How long borax to kill fleas

Having a flea infestation in the bed can be a nightmare. These vicious little insects can leave itchy, uncomfortable bites while you sleep and can have you jumping at the sight of a small black spot. First of all, you need to make sure that they are in fact fleas. This is because if you are regularly waking up with itchy red bites on the exposed parts of your skin, it could be either an infestation of fleas or bed bugs.

If you have determined that the culprits are fleas, the next step is to find out how you can kill fleas in your bed. It is important to act fast to stop them from multiplying further — some general suggestions on eliminating fleas from the bed include:.

If you find fleas in your bed, there could be a chance that there are some hiding in the rest of your bedroom too. Apart from an insecticide which kills the adult fleas already established in the room, the flea bomb contains an Insect Growth Regulator IGR that prevents any flea larvae hatching from surviving eggs from developing into viable adult fleas thus breaking the breeding cycle.

That way, the treatment will remain active to prevent re-infestation for up to nine months. For best results, use one bomb in each room and follow the steps below:. Flea bites appear as small red dots that are extremely itchy and in clusters.

Fleas often target the legs and feet and the bitten area can develop into a wound with an added risk of infection if scratched aggressively.

Suggestions for treating flea bites include:. While the bites are treatable, you will only get bitten again if you do not take action to remove fleas from the house.

Fleas are tricky little pests; they can burrow deep down in carpets and bedding and make it incredibly difficult to get rid of through cleaning alone. These bugs can really make life miserable, so be sure to deal with the problem head-on and use a trusted method like Mortein for a flea-free home and peace of mind. In the guide below, we cover all of this and more. Fleas are external parasites that feed on the blood of mammals and birds but are most commonly found on our favorite household pets.

There are over 2, different species and subspecies of fleas. In the United States, we most commonly encounter the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis and the dog flea Ctenocephalides canis.

Even the most diligent pet owners are vulnerable to a flea infestation. In some regions of the United States, fleas are active year-round and pose a constant threat. Fleas can jump over one foot high into the air and about the same distance forward, which is how they land on your pet while outside and eventually find their way into your home.

The presence of fleas can also be confirmed by identifying flea dirt, which is fecal matter they leave behind. Outdoors, fleas hang out in warm, humid areas with tall grass, not in direct sunlight. They can attach to your shoes and pants and be tracked into your house that way.

Fleas have four life cycles:. Egg: Flea eggs will hatch within 1 to 10 days of being laid. Larva: The larva phase lasts for 5 to 11 days. They appear as small, off-white worms about millimeters long.

Pupa : After the larva phase, they remain inside a cocoon for as little as a few days or as long as six months. Adult: The adult flea survives for approximately three months, sometimes more or less. They can last for an upward of days without eating. Vet West Animal Hospitals explains that an adult female flea can lay upwards of 2, eggs in her lifetime. Eggs are laid on the host, either your pets or yourself, and fall off during movement.

The eggs will fall into your carpet, furniture, or pet bedding. When fleas feed, they do so by depositing a small amount of saliva underneath the skin to thin the blood and make it easier to drink. Both pets and humans have a negative reaction to flea saliva, which results in itchy and uncomfortable bug bites.

Both humans and pets can develop infections from continually scratching and picking these bites. Dogs respond to the irritation and presence of parasites by eating them. Fleas have a chance to carry tapeworm, and once they are inside your dog, they can introduce the tapeworm this way. Hi Deena! However, I am not a medical professional and speak only from my personal experience, so if you are worried then perhaps rather look at using DE article on this blog.

Fleas, ticks etc and Roaches! Place on a piece of cardstock near nesting areas such as cupboards, sinks etc. It works great! My pest control guy accused me of trying to put him out of business.

They love it and it kills quickly, especially if they take it back to the nest. When my grand kids come over should i shampoo rug first? These are a pain in the butt,. Hi Madeline! Not necessary, just put it down and after rubbing it in use a broom , leave it for as long as possible even up to a week before vacuuming it up.

Hope that helps! Learned about this years ago, put down a couple boxes of borax and used the broom to sweep it into the fibers and we were flea free for almost 12 years. We recently shampooed our carpet and almost immediately afterwards we ended up with fleas again, if that tells you anything. This absolutely works and we left it in the carpet for YEARS, both our cats lived to be 15 years plus as well.

