What to Spray on Furniture to Kill Fleas?

Fleas can get into your home in a number of different ways, but the most common approach is to be carried in by cats, dogs, or any other furry animals. Once a flea enters your home, they waste no time hiding, laying eggs, and spreading frantically. One or two of these hopping devils can quickly turn into a full-blown flea infestation that requires harsh chemicals and flea foggers to completely get rid of. 

To avoid the heavy dose of chemicals in your home, it is a good idea to tackle fleas the minute you see them with more natural remedies. Treating pets, the areas they like to lay around in, and the rest of the house can be tricky, but the right flea spray can make a huge difference.

Read on to find out what to spray on your furniture to stop fleas. 

What Sprays On Furniture and Kills Fleas?

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There are a lot of ingredients that can be placed in a spray bottle and used to kill adult fleas on contact. Other sprays can work on flea larvae and flea eggs but may contain more harmful ingredients. There are also very gentle flea sprays for our furry friends that can treat them and the areas they love safely and effectively. 

Warm water and natural ingredients with strong scents can typically be sprayed on fabric and couches to repeal and prevent flea infestations after you have run a vacuum cleaner over areas of intense flea contact. This same pet-safe remedy for fleas can be sprayed directly on pets, puppies 12 weeks and up, and then treated with a flea comb. In most cases, this will be enough to kill pests on your pets on contact, with only natural ingredients and no harmful toxic chemicals.

How Flea Sprays Work

Depending on the chemical composition of flea spray, it can work in three main ways. Each of the methods by which adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs are eliminated can be effective in different situations, and often a combination is needed to completely eradicate all flea activity. In general, effective sprays will either dehydrate, chemically burn, or act as a neurotoxin to reduce the presence of fleas. 

Dehydrate 

Many natural ingredients can lead to dehydration in soft-bodied insects like fleas and ticks. Most products that are available for pests have contents that feature some type of dehydration aspect for insects in the couch and carpet. Abrasive edges cut the exoskeletons and dry out and kill fleas, ticks, and other insects that plague our homes. 

Chemical Burn

Other products that are also contact-based may induce chemical burns and are effective against fleas at all life stages. For pet owners, chemical sprays may or may not be safe for your animals, so care should be used before spraying chemical flea sprays. Flea poisons and flea powders can also cause burns to flea life stages and help you combat even large infestations of these annoying pests at all life cycles. 

Neurotoxin

Some remedies for fleas operate as neurotoxins and affect the insects from the inside out. To get rid of large infestations of fleas, stronger chemical-based flea control powder and spray may be needed to kill all generations of pests. Flea eggs can survive for a long time, so a natural flea remedy that can eliminate reproduction helps get rid of fleas for a long time. 

Home-Made Fleas Killers

A natural flea remedy made at home may be all you need to stop flea bites and other flea issues inside your home. Not only is a flea home remedy usually effective it can also save you time, money, and keep your pets and children safe from harmful chemicals.

For an effective homemade flea killer that kills all stages of a flea life cycle, use the ingredients below. 

IngredientsEffectResult
VinegarChemical BurnDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
AlcoholDehydrationDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Lemon JuiceChemical BurnDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Witch HazelDehydrationDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Dish SoapSuffocationDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Baking SodaDehydrationDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Diatomaceous EarthDehydrationDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Salt DehydrationDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Herb PowdersRepellant/InsecticideDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact
Essential OilsRepellant/InsecticideDead flea adults and flea larvae on contact

Acids and Astringents

Vinegar, alcohol, citrus juice, and witch hazel are examples of common household flea prevention methods. These chemicals are most effective on the flea’s lifespan after eggs as they rely on a firm covering and full contact to be effective. Flea eggs may be buried too deep in the couch or carpet to be hit by the natural flea remedy spray. Citrus-based flea control is a cheap solution using products most families already have at home as a remedy for fleas. 

Dehydration Agent

Baking soda, Diatomaceous Earth, and salt can all be used to dehydrate soft-bodied insects like fleas. These agents are great to spread on carpets and furniture where flea activity has been spotted. If the flea home remedy is left overnight, fleas that come into contact with it will quickly die, and the following morning a simple go-over with the vacuum cleaner should get rid of fleas.

Repellant and Natural Flea Remedy

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Oils and herbs, and other plant materials can be used to reduce the presence of fleas and repel harmful insects away from your property. Some oils and herbs are lethal to fleas, whereas others are either uncomfortable to come into contact with or have unpleasant odors that drive the fleas away.

Herb Powders

Rosemary, rue, fennel, wormwood, peppermint, and cinnamon are examples of herbs and plant parts that can be used for flea protection. These plant ingredients work as a herbal flea powder or can be made into an herbal flea spray by adding warm water or another carrier liquid. Applying dry around thresholds, entry points, and common pet areas can reduce the need to use stronger chemical-based flea control powder in and around your home. 

Essential Oils

Eugenol (Clove Oil), lavender oil, cedar oil, peppermint oil, and lemongrass oil are all common ingredients in natural remedies for fleas. One spritz with the correct formula for fleas can reduce flea activity and will leave a pleasant smell for you and your family to enjoy, which also repels unwanted guests.

Herbal flea spray can kill flea eggs and adults and may have a lingering effect that prevents new fleas from entering without the need for toxic chemical flea sprays. 

How to Tell If Your Furniture Has Fleas?

Before you bust out a remedy for fleas, you will want to know if your furniture has fleas and, if so, what scale of infestation are you looking at. Using the right product with the right chemical contents can help you eliminate fleas quickly and prevent repetitive cleaning tasks needed after using a spray that takes multiple applications to be effective.

Checking your home for fleas can be easy if you pay attention to small details and clean regularly.

If you or your pets find yourselves scratching more than usual, especially on certain couches or chairs, then that is a good indicator of a flea infestation. White surfaces and water bowls may also accumulate black dots that move quickly about, indicating the presence of biting pests like fleas.

Using a magnifying glass can help you confirm your suspicions by identifying flea dirt and other signs of pest infestation, and then you can move on to eradicating these irritating pests. Once you know how bad the infestation is, you can choose your flea poisons, chemical concoctions, or natural herbal flea sprays and spritz away.