Does Bleach Kill Fleas?
Does Bleach Kill Fleas?“Clorox color safe bleach will kill fleas in your bedding, carpets , and furniture but it should not be sprayed directly on your dog or cat. The smell of bleach is much too strong for animals and can cause vomiting. Your pet will be tempted to lick it off as well. Clorox bleach is very poisonous if ingested.
Clorox bleach is very effective at killing flea eggs as well. It is not an instant solution and you should expect to wait at least 2-3 hours before the fleas are completely dead.”
In the west Texas town I grew up in, the climate was typically dry, the wind blew constantly and it was not unusual to see a lizard scurrying away at any moment.
It was also not unusual to deal with fleas on a constant basis. Remembering back, it seems like we were always putting a flea collar on our dogs.
And once the dogs brought the fleas into the house, we all had fleas.
I can remember sitting and watching TV and trying to catch a flea jumping all over me.
I also remember catching them, squeezing the heck out of them, only to find that they didn’t seem to be affected by being squeezed whatsoever.
And as soon as I let go, they jumped and were back on me.
Yikes. Is there anything more annoying than fleas?
Fast forward 40 plus years. We now have every solution, remedy, recipe, anything you want to know about how to get rid of fleas right at our fingertips.
Here’s a list of home remedies to get rid of fleas. (We’ll also let you know what doesn’t work!)
How to kill fleas in the dryer
Killing fleas in the dryer will be effective if you first wash your bedding, clothes, what have you with color safe bleach on the hottest temperature your washer has.
Turn the dryer to the hottest setting also. The combination of water, Clorox, and high temperatures will easily overcome any fleas or flea larvae that have gone through the wash and dry process.
Do you need to use color safe bleach to kill fleas?
Bleach is very strong and will take the color out of anything that it is sprayed on. It will not only take the color out, it will weaken the fabric so that it tears very easily if it is not diluted with water well.
It is important that you use Clorox color safe bleach and that you dilute it properly with water before you spray it on any fabric including your furniture or your carpet.
Before you spray any kind of do-it-yourself solution like bleach, find a spot that you inconspicuously spray it on to see if it’s going to change the color or weaken the threads.
Back to the canines:
How to kill fleas on dogs
A simple solution to getting fleas off of your dog is Dawn dishwashing soap. It will coat any fleas on the animal and keep them from escaping when you’re washing the dog.
Simply dilute the dawn with some water to make a homemade shampoo.
Then bathe the dog using the dawn dishwashing soap diluted shampoo that you made and let it sit on the dog for a good 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing him or her off.
Fleas are notoriously bad swimmers so having your dog submerged in water with Dawn soap lathered on them is a sure way to trap and kilk any fleas that are on the dog.
Want to take it a step further?
Will vinegar kill fleas?
Vinegar will not kill fleas but it is a strong deterrent for fleas. They cannot stand the smell of vinegar and will flee as fast as they can get away from it.
Vinegar combined with Dawn dishwashing soap can be a flea deterrent to the already effective Dawn dishwashing soap for flea method.
Adding vinegar to your dog’s bath is one way of leaving the smell of vinegar on your dog and helping keep fleas from wanting to be on the dog.
Another way is to dilute some vinegar with water in a spray bottle and spray it directly on your dog. The smell of vinegar on your dog will quickly make the fleas on him want to jump away from him.
Will lemon kill fleas?
Lemon will not kill fleas. Lemon is not poisonous, not even to fleas. But like vinegar, it is a strong deterrent for fleas.
For a lot of people, using vinegar to ward off fleas is not an option because they cannot stand the smell of vinegar.
Lemon juice can be diluted with water and used as a spray to deter fleas on your pets without the smell of vinegar.
Is it as strong a deterrent for fleas as vinegar, probably not. But it will still work pretty well for those who do not want to mess with vinegar at all.
On the other hand
Lemon juice can be combined with your vinegar and water spray solution to make a doubly strong flea deterrent and it will take the edge off of the vinegar smell to make it more bearable.
