There are many dangers of using flea poisons, both for your pet and the people in your home. Not seeing a big difference as far as the bites we are getting yet unfortunately. Here are a few encouraging success stories for using this powder for effective flea removal. My dog has had fleas, we used different topical treatments throughout the months. I use it in the yard and I removed my carpets with DE to the garage for the summer. Hey Tammy! I was so disappointed when I found fleas still on him after the bath. Hurry to visit the online casino instant withdrawal and start winning, don't miss your chance! Apologies if this has been mentioned already, but I have a question regarding treatment of plank flooring. I have set the soap dish traps and caught 15 fleas in 6 hours again this was 5 days after laying a thick layer of de on the carpet. I would suggest researching that first. We treat regular inside & out & our indoor cat sometimes I think they are gone but then traps filled in the am.HELP Please!!! Is it safe for kids and pets to be around? Lamb and Rice foods have a pretty low allergenic value. Naturally Im extremely paranoid and am doing all I can to kill them. Also, you dont need a thick layer (might be why its not working, not sure), but rather a thin layer, almost a dusting of the stuff. I just sprinkled a ton of it all down my log very rugged hallway, and i let the kiddos run and play all day and track it all over the house. ( its early November here in Wisconsin) and will continue with the DE if I feel the need. Lastly, when cleaning it up, I highly recommend you use a shopvac, as they are very effective and you can usually hire one affordably. I saw a comment above about garlic being toxic to dogs. I dont recommend using the DE directly on your pets. Have a good one! Very itchy buggers on people and pets driving us all nuts, so I tried DE on my itchy self and it worked immediately! The fossilized remains of aquatic diatoms make up deposits of silica near open bodies of water that are used to create diatomaceous earth. Hi Susan, I have never tried to use both at once because to be quite frank, it is not necessary. . i dont know WHAT HAPPENED!!!! Hi Kerry, yeah that should be fine. I took it back and went Rosedale Mills in my area and they had a product that this food grade. This is my 2nd flea infestation on my dog! We used a fogger in our boys room as their room was the worst. Its supposed to be completely safe for people and pet use. Sincerely Desperate. Let me know if you would like a few free quotes . I live on a farm, so its ok that the music is blasting. Here at Pest Push, we publish detailed guides on dealing with various household and yard pests. However, I am in the process of writing an article on using a mix of tea tree oil and water to do just that, stay tuned for it . I was so pleased to read your article. Thank for taking the time to share these fantastic tips with the community. Hello there! Ive read in several places that Borax/boric acid is bad for kitties lungs. Thanks for the tip, I am sure that many will benefit from it! Hi Kimberly, if it doesnt specifically say Food Grade on it, I dont recommend it. Yeah while the DE is not poisoneous or anything (presuming its food grade), I recommend using it on pet beds, etc as you mentioned. Our cat sitter recommended diatemeous earth. Hey Debbie! Hi Kristi! Hi Brooke! I dont know what else to do! I like that the pure stuff is white. Trying to locate the right one. My animals, my husband & I were miserable! To get an insect to eat . We have used borax in the past but it doesnt come up well with a rug doctor. There were days I cried it was so bad. There is only 1 place that sells 300g Bug Killer Dusts which contains food grade DE. For about a year now I have been using this Earth I place 1/2 tsp on their breakfast every morning. I sprinkle on poop residue after picking up fresh poop in the yard. I notice when it gets thin, the d.e. Food grade DE is great for your pets, even when ingested. I am still finding fleas. Hey Daniel! Diatomaceous earth must be dry to work. I will be giving him the info on the de & borax. I was so desperate back then because my dogs were infested by fleas, we even had fleas inside the house. Hi Jamie! We live on a nature preserve and have found them in our yard. Hi Kelly! Is it safe to put this up on my upholstered bed that my kids and myself sleep on? Also my renters have moved out and the house is infested with fleas will it work to kill the fleas? However, if thats what you have, be sure to do the emptying outdoors away from any open windows. I read quite a bit on how to deal with fleas. Are you bothered by mess? My apt though is another issue. Cover with fabric or saran wrap so it doesn't dry out. I found one live flea in each room, does this indicate there are hundreds? Hiya, I have my DE, do I need to cover every flat surface? I just bought the safer brand just for inside my house. Hi Ang! It is even pretty to look at and I only need it on while there is a risk if inhaling the DE . Would this plan work for DE application -> DE down on carpet for 2-3 days, then vacuum up, then DE immediately reapplied (so in effect DE two times a week or a continuous application for 4 weeks). If you desparately want to clean it up, give that Shop-Vac (although I havent used one) a try, should work fairly well. Glad to hear that you are going to use DE in the house, combine that method with Frontline on the your pets like you mentioned and you will see fast results. And is it just for crevices or areas where my pets will lie or is it to be used on entire surface areas? My kitty has tapeworm, and is never going outside again because all she does is eat grass. Pests do not need to eat it in order for it to work. So I started researching and hiding is something they do if they are sickly So I began checking him over. I couldnt find any contact on their website. Here it is: take a form plate and put warm water in it and sprinkle dawn dishwashing liquid in the water. I mix for myself 1 tablespoon per day of DE in a glass of rice milk or ordinary milk with a few drops of camp coffee to flavour, helps strengthen hair and nails too when you drink it. I sprayed, threw away and old chair that likely could harbor issues (cats favorite place) and my older son and I put DE all around the edges and covered the couch inside and out with DE (light coating). Hope that helps, please share this article with your friends . Our latest batch of kittens came with their nursing mama in the beginning. If you want to kill the fleas on them, a bath in soapy water (be careful of claws hehe) will kill them all. I suggest that you give my DIY flea traps a try, just use a tea light instead of a candle if you want to be safer. Hi, we noticed a few fleas yesterday. Hi Teri! I had a few questions, and I love that it seems you respond to most questions even two years after posting this article. All the best. I will also check my blog , I just bought food grade fleas r bite my poor pom try boric acid on rugs still here. Boric acid works but drives the fleas into a frenzy, so isn't practical until the flea infestation is considerably reduced (mine was prodigious and spread throughout the whole house, bedding and clothing.) We have a HUGE yard, and as I mentioned in my previous postwe live right on a nature preserve. Check out my flea trap article, you can do those at the same time for maximum flea destruction . Hi Barbara! Is it safe to either sprinkle or dust DE on the mattress, say in the morning, and then vacuum it off in the evening before making the bed? They are for outdoor use, usually you can order them online from a variety of retailers. I completed the task of spreading the DE at 8:30 pm last night, June 5th. Will let you know in a few weeks if the fleas have fled. Two cats get little welts after being bitten. Hi Karen, yes it can. Hope that helps! Go easy on DE on their fur. Me and my dog moved to my sisters for about a week. We are giving DE a shot. However, the house itself is still completely infested. Thank you for all the information in this blog. I always advised against using water but doing that and then letting it dry, such a good idea. Does this mean that I have to treat everywhere? Using AdvantageII, Siphotrol Premise spray, and I bombed w/ Raid flea and bed bug bomb that 1st week of October. I plan to do our entire room. We do have linoleum in parts of our home, I have spread it there today but once walked on it moves leaving those areas uncovered. Have a question. Sharon, sprinkle some DE on the end of a broom bristles and then pass the broom under your bed as much as you can reach on each side of the ed, that should do it. I cant put anything else on them for 3 more weeks! Couple of questions. I purchased Red Lake Earth DE from my local feed supply store. I dont want them hitchhiking on me and investing the entire house. I have tried all kinds of stuff. 3. Thanks for your articles, I read almost all of them on several bugs, different treatments, products, traps and etc. I have also brought them to my car and business office from clothing containing them. Hi Rachael, if you dont want to use DE, give my DIY flea trap a try, you can make them from home . Hey Rachel! I have asthma, and it has never bothered me. If I take food grade DE internally, will it deter fleas from biting me??? I was able to get 4 rooms done in half an hour and the carpet in the first room was dry before I was even finished with the 3rd room. I also use just the DE food grade alone on carpets, floors and bedding. I am very glad that my blog has been useful to you, really makes writing these guides worthwhile when I hear that people are appreciating them If you need any further help, let me know and I will make some time for you. So far, after finding fleas on our indoor only cats and throughout our house I instantly bought and used Capstar (which is an amazing pill that instantly kills adult fleas on pets), Frontline, Borax which I used to dust the entire house, some spray to use in harder to reach places, washed all laundry, blankets, bed sheets and anything washable that has touched the floor. It does not say food grade on the package, but is listed as organic. Thanks for all your help already. Hope that helps! Sounds like you are making good progress and I am glad you are trying the natural route, I also prefer them over chemicals where possible. for about 12 hours before vacuuming it up. Use a spot on treatment like Frontline on your pets and let me know how the DE application goes. They will get Bravecta this week, I also used, Siphotroll Plus 2 a spray from the vet for my furniture (and carpets) You can also get the Siphotroll Plus 2 from Kmart for 10.99 for a 3 pack (online only) as a bomb and it is the same strength as the vet. Yes, it takes a while for the flea dirts to go. Hi Connie! Wow that sounds legit. Yes it is safe, just make sure you get the food grade and maybe ask your hubby to apply it as it is rather dusty hehe. My pups (7 & 4 lbs) run around through the DE snow. So if you could help me with this I would so appreciate it. wherever she lays. Have you actually physically seen the fleas, not just felt them? Pests do not need to eat it in order for it to work. Just want to ensure the safety of my stray cat Boos Health!! Had her drink one teaspoon mixed