Vinegar Kills Fleas

" The idea that Vinegar kills fleas is not a myth. It can be an effective way to remove fleas from your dog and your home. "


One natural home remedy to kill fleas on your dog is vinegar. Vinegar kills fleas both on your pet and in the environment. It’s affordable and also very effective. Note, the vinegar may cause your dog some pain if she has any open sores caused by a bad reaction to the flea bites. If this is the case, do not use vinegar and consult with a veterinarian.

Fleas are difficult to remove from the home. In most cases you should supplement the use of vinegar with conventional approaches such as a monthly does of Program for dogs. Be sure to thoroughly vacuuming and washing everything in your dog's environment once the fleas are removed from your dog. Immediately remove the vacuum bag, seal in plastic and let it sit in the hot sun to kill the fleas. You can also freeze the vacuum bag for several hours to kill the fleas.

Bathing Your Dog in Vinegar

You can kill fleas by giving your dog a bath in a mixture of vinegar and water. The vinegar smell should go away shortly, but if you like you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar such as Rosemary Oil (helps with hair growth), Tea Tree Oil (supports healing), Niaoli oil (nice scent) and Citronella oil (also has a very nice scent).

One shortcut is to use a shampoo designed to kill fleas such as Isle of Dogs Flea and Tick Shampoo. As an alternative you can add some additional cleaning power by mixing in some Dawn dishwashing liquid or . The vinegar should also add a nice shine to your dog's coat.

Wiping Your Dog with Vinegar

Vinegar kills fleas when you Use ¼ gallon of vinegar to ¾ gallon of water. Wet a cloth in the water and wipe down your dog. Make sure you don’t get any in his eye, as it can irritate the eyes. Don’t rinse the vinegar off. Repeat every two or three days until fleas are gone.

You can also mix vinegar with water in a spray bottle and use that to wet your pet down. Use one 1 part (1/4th) vinegar and 3 parts (3/4th) water. Again, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential for a good smell.

Vinegar in Drinking Water

Add some apple cider vinegar as you can to your pet’s drinking water. If you add too much, they will taste it and won’t like it. The vinegar makes the skin too acidic for the fleas to live and feed on. This remedy will also repel ticks.

For most of these remedies, you can use any type of vinegar. For this one, though, you need apple cider vinegar. You should be able to find that at any grocery store.

Use a A Bowl of Vinegar to Attract Fleas

Fill a shallow bowl with vinegar and place it on the floor. Light a candle and place it in the center of the bowl. It will attract fleas. They will jump into the bowl and the vinegar will kill the fleas. You’ll be surprised at home many dead fleas you’ll see in the water.

Vinegar Spray to Kill Fleas on Carpet and Furniture

Create a mixture with half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle. Use the mixture to spray carpet and furniture that may be infested with fleas. The vinegar smell will fade quickly, but this is another time you can add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant smell.  Be sure to test in an out of the way location to make sure that the mixture will not stain.

Have a Dog Flea Related Question or Helpful Story?

Have a Question, Request or Want to Share a Story that could help others? Our editors and pet health professionals will answer 1 question per week for free!

We will do our best to get back to you quickly (it depends on how many questions we receive each day). If you do require an immediate response we suggest using this online dog veterinary service that is available now.

[ ? ]

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional)[ ? ]

 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

(first or full name)

(e.g., City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

  •  submission guidelines.


(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said about Canine Fleas

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Treating Dog Fleas Not rated yet
OK, so the only way for my dog to sleep in my house and sleep on my bed is if she has no fleas. Well one day I gave her a bath out side on my back porch …

Click here to write your own.




References for Vinegar Kills Fleas:

ThriftyFun

Vinegar book






Dog Health Search


[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
follow us in feedly
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines