won't come to further infestation since the flea eggs can easily hatch inside of the vacuum bag and continue with the infestation.

There is the potential exterminating recipe and it requires that you insert a quarter piece of a flea collar into a vacuum cleaning bag, whereas the rest  of the pieces you should deep freeze for later use. This method helps kill the fleas when vacuumed, since the simple vacuuming can't do them much harm. Vacuuming vibrations produce a placebo effect for hatchlings to emerge prematurely. This is important since when in this stage, they are pretty much invincible. But once they hatch, they become vulnerable and you can easily eliminate them using this method.

Warning: If the fumes trigger breathing problems in your condition, like allergic or asthmatic reaction, then avoid this step!

Aside from Frontline which can come in a shape of a collar or liquidy substance that rub into your pet's skin and hair, flea sprays come in many shapes and sizes and are pretty much effective preventatives when it comes to flea infestation.

The thing you should look for in your flea sprays are "metophrene", "fenoxycarb", and "pyriproxyfen" insecticides for total extermination. But when dealing with these substances, pay attention to the toxicity information as stated on the "Entirely Pet's Blog":

Please note that toxicity information is included for your benefit, though products that utilize these ingredients do so in small amounts that are incapable of harming pets or humans when used appropriately. The vast majority (+95%) of users do not experience side effects associated with these ingredients and many that do experience them due to improper usage such as ingestion of a topical product or an inappropriately large dosage.

In case you have a cat, you can find in the same source:

Because cats should not ingest permethrin due to their inability to metabolize this synthetic parathroid, it is important not to use it in a household where cats may come in contact with it. This being said, permethrin is minimally harmful to humans and dogs unless an excessively large amount is applied or ingested.

Make sure to spray the tiniest corners of your house - from rugs and carpets, to hardly reachable corners and floor cracks. Larvae usually hide in the dark places, so pay special attention to these parts.After spraying the house, leave it together with your pet for a couple of hours. The process should be repeated every 2 weeks if the effectiveness is to be achieved!

A very effective method for fighting the fleas is a flea comb, or lice comb. The high density between the teeth helps remove the fleas and flea dirt (flea feces) with ease and for sure, from both hairs and fur. In combination with bathing and shortening the pet's hair, it helps get rid of the fleas, at least for a period of time if the prevention isn't applied.

The same as with the majority of the pests, fleas cannot stand water. They easily drown and the "nutritious" flea dirt (feces) is washed away, which unables the flea larvae to feed on it and grow, which decreases their chance of survival to zero and results in their death. You should flood your yard periodically, especially during the dry and sunny season. Be sure to flood the whole area with water, especially around trees, fences, garden furniture and dog house (if you have one). You should pay special attention to each and every patch of grass. Soak it well, since that is where the offspring of the bloodsucking pests are laid.

Spraying your yard with insecticides requires special caution, especially if the yard contains toys and other things which come in contact with your children or pets (if you have any). If there are such things, remove them before you start the process of spraying.

You should choose to use an eco-friendly spray, avoiding the watery areas in order not to contaminate the water. Protect yourself as well, by wearing a dust mask and protective clothing. Before spraying the area, read the instructions in order to prevent potential after effects the spray may trigger.

Keep your children and pets (if you have any) away from the yard while spraying it, and after the process is over, for at least about an hour or two.

There is no need to spray the entire area covering your yard. For higher effectiveness, spray only the potentially affected areas such as tall grass, trees, fences, dog house (in case you have a pet), even the spots under the things lying around the yard. If you have a pet which spends its time outdoors in the fenced area, this is the place that should be treated properly and carefully.

If needed, treatment should be repeated every two or three weeks.

Round worms or nematodes are microscopic organisms that feed on flea larvae and other insects in your yard. They are completely harmless to humans, plants, trees and animals (this includes your pet, if you have one).

You release these round worms on the flea nesting sites through spray. You should spray them directly on the place where the fleas live, in which case you should search for the spots hidden in the shades. One more reason for looking for such shady places is because round worms do not tolerate the hot sun, which can lesser the chance of this natural method's effectiveness.

