Tip(ful) Tuesday: Non-Toxic Flea Elimination

Is it me or are the fleas really bad this season? Our poor dog was scratching his butt off so our vet recommended that we give him flea control every 2 weeks rather than every 4 weeks. I thought the flea problem was over until little bite marks started appearing on Marlie's legs. The fleas were setting up a society in our carpet and biting her when she crawled around! I resisted the urge to bomb the house with pest poison and did some internet research instead. I found very detailed instructions for a environmentally safe way to get rid of the nasty buggers from a professional carpet cleaner:

• First vacuum all your carpeting thoroughly. After vacuuming take vacuum outside and empty the bag or the canister.

• Next step have your carpets professional cleaned, or rent a Rug Doctor and do it yourself.

• After carpet is completely dry sprinkle all the carpeting with Borax, or if Borax isn't available, use Boraxo laundry detergent. Work powder into carpet with a stiff broom or carpet rake .

• Vacuum up carpets the next day, and again make sure vacuum bag or canister is emptied after vacuuming.

• Last step, and perhaps the most important, is to reapply the Borax in eight days. If it is indeed a flea infestation, the flea eggs deposited by the adult fleas hatch in eight days.

I tried it and it works! Marlie can crawl on the carpets again. :-)

*postcript* after receiving an email from a concerned reader, I want to caution that Borax, although a natural mineral, can be toxic when inhaled or ingested. Please use caution by wearing a mask or glove and keep it away from children and pets.