If you have a pet dog or cat at home, then you must already be using commercially available tick collars, anti-flea shampoos, oral pills, or chewable tablets that prevent fleas and ticks on your furry friends. That is admirable, no doubt, to keep the vermin away and protect your dog or cat from fleas and ticks that cause diseases and infections in them. But what measures are you taking to protect your house and your family members from allergies and diseases? Here are a few tips on how you can use some natural remedies for fleas and ticks around your house to keep not just the four-legged members but also the two-legged ones healthy.

1. Regular cleaning
Clean your house thoroughly every day, and if that is not possible, then certainly once a week. You need to dust all curtains, cushion covers, bedsheets, and other removable furnishings as well as vacuum all spaces, not overlooking the nooks and crannies in all the rooms. This includes under the carpets, rugs, and doormats, in-between sofa or couch cushions, and under all the furniture are important areas. Immediately after this is done, you must empty the vacuum bags into the dustbins outside your house and empty those bins too promptly every week to prevent the bugs from crawling back into your garden and house. Then wipe down or mop all flat surfaces, floors, balconies, patios, and decks with a solution made of one part diluted white distilled vinegar or apple cider vinegar and one part water. Next, gather all washable pieces of clothing, bedding, cushion covers, and toys and sort and wash them in hot water. When that is completed, transfer them to a hot dryer setting and dry them all up. The hot water and steam settings help kill dust mites and fleas that stick to these materials. Prevention of fleas and ticks also serves as one of the best natural remedies.

2. Lawn maintenance
It’s important to keep your lawn grass and all the shrubs and trees in your house neatly pruned. This could restrain fleas and tick carrying wild cats and dogs, and animals like raccoons and deer from sauntering into your space and taking refuge there. In the front and back yard of your house, you can grow aromatic plants like mint, lavender, rosemary, geranium, cedar, clove, and lemongrass. Apart from being fragrant, these are practical insect-repelling plants that fleas and ticks detest. Such plants can set a natural boundary around your house and halt the entry of bugs into your house. Allow as much natural light into your yard and house as possible as it is one of the best remedies against fleas and ticks as they like cold, dark, and damp spaces.

3. Diatomaceous earth
Using safe and non-toxic food-grade diatomaceous earth liberally around your house is one of the best remedies for fleas and ticks. This causes severe dehydration in fleas and ticks and kills them. So, if there are any fleas and ticks hiding in your garden, this fossilized algae powder will take care of them.

These natural remedies for fleas and ticks must be implemented continuously all year round. Although it is certainly a time-consuming affair, the effort you put in is worth it for keeping your pets and your family healthy, active, and free from infestations.