11 Home Remedies for Fleas and Ticks That Actually Don’t Work

Keeping bloodsuckers like fleas and ticks off your pet is a major responsibility for pet parents, as these parasites can carry diseases that can hinder your fur baby’s health. And while flea and tick medications are the most effective preventative strategies you can use, some pet parents are likely tempted to try home remedies and alternative methods for tick and flea removal.

The problem is these flea and tick preventative methods don't work. And on top of that, some can harm your pet or create other health issues.

Here are 11 common home remedies for fleas and ticks that are not only ineffective but detrimental to your pet’s health.

1. Dish Detergent

Many people want to bathe their pet as a home remedy for fleas. While a cat or dog flea shampoo may do the trick, using dish soap for flea treatment is not effective enough.

Dog and cat skin has a different pH level than human skin, "and using dishwater detergent can actually be dry and irritating to their skin," says Dr. Robert Lofton, DVM, assistant clinical professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University in Alabama. "And it's not going to control the fleas," he adds.

Even if the dish soap does help kill adult fleas, bathing your pet in dish detergent does nothing to address the eggs and larvae. Those left behind will grow, breed, and repopulate your pet—and your home.

"People forget that there are four life stages to a flea: the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. You need a medication that controls the entire life cycle,” says Dr. Lofton. “Even if what you use kills the adult fleas, that isn't control.”

For puppies and kittens that are too young for flea medication, dish soap is safe to use to kill adult fleas. But alternative methods need to be used to control the flea population in the environment, or else they will become infested again.

2. Baking Soda

Baking soda does not kill adult fleas and will do nothing to protect your pets.

It is excellent at absorbing smells and has been suggested by some online pet sites for use as a flea killer because it “may” dry out flea eggs and larvae. But there is no evidence that using baking soda to kill fleas is effective at all. There are better methods to try than baking soda for fleas.

3. Garlic

Some home remedies for fleas suggest that garlic, especially when mixed with brewer's yeast, will repel fleas. The theory is that when a dog eats this combination of garlic and brewer’s yeast and sweats, the garlic scent will emit from a dog’s body, making him an unappealing feast for fleas.

But veterinarians warn against this potentially toxic treatment method.

"Garlic is not an effective flea or tick repellent on dogs or cats, since they don't sweat like humans," says Dr. Mike Hutchinson, DVM, a veterinarian at Animal General of Cranberry Township in Pennsylvania.

In addition to not being an effective treatment method, garlic is toxic to cats and dogs if ingested. It’s best to keep garlic away from your pets.  

4. Apple Cider Vinegar

Just like with garlic, using apple cider vinegar to kill fleas is not recommended because it is unsafe and doesn’t work. Forcing your pet to drink vinegar will do nothing to keep away fleas and ticks, and apple cider vinegar is not safe for your pet to consume.

You also should not spray apple cider vinegar on your pet. Not only will this home remedy for fleas not work, but because your pets lick themselves, anything that you spray on them or on their bedding will eventually be ingested.

5. Alcohol

Does alcohol kill fleas? Only if they are swimming in it. You have to pick them off one by one and drop them into a container filled with alcohol, which is not effective flea control. Never pour or spray alcohol on your pet, as it can seriously harm them.

"Don't pour alcohol on a tick that's on your dog," Dr. Lofton warns. "When the tick is attached to your dog, the alcohol will make the tick spit out its toxin.”

Instead, put on gloves—to protect yourself from possible tick toxins—and remove the tick with tweezers. Grab the tick right where its mouthparts are attached to your dog’s skin and slowly pull straight back.

6. Cedar Oil

"Although cedar oil may repel some bugs, it can be very irritating to the skin surface. Again, I do not recommend this either," Dr. Hutchinson says.

The oil can even cause irritation when it’s not applied directly to the skin. In fact, many dogs develop skin problems simply from sleeping on a bed that is stuffed with cedar shavings.

And skin problems aren’t the only concern. If enough cedar oil is ingested, like from a pet licking his skin after being treated, it can cause liver damage. Even breathing in small droplets of cedar oil may lead to lung problems.

The bottom line is that while cedar oil smells great and may keep a few (though certainly not all) parasites away, you should not use it on or around pets.

7. Tea Tree Oil

Like cedar oil, you should never use tea tree oil as a home remedy for fleas. Pure tea tree oil is incredibly toxic to dogs and cats—even small amounts (10–20 milliliters) have caused death.

It’s best to avoid using any essential oils around dogs and cats. Even inhaling certain oils (such as from a room diffuser) can cause serious issues in pets.

8. Salt

Using salt to kill fleas is dangerous and ineffective. The amount of salt required to kill flea eggs and larvae is toxic to your dog or cat if they lick it or get it up their nose.

You would need a truckload of salt poured into every surface and crack in your house to know that all the flea eggs and larvae are dried up. At that point, you might as well move!

9. Boric Acid (Borax)

Boric acid is commonly found as the main ingredient in some flea powder products you can sprinkle onto your carpets. It’s created by combining borax with acid.

While it can possibly be effective as part of a multipronged flea-management strategy, boric acid alone can only kill the flea larvae living in carpets or rugs that are actively feeding. Flea larvae only make up about 35% of the flea population in an infested home.

Boric acid is not effective against adult fleas or ticks because they only feed on blood and will not ingest the powder. It also won’t work against flea eggs (50% of fleas in the home) or flea pupae (10% of the flea population).

10. Coconut Oil

The easy answer to the question “does coconut oil kill fleas?” is a firm no.

Coconut oil has a lot of great uses. The polyunsaturated fatty acids in coconut oil can reduce inflammation and help support cognitive function in pets. However, coconut oil does nothing to repel fleas and ticks.

Oil applied to your pet’s skin will only be effective at getting your floor and furniture greasy. The thin layer of coconut oil on their skin does not provide an effective barrier for these tenacious parasites.

Coconut oil should never be applied to your pet’s skin unless recommended by your veterinarian for small areas of irritation or dryness.

11. Diatomaceous Earth

While diatomaceous earth can be used in the environment to kill adult fleas, do not apply it directly to your pet. It’s not effective for flea control when used in this manner, and it could potentially result in lung damage if inhaled. It can also cause gastrointestinal (GI) upset if ingested by dogs or cats.

How To Get Rid of Fleas on Dogs and Cats

So, which flea and tick control is the best? While it may be tempting to try to treat fleas and ticks with home remedies, it’s important to only use options that are recommended by your veterinarian.

“An honest attempt by some well-meaning pet parents sometimes ends up causing some untoward side effects in their pets," says Dr. Hutchinson. 

Flea and tick prevention now comes as a chewable tablet, topical solution, or collar. For recommendations on effective flea and tick prevention for your cat or dog, talk to your veterinarian.