Kill Fleas in Your Home with Salt

Written by Doris Donnerman (last updated July 26, 2008)

60

If you have a pet, you've most likely dealt with fleas in your home at one time or another. A transmitter of diseases, fleas can cause tapeworm, typhus, and they transmitted the bacteria that caused the bubonic plague by carrying it from host to host. Even those people who do not own pets can have fleas in their homes, since fleas deposit their eggs within carpeting, bedding, furniture, and even in cars.

If you discover that you have fleas, a sure way to kill them is with ordinary table salt. Fashion a shaker jar using an old Pringles potato chip can, poking holes in the lid, and fill it with ordinary table salt. Follow these steps to kill fleas using salt:

  1. Remove all bedding, including pet bedding, and wash in very hot water, and dry in the clothes dryer on high heat.
  2. Remove all throw rugs, curtains, drapes, pillows—anything in your home that is removable and washable—and wash them in very hot water and dry on high heat, if possible.
  3. While your items are washing and drying, vacuum the entire house and distribute salt simultaneously, as follows:
    • Before you treat the room, sprinkle salt at least three feet in front of threshold of the room, and all over the hallway leading to the room.
    • Pull all furniture away from the walls.
    • Sprinkle salt all over the carpeting, starting at the baseboards and moving towards the center of the room. If you have a large amount of fleas, you will see them immediately start to jump up out of the carpeting.
    • Cover the entire carpet with salt, moving furniture to the other side of the room as you go.
    • Immediately vacuum the entire room, using crevice tools to get into the corners and around baseboards.
    • Move the furniture as you go and make sure that you vacuum, every inch of space.
    • While you treat one room, fleas will try to leave the room and go to unsalted flooring. If you've salted the hallway and threshold as stated above, then the fleas have no safe place to go.
  4. Once you've vacuumed the entire house, throw away the vacuum bag, taking it outside, placing it into a garbage bag, and sealing it immediately.
  5. Start with step number three above, and repeat the entire salt-and-vacuum process again.

Once you've completed the entire process twice, use a little salt in all rooms again. Leaving a little salt on your carpeting may wear it down faster, but it will also lay down into the fibers, killing flea eggs that may hatch up to seven months later.

Author Bio

Doris Donnerman

Doris is a jack of all trades, writing on a variety of topics. Her articles have helped enlighten and entertain thousands over the years. ...

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What is one less than 2?

2019-12-27 13:17:29

Orit

Question: Since the salt works within 2-4 days, but the flea reproduction cycle is about 2 weeks, how long do I have the salt down on the floor? Can you please walk through timing a little more clearly?


2019-12-13 14:22:47

Kasey

I had spent so much money over a 2 year period trying to get rid of fleas.. They kept coming back in batches. It was awful.. I think they were literally living under my carpet. Yes, in fibers some I'm sure.. But they were under the entire carpet.. They had access around walls .. Nothing worked. Spray .. Bombs. I bought everything and not cheap stuff. I put for a stuff on my animals neck.. Frontline. It did not work. I decided to try salt.. I put a lot down... It taste nasty your animal is not going to eat it.. The main areas to treat are along the walls and cracks. That is where they thrive. Well, the salt did it. They are gone. In days a problem I've had for years is gone. Most of it went down in carpet and was not laying on it. It took me years people to realize that in the cracks is where they thrive.. Treat the corners and cracks and corners.


2019-07-11 04:51:43

robin coley

If I use the salt method will my dogs be able to walk around with it down on the floor if they don't like it


2018-12-22 13:25:31

Todd Nelson

What can I do with my couch cushion I can take the covering off of them but can I wash them they are made out of Styrofoam or do I just toss them and start over


2018-06-30 15:07:08

Chrystyna armistace

Will salt kill fleas


2018-06-10 21:56:05

Cole

I have been preaching the very thing you have stated.
The only thing I did differently was to leave the salt all
over my house for a few days...I was paranoid it wouldn't work. But it did.
Also, to be.. on the safe side..during flea season my Pepsi gets a bath with some salt dissolved in the water. He goes on lots of walks...bur fleas aren't attracted to him.
I also regularly salt the stoop out side my door...the mail
box area...the laundry roon...my car...
For over 12 years now, I have not used poisons to control a very controllable situation.
And I have saved so much moneu.