Hi Natasha! Thank you so much for this article. Will it still be effective if left for a shorter time? Or is it safe to be in the area being treated while the borax is on the carpet?

Should I just treat one area at a time so it can be left on longer? Thanks again! Hi Tiffany! It will be safe to be in the area. Hope that helps. Yes the borax is amazing but also a quick fix is the highest volume of rubbing alcohol in a spraybottle will also help if you feel the fleas biting you spray your feet legs ,shoes ,,pants and the floor around you 4 oz of alcohol and 4 oz of water in spray bottle can be sprayed on pets and rub in to pet fur they get immediate relief ,just watch their eyes ,kills on contact,,but use the borax ,,,use alcohol full strength in spray bottle on furniture,, dog beds etc will not hurt your pets,,hope this helps ,Love your artical.

Hi Mary, thanks for your kind words and for sharing those tips with the community! Have a good one! How often do youneed to repeat borax treatments to carpet for.

Flea control? Do you need to repeat e try 30 days or can you go y0 or 90 days for Flea control prophylaxis? Hi Lynelle! I would repeat it once every two weeks, but it is up to you. It is quite a mission to vacuum it up use a shopvac please , so once a month is fine. My pet dog brought in fleas. I have been doing everything I possibly can to get rid of them. I have given my dog 3 Flea baths, cleaned all her bedding and used a safe powder on all my carpets. I am going to use Borax next but my question is.

Hi Lee! Yes, it will be safe. I read on Pinterest that laundry borax will repel mice from coming into the house. Will this be harmful to them as they walk thru this? Your article and subsequent q and a very informative. Thank you. Hi Janet! Thanks for your kind words! I was told that you should place a little borax along the baseboards and brush it in as fleas tend to hide in these areas. Is this information correct and is it safe to leave the borax there?

Hi Natasha, great blog n comments! Fleas are moderate some years and horrible others. We do the Advantage every 6 weeks, starting in late June, as a preventative.

Borax powder, from Amazon, after vacuuming every few weeks. Usually done w flea meds by October. The meds are not great for the animal and can lose effectiveness over time. My newest discovery is hand sanitizer!!

My dog got hit hard bc I used a cheaper flea treatment vanguard I think. With all the animals in and out and then in or laps, we have hand sanitizer in every room, lol. I had the pooch on her back checking for fleas and I see scurrying around her belly.

Out of desperation I grab the hand sanitizer w the pump applicator and start depositing a drop on every flea I could. Not being a spray the amount used is minimal. Please note she had no dermatitis issues from the fleas. I have done this daily for a few weeks now and as she may get a few fleas here and there, pouncing on them is quick work. The hardest part is extracting the dead little bugger off her skin!

Sepratingvtge fur and scrapping them off w a playing card or business card works well. My vet thought it was a good idea, sanitizing your hands and the dogs stomach against the fleas and killing them is a win win. Cats are more sensitive to the alcohol smell and I have not and will not try this on them. Hi Dave! Thanks for your kind words and for the tips. I have never tried that, but I am sure that it will be useful to the community.

Unbeknownst to me, the fleas came from unknown animals in my crawl space. We have went to some expense to secure the exterior with a rodent exclusion barrier and other landscaping methods. My dog has been on Advantage liquid drops and has not missed a treatment. This has been a mess. My question is- how should I use Borax on linoleum? I understand fleas like to reproduce or grow around the baseboards on linoleum floors as well as carpet.

It helps. Btw, fleas are attracted to light sources and the color, white. I have just begun my flea battle going on 4 days …. Also treated the dog with a bath, flea comb, and meds from vet. Things have improved….

However, I think there are some lingering on the leather sofa which I vacuumed well, but was hesitant to put anything on it. I am leaning towards trying Borax on it….. Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated!!! I also have flea traps on order. Hi Jen! I am hesitant to suggest anything that could damage your leather, or make it smell funny afterwards. But basically any soap breaks down the exoskeleton of fleas so if you can mix something safe for your sofas with water, it will do the job.

Good luck! Help that Maria. Hi Maria, yes you can do another treatment, but this time, combine it with a few DIY flea traps. I have a free guide on this website under the fleas category.