Group of Nematodes

If you don't wanna sweat it, then don't. There are people who specialize in this particular kind of job - flea extermination! You only have to call the pest control experts who will professionally get rid of the fleas for you. Most probably, these guys are quick and they know their ways through the flea nest, thanks to their vast experience when it comes to dealing with this type of pests. Even before entering your yard, they will know where to look for the root of all evil haunting your peace.

If you fall under people who worry about their image, well, worry not! These guys are usually quite subtle in manner and appearance. Their vehicle is your typical unmarked vehicle, whereas, their outfit is usually not so catchy, so your neighbors won't get the chance to gossip that day, at least not so easily.

Before jumping to this method, you should still consider trying some of the self-managed methods in order to rid yourself of the fleas. If every other fails, this method should most definitely be applied.

Believe it or not, it is actually quite possible for fleas to jump on your hair as well. Especially if your environment is highly infested, or in case you are sleeping with your pet (if you have one). That is why it is of high importance that you should treat your surroundings too, because even if you eliminate them from your hair, the new wave of fleas will stike right back at you.

For this treatment, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• spray bottle (a brand-new one since there might be chemical leftovers if the bottle originally belonged to a cleaning agent)
• 2 cups of clean, warm water
• plastic bag or a shower cap
• flea/lice comb

Mix them together and shake the mixture well. You should spray your hair with this baking soda-water mixture thoroughly, avoiding your eyes. Rub the mixture into your hair and cover it with a plastic bag or a shower cap in case you have one with you. The effect should take around 15 minutes before the fleas along with their eggs get successfully affected.

Before combing through the dead bodies of the fleas and their eggs, make sure to rinse your hair properly with warm running water. When combing through your hair, start from the roots sliding towards the ends, which will help exctract the remains of the fleas effectively. Repeat the rinsing once again or after every combing step. It should solve the problem.

Yet another useful side of the apple cider vinegar. This method usually goes hand in hand with washing your hair with a baking soda or a lemon-scented dish soap, and combing your hair after your rinse it. But you can go with this method even without applying these two previously mentioned methods.

It is thanks to the acidic nature of the vinegar, which allows this method to stand on its own.

In order to succeed in forcing the fleas to vanish from your hair, first you will need to:

• wash it, or rather rinse it with a warm jet of water
• you can comb your hair as well, with a fine-toothed comb,starting from the roots and finishing at the ends
• then, you should apply some apple cider vinegar to your hair and let it soak under a shower cap or a plastic bag, for approximately 15 minutes

Even in this method, combing your hair plays a major part in a successful outcome of the process. Therefore, you are to:

• comb your hair before covering it with cap

By carefully combing your hair from the top to the ends, you are equally spreading the vinegar throughout your hairs and by doing so, gradually changing the acidity of your hair and the scalp. This step makes it difficult for the fleas to persist, since the nature of their environment is changing and they are pushed out of their balance, and ultimately choked by the cap which traps them inside the improvised gas chamber.

Before applying the antiseptic or an icepack, you should wash the bitten spot or area with a mild tap water and with some antibacterial soap. If you want to immediately reduce the swelling, applying an antiseptic first, and then an icepack may help relieve the itching and discomfort a lot. In case you don't have an icepack, simply put some ice in a plastic bag, or use a bag with frozen veggies or fruit. You should keep the icy pack on the painful spot for at least 10 minutes before removing it. The whole cycle should be repeated twice in a period of an hour for the method to take effect.

As can be found on the MedlinePlus page:

Hydrocortisone is available with or without a prescription. Low-strength preparations (0.5% or 1%) are used without a prescription for the temporary relief of (1) minor skin irritations, itching, and rashes caused by eczema, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, soaps, detergents, cosmetics, and jewelry; (...) Hydrocortisone may be prescribed by your doctor to relieve the itching, redness, dryness, crusting, scaling, inflammation, and discomfort of various skin condition.

Hydrocortisone cream can be found at the local store at any time of the day and can be safely used in quantities prescribed by the manufacturer.