with chocolate milk (yes chocolate is bad but it was the only thing we could get her to drink) and when we woke up in the morning (within 8 hours of treatment) she was finally up and about again. We went away for a week and came back, no more fleas. I had bought food grade diatomaceous earth before and sprinkled it around for fleas, but no one ever said to vacuum it up after 12 hours, and I never knew anything about the pureness factor in the concentration of the product. The only rug in my apt. Also i used the flea traps u suggested as my cat had a bunch of fleas on him and didnt catch anything in any of them. As an fleas-infested person, do I need to use special shampoo/conditioner, soap on myself? Im excited!!!!! Hi Linda! My girlfriend is allergic to seafood and shellfish. You can use it outside but it looses effectiveness if it gets wet so yeah. Typically not harmful to people or pets, unless a large amount is ingested. Should i dust and/or launder them too? If they sell them in slightly larger quantities, get the bigger one as its always a useful product to have around the house. I hate seeing them miserable. You might try that if you have one. is almost required in addition to using DE. Because it is slow-acting, the affected insect will usually be able to make it back to their nest before dying. You applied DE incorrectly. So far I am very impressed. Hi Claudia! If the infestation is bad, it is safe to use the Cheristin and have the collar one. My sister offered her husbands Shop-Vac for me to use which I thought might be a good idea. Hi Andrea! Thanks for helping Hope, much appreciated! Just tried this tonight. At first I wasnt sure what it was, but after the normal reaction of hitting it with my hand and it leaping to another part of my arm, I knew that it was a flea! I had a professional steam my carpets and then he used boric acid powder but I would like to add DE if I could learn how it is used. If it says food grade then yes, it is safe. Quick, easy, inexpensive and non-toxic. Yes, it can be used on couches but it creates quite a bit of a dust cloud so take it easy hehe. (My house will be empty, no pets.). I left my door open whilst I was away and he slept on my bed. As we have both pets and kids in the house, we were looking for something safe but effective, and came across DE in our research. I have a very hard time of finding food grade Diatomaceous Earth in a certain part of Canada. To apply I have used an old fashioned flour sifter! Sounds like you are making process, well done! I only recommend using DE that specifically mentions food grade. You can also spray it on furniture or bedding. Under her belly especially and under the arms. Its safe to do so but it can dry your pets skin, thats why I dont recommend it. This morning no signs of flea dirt, so maybe we are winning the war. Sounds like you need a pro to come take a look, sorry Let me know if you want a few free quotes! and for my pets, I either use a natural treatment (check out my articles on specifically killing fleas on either dogs or cats) or a spot on treatment like Front Line. I got my DE at the health food store. They had smaller bags of it but I will be puting it in the dogs beds, where the lay in the yard, etc. is the DE going to do this also? Should every square inch of the floor be covered lightly? I am actually rubbing DE into all of my clothing which works for about half a day, then I can feel them crawling in my clothes. I just want to get that out the way first. I work 10am to 7pm and so I cant vacuum very often? Is there anything else we can do? What is the best way to go about treating an outside infestation? Diatomaceous earth and boric acid are both effective solutions for a pest problem. I have a great article on the best flea treatment for dogs, check it out for more details. Got the food grade DE after trying foggers, traps, etc. Now that is summertime, it seems they have come back, I just applied frontline again on all my dogs and treated the house with DE, unfortunately two of my dogs, the ones who had the worst results last year as to the skin problems, where the first to show signs of allergy again, hopefully it is controlled soon. How could this be? Are they going to be ok? Hi Lisa! Close-up of a female gardener preparing to place new plants in her garden, National Pesticide Information Center: Diatomaceous Earth General Fact Sheet, Arizona Cooperative Extension: Diatomaceous Earth, Washington State University Spokane County Extension: Pesticidal Dusts, National Pesticide Information Center: Boric Acid Technical Fact Sheet, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Cockroach Elimination. I also have 2 house cats who live with me. Goodness, that is way too expensive, definitely shop around a bit. Diatomaceous earth is easy to apply. I was planning on dusting the rug, carpet and concrete then vacuuming up after 24 hours. I have no carpets. So is that safe enough to use for fleas in the carpet? Hi Renee! We have no inside dogs. It cannot be used as a preventative measure unfortunately. There is a lot of brush and natural ferns that outline the perimeter of our yard and also on outside of our fence. It never seems to get better. The diatoms were single-celled organisms with shells made of silica, and they now make up the Diatomaceous Earth. As mentioned above, I vacuumed and put out the DE and has been sitting for nearly 24 hours now, have not vacuumed up yet. Thank you for the advice! That I can spread evenly and not get too much. I use Theraneem soap on the dogs and found a product called flea flicker /tick kicker spray. I am not even sure of our vacuum will pick up the DE. He used to spend