Will Rosemary kill fleas?
Rosemary is a spice that is known to be an awesome flea deterrent but it is not an insecticide and will not kill fleas.
Rosemary however has a pleasing smell compared to vinegar, similar to the smell of incense.
Ground Rosemary can easily be sprinkled around the home, on the furniture, behind the pillows, the carpet and rugs, anywhere there is the likelihood of fleas.
Combining Rosemary with lemon juice and water we’ll also make a very strong solution that you can spray directly on your animals without worries of poisoning them or irritating their skin.
Combine Rosemary, Lemon Juice , and Vinegar in a water diluted spray.
You now have three cord strand that will keep fleas at bay and smell Great.
Dehydration
There are some DIY solutions that simply amount to dehydrating fleas. Fleas tend to flourish in warm moist environments. Using a product to dehumidify an area will rob fleas of their need of moisture, which will kill them and chase them away to find moisture.
Salt.
Salt kills fleas by drying them out and damaging their fragile exoskeleton. Salt is one of the easiest desiccant products that you already have around the house.
Salt is a natural dehumidifier that also has an abrasive quality to it. The combination of dehydration and navigating through the rough terrain that salt presents to fleas, leaves the fleas with no chance of survival.
To use this method, grinding the salt to a powder will work better using household salt right out of the container.
The method is to dust your carpets and furniture with the finely ground salt.
Wait a couple of days then thoroughly vacuum.
Unfortunately, it is not a one-time, winner takes all, solution.
You’re going to have to use this method every 2 to 3 days to be satisfied that the fleas are gone.
Will baking soda kill fleas?
Baking soda will kill fleas by drying them out. It is very similar to salt in that it has a dehydration quality that will dry out a fleas exoskeleton and leave them with no chance to survive.
The method of using baking soda is exactly like the method of using salt to get rid of fleas.
Dust your carpet and furniture with baking soda, allow to sit a day or so, then vacuum it completely up.
Remember to dump the vacuum canister outside in a dumpster or outside trash can. Preferably away from your house. If your vacuum has a bag, take it to a dumpster also.
You will need to do this process every few days till the fleas are under control.
Salt and baking soda can be mixed together to make a doubly strong desiccant for getting rid of fleas.
Will Borax kill fleas?
Borax is also a natural dehumidifier that will dry a flea out sufficiently that it cannot survive.
The only problem with using borax compared to other flea dehydration methods is that borax needs to be used a lot more carefully so that it doesn’t get on your skin and in your eyes.
That also means that it should not get into your pets eyes or onto their skin. So you will have to barricade the area before using borax to get rid of fleas.
Take Away
This article is a few popular ways to get rid of fleas using household products.
Clorox Safe Bleach is one of the only household products that will actually kill fleas.
Remember that bleach will deteriorate and take the color out of any fabric if it is not diluted properly. To make sure that you do not do anything to damage your furniture or carpet, only use color safe bleach and spray it on an inconspicuous area first to ensure that it is not too strong to have an effect on your personal items.
Most do it yourself; flea solutions are used as a repellent. Which also has its place. Items like vinegar, lemon and rosemary, as well as essential oils all can work to repel fleas on your animals very well.
Methods that use dehydration like salt and baking soda are also very popular and many people use them with great success.
How to kill fleas instantly?
Killing fleas instantly is not as easy as it seems. But there are many commercial flea killers that have the capacity to do just that.
There are many commercial flea killers available like Vet’s best flea and tick spray, that will get the job done.
Most people will prefer to get flea drops like K9 Advantix flea and tick prevention and just put it on the back of the neck of the dog.
Commercial insect Killers for fleas and ticks that you put directly on your yard also can be much faster and do a quicker job of getting rid of fleas than going the do-it-yourself route.
Ortho home defense and black flag flea and tick are both very popular products to keep fleas from becoming a problem in your yard and transferring themselves to being a problem inside of your home.