For additional information on how to use the product, what are the specifications, and the price, visit Amazon:

Hydrocortisone cream

Fleas are extremely annoyed by anything citrusy. Rather, they are repelled by citrus smells. In order to stop them from even trying to come close to you, you should mix yourself a nice citrus spray which you will use as an air refreshener.

What you should do is take a lemon, slice it into pieces, put it in a pot with water and let it come to a boil. It should sit overnight, so it will be ready for use in the morn. Spray it all over your house and more particularly, pay a special spraying to the areas where you suspect the fleas are dwelling. Aside from the hotspots in your home, you should spray your ankles and arms as well. This should help a lot in preventing the future flea bites, and in turn, the whole house is going to smell nice and refreshing.

Keeping your pets away from the hotspots where the fleas lurk for the free supply of blood, will help you reach your goal of ridding yourselves from them properly. Which can actually pose a problem if you have a dog, or a cat that's used to the leash.

Golden rule is to try to keep your pets away from the tall grass and gravels for at least 30 days in continuity, so that there is no further risk of them hosting a new set of fleas.

In case you have a dog you need to take for a walk every day, or even a cat that needs to walk or be walked from tme to time, then this solution may not work for you (at least not in its entirety). In that case, use flea preventative every 30 days as an alternative. 

In case you have a toy dog or a cat that is perfectly fine with not leaving the house or flat but simply sleeping all day long, then your problem is solved. You can stop using the flea preventative after a 4-month period has ended, or even after you cannot catch any sign of your dog/cat brutally attempting to commit a self-decapitation.

Salt is an excellent natural remedy, which works great against flea infestation as well. Sprinkle as much table salt on your carpety surfaces as you deem necessary, and vacuum clean them after 3 days have passed. Repeat this method every 3 weeks.

Salt is completely harmless and you can rest assured that your pet won't come to any harm.

This mixture does miracles for your pet, only if you are persistent to pull this method off properly. You need

• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 4 cups of water

You simply mix these two and pour the cocktail into your pet's bowl. This mixture will make your pet's blood acidic to fleas after only 2-3 times.

Citrusy essences can help a lot get rid of the annoying pests.

Squeeze either a lemon or an orange juice, and use the rind only to rub it into your pet's hairs and skin. The effect is a wonderful smell your pet will give off, which can effectively suffocate the fleas. It is safe to use it and the pets won't mind either the smell or the taste if it comes to the licking test.

Believe it or not, fleas hate vinegar - a lot! So if you have these tendencies towards making your own stuff - homemade remedies and such, homemade flea spray with a touch of vinegar may come well in handy. And it is perfectly safe and natural to use it on your beloved four-legged hairy or furry friend.

The recipe is as follows:

• a clean spray bottle ( potentially one that did not contain any cleaning agents or anything similar)
• 1/2 l water
• 1/2 apple cider vinegar

Simply mix everything, do a bit of shaking and there is your spray. Feel free to spray your pet as much as you feel necessary. Let the pet air dry (if warm enough in the house or outdoors), and repeat the process as many times as you wish.Even if the pet can't help licking the mixture, vinegar won't taste as offensive as we fear.

 You should know that the homemade flea spray can't kill fleas on contact. It is a natural process that requires a proactive approach.

Another very useful and natural home remedy, perfect as the main ingredient for your homemade spray is certainly a lemon juice.

You need:

• 1-3 lemons
• pint of water
• empty clean spray bottle (the one that previously hadn't contained any of the cleaning agents or similar chemicals)

Depending on how strong you want your spray to be, get some lemons, cut them into slices, place those slices in the pint of water, and let it come to boil. It should steep overnight. In the morning, simply fill the bottle up and shoot!

You should know that the homemade flea spray can't kill fleas on contact. It is a natural process that requires a proactive approach.

If your furry pet is going through a painful episode of experiencing an ever-present itching, hysterical scratching, biting and chewing of their own skin and body, as well as rubbing itself on a hard piece of object, or even better - rolling on the ground, ocassionally letting out this really faint whine, then your dog is definitely suffering a heavy form of "pruritus" - a strong desire or sensation which makes the dog/cat ease the unpleasant feeling on their skin. The other name for pruritus would be dermatitis or simply skin hypersensitivity to bites and infections.

