Things You'll Need
- Liquid Ivory soap
- Ivory snow detergent
- Warm water
- 2-gallon pump sprayer
- Carpet cleaning machine
- 4-ounces glycerin
- 1 pint apple cider vinegar
- 6-quart pot or bucket
Instructions
Wash your cat or dog using liquid Ivory soap to remove any fleas on its coat. You can do this weekly for very bad infestations. Rub a small amount of liquid Ivory soap between your hands and lather your pet, avoiding its eyes, nose and mouth. Let the Ivory soap sit for five minutes then thoroughly rinse your pet. The Ivory soap-and-water combination kills the fleas by removing the protective wax on the hairs in its lungs, allowing the water into the lungs to drown each flea.
Dry your pet thoroughly with a towel. You can use a hair dryer to dry your pet off if it allows you to do so. After you dry your pet, mix a teaspoon of Ivory soap in a cup of water and put it in a bowl next to you. Comb your pet with a flea comb to remove any fleas that might remain on your pet, dipping the comb into the bowl of soap and water to kill those fleas. Do this every few days.
Spray your yard or other outdoor area your pet may frequent to kill fleas with a mixture of 1 ounce of Ivory liquid soap in a 2-gallon pump sprayer. This mixture will not harm plants, humans or pets, but will kill the fleas for four to six weeks. Repeat this procedure to keep the fleas and other pests out of your outdoor areas and plants.
Wash your carpets with a solution of 1 teaspoon Ivory liquid soap and 1 quart warm water. This solution kills and removes fleas from your carpeting, leaving it clean. You can add a few drops of essential oil to the solution to scent your carpets as well. Orange essential oil enhances the flea-killing properties of the solution.
Wash pet bedding and linens using Ivory snow detergent to kill and eliminate any fleas on the items. Use warm water to disinfect the items as well, adding one to two capfuls of detergent to each load.
To keep your pet's coat healthy and flea-free, after the initial washing or two with straight Ivory soap, mix up a shampoo that also moisturizes your pet's skin. In a large, 6-quart pot or bucket, mix 1 pint Ivory liquid soap, 1 pint warm water, 1 pint apple cider vinegar and 4 ounces of glycerin. Wash your pet with this nontoxic solution to keep its skin and coat shiny and healthy, while keeping the fleas away.