Instructions
Avoid exposure. Pets pick up fleas when they come into contact with animals with fleas and other areas that those animals inhabit. If your pet doesn't have fleas now, keep its potential exposure to a minimum by avoiding strange animals and unfamiliar places.
Keep flea-resistant plants. Make the exterior of your home less attractive to fleas by growing flea-repellent plants. Plants like mint, rosemary and tansy have flea-repellent properties, and using eucalyptus mulch works as a flea repellent, too. Grow these plants near doorways and windows for added protection.
Add dried flea-repellent plants to your pet's bedding, under carpets and inside linens.
Feed your dog or cat brewer's yeast in loose or capsule form. This will make his blood less tasty to fleas. If your pet is strictly of the indoor variety, this method doesn't poison fleas; it just discourages them from feeding on your pet.
Feed your dog or cat garlic. A little garlic added to your pet's evening meal will alter his blood chemistry and have the same result as brewer's yeast. The fleas will go elsewhere for a meal if they have the chance.
Use herbal products like flea dips and shampoos that contain neem oil, a natural vegetable oil that's a safe and effective treatment for ridding your pet of fleas.
Vacuum daily and be sure to discard the vacuum bag often. Fleas lay eggs in bedding, furniture and carpeting, so be sure to keep your living space free of both adult fleas and their eggs.
Wash your pet's bedding often. When you first spot black dots that signal a flea outbreak, wash any linen that your pet comes in contact with in hot water. This will destroy adult fleas, their eggs and larvae. Continue washing all linen at least a couple of times a week until the outbreak is under control.
Brush your pet with a flea comb. If you take the measures above, you should be getting some control of the flea proliferation problem, but a few fleas may linger. Catch any stragglers by using a flea comb on your pet every couple of days until a thorough combing fails to turn up any fleas. Flea combs have very close tines that will dislodge the fleas from where they are hiding in your pet's fur. Have a dish of soapy water on hand to drown any fleas in.
How to Control Fleas Without Chemicals
If you have owned a pet, you know that a flea infestation can be very difficult to get rid of. The best advice for controlling fleas is to deal with the problem early on. Your pet can be tormented by bites and develop skin reactions that persist long after the fleas themselves have been eliminated. The following tips will give you some ideas on how to keep your exposure to fleas to a minimum and how to deal with flea infestations when they do occur.