2018-01-11 20:11:56

Cindy Bass

I would check with a vet before using Eucalypus or Rosemary shavings to kill fleas. I read yesterday that these and many others are toxic,especially to cats.


2017-12-08 03:25:25

Bugz

Salt is poisonous to dogs and cats. It can cause diarrhea, vomiting, seizures, and death. DO NOT allow dogs and cats to consume any salt if you are going to use this method.

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/salt/


2017-07-29 17:25:34

viola

Cannot thank you enough! As usual the natural simple things do the job.


2016-12-18 15:19:42

laura

ive tried every product nown spend stuid money and nothing worked so im trying the salt and bleach on tiled floor and see it that works


2016-10-22 03:05:33

Arlene

Will reg. table salt that I put don to kill fleas in my kitchen. Hurt my kitchen floor. Mess up the glue under the tile.


2016-10-21 11:07:43

Jose

My house has fleas somehow. No pets at all and the infestation seemingly came out of no where. I'm working to get rid of the infestation but I'm not sure what to do with my personal items that aren't clothing like my books, various files, things of that nature and every site I've seen has not really mentioned anything. Any advice?


2016-09-25 03:39:03

Lyn

Sam I think the red spots you are seeing on your pillow is probably flea dirt. (It's flea droppings so since they survive on blood if the flea dirt gets wet at all it'll turn red)


2016-09-22 23:09:28

Bob

Thanks for the tip! How much salt do you use?


2016-09-18 11:40:34

sam

My kitten has fleas and I noticed on my white pillow cases a lot of red rusty looking spots I have washed the pillow cases but they won't go does anyone know if there is anything I can use to get rid of them as I have noticed a few on my white work shirts as well and need to get rid of them


2016-08-19 00:41:10

Sabrina

Just so you know. A good way to keep fleas off you is to fill a spray bottle with water and 20 drops peppermint oil. I shake then spray my bed and my self as well as the floor around the bed and they dont bother me. Dont spray everywhere as they will have no where to go in the room and bite like crazy.


2016-05-27 08:42:08

fannie moore

I notice my cats to have a scratching party I used everything and it said to myself it have to be in my carpet. My grandkids were coming in the house with all type of grass and dirt on their shoes!!!! Could bugs be in my carpet?


2016-01-24 11:15:25

M L

I am holidaying in a flea infested old house. How can I prevent taking fleas home? I am packing clothes in zippered plastic bags with salt. How long should I leave them? What about the clothes I wear home?


2016-01-24 11:12:49

M L

I am on holidays in a flea infested old house - no dryer available. How can I prevent taking fleas home? I plan on packing clothes in zippered plastic bags with salt. How long should I leave them? What about the clothes I wear home?


2015-12-04 15:31:28

Flea hater

At the end of October, we adopted a new 6 week old puppy. Unknown to us, we brought home fleas with him. The first thing we noticed was that my legs had over 50 very sore, itchy bites on them. Upon checking the dog we found him crowling with fleas and he had already infected the cat (strictly indoor) with a few. Both were treated by the vet with Advantage II drops but then we had to start treating the environment. The drops seemed to take care of the animals so we treated the furniture and carpeting with very expensive pet flea powders. I followed the instructions, even left it on longer than the recommended time to get rid of the pests. No luck.

Within two weeks the puppy was crawling with fleas again and I was getting more bites. I took him back to the vets. After 4 weeks the vet authorized another dose of Advantage II. She did not want to overdose the puppy even though the fleas were back, so for two weeks we were washing with Dawn dish soap - her recommendation. That worked to get rid of the fleas on him for 2 days and then he was re-infected. The cat remainder clean as she also stopped sharing a bed with the puppy.

