Home Remedies to Kill Fleas on Hardwood Floors

A female flea will produce 20,000 eggs in as little as three months and these eggs take up to six weeks to hatch. A flea is a wingless insect that survives on blood, and they are a challenge to get rid of. Prevention is the best way to get rid of fleas. If you never let them gain a strong hold, you won't have to get rid of them.

  1. Mixture

    • Mix a dry solution of 1 1/2 pounds of diatomaceous earth, 1 1/2 pounds of borax from a garden store and 1 cup of salt.

    Safety

    • Wear a safety breathing mask to protect your lungs from the harsh odor of the diatomaceous earth. Also wear gloves to mix and spread the mixture onto the hardwood floors.

    Application

    • Sprinkle the mixture on the hardwood floors and let it sit for a couple of days. The diatomaceous earth is a fine, granular product where each grain has sharp spikes that puncture the flea's exoskeleton and kills it. The borax and salt suck the moisture from the treated area, eliminating places for the flea to hide.

    Removal

    • Run a vacuum over the hardwood floors to suck up the dead fleas and the mixture. Place the vacuum cleaner bag into a sealed container for disposal.

      Pour some of the mixture into a new vacuum cleaner bag so if any fleas get sucked up later they will be killed and removed.