most of his time in the kitchen or family room. Hey Crystal! the majority of those do not have a filter -so they will not get clogged. How can I use this product on concrete or laminate? I only use food grade but I am sure that she knows what she is talking about. Hi. We just moved into a new home, the previous owner had four cats, and also apparently a huge flea problem which I didnt know about until we brought our kitty here! All three of our guys are scratching and licking constantly. Thanks for all your support! I pray this stuff works I came across this article doing research to see if it actually works and let me tell you Im feeling a little relieved at all the positive feedback! or is it an indication the treatment didnt work? Let me know how it goes! Natasha, We have tried sprays, foggers, DE, traps, boric acid, homemade lemon spray & essential oil spray for the furniture(along with all the others listed), others I didnt even mention for months now & use a monthly rated #1 pet medication for our INDOOR cat & yet everyday fleas are in traps& back on our animal At our wits end . Over the past 2 weeks I have seen 4 fleas in my new apartment. Three days should be sufficient to kill those fleas so you dont need to reapply. I want to leave the DE out as long as possible but have no where to put the kitty really, we have an open flow house. And, the dog had been on the foot of my bed.) So we put mum into a big, lighted and carpeted walk-in closet. You could but I suggest rather using a spot on, it will be much more effective. Im moving out soon so Im just making sure that the cat is flea free for our new house! Hey Stacy! I usually use DE in the home (carpets, etc. Wow thanks for helping my readers, I really appreciate your time! Im going to try the food grade DE option now after reading your article, but was wonderingonce I sprinkle it on the carpets and furniture, can I still walk around on the carpets and use the furniture like normal? Hi Katie! Sounds like you have a couple good flea fighting tools at your disposal (in the next couple days). Also, do you know if salt works to kill fleas? If you find that fleas keep popping up randomly, I recommend doing it each week or two as a bit of a proactive measure. Hope that helps, please share my blog on FB if you appreciated my time . Hi Yera, not really, will be writing some articles on ticks soon, stay tuned. I wear contacts and after applying the DE dust my eyes got irritated. Its a work in progress on the flea situation since my cats are carrying them around. I plan to leave the dust for at least a month till i dont get bit anymore, heard the eggs take weeks to hatch unless they sense carbon dioxide. I dont know how they got in here again, Unless through open windows (with screens.) We have hardwood floors and have used it along all floors and keep a dusting in the gaps in the floors. My cat had been suffering from fleas for the majority of the summer and every flea spray I purchased failed miserably. Does DE dry out eggs and larve too or t least eggs? If you cannot find any in your area, consider using borax instead. Provided you dont have a flea infestation in the home or garden already, your pets should be safe forever . We definitely dont want to stop taking him there since he loves it and it is now part of his routine. Hey Natasha, We have had a really bad flea infestation! Its not dangerous but it might make her a bit wheezy so rather keep her away from it until its cleaned up. Hi Natasha, I have an update and a few questions. However, since it can dehydrate the skin, I highly recommend vacuuming it up after a couple hours and that you keep your infant off the floor during this time. He (the stray cat Boo) weighs 9 lbs. is also killed by it, I suggest you give that a try. Hello! Hi Kathy, glad you have had success with it. Hi Carol, do you have pets? I am open to try DE but just am scared for my sons safety. Hi Valerie! Just mix some water and dish soap, and try give your cat a bath, kills fleas instantly. Hi Shari! The dogs do not go outside but somehow we got fleas last month and Ive been trying to fight them with natural products but its a battle. Where would I put the food grade D earth? Could I put some DE in bag with bedspread, shake it around, let it set for day or two, then wash in warm water and warm dryer. It does say Ant & Crawling Insect Killer, but it is only 77% DE with other ingredients added, so I dont think this would be the right brand of DE to buy. Use to use garlic but it seems to upset tummys. It is a pleasure, thanks for your kind words. I am glad that I could be of assistance and hope to see you back soon. ? I ordered 10 LBS and need to do 4 rooms and a hallway, do you think that is a good amount? Hi Derek! Thanks for all your suggestions, I feel relieved. Ive used vinegar on our hair during shampoos. I cant use the spot treatment for fleas so natural repellents are our only options. I have a 9 month old daughter and I saw one on her neck! I dont have any pets, but I do have 2 other children in addition to the baby. Hi Teresa! I had to share that it works so well since it was a really horrible year for the mites and our neighborhood is dense with old oak trees. This is addressed to anyone at all that would be able to help me. We heard about DE yesterday while at a drs appt for my daughter. I put this on her and all in the yard and in the shop yesterday and the fleas are still all over the dog. We came back from a 5 day trip in july and i could see them crawling on my cats faces from 2 rooms away there had to be hundreds on each of them. In fact, leaving it down (provided it doesnt get wet) will actually improve the results.