We definitely dont want to stop taking him there since he loves it and it is now part of his routine. I have been battling fleas for the last 2 weeks. Hi Susan, I have never tried to use both at once because to be quite frank, it is not necessary. Thanks again for your kind words, please share the blog with your friends on social media, it will really help me . A week and a half ago, we noticed fleas all over our feet and legs. Hi R Trail! I am not saying that you wont be bitten from time to time (check out my article on flea bites) but they wont take up permanent residence in your hair for example. I am lucky to find your so helpful information! I cant shut off my stove oven (living in an apartment I have no access to the valve under the crawl space) my apartment looks like a scene from Scarface! I too have 2 dogs, with fleas Just started using D.E. I suggest that you just keep up a monthly spot on treatment for them and they should be fine , do I need to add anything to this like it says to do with the borax were talking about adding salt and all that other stuff. As I had mentioned this was about 2 months ago. To be extra cautious, just take your cats out the room while you are applying the DE to the carpets, etc. But now Im worried I may have harmed all my babies . We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. It sounds like you have taken the necessary steps to put a dent in their population, and it doesnt sound like you have a big infestation. How long does it take for diatomaceous earth to kill fleas? Also when using on animals be careful not to get it into their eyes or breathing parts. Attracts and Kills - Made from diatomaceous earth and selected baits, this powder causes insects to dehydrate and die within 48 hours after contact. The idea is to provide a tempting treat for the insects so they will focus on the trap crop instead of the main crop. I stood Luck. How many times should we repeat? I will be back here in a month to let you know how this war turns out. We cover some of the more common beneficialones here. After sweeping it up, I am still going to have a powder residue. I recommend giving him a wash in dawn soap and warm water, brushing him real good and then applying a spot on treatment. You are an angel. It has a clay in it that acts as a desiccant. You can use it for inside the house (carpets, etc.). Its been awhile (sorry for the late response), did that work out for you? I seem to have an infestation there that is proving hard to eliminate, previously I had treated only the carpeted areas but i find that the concrete areas seem to be part of the problem as well. I am wondering how often I can get away with dusting her. To apply I have used an old fashioned flour sifter! Have you ever heard of people doing that? so hope its good to hear i wasnt the only one that had trubles finding this product to. 02/25/2010 Will this work if I put it on and then vacuum later? Hi Natasha Im going to get some DE tomorrow and vet recommended treatment for my cats. Hi Claudia! Does anyone know if salt and baking soda work as well as using DE when combating fleas in the carpet? Hi Judy, yes you can but it only really works when it is dry (so no humidity or rainy weather), so I recommend you give beneficial nematodes a try. Hi Mary! Hi Krista! Hi Natalie, yes DE will work nicely in your case and you can use it like that on your bed/rugs. Thank you for this great article and all the comments people are posting. She sleeps on a pair of shorts of mine on the dresser, they were covered with this small gravel like dots. Hi Vickie! This is often referred to as pool grade diatomaceous earth and its important that you dont use this! Now for my question (or concern): I didnt quite know exactly how to apply n spread this into my carpets (my entire house is carpeted) so i used a parmesan cheese container to sprinkle it and yes a broom to make sure it got into all the areas nice n deep, however as i read your article here , the broom is exactly what you suggested, but this was indeed a nightmare to clean (as its a powderadd a swipe with a broom and you end up with dust on everything, and i do mean EVERYTHING. I really appreciate it!! Hope that helps! I live on a farm, so its ok that the music is blasting. Let me know how it goes! Hi Shelby! You should not dump this product all over your floors, that is not only ineffective but it is a dusty mess for months afterward and it is wasteful. in the floors as it can usually get in there and kill more then just fleas. And for more information about protecting your garden from insect pests, check out these guides next: Ask the Experts, LLC. You could but its better suited for killing fleas in carpets, etc. I recommend leaving it down for about 5-7 days, and if you want bonus points, take a broom and rub it around a bit to make sure that it reaches all living fleas. Also does painting hardwood floors trap the eggs? Hi Amy! Will definitely do as you suggest. Rub it or sprinkle it. I washed floors with apple cider vinegar deleted ,flea traps with dawn dish soap and water.vacumed floors ,even salt ,and borax, in areas where they hide.we have 3 cats.2 female 1 male .we keep 2 upstairs the male on main floor.we also have tried the boiled lemons.and put in spray bottle .so now I have just purchased a bag of diatomaceous earth food grade and going to try it soon ,by the way the best place to find it is a hydroponic store.the guy said to wear a mask when you use it .i will keep you updated on my results. I have three cats, one doesnt have fleas really but the other twoboy do they have fleas. Also, give Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract Formula 101 (for people) in the cats food. How long should this process take? Apparently it will pass through digestive system and can destroy parasites (like worms). Sprinkle it on your main crop and around the base of the plants. Have you any advice? Hi there, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it . I had used de last year for flea control and i will never use anything else since this worked wonders and did rid my flea infestation. I have read your comment and I feel that you are doing the right thing, you will get relief but I am sorry that it is causing so much distress. Do I have to order my FOOD GRADE DE from AMAZON or online? I read a lot online about mixing equal parts of salt of baking soda. Ive been sprinkling my cats and dog with it. I am really picky about stuff