Free Remedies to Kill Fleas

Fleas are among the smallest nuisances that can affect your dog, and they can spread to furniture and carpet if not contained and prevented. The danger of fleas goes beyond simply making your dog scratch and itch. Fleas also can carry diseases. Flea control can be expensive, but you can use free remedies to kill them.

  1. Shampoo

    • Save money by using human shampoo to treat your dog's fur, kill fleas and prevent future infestation. The key is adding essential oils to the shampoo before applying it to the dog. Any combination of essential oils, such as lavender, pine, rosemary, cedar, juniper, citronella and eucalyptus will work. Begin by working up a lather on the dog's neck, then continue the process working backwards on the dog's body. The lather will kill the fleas.

    Homemade Spray

    • Creating a homemade spray of water and citrus extract will you give you another option for killing fleas on your dog. Cut a lemon into quarters and drop them into a small pot of boiling water. Turn off the heat and let the lemon/water mixture sit in the pot overnight. Strain the liquid, fill a water bottle and spray the mixture onto your dog's fur. You can get similar results with no cooking required; simply create a 50-50 mix of water and apple cider vinegar and spray the dog.

    Food Options

    • The food your dog eats can play a role in fighting fleas. Food that includes soy, corn or wheat may lead to skin allergies that can lower the animal's immunities and make the skin a target for fleas. Adding garlic to the dog's diet on a daily basis can help fight fleas. Another option for keeping fleas away is adding ground black walnut hulls to the animal's food weekly.

    Outdoors and Indoors

    • Since most fleas make contact with dogs outdoors, keep your yard under proper conditions that will not invite fleas to take up residence. Keep the grass and shrubs trimmed. When mowing the grass, occasionally mow it to an extra-short height; this will help prevent fleas from settling in. An indoor method of flea prevention is to apply a small amount of salt to pet bedding, carpet and furniture. Fleas lay eggs in these locations, and salt will cause the eggs to dry up and die.