Does boric acid kill fleas in the yard or on pets?

This is the question we’re out to answer ourselves. As you read along, your doubts or hopes about using Borax for flea control should be resolved.

You may be reading this article to find out if there’s any truth to the claims about Borax being effective in flea extermination.

The internet is littered with many home remedies for flea control using Borax.

What is Borax – Will Boric Acid Get Rid of Pests?

Before we go further, we’ll need to clear the air about Borax. This is for the reader with little knowledge of what it is or looks like.

Borax is a salt of boric acid; while boric acid is called hydrogen borate, Borax is referred to as sodium borate.

Also, Borax is a naturally occurring mineral in the form of white dust. Though it has several uses, we will restrict our discussion to how it kills bed bugs, fleas, and other insect pests.

Using Borax For Flea Control 

Borax is an item found in most homes and is widely used as a laundry booster. As such, it will be a welcome idea if it also provides relief from flea infestation.

Safety

To better answer the question about Borax being a flea killer, it’s important to discuss its safety first.

According to the CDC, borax exposure may lead to symptoms that include nose bleeds, breathing difficulty, and irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.

Its ingestion may result in abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. Despite Borax having low toxicity, these conditions show that it shouldn’t be allowed to come in contact with the eyes, have prolonged skin exposure, or be inhaled.

In other words, care must be applied when using Borax.

Will Borax Kill Fleas?

No. It is not practical for flea control, nor will another formulation of the same compound: boric acid, work.

This might be a bit confusing for some readers as they have read that it does kill fleas. However, the truth remains that Borax doesn’t cause dehydration when it comes in contact with fleas, as widely claimed.

While it’s an effective laundry booster, you won’t achieve much (if any) with flea control.

Having stated that you shouldn’t inhale it, this will be almost impossible when applying on your couches and other surfaces as recommended by some unreliable sources. Your pets will readily sniff on Borax.

What more? Kids can be curious and may either ingest or inhale this powder.

By applying Borax for pest control, you don’t have to risk your health, kids, or pets. It should be restricted to laundry use alone.

You may want to consider using other home remedies for flea control.

Optional Remedies For Flea Control

Having confirmed Borax to be ineffective in flea extermination, we’ll focus on optional home remedies you can use to eliminate fleas. These are everyday household items that have been proven effective in killing fleas.

They include baking soda, herbal flea spray, dish soap, lemon spray, salt, rosemary, diatomaceous earth, and flea-repelling plants. Let’s briefly discuss each of these;

  • Baking Soda

Baking soda has been effectively used in combination with a vacuum cleaner.

This powder is sprinkled onto flea-infested carpets, furniture, and other surfaces. On carpets, a brush is used to rub the baking soda into the carpet fibers before using a vacuum cleaner to clean up.

A thorough vacuuming is carried out, and the contents are disposed of. Fleas are easily picked up this way and gotten rid of.

  • Herbal Flea Spray

Herbal flea sprays are non-toxic and made from products around the house.

To make this spray, you’ll need about 2 liters of water, 4 liters of vinegar, 250 ml of witch hazel, and 500 ml of lemon juice. These are mixed and poured into a large spray bottle.

Wash all flea-infested bedding and vacuum your home before application. Surfaces such as furniture, floors, carpets, pet bedding, and window sills are targeted and sprayed.

  • Dish Soap

Your dish soap does much more than help with cleaning. It can be deployed for flea extermination.

So, how does this work? You’ll need to create a flea trap using water and dish soap. Make a mixture by adding dish soap to warm water. Pour into a bowl and place it in the most infested areas.

Before long, fleas get trapped by the high viscosity of the solution.

  • Lemon Spray

You’ll need to get a lemon and thinly slice it. Next, add about a pint of water and allow it to boil.

After boiling, allow the solution to sit overnight and empty the contents into a spray bottle. Fleas are killed when infested surfaces are sprayed.

  • Salt

Salt is one of the most common cooking ingredients, which is also valuable for flea control. It serves to dehydrate fleas when sprinkled. The salt should be allowed to sit for about a day or two before vacuuming.

  • Rosemary

You should put rosemary herbs into a pestle with peppermint, fennel, rue, and wormwood.

Now grind into a powder and sprinkle on flea-infested surfaces like carpets, pet bedding, furniture, and wherever you suspect flea presence.

You can clean up this powder by vacuuming it after a few days.

  • Diatomaceous Earth

Food-grade diatomaceous earth works for flea extermination.

All you need to do is sprinkle it over infested areas. After allowing it to sit for about two days, vacuum carpets and all infested surfaces.

Fleas should be dead and gone!

If you ever have to choose between Borax vs. Diatomaceous earth for fleas, DE is it!

  • Flea Repelling Plants

Certain plants are known to possess flea repellent properties.

These include spearmint, pennyroyal, lavender, and chrysanthemums. Consider planting these around your home to create a barrier against fleas.

Call In Flea Exterminators

Sometimes, the best way to stop worrying about what works or what doesn’t is by calling in the experts to handle your flea problem.

When faced with a flea infestation, you want to act fast. Having to experiment with multiple remedies may only serve to worsen the problem.

You don’t have to deal with such a situation; all you need is relief from these pesky insects.

Luckily, pest control services are ready to offer you the help you need. If you wish to adopt only natural methods for resolving your flea problem, these experts have a wide range of natural and environmentally friendly practices.

You are saved from the stress of trying to figure out what works or doesn’t. Plus, your flea issues are fully resolved within a short period.

However, not all pest control services will perform a satisfactory job. Some companies don’t have what it takes to get the job done.

You’ll have to rely on online reviews from former clients to determine if a pest management service is worth patronizing or not. You also want flea control services at the best possible cost.

Conclusion

Does Borax repel fleas? Not really!!

Borax has not been shown to exterminate fleas effectively. With some other control options, you won’t have to wait endlessly to start seeing results. This is visible within a few days of application.

Borax is out of the picture as a flea killer, so we’ve provided several other natural options to eliminate flea problems. These have been tested and proven to be effective.

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