Pruritus is usually caused by pests like fleas and lice, but it can also be caused by the weakened immune system, bacterial infections, allergies and abnormal cell development. It can start in the young age of your pet (first to fifth year), but once it becomes chornical, it persists for a long time.

The signs of a more dangerous stage of this condition are the hair loss and scabs on your pet's body. If your pet's skin is overtly dry and if the hairs are shedding more than usual, that's yet another sign you should be looking for. The flea control (oral and topical preventatives) can help a little but cannot entirely cure the condition.Flea comb can help remove the fleas and flea dirt (flea feces). It is recommendable to wash your pet in a lukewarm plain water in order to minimaze the inflamation.

In case of fleas, along with bathing and combing, grooming and clipping your pet's hair may increase the chances of sparing your pet the infestation consequences. It is easier to comb through the affected zones, and the bathing doesn't take as much time. Also, when shortening your pet's hair, a number of fleas may fall off along with the clipped hairs or fur.

During the dry and sunny season, the chances of fleas infesting your garden with more offspring are high. That is just the right climate for their successful breeding. Their typical habitat are the places which are dark and hidden, such as tall grass, tree roots, bottom of the fences, or the favorite playing or relaxing spots for your pet (if you have one). It is recommended that you cut the tall grass, trim the bushes and remove the debris lying around the yard. The tip to discover the flea hotspot is to wear white socks. They're pretty much easily spotted that way since they're jumping and might cross paths with your foot. In order to complete the extermination process, simply flood every critical place in your garden and let it soak for a while. Drowning will do its job and your garden will be clean shaven.

Curiosly, fleas hate the smell of cedar, which makes it a perfect flea repellant. In order to make them go away and found themselves a new place to breed and pester around, simply scatter cedar wood chips around and over the affected and infested places in your garden. You might also go with putting some of the cedar chips along the outer fences so you can make sure there won't be a new influx of outsiders.

It might sound strange, but it helps a lot. A lemon-scented dish soap can effectively do harm to the fleas lost in your hair. But you should avoid washing your hair with dishwashing detergent instead, since it is much stronger chemical and can therefore trigger an allergic reaction, or skin irritation.

You should apply a handful of soap to your hair and rub it thoroughly, as though you were washing your hair with your regular shampoo. There is no need to keep it on your hair for too long. Simply rinse your hair with warm water and for the better effect, you might as well use a  fine-toothed, starting from the roots and ending at the ends. Combing should be repeated at least one more time before resting assured the pests have been eliminated properly.

Fleas are very keen to dark and hidden places in your house. That is why the highest chance of finding them is there you would never usually think of looking for. Floors with cracks or door and couch corners.It is just the perfect living environment for fleas. But now when you know where to look for, what should you do to reach them? And the answer is - apple cider vinegar.

Using a clean cloth soaked in a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar to wipe over the cracks or around the corners and edges, will make the fleas come out of their hiding place. By exposing themselves to you, simply use spray, for example, to finish them off. 

Aside from the apple cider vinegar, you can use a regular cleaning agent you have got at hand. Just soak the cloth with it as much as possible, or directly pour or spray it into their potential hiding spot. With a bit of luck, you might suffocate them on the spot. But combining strenghts with some other flea control solution, will rise the possibility of the certain elimination.

If you haven't cleansed your house thoroughly from the infestation, better cover your clean things in nylon or plastic bags until the pests are exterminated completely. You don't want them back, do you?

One form of prevention and protection from the fleas is covering or wrapping your furniture and objects in the house in nylon or plastic. The steps for eliminating or successfully preventing the fleas to cause the infestation throughout your household are vacuuming and washing, spraying and pushing the fleas into the corner from which they cannot escape alive. But in case you followed any or all of these steps, in order to stop the infestation from spreading and fleas getting back onto the things you just worked hard to deinfest, you should follow this preventative step - wrap everything up, from clothes to furniture. You should leave the cover on until you are at least 99% sure the fleas are successfully exterminated.