I am having a difficult time eradicating the fleas in my attached garage? I have the garage almost entirely empty, with a flea trap to see if they are still around. The flea numbers are much lower however the trap keeps catching fleas everyday? I do not know where they are coming from? The garage is concrete floor. Hi Rudy, if I had to take a guess, could it be possible that you have rats, etc. I suggest that you also try using a couple DIY flea traps, I have a guide on this blog under the flea category.

I have not gotten most typical flea to work. I have found revolution to work well. It has worked wonders for our animals. I am infested with fleas.

I had flea busters come out however this did not rid the fleas. I was told to try boric acid by putting it on the carpets and floors then vacuum after a day or two. Will this harm my cat!!!! I thought I saw a recommendation for a topical flea treatment I think it was an Advantage product. Can you help with the specifics.

The Borax does work well. Hi Lynn! It really depends on the weight of the animals, your local vet should be able to give you exactly what you need, just ask for Advantage by name.

I appreciate this information on Borax. We recently discovered that fleas have been laying eggs in the crevices of our laminate wood floors, under the furniture. We got rid of all of our carpet except a couple of area rugs to try to help with the fleas 4 dogs, 2 cats. Our youngest dog is still too young for any pesticide flea control and we have been struggling to keep fleas on him under control. We did a Dawn bath and days later he was covered again. I did discover that coating the pup in olive oil kills the fleas.

It only lasts a couple of days as well, but we can rub that on him while sitting around petting him, then comb him with a fine-tooth comb. Thanks again for all the info! Hi Julie! I am concerned about fleas getting into my car when he and I ride in it, and was considering sprinkling Borax on the carpets of my car as a preventative measure.

Would Borax be safe to breath in such a small space? How long could I safely leave it there? Or should I just use it once I return home in the way that you described? Hi Juliette! Honestly, as long as you wash your clothes as soon as you get home, you should be fine. Hi Natasha, thanks for the helpful article. I have followed your steps and poured Borax straight from the container on to my room carpet and then brushed it literally everywhere into the carpet.

I have left it there overnight and the next morning I saw a flea jump onto my bed. Is the Borax working? How come I am still seeing fleas? I have also followed your flea trap guide but I have no found any fleas in the dish in the morning. I am thinking about leaving the borax on the carpet for a week. Is it possible that fleas are coming from outside the room? All 4 of my flatmates are not getting bitten.

Hi Alex! It is a pleasure! Let it do its thing for about week as you mentioned , they should be gone by then. Let me know! Hi Kelly, you could try that, although this article is primarily about using it dry. Remember that just regular soap such as dishwashing liquid also kills fleas on contact, so you could also just use that for those places. I read someplace that you could rid if roaches by mixing the Boris acid with egg yolk. Well I read that you can mix honey with the boric. And place it around your home it will attract the ants.

Does this sound legit? Hi Jill! Honestly, I have never tried that. We have had the Borax on the wooden floors of our back room for a week and those lil buggers are still alive back there! There are many dead but many are still alive.

They are struggling though. My question is this, do you think it would be ok to set a flea bomb off with the Borax still on the floor?

Do you think it would cause a bad chemical reaction? Hi Brandon! Let me know how it goes! I just couldnt remember how long I was supposed to leave it so a quick google search brought me to you , first link i clicked Thank you so much for having the information I needed , My Aunt would have been mighty sore if I called her up at 3 am to find out lol. I could actually see fleas coming up out of the area rug and struggling as I was sprinkling so I poored a healthy dose on those spots lol.

Hi Tracy! It is a pleasure, glad you found my information useful. Is it possible to have an infestation in a mattress if my cat slept with me? Also- my cat is treated, but is it better to have her in the house or ship her to my dads for a bit to try to control the problem? I thought her being treated would help kill them.

I am getting bitten and have found 2 small baby fleas in the bed in the past week despite professional treatment 2 of them! Losing my mind….. Hi Ann, not likely.

However, a quick steam clean will kill any bugs so maybe consider that to be extra sure you can usually hire a steamer. If your cat has a spot on, it is not necessary to take her elsewhere. I suggest you check my article about flea traps and combine that with your efforts, they work really well and are very DIY.

We have a bit of a flea infestation in the basement due to our outdoor cats that spend most of their time outside but hole up in the basement when they come in. Our dog and cats have both been treated with flea medication but we are having a terrible time getting rid of the fleas in the basement.

We have used borax and sprays such as the one offered by Raid. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Hi Andrew! Since its in the basement, maybe try using a flea bomb or something like that. You can also try DE, I have an article on it, check it out.

Hi there! I want to try 20 Mule Team Borax on my carpets. Just trying to gauge how much borax to buy, as most of my house is carpeted. Thanks a million! Hi Roy, light dusting. Do you recommend using borax on the upholstered furniture and the mattresses as well?

Or carpet only? Hi Ruby, you can. Just make sure that your vacuum can suck it all up afterwards. Well let me say we have bomed the house had an exterminator come in and fleas back again. We are renovating all carpet is pulled out of our house.

Its down to the bare plywood. Dogs are outside during the day at night tge stay in the mud room with tiled floor. Please help me… How should i apply to my floors? What would be best for me to use on the floor?

Hi Jennie! You can apply borax by filling an ice cream tub or similar with it and punching small holes in the lid. Then you can apply it to the floors like a salt shaker. It will help on bare floors with plywood? Should i use a broom and brush it around after i shake it on? How long should i leave it on the floors? Yes, it will help, provided that is where the fleas are located.

Hi Barbara! You may not need to, just keep an eye out for any sign of them and then repeat if you find any. We have all wood and tile floors. Hi Rebecca! Yes it is, but seriously consider using flea traps as well article on this blog.

Thanks for the comment! Hi and thank you for the info from this article. Can I do the same thing with hardwood floors as I would for carpet? Hi Natasha, we have 2 dogs and a cat.

I gave them all a bath in a mixture of Dawn dish soap, white vinegar and warm water. I got 2 dead fleas off of my little dog and 4 dead ones off of my cat. We washed their bedding in hot water, we washed our sheets because our little dog sleeps with us and put them in the dryer under high heat. I am going to purchase the 20 Mule Team Borax today and will sprinkle it onto the carpet and furniture.. My question is we have no place to put our little babies while we do this..

What John A says is correct. Nothing made to kill fleas works as advertised. They all work, but, not as advertised. It takes TIME. There just is no miracle cure for a flea infestation. It just takes awhile…three to six weeks usually. Wear a dust mask because it makes a very dusty mess. Just leave it. Use them to tell you where problem areas are, and use them to determine when you are winning the battle. You should be flea free in four weeks, but, always best to do it once more.

When finished, fog house with foggers that contain IGR insect growth regulators. Vacuum afterwards. Not enough left to harm anything but a flea.

And the IGR fogger will just help insure no fleas ever take hold to cause another infestation. Fog house every six months an ounce of prevention will assure you never have any bug problem again. Hi Bob! Thank you for your fantastic feedback. I appreciate it and the community will benefit from your wisdom. One thing to keep in mind that a single treatment with borax or salt and soda will not eliminate the flea problem. Even though these everyday items are effective drying out flea eggs, larvae and adults, they will not touch the pupae.

Consequently, multiple applications of borax or salt and soda will be required. Walking over a carpet can cause fleas to emerge from the pupae weeks later after application and all of a sudden the flea problem is back.

To combat this, vacuum each infested area once a day for two weeks. This IGR will not kill adult fleas, but will keep eggs and larvae from going to the pupae stage. An IGR is not an insecticide and is typically a pheromone that stunts the the fleas ability to mature into breeding adults.

Thank you I am at wits end I have my sons dog his spirit left his body Dec 28 but the place where I am keeping him says he now has fleas. Praying it works do not want to put her in a shelter and my apt manager wont let me keep her here She has been through so much I just pray this works.

Hi Okema, my condolences about your loss. Excellent, I am glad that I have helped you, let me know how it goes! Hello Natasha, excellent site and information. You are bookmarked. I did have a bed bug problem when I went to a music camp two years ago in the country and brought back these little monsters. But now, unfortunately I have a flea problem…. I sat on a park bench in the very clean and organized cooperative here in Chelsea, Manhattan I living in and picked up some fleas, I assume from the bench a week ago.

I only noticed a bite, about two day later, which at the time I thought was some kind of irritation. Then a day later I start feeling all these bites, at first thinking they were mosquitos. I then started spraying a mosquito spray in my bedroom and checking all my windows…and then Sunday night there was a full on attack and I received probably a hundred bites. I am presently using Boric acid as that is what I have in a powder sold under the name of Hot Shot, but will now go out and buy Borax and also spread it all over my home-studio I am an artist.

