Fleas can be a major pain point for any homeowner, especially if you have pets. But what can you do to get rid of these pests without sacrificing your health?
Luckily you can use your essential oils for fleas too!
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Essential oils can be used safely in your home, around your family, and on your pets.
Benefits of Using Essential Oils That Repel Fleas in Your Home
What are the benefits of using essential oils to help you get fleas under control in your home?
Well, first, they are so much healthier for everyone. Toxic chemicals in your flea drops and bombs, can affect your health and the health of your family and pets. You don’t want those chemicals on your skin or in your lungs!
Natural treatments such as essentials oils, can be more affordable in many cases, especially since the fleas aren’t building up an immunity to it like they can the poisons.
Essential oils also have so many other benefits and you get them all! While using essential oils for fleas in your home you also get the relaxing, stress relieving, or cleansing benefits from the aromatherapy.
I always turn to natural options before turning to toxic options, and fleas are no different. So let’s look at 6 different essential oils you can use in your home or on your pets to help repel or kill fleas. I’ll talk more about this in a minute, but remember that most, if not all, essential oils should not be used directly on cats.
6 Essential Oils to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally
Cedarwood Essential Oil
Cedar is my very favorite essential oil for fleas. Because it works!
Cedarwood oil not only repels but also kills fleas making it great for use on pets and around the home.
Cedar should be diluted before placing it on a dogs skin.
Lemongrass Essential Oil
Lemongrass oil is a great repelling oil for fleas. The scent is very unpleasant for fleas- but for us it smells great!
Mix into a spray with water to spray on your pet’s bedding to keep fleas away.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint oil is another great smelling essential oil to use around the home for repelling fleas.
It’s great mixed up into a spray, or very diluted and applied to your pet. Only use on large breed dogs only for topical use and use caution.
Related Reading: How to Get a Mosquito Free Yard- Naturally!
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Fleas hate the smell of eucalyptus so it is a great option to use around the home.
Eucalyptus can be added to water in a fine mist spray bottle to spray over bedding, floors, or couches to keep fleas away.
A small amount, diluted with water can be misted on your dogs, but use caution.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender is one of my favorite essential oils for so many uses, and it helps for repelling fleas as well!
Lavender is very gentle, so it can be diluted and rubbed directly on to your dog. This will also help to soothe itchy, flea bites too.
You can also try planting lavender around the outside of your home to help keep fleas out of your yard.
Rosemary Essential Oil
Another great essential oil that repels fleas is rosemary. It can be a great addition to your essential oil arsenal.
Rosemary is also soothing and is great diluted with water and used as a final rinse after giving your dog a bath!
Related Reading: 11 Essential Oils That Repel Insects, Bugs, and Pests Naturally
How to Use Essential Oils for Flea Removal and Repellent
- Oils that are safe for topical use should be diluted with a carrier oil such as coconut or grapeseed oil before application. Do not put undiluted essential oils on your dogs. Do not put any oils topically on cats.
- Mix oils with water and/or Apple Cider Vinegar (just a few drops per 8 oz) and shake well. Use this mix to spray household surfaces and pet bedding.
- Dip your dog’s brush into a water with a few drops of oils added
- Add a couple drops to the final rinse when washing your pet’s bedding
- Add a few drops of oils like lavender and cedar to your dogs collar
- Dilute topically safe oils in ACV and use as a final rinse after bathing (just 1-2 drops)
Dangers of Essential Oils Around Pets
It’s important to remember that while essential oils are completely natural that doesn’t make them safe under all circumstances. You need to do research and also know your own family and pet’s sensitivities.
Remember to use extreme caution with essential oils around cats. Cats can be sensitive to oils in their environment too- so be careful what you spray on their bedding and sleeping areas.
Allow your dogs to smell the oil before using. If you notice any adverse reaction, maybe try another option.
Start small- with just a drop and only place in a small area. This means only place a small amount topically or only spray one common area in your home to check for any reactions before spraying the whole home or rinsing your entire dog.
If you notice any reaction discontinue use immediately.