I was washing floors with vinegar, Dawn dish soap and water on a daily basis. all pet bedding was being washed twice a day and the living room was treated again with flea treatment from the pet store. A Spray and a Powder. No luck. The were relentless.

I finally isolated the puppy from the living room. He was clear of fleas in 2 days. I vacuum the death out of the carpets again, took 1 lbs of salt, ran it through the blender to make it more powdery, mixed it with baking soda and swept it into the carpeting in the living room. I left the salt for 3 days - no one allowed in that room. Then I went through and vacuumed everything up, and did it all again.

It has been six days. When I walked in that room yesterday spreading more salt and baking soda I got new flea bites on my ankles. We have NOT seen a single flea on the white carpet in that room - ever. We have done the white sock test and found nothing. We have set out flea traps and found 1 flea in 4 traps over 24 hours. According to our vet, the infestation was very light and not a heavy one.

The salt is certainly slowing down the number of bites I'm getting. Because of isolation and medication the dog has now been free of fleas for almost a week. How, when can I be certain we have eradicated the fleas from the carpets and furniture in the living room so we can go back into this heavily used room in this house. Do I have to go the full 9 days? Have I been doing the salt thing wrong? The wear is definitely apparent on my carpets already. I have an extremely powerful and good quality vacuum that will have a premature death from all the fine powdered salt and baking soda already used.

Advise is welcome. I just want to do right by my fur children and the humans in the house.


2015-10-12 07:38:55

Salt lover

Salt Works. Read about it on Saturday past. Couldn't hurt, as I had bought a used car a year ago, and have been getting bit ever since. Vacuums my car really well, and used a container of salt on all surfaces. Saw with my own eyes how it agitated them instantly. After an hour, vacuumed well, and saw immediate relief. Will repeat every 3 days for at least 2 months. Worked like a charm. Saved a 15,000 otherwise great vehicle purchase.


2015-09-28 06:59:43

Allister

I've used <a href="http://www.pestcontrolsupermarket.com/">flea bombs</a> before with pretty good effect, never tried salt though! Will have to bear it in mind next time my cats bring home some little friends.


2015-08-28 18:45:58

sue

i have 2 cats and i worm and flee them with frontline regular. my cats are nearly 4yrs of age and never had a flee problem. untill i moved into a new flat. the flees are all over. my friend is getting bitten.regular.always in a morning. they dont tend to use me as a food source. i think its due to me being on alot of medication. i now keep them out of the bedroom so i can go to war in one room. i have spring cleaned my room. and just decorated and got in every corner possible. all new furniture. fabrics new rug and im still got problems. i found out that the tenant before had 2 dogs and a cat. which werent very well looked after. and i was told by an expert that flees can live dorment for up to a year. i have now tried salt all over my carpet and fabrics. and i have even put salt on my cats. im not sure if this is a safe way to salt the cats. but i am at the end of my tether, as my cats are long haired. i know my cats can see them in the carpet. because especially the domestic cat. tries to eat them. and the other cat is a rag doll they tend to be more dosile and dependant on you. so now im waiting to see what happens with the salt


2015-08-02 09:46:15

Curtis

A non-toxic flea repellent shampoo for dogs that works well is any zinc shampoo for humans, such as "Head-N-Shoulders" or the Walmart brand look alike "Equate". I got this tip from a lawn and garden show on the radio. 'Use it on my dog regularly and it DOES work! 'Should apply about once a week.