My question is, how long do flea bites last it terms of their itch? I have about probably about twenty to thirty bites per limb and torso. I am using Aveeno hydrocortison cream to alive the pain. It is as if my body is on fire. Also, can you recommend a natural drink to help detoxification, the removal of flea toxin.

I am now drinking coconut water…. I will now think twice when sitting on a park bench. Also, I am going on a cruise in a few weeks and definitely will bring a bottle of bedbug and flea spray to cover the cabin on the ship I will stay in before I do anything….

Looking forward to your excellent info and suggestions. Hi Raphael! Thanks for your kind words and for the bookmark! Flip, that is annoying hehe. You can apply a little lemon juice from an actual lemon to ease the itchiness.

I have 2 ,house cats and 3 dogs they all got fleas I always stay utd with advantix for the dogs and frontline for the cats. Recently every ,wks because of the problem I have all hardwood floors besides two area rugs one is shag I used the de left it for a day and vacuumed cleaned up all loose shed hair from house. Went on vacation for two wks with dogs they had no fleas while on vacation I came back the cats were covered now the dogs are getting them again too!

It would be extremely hard for me. Hi Monica! You probably find that the fleas are living in your home, spot on can only do so much. If they catch any, then we can look at our options. Check out my article on flea traps, they are super easy to make. Thank you Natasha!! This is great info. This year, and probably more so because of our drought in California, we are overrun with fleas where I live!

Me and my dogs are sooo itchy!!! Keep up these articles please! I shared on my fb page!! Hi Cindy! We just started having a flea problem, apparently they are really bad in Texas this year. I was wondering, we got Borax last night for the carpet, is it ok to use on furniture also? Hi Janel, yes you can. A few readers have suggested using a plastic container such as an empty icecream tub , punching holes in the lid and then apply it like a salt shaker, maybe give that a try.

I have not seen a flea in decades. This summer I found myself in the middle of the flea battle. I have 3 cats, one is a senior citizen, he is I did not want to expose them to any potentially harmful pesticides.

Your website was the most straight forward and informative website. I followed all directions and am now happily flea free. Thank you for a great alternative to harmful pesticides. Hi Cher! Super glad to hear it and thanks for dropping a comment to let me know! Hi, dealing with flea infestation in clothing. Will putting clothes in a plastic trash bag with borax resolve problem? I have five cats. We have no way of confining them to one area. This sounds risky in our situation.

Any thoughts? Hi Steve! I have used it with cats in the house, it will be fine. Hi there. I am having to deal with bird mites. Our landlord told me to sprinkle borax. I have a 1yo nd a dog wth me and i live in a small apt. I left the borax there because its where ive seen the damn mites coming up at night. I am literally covered in bites. Also a tip for people dealing with the bites — hot compress. Helps with the itch.

Use cloth and dip in hot water and then apply to bite. Feeels great. Back to my question.. This is terrific, thank you, Natasha! I usually wait about an hour, then vacuum again. Because it gets so deep in the carpet, I find that I am vacuuming it up for months, so I think a lot really stays down there even without a 6-hour wait.

I use Revolution on the cats themselves, which seems to work really well. I first tried it when we had a pigeon next outside above my patio and, when the fledglings leave the next, the mites look for new homes. Revolution did the trick, along with another very labor-intensive borax treatment. Hi Peaches! Thanks for your great comment, absolutely love the real life experience with borax! I have put the cat and dog in the bathhroom. Hi Tamara, yes it is safe. Best of luck with fighting these little pests and hope you have a good weekend!

Hi, just read all the info and hope to give it a try. We have 3 dogs,2 German Shepard,and! And a Flea problem that is about to drive me crazy. I have spent hundreds trying to get rid of them. The Vet didnt see fleas just dry skin on the Small dog. I ask was she wearing glasses. I am on a very fixed income now and cannot afford to go to the vets constant ly or throw money away. So I needed a new way to try that is affordable and works.

My question is. The Carpet Fresh stuff that you sprinkle on your carpets to freshen for smells has baking soda in them. Would it hurt to mix it with the borax. I use that at evry other vacuming and I vacum everyday by the way. Ididnt know if by useing the two together would be okay or what. Also what flea product works for the pet.? I have tryed alot of them ,with little results. Flea collars are a waste,so im still trying to find a safe way to treat the dogs and take care of the skin.?