green is universal

Fleeing from Fleas

Dear Mr. Green,

I am familiar with using diatomaceous earth for ridding your home of fleas and have even used it before with great success. Now I have a toddler crawling all over my carpets (and petting my dog!) and am concerned with her breathing in the dust. Is there a better alternative that is non-toxic to little ones?

Thanks!
Jennifer Sauer

Dear Free from the Creepy-Crawlys,

Kudos to you for thinking about the safety of your toddler in the midst of a hellish infestation--your baby will not only breathe in the fine diatomaceous earth, but will probably stick its hands in its mouth, up its nose, etc., like all toddlers are wont to do (so think about your toddler and pets regarding any chemicals you use around your house, like cleaning products, aerosol and plug in air fresheners, etc.)

Let me begin by saying that it is easier to prevent a flea problem than it is to cure one. As anyone who lives with four legged pets knows - fleas can be a serious predicament. Filled with the fear that the chemicals most frequently used to exterminate the little buggers will alter the health of your baby, yourself and just about anything that lives, crawls or simply breathes under your shared roof, many search for the time honored "cheaper-than-cheap" eco-friendly but still super effective remedies that our grandmothers and mothers once used. As anyone who's had these unwelcome visitors in their home knows, the name of the game here is prevention.

However, once a household infestation occurs, fleas spend the largest part of their existence lolly gagging in the cozy nooks and crannies of household furniture and carpeting. Consider washing everything that's launder-able - throw rugs, the dog's bed, the kitty's cushion, the baby's bunting and even your own bedding - in a hot wash cycle with Borax and a dribble of eucalyptus essential oil added to the final rinse to destroy them.

Although many feel that diatomaceous earth is a perfectly fine and natural way to eradicate fleas, it unfortunately can cause minor and temporary respiratory conditions for adults and children exposed to its powdery fine-ness.

Instead, sprinkle a heavy layer of ordinary table salt over your upholstery, rugs and carpeting and just leave it there to loiter for about a week. Then vacuum your humble abode like some hormone-infused caffeinated preteen...be obsessive and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Afterwards, remove the vacuumed-up, unwelcome, dearly-departeds' micro-carcasses by replacing the vacuum bag with a fresh one - and if you have a bag-less unit, go outside and dump the debris onto old newspapers, wrap the paper tightly and put in the garbage can, and be sure to rinse the bag-less collector and filter in hot water and some eucalyptus essential oil, too. But here's the kicker - don't get too cozy - you'll need to do this process again and again and again until they're all gone.

Since fleas are equally comfortable in the great outdoors and then spread to household interiors via our pets and - yes - even us (ick!), the best and environmentally safest way to eliminate them in and around our flowerbeds and landscaping is to spread Nematodes - a natural flea treatment, available at lawn and garden centers. They cannot be used on the inside of your home, however.

Once your domicile is flea-free - inside and out - consider using eucalyptus oil on the interior of your pooch's collar as a natural flea repellent and comb him or her religiously with a flea comb checking for nits. Also consider displaying a live specimen or cut arrangements of eucalyptus as an additional one-two punch. (It supposedly works preventatively and it smells kinda' swell as well!)

Again, it's more work to get rid of fleas than it is to prevent them. (Man-o-man...I've been there!) So patiently apply these and other treatments until you've eradicated them so that baby, mommy and Fido can be happy, itch-free and creepy-crawly liberated once again.

about mr. green

From re-gifting, re-cycling, to natural cleaning products for your home, Mr. Green has all of your ecotiquette answers. Our Mr. Green (aka. Michael De Jong), is the author of "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing." He lives in Jersey City with his partner (Richard,) dog (Jack,) and three goldfish (Phil, Jill and Gill) all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in "CLEAN" and is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by an immigrant family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of "CLEAN" books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. "CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing" can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com.

Click here to send him a question and he'll put in the elbow grease to scrub out the answers!