2015-07-02 23:06:28

Kim

My house was infested with fleas cus my cat she was pragnant then she had the kitten so I couldn't treat her, they was everywhere jumping an biting I got tired of spending ton of money when nothing seem to work I spent over $900 dollars! I put down flea killer powder Down for 24 hrs an then I vacuum an empty it out an their was just doubleing by the next week so even bombing the house like five times a week... But putting all the chemicals into the house while you're there we'll get you really sick ...I when to rent a hotel for a few days I got tired of getting bit!!! I empty out the house then turn on heat because fkeas like love heat they will come out , so I call the exterminator have them spray the house then I had put salt down few days out the week vacuum got rid of my cat an her kitten an the cat litter box then I just repeat it having them spray an put down salt!! I'm down to few fleas I will see one or two so it work got rid a lot of them hopefully in a month or two they will be gone!!! I have done a few research myself and talk to a few people who have pets if you own a pet you're always going to fleas in the house even though you treat them they can and when they come in they can jump off easing to your carpet and reproducing and then there you go you have to start everything all over again!!! to get rid of fleas just get rid of your pets... It's save you the head ace an the money....


2015-06-19 22:20:03

Cassie

We had a bad bed bug and flea infestation in 2014 before my daughter was born. I had tried everything chemical that was listed for bedbugswith no ssuccess. Finally I found DE food grade and used it, along with steam and vacuuming. I even caulked my walls so they couldn't hide in them. Took about a month of daily application and steaming and I have not seen a bed bug in probably 8 months.fleas always come back in the spring but sprinkling the DE in the carpets overnight does the trick. Trying out the salt though since its cheaper than DE. For the fleas, since bed bugs have been taken care of.
I found that a couch we purchased at a thrift store was how the bb got into the house, that went to the dump and we will never trust a thrift store again for furniture. :(


2015-06-18 19:53:22

Kelly Wilson-Spry

I have my room that is the only room in the house that has bugs and fleas everywhere, I feel them and sometimes I see them. I didn't have an issue until a few days ago when I realized my skin got itchy only in my room, This salt solution... is it a spray? can we use heavily salted water to get the same effect? or does it have to be dry salt?
I know water doesn't really do anything, but the point is to get the salt into the carpet right?to freak them out I guess?
Anyway, I do not really have a lot of exposed fabric other than my bed.... how I would I go about that?
the rest of my stuff is covered or in cases.
I mean, I can live with this, I guess but I would prefer to keep it under control at least.
my bed, I think is just doomed though, that might be a mission on its own.


2015-04-28 11:29:16

Kelz

Wow we have been suffering from fleas for months.. i must try this salt solution, will keep you all posted.. thanks all.. feeling determined and very hopeful :)


2015-04-11 11:31:13

Beth Buchanan

regarding the welts from flees or bed bugs. I have both. The itch in the nite caued many sleepless nights until I was told about baking soda paste. Simple just water and baking soda, put think layer on bite and it takes itch away in minute.
The salt seeems to be workking too, slow but sure


2015-03-19 21:39:33

Jayden

Ok my place is infested with fleas. I spent $300 trying to get rid of them. I hav tried everything possible 2 get rid of them. I bombed my apt twice..had my carpet professionally cleaned said it would help wit fleas. I've used salt ..borax..boric acid..baking soda for weeks on my carpet nothing is working. I vaccum n sweep everyday..took my dog twice already to get flea dipped..he has them again for the 3rd time from my carpets. I been trying for 3 weeks and still have them. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME ANY OTHER WAY OF GETTING RID OF THEM PLEASE..THANK U.


2015-03-13 02:54:26

laura

Well I have 8 cats. Although i haven't seen any fleas. I USE SALT JUST PLAIN TABLE SALT. I PURT it all over my carpets. The vet didn't say it wouldn't work just it hard on carpets. I use it anyway. I still put it down even with out seeing fleas I leave it longer then a day more like 3days to a week. Then I vaccum. Also the vet has a pill that you can give your cat or dog that will kill all the fleas on them in 24 hours. I called capstar. The vet will know what it is. Then put frontline ir advantage on them. And I salt carpets and put salt invaccum bag i pur salt on floor vaccum ir up. I read in in morton salt book. . But i have had bad fleas in house once and used off on me. And bug bombed the whole house too. That time.