And don’t forget, essential oils are only a small part in repelling fleas. You also need to be sure to vacuum often, wash bedding, and use other natural options to reduce the fleas in your home. Check out my article on ways to Get Rid of Fleas Naturally for other ways to help a fleas infestation.
This article is for informational purposes only and is based on my own research.
Help needed..We have a small pig stye with two pigs and millions of flea’s..free range in their own paddock.Have so far used these products..cleaned with Smite..200mls Bug Off mixed with 100mls Eucalyptus oil..200mls Ripcord with 100mls Eucalyptus…2 pkts Vet-Max powder…Talked to the vet(they didn’t think pigs had flea’s,have sent a sample into them )..have administered per vet Dectomax 1% injection for mite and flea’s..we are bitten alive,brush all flea’s off legs before leaving the area and then spray with Eucalyptus.
Try Food Grade D Earth
Yes! Sprinkle a lot of diatomaceous earth all over. Use liberally. Food Grade can go directly on you pets and can also be used over food as a dewormer.
Have you tried Dawn dish liquid? Soapy sponge bath may help.
Hi Sarah, thank you for your amazing article! It was so helpful and clear, what a gift! I truly appreciate the information you shared. I will be coming back to your site to make my purchases. Thank you !
What do i use to treat my inside cat for fleas
We diffuse essential oils of lavender and peppermint in our oil diffuser all day every day and we have three cats. I put 15 drops of peppermint and 15 drops of lavender in our diffuser in our main living room and the cats like it. It helps to repel ants and spiders as well as fleas! Smells amazing and freshens up the room.
Essential oils, particularly peppermint can be fatal for cats. especially used in a duffuser with water. Please look up some articles posted on the net.
What can I do for my inside cat I can’t even go outside without having hitchhikers coming back in with me because of all dogs around here and they won’t treat the grounds .
Peppermint oil is toxic for cats ,don’t use it
Hi, I think you’re tips are great but is there any essential oils that can be used for cat fleas?
I mix 10 drops of lemongrass and 10 drops of lavender with 2 tablespoons of fractionated coconut oil and 6 oz water and spray my linens, my closets, and even my wood floors. Use quality essential oils. Not the fake ones we see in big chain stores.
I ordered the cedar wood for fleas what is the ratio to dilute it?
1.3 percent oil to 98.7 percent water. If using ounces, .13 oz to 9.87 oz water. That is for fleas. The cedar oil increases with larger pest. If you spray to much things will get oily. Lemon grass works great too and same dilution
Can you advise on the cedar wood dilution for spraying around a bed etc. Would 6 drops per 10ml be ok?
Thanks
I can’t answer to the essential oil part of your question, but everywhere I’ve lived I’ve done this to keep fleas put of the house: Purchase a pack/bag of cedar hamster bedding. The packs are huge. With old socks or old pantyhose, fill with the cedar, whipstich it closed, and toss under and behind furniture where the “flea bombs” won’t be seen. I change them maybe twice a year. We have had both cats and dogs in and out of the house, and in tandem with their flea treatment these bombs have kept fleas out of the house! Good luck!
Cedar Essential Oil is wonderful stuff.
My Shi Tzu wanders under the plants more than his German Shepherd sisters do, and his little tummy is where the ticks go. However, recently I became busy and forgot to spray the dogs,and I found a live tick on my Shi Tzu. I pulled it off, and sprayed the diluted cedar oil on the tick – and he immediately died.
What is the best essential oils to get rid of fleas in the house? And how would u do it?
I need help to get fleas out of my house and off my dogs. There are cats that run freely in our yards and I think they are contributing to our flea problems as well. I have one Pom that has allergies and dermatitis plus fleas and they are eating him alive . I am at my wits end and don’t know what else to do for my dogs. I need the fleas killed and repelled. Please help me. Thank you
I have had two kittens which are now a year old and they have always had fleas I have bought the expensive flea killers bombed my house 3 times and they still have fleas I really can’t cope anymore if you could help I would be grateful
How often can you use essential oils on your cats for fleas? Once a month?