When dealing with this method, you should be aware that this step should be followed only as a last resort. In case the infestation is so bad and there is absolutely no other way with dealing with fleas that are comfortably nested in your bed, or rather both bedding and matress, then the flea bombs are the best solution you can get. The bad side of this method is that flea bombs contain toxic chemicals and may take up to several hours for the effect to take place. In case you really have no other way but to use the bombs to eliminate the fleas, the area affected or the entire home must be vacated in order to avoid exposure to the toxins.

Additional information about the flea bombs, their specifications and price can be found on Amazon:

Flea bombs

Immediately after you have noticed a red puffy bump on your body, you should wash it with a bit of antibacterial soap and rinse it with mild plain water. Make sure that the water is not too hot as it can aggravate the inflamed areas on your skin.

Calamine lotion protects the skin by soothing minor skin irritations such as itching, pain, and discomfort. It consists of zinc oxide and ferric oxide. Since zinc is known to be a great medicine to quickly dry and heal acne, the similar effect applies to flea bites. It calms and soothes the swollen spot, which by default relieves us from unpleasant feeling which we get by being in our own skin after a flea bite.

The good thing about calamine lotion is that you can find it at any local drugstore, and it is pretty much safe to use in quantities directed by th manufacturer.

For additional information on how to get the product, try searching at the Amazon page:

Calamine lotion

As expression follows, by scratching the itch, we are in need to fulfill a certain desire. In a case of a flea bite, the only desire is to relieve yourself of an unpleasant feeling of itchiness. Well, you should refrain from doing so, since it can only get worse. By scratching the swollen and affected spot, you can easily irritate and damage the skin, which may lead to infection. In order to calm the redness and itching, use some of the mentioned and easily available ointments like calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream.

Believe it or not, green,black, or lavender tea are not limited only to oral use. You can actually wash the affected areas with one of these teas or you can also put the tea bags directly onto the bites, which will relieve the soreness.

Aloe vera still stands as one of the better alternative remedies for a variety of your problems. The one problem you can most likely successfully deal with is the flea bite. You can either use an aloe vera leaf, split in half, so you that you can rub the gel onto your bites, or a comercially bottled aloe vera gel which can be equally effective if used often enough for the effect to properly take place.

Basil is a well-known culinary herb, which looks a lot like peppermint plant. Its highly fragrant leaves are not only used as a seasoning, but also as a natural remedy for all kinds of problems. It is because basil consists of high levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A, and acts as a strong and effective anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial herb.

If you want to soothe your sore bite with basil, you just need to crush some basil leaves and rub them onto the bites.

In case you do not have the herb, apply two drops of basil oil to the bite and it should work miracles for you.

If you're a smoothie person, then blender should work as your big help in the case of the flea bites. You should cut the coconut's meaty parts along with the shell into small pieces and give it a touch of blending. The result should be this very pulpy mass which you will apply to your bites. Rub this paste into the affected areas and for better effect, wrap it up in a towel for about an hour. After an hour has passed, remove the towel and wash the paste off. For better results, repeat the cycle at least three times during the day. The swelling should have let down visibly after some time. If it doesn't go away completely, just repeat the process.

For some unexplicable reason, as it is unbearable to many other wingy or four-legged creatures, it is equally terrible to fleas as well. Whatever you cook, try spicing it up with some garlic. Or in case you want to improve your immune system, just munch on some raw garlic from time to time and you'll be clear off any potential bloodsucking pests. The best way to use garlic is to give it a quick roast on the bread.

Warning: Never feed garlic to your dog, since it is highly toxic to them!

There are several essential oils that will most likely work to ward off the fleas thanks to their strong smell. By mixing some of them and rubbing them directly onto your skin, you can prevent them from attacking or biting you.

Eucalyptus, lavender and cedarwood oil work miracles against the hungry fleas. Their smell is way to offensive for fleas to even try to approach you. What you should do with both eucalyptus and lavender oil is to mix a few drops of each oil with some water, for which you will need a spray bottle. Shake it up and spray onto your ankles or arms. For ultimate combo effect, you can even mix both oils into your spray.

As for the cedarwood, you should apply a few drops of this oil to your pillow, in order to discourage the fleas to nest in your bedding or mattress.