2015-03-01 02:24:11

Lauren

Hi,

Thanks for this post! I was wondering if salt can be used to fend off/kill/prevent bed bugs if I put some under the mattresses of my vacation rental? Someone suggested this. We don't have bed bugs now.

Thanks

Lauren


2015-01-03 11:50:33

Bill

Don't forget to remove the food source for the fleas. You must treat your animals. I found that when I used the salt technique in conjunction with Advantage II treatment, the cycle was broken in a few weeks and the fleas didn't come back. Now, because I live in California, I salt and Advantage II every month year-round.

As for the vacuuming, there's an easier way to make sure the fleas die in the vacuum bag: just put a cheap flea collar in your vacuum bag or vacuum chamber. That way, any flea that is sucked up is immediately subjected to a strong pesticide. I keep my flea collar in my vacuum chamber for months. It works!


2014-11-23 21:48:35

Valerie

I can have sympathy for the person who felt like she was having a meltdown. I am allergic to dust mites, flies, etc and I'm sure that I'm also allergic to fleas! Our pets got fleas from the outdoor cats that JUMP ONTO OUR BALCONY. I've dealt with fleas 2x before in 26 years of having cats and this past time I was having trouble getting around and didn't realize what was going on until it hit its peak. I addition to dousing the rugs 2x with a borax/salt mix (which needs to be worked in with a broom) I ended up fogging. The animals also need to be combed several times a day-I put warmish water in about 1.5 cups of water, enough to cover the comb so they can jump out. Also, I never used to think about this-the animals are dropping the larvae in several stages (YECCH). They range from tiny and round to long and rice-like and they are translucent and slighly pinkish-brownish in color. I pick or brush them up and drown them too. Or you can vacumn them up. Also you can feed your pets the appropriate amount of powdered brewers yeast or garlic (or grind up the pill forms) and mix it with their food; eventually their blood tastes bad to the fleas and they vacate the animal. Plus of course, keep washing blankets and covers, etc and don't let clothes lie , bag them. I am going to treat the deck with a spray, also. My daughter works with animals and says in a situation like ours (we live next to a wood grove with wild cats) our animals really should be treated once a month! I also fogged this time and was finally to rest last night!


2014-11-09 23:30:16

Wanda

How we dispose the flea after we vacuum them?

For vacuum bag - we can add salt inside before they jump out again and then put into a zip lock bag before we throw them away.

For vacuum that just need washing - how to run under the water and still kill them to ensure the brush is clean?

Having fleas and ticks is really tiring and nightmare for any family.

My dog is under go skin treatment now so I cannot apply chemical on him for now. Will just use collar if worst come to worst.


More salt tips
http://pest.tips.net/T003491_Kill_Fleas_in_Your_Home_with_Salt.html


2014-11-09 23:27:39

Wanda

How we dispose the flea after we vacuum them?

For vacuum bag - we can add salt inside before they jump out again and then put into a zip lock bag before we throw them away.

For vacuum that just need washing - how to run under the water and still kill them to ensure the brush is clean?

Having fleas and ticks is really tiring and nightmare for any family.

My dog is under go skin treatment now so I cannot apply chemical on him for now. Will just use collar if worst come to worst.


2014-10-28 22:23:40

Lori n mel

This is an amazing solution to flea infestation!and inexpensive!