even DE being around. My bird thinks shes a dog and runs around the house on the floor with them and on the furniture. It works. It can have a drying effect. Its important to purchase the food-grade variety of diatomaceous earth if you plan to use it at home. Obviously you wouldnt want to breath that. overkill? Does this mean that I have to treat everywhere? Food grade diatomaceous earth may indeed kill fleas in certain instances, but its not the most effective or efficient method of control or prevention, experts say. Ive sent my husband to the local farm supply to by DE. I have now bought DE to spread around the house. Its particularly effective for allergy/asthma sufferers and is so simple its almost criminal. Author Posts Ive been told not to hoover for 3 weeks following the K-Othrine treatment and its been one week so far. You can also use it on your lawns. So, of course, now i have them all over the house as well! Is there a measurement that I should give to my dogs. Whats the difference? You can use this on plants and the ground and it is suggested that it be applied in the morning hours. Hope that helps! Hi Sheryl, it is not dangerous for them so you can give it a try. I found a 40 lb bag of DE food grade at the tractor supply store for under 30 dollars and will be trying it today. Again, thank you. I use Theraneem soap on the dogs and found a product called flea flicker /tick kicker spray. No it wont help the fleas on your pet, need to get a spot on or something like that. Some experts are adamant that only flea insecticides will work and ridicule those that think otherwise while others advocate a completely natural approach. Since I dont use that room can I just leave the DE there for the duration and vacuum later or does the DE lose its effectiveness after a while? I had some fleas jumping on me this morning in the kitchen while making my coffee, I plan on vacuuming when I get home this afternoon. Heres the thing Ive only found one flea on my little girl at a time, but nearly 10 fleas total in the last month! I have no carpets (only a few rugs here and there) should i still try this on my hardwood floor? Thanks. It is a pleasure! The dog is much more comfortable. My yard is too large to consider treating, so I want to treat my dog. Since diatomaceous earth is completely non-toxic, how on earth can it kill fleas? I purchased DE from a Home Depot in NJ and asked the sales person if it was food grade. Secondly, since its not carpets, just leave it down for the full three weeks. After one night, I can see the difference. Do exactly what you have planned except, dont go out and buy flea traps, just make them (info on this blog, check it out). He stated he was coming down with a little cold, so I said I cant imagine how you can catch cold when I use so much garlic cooking. I still keep the traps going even though I do not have anymore fleas in my home. And the NPIC warns, If an extremely large amount is inhaled, people may cough and have shortness of breath. Thank you!! Thorough vacuuming every three days (including all crevices) can really help control House Fleas, too. I also ordered: Applicator Bottle + Diatomaceous Earth with Calcium Bentonite. The next day, tiny fleas are biting the heck out of my feet/ankles. Will DE kill all stages of the flea life span? Hi Marty, diatomaceous earth will work for chiggers and a great defender is keeping grass mowed regularly. It has long been used in the control of fleas, bed bugs, ants, and other household pests. Hi Natasha! I used DE on them tonight only to read one of your points which was not to use them on kittens!! They are inside outside cats, so if I get ride of the fleas, do I still have to keep on applying it on a regular basis, even after they are gone, or can I stop using it when they are gone, and start up again if they come back? Cant figure where you would put this if I dont have carpeting. Sorry if youve already covered this, but does the DE have any effect on the flea eggs or larvae? I know it might be challenging but if you have to go the natural route, try washing your cat in warm water and dawn dish soap, kills fleas instantly. Keep up the good work! It will not be effective when wet, but when it dries out, it should have some efficacy.. We have no pets but everyone in the house is getting bit still. Would the DE get the fleas and larvae, and washing would rinse away eggs? I would start with just the floors honestly, the likely hood of fleas being in their toys, the bookshelves, etc. I just wanted to say I have a pretty big flea infestation and started using de and have had positive results and my cats havent been scratching as much.I have tried bombs,sprays and powder with no results,de will be used from here on out beginning flea season.I leave it on a few days and refresh de and will continue until completely gone. The DE can be (and should be) left down for a couple days. . Maybe looking for a second opinion on my case in particular. Thank you so much for the support, Sincerely, A Clean Freak. We purchased a shaker from the dollar store (like the ones used at a pizza place for pepper flakes) and used that to shake the DE onto the carpets. I was just about to use it on my carpets but wanted to check your site to see how it was applied. Thank You!! Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an excellent insect killer that is both nontoxic and long-lasting. Ive purchased food grade 100% DE online and it came with a brochure with basic DE info as well as Guidelines for Adding Food Grade DE to Animal Feed. If you do have fleas in your hair, a simple wash under hot water will kill all of them so you dont need to worry about that. Check the cords for eggs as well. or anywhere else, so questions are how bad is the infestation and what do I need to do to get rid of them for good? Thanks for the heads up, will definitely keep that in mind if anyone asks in the future. Hi Kim! As for smaller pets (like young kittens, puppies, rabbits, hamsters, etc. After using the DE I have found that it is effective from the first application. If people are unsure of this product, let me tell you it works. How do I know if its good grade if it doesnt say anything on the package? My daughter used de, a bit too heavy and vacuum doesnt work and wet rag does help. It doesnt say food grade and is for pests. If I take food grade DE internally, will it deter fleas from biting me??? Do you have a flea comb? DO NOT add oil if treating cats!