How to Treat Fleas With Salt

A flea-infested home is a nightmare, particularly for those who are allergic. Fleas lay their eggs in carpeting and upholstered furniture and live on pets, making them difficult to eliminate. Rid your home of fleas with a few home remedies, including table salt, which dries out the bodies of fleas and kills them. The salt method can be used in combination with other substances for heavy infestations, but always requires the use of a vacuum.

Things You'll Need

  • Washer/dryer
  • Vacuum
  • Table salt
  • Garbage bag
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Remove all bedding, pet bedding, throw rugs, drapes, pillows and any other removable, washable items from the room you are treating. Wash all items in hot water and dry on high heat.

    • 2

      Vacuum your entire house while paying extra attention to infested rooms. Distribute salt all around your house, including hallways leading to rooms and room thresholds (at least 3 feet away, according to the website Tips.net). Fleas will try to leave salted rooms for unsalted flooring but will have nowhere to go if the thresholds and hallways are also salted.

    • 3

      Sprinkle salt around baseboards and on carpeting. Pull out furniture and sprinkle salt in those areas. You will notice fleas jumping out of the carpeting in rooms that are highly infested.

    • 4

      Thoroughly vacuum the house again. Use crevice tools to work into the corners and baseboards of your home.

    • 5

      Remove the vacuum bag from the vacuum, seal it in a garbage bag and throw it away outdoors in a garbage can.

    • 6

      Repeat the entire process again, beginning with salting the rooms. When finished, leave a little salt in each room. While salt does eventually break down carpet, it also kills flea eggs.