2014-10-20 04:46:56

Hales

My story - We bought a kitten about 7 weeks ago - our first ever pet for the children. After about 6 days we realised that she had fleas although the person who sold her told us she had been treated. We managed to get the kitten treated by the vet straight away and the kitten flea spray started to work immediately. We found 2 dead fleas in her bed the next morning. We don't have a fancy cat bed for her but a little wicker chair and fleecy blankets that are easy to wash. We now wash her fleece once a week and put a new clean fleece down for her each week. Just as a precaution we treated the downstairs of the house with a spray recommended by the vets even though she had only been in 2 rooms that have tiled floors. Five weeks later my daughter started getting bites appearing on her body at night - nobody else, just my daughter. We moved her out of her bedroom (which has a laminate floor and a rug) and treated it with the same spray. We put down home made flea traps and found nothing. We found one flea jumping in our bedroom and have had a MAJOR clear out and cleaning session this weekend. I have vacuumed the hell out of the house and sprayed like mad but even so I am a bag of nerves. I love the idea of this salt tip and even though we have sprayed everywhere I think I am going to put down salt as well - better to take every precaution in my mind. Even though it hasn't been a big infestation like some folks have had, I don't cope well with this type of thing and am one notch away from a nervous breakdown! I'm getting myself into a right state worrying that I haven't done enough and it does turn into a big infestation. It seems to vary on different websites about how long you should leave the salt down - some say 3 days, some a week and others 12 hours. Our kitten isn't going to be a pampered pet and have the run of the entire house - she is only allowed in the areas with the tiled floors. I'm not quite sure what to do with the tiled floors in these areas though - any advice please? Also, I hoovered up a load of salt to kill anything in the hoover bag - should I still change the bag?


2014-10-18 23:48:46

Linda Shea

I used advantage ll on my cats( the liquid that goes on the nape of their neck...The Vet's...& the Pet Store said " Do not use Frontline, it doesn't work which keeps the PetS suffering" ...I've tried bombing ,bought ionized salt & read your info. on unionized salt,so will go to Krogers as the person stated she had found it....Thank u all for the info, can't wait to use the salt...


2014-10-14 18:10:27

Shannon S.

This post really really helped us!!! We have had crazy fleas like I have never seen the past couple of days. This morning I just couldn't handle it anymore. I called my husband at work and he left early for the day to come and help clean the house. I sprinkled baking soda last night and didn't notice any different this morning. Then I sprinkled salt before I left the house today (I had to get the little kids to of the house so they weren't in my husband's hair whie trying to deep clean). My husband got home about an hour later and vacuumed the salt up. I came home a couple hours after that with the kids. Havn't seen one flea since. My husband said he was ONE, so we re- applied salt and are going to leave it on the carpets overnight. It made a HUGE difference in just an hour. As far as bedding and clothes and everything, I just washed those in the hottest setting possible and same with drying. I AM going to have to go through everything and pick out stuffed animals and furry kids play pillows and wash them. That's one thing we haven't done so far. I did notice earlier they had made it to my car, though. So I'm going to have to clean that really well as well so we don't bring them back into the house. My husband set up the hand held orek at the bottom of the garage stairs so when we get ready to go back into the house we can vacuum any fleas from the garage or car off of us before going back into the house.


2014-10-11 10:23:55

Allison

I tried this, I put salt all over the house yesterday. Now I noticed my dogs drinking all of their water regardless of how many times I refill it. I looked up if it's ok for dogs to eat salt and I found out it is not. It can kill them. Worst advice ever, contemplating bringing them to er. Not cool!'


2014-10-03 09:58:05

Spirit

I spent almost $300.00 trying to bomb my house for fleas.. nothing worked.. I heard about salt and covered every inch of 10 rooms.. Killed them off!!! Amazing! I wish I had known of this sooner but sooo happy to have learned about this.. I thought I was never going to win that battle!!! But war won!!


2014-09-23 08:48:28

cheryl

Hi ya iv got a fleas problem they are bouncing all over my flat I don't own a dog so have not got a clue where they have come from I put salt dawn hope it works I tryed vinegar and other stuff


2014-09-05 04:27:19

groundwork

Very important point. DON'T use salt that is iodized or has caking agents. The iodized salt is bad if kitties get any on their foot pads.


