The very first dog I ever had was a Shih Tzu named Suzy. We adopted her when she was two years old from the pound where she was saved from harsh living conditions. Her previous owners kept her in a cage outside and regularly fed her beer, hotdogs and popcorn instead of dog food and water. Suzy lived until she was 17 years old, when she had a stroke and we knew it was time to say goodbye.
When Suzy first came home with us, she had fleas and we didn’t know it. If you’ve ever had a flea infestation, you know just how fast it spreads. Those little jumpy blood suckers are disgusting and it makes my skin crawl thinking about even now 20+ years later! It took a long time for my mom to get the house flea free. She tried everything on the market until a dog groomer told her what they do. For some reason that information stuck with me…Maybe it was because I was traumatized in some way from having our house torn apart, or maybe it’s because I knew psychically I’d be sitting here sharing this information someday…. 😉
Regardless of why I remember, I’ve been using this homemade concoction for years on anything and EVERYTHING upholstery about once 3-4 months! {Knock on wood} I haven’t had to worry about fleas since that day, but this stuff kills dust mites as well, so it’s great to keep it handy in your arsenal of cleaning supplies! Here’s how to make it…
- mixing bowl
- 1 cup Borax
- 1 cup baking soda
- a few drops of Lavenderand Thyme Essential Oil(this is optional)
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In a mixing bowl add all of your ingredients and whisk together until well blended. I like to store mine in a mason jar overnight before using it since I add the essential oils to make everything smell nice. You don’t have to add any fragrance, I just figure if I’m cleaning I might as well give everything a nice smell as well 🙂
For a cleaning I just sprinkle a bit of this on all of our mattresses, dog beds, sofa, chairs and throw rugs. Leave it on for about an hour and then thoroughly vacuum it up. Not only does it freshen everything but it kills the dust mites which is awesome!
Now if you’re reading this have a full blown FLEA infestation right now…
I’m not talking about you Bentley…
The best thing to do is buy a few boxes of straight up Borax and sprinkle it EVERYWHERE. Rugs, beds, sofas, curtains, dog beds and cages, anywhere and everywhere those little buggers could be hiding…
Borax is commonly known and used as a laundry booster. It kills fleas by extremely dehydrating them and making tiny cuts in their exoskeleton which results in their death. It can even be used to prevent small larvae that hatch but it won’t kill the eggs, so you may need to do this a few times to kill them all in their cycle.
After letting the Borax sit on your upholstered furniture and rugs for 12 hours, thoroughly vacuum it up, and repeat if necessary until you see no further signs of fleas in your house.
Q: Are there any warnings I should know about beforehand?
Yes, just like anything there could be risks, but the good news is that using Borax is way safer and less toxic than most flea products. Here’s a few warnings though…
- It’s not smart to use if you are pregnant. Better to be safe than sorry, ya know?
- Keep your kitties locked away from the borax powder-it can cause breathing problems and potential fatalities.
- Don’t use Borax if you have small children or young pets at home as it can cause health problems. You might want to send them overnight to the grandparents while you take care of the infestation.
- Keep Borax away from food (kind of a no brainer here)
- Borax can damage houseplants so don’t sprinkle it near them.
- Make sure all upholstery and rugs are dry. Any dampness can cause discoloration or ruin the fibers in the material.
- DO NOT PUT IT DIRECTLY ON YOUR PETS THAT HAVE FLEAS!- It’s not meant for that!
Borax can also be used to kill other household pests and bugs like ants, roaches, and even bed bugs (ick.) It will act the same way and cut and dehydrate them until they’re dead.
GROSS…
I’m not sure how this post got all buggy, but hopefully this has helped you in someway or another! Let’s change the subject…
When’s the last time you freshened up your upholstery? Do you clean it once a month, once a year, or once in a blue moon? I love using this homemade upholstery cleaner in my home and hope you do too!
Talk to you soon friends, take care!
XO
I can tell y’all are as much an animal lover as we are. The more natural non-toxic cleaning I can do for all of us (human & furbabies) the happier I am. I did not know about this and thank you so much for sharing. You have given some great green cleaning hints recently and I love them all. Thanks again for sharing all your fantastic info.
Take care – Bentley is adorable !!! Is the bell at the door still working for him when he needs to go potty?
We sure are animal lovers! Some might even say a little obsessed 😉 Porshia (the puppy) is the one who is being bell trained, for the most part she is doing great! She taps the bell when she needs to go, but usually I beat her to it because I don’t want her to have any accidents 🙂 I’m so glad you’re finding the cleaning tips helpful Debbie! Thank you for reading! XO
Try diatomaceous earth instead of borax. Much safer for your pets AND you can apply it directly to them. You can get food grade from the Fed store, do not get the stuff used in pools.
You do not need to use borax, just baking soda and some eucalyptus essential oil. Eucalyptus kills dust mites. And it smells so fresh!
Do you ever spray matresses? I vacuum them, because I have a dog-who knows what he’s carrying- and 2 kids with allergies, butI’ve never sprayed them with anything, except during a head lice outbreak in preschool(I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy!
Excited to make this one! I just reupholstered our sofa and it’s going to receive some serious love!
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What about leather furniture. YIKES! Not sure what I can spray or put on it. Thanks
A homemade recipe that takes care of fleas and dust mites is a nice one. Maybe, the significance of that fact has something to do with why you remembered it after all these years.
Thanks Chriss for your valuable suggestion. I will keep visit your website.