2014-08-31 07:53:41

Cassie

An electric coffee grinder works great for breaking down the salt so that it is almost like a grainy powder. A food processor also works. When I sprinkled the salt on my light colored wood floors, I could actually see some fleas suffering immediately with the salt. I never would have believed it unless I saw it! Looking forward to doing a second application and finally winning what seemed like a loosing battle!!

I have tried many types of sprays with only moderate success. I have COPD and all these chemicals haven't done anything positive to my lungs!!


2014-08-18 19:08:40

gavin driscoll

ive been looking through the comments on here and im surprised 2 see so many of u saying table salt is working for them.....im abit scepicle but im going to try it ty


2014-08-18 01:23:12

jasmine

I believe I have fleas , the bumps & itching is driving me crazy but does anybody know how to get rid of the bumps ?


2014-08-10 19:15:07

CS

Suzy, we did this method first, but read to add a tealight in the middle as they are attracted to heat or light (?) and also read to leave your tv on at night and put the dishes with soap under the light of the TV and they will come. Did you use a candle or ? Well, the salt. The first time we did it about a month ago, it was like a horror movie, put your foot on the floor and you had 50+ on you!!!!! So, we got Advantage II for the cats, which helped as they were suffering too :(...anyway after the dose, we vac'd EVERYTHING and couldn't believe how many went out in the trash, gross!! BUT, the babies came and we got 4 things of salt and it was war! That was 3 days ago, rubbed into carpet deep and today haven't had a issue, so going to vac... but I always read, use a LOT of salt, rub it in and wait a few days, it dehydrates them and the eggs.


2014-08-10 18:20:46

bekki

Ive had a massive problem with fleas over the last few wks ive spent a fortune on flea bombs indirex etc im even considerin throwin my sofas n carpets away.... ive followed step for step wat I saw online the salt really does work it kils the adult fleas completely! !! Just wonderin if theres anytin else I can do


2014-07-24 06:36:03

Sofia

I hope this works!!!!!! My dog started off having a few fleas and before you knew it the house was covered!!! Me and my family see them jumping around and are bitten all the time! They are eveywhere! We are going to do this salt trick and wash bedding etc however washing all clothing is going to be difficult as they're is quite a few off us in the house ! Is there a way wr can still tackle this?? Its becoming a very big problem for everyone and I just want them to be gone!!!!


2014-07-18 14:35:03

Jim Miner

I live at the beach and my cat brought in a huge flea infestation. i was desperate so tried sprays and bug bombs. They helped but did not solve it. My sister said " try salt". Bought 2 round cartons of uniodized store brand table salt at Krogers Supermarket for $1 and spread one of them everywhere. On furniture, in the cracks, salted the carpet good and then just left it - it's a beach house with sand anyway. The fleas have not been back.


2014-07-15 19:29:07

SA Peters

Going to try this. Will it hurt my cats if they are in the rooms?


2014-06-30 08:12:33

Denise

I have just found three fleas and I am trying the salt in hopes I can catch them first I am praying this works as I have two budgies and don't want fleas attacking them as blood loss could kill them


2014-06-25 10:46:28

JACKIE

I have a room in the front of my house with fleas in it , i can't move any of the furniture it is too heavy the bed has two heavy mattresses on it , so i bought four tubs of table salt and have just covered as much of the underlay as i could as there is no carpet in there . i am intending to leave the salt down without hoovering as the last time i had fleas hoovering salt up broke my hoover .
Has anyone ever left salt down without removing and succeeded in killing the fleas. Im figuring that if the fleas eat the salt then they are going to die and so will the eggs ?


2014-05-05 03:10:11

Suzy

I have three cats who off and on have fleas. We can't afford to keep them with Frontline always.

So I guess my flea infestation has been growing for years. My eyes are so bad I never noticed it at all. But in the last week my ankles were itching constantly.

I just scratched them.

One night though in the bathroom I noticed these bugs on my socks.

Figured out it was fleas.

I started with 10 low dishes of water with Dawn. I killed over 500 fleas. I counted!!!

Then I purchased salt and soda and heavily spread it on carpets. That seemed to solve the problem for a bit.

But, they were still coming around. So today I changed the ten dishes to apple cider vinegar, bought new salt and soda.

It was spread 5 hours ago. I haven't seen a flea since. Hopefully this will do it.


2013-11-26 12:03:33

Vrinda

I saw a flea jumping in my cat's room so I quickly searched the internet and found this great idea!!!!!!!!


2013-07-18 10:45:01

serenity collins

I have also heard about table salt inside. Does it work in a shaded dog pin?


2013-04-22 04:21:30

Jena

Fleas love me , 15 yrs ago i moved into a house that was infested and I was pregnant. I found the salt remedy on a maternity forum!! this was after the landlord and I had exhausted every thing possible (spending tons of money) Nothing had worked until I used the salt...I bought 8 containers of salt and sprinkled all over the carpeted areas and left it over night, vacuumed up the next day and repeated and wah la!! no more fleas!! I spent like 5 dollars!! make sure you throw away the vacuum bag tho!!


2013-02-18 18:29:50

Linda in Toronto

The salt/baking soda definitely works. The way I did it is slightly different. Vacuum your home (then put bag in freezer or discard). Recipe: 1c table salt, 1c baking soda, 30 drops essential lemon oil. Mix and put into perhaps an old peanut butter jar and punch holes in lid then shake all over the floors and carpets. The salt will kill most of the fleas, but the key to eliminating them is to wear white socks over your pant bottoms and regularly and carefully check them for fleas - remember fleas can be tiny and can resemble a speck of dirt! If in doubt, drown that 'speck of dirt' and once in the water it'll be clear if it's dirt or a flea. Fleas swim and have long legs out back. Dirt simply floats or drops to the bottom. (I drowned the fleas in an old yogurt 500ml plastic container with water and a drop of dish soap. Release the flea UNDER the water or it may jump out again.) Carefully check your white socks before you leave for work so you aren't spreading fleas. As soon as you come home, immediately put on the socks. Wear socks to bed. Check before you get into bed. Check every time you use the washroom through the day. When the fleas are almost gone, the last times you'll see them is at night when you use the washroom. You get the idea, check regularly. The good news is, in about two weeks, the fleas will be almost gone. Also, purposely walk through your whole place twice a day to trigger any remaining eggs to hatch and jump on you. This speeds up getting rid of them. When you launder your clothes & bedding, nothing special is needed except perhaps to extend the washing cycle to the maximum length of time to make sure they are drowned if they're in bed clothes or whatever. After 2 weeks, vacuum (then garbage or freeze the bag) and re-apply salt. (I salted thoroughly the first time, but mainly down the middle of the rooms the second time.) After this second two week period, likely all the fleas will be gone, but I still vacuum and re-apply salt again and leave it on for some time. If the fleas get on you, you'll itch like a dog. Just shower with soap and they'll be gone. Fleas travel on people so keep visitors out of your place until the fleas are gone to prevent spreading them. (I am omitting the pet care part. People can look that part up online or visit your vet if there's a pet involved. If I had a cat, I wouldn't use the lemon essential oil, just the salt/baking soda.) I used the salt mixture on carpet, kitchen floor and bathroom tile and my landlords upstairs used it on their wood floors and it didn't seem to harm any surfaces. (Aside, I also tried making a spray out of lemons - wow what a sticky mess, don't do this. It also wasn't very effective. Neither was the light over the bowl of water. The ground cloves may act as deterrent but killing the fleas with salt (and using white socks to find and kill the remainder) is the only real solution for completely eliminating the fleas. Oh and my landlords first had a pesticide sprayed upstairs and one application decreased them, but didn't eliminate them up there.)


2012-09-15 14:52:49

Ms. Zelvia Hooker

First I've heard of using salt to kill fleas in carpet! I'll try it!