Can peppermint oil repel or kill fleas?
Here is how to use peppermint essential oil for fleas on dogs, cats, and humans.
For many, this is quite confusing due to claims and counterclaims about the efficacy of peppermint essential oil. This article is all about finding answers.
With the answers provided here, you should know for a certain whether using peppermint oil for fleas in the house will work or won’t work.
Does Peppermint Oil Kill Fleas?
One of the most common pest issues encountered by pet owners is flea infestation.
This is understandable because pets are their primary targets. These hopping parasites will find the nearest suitable host to have their fill of blood before disembarking to digest such food.
When flea infestation is noticed with or without the presence of pets, urgent treatment is required to get rid of them. Here, you want to either repel fleas or have them killed.
Any of these will suffice for most people.
There has been a lot of talk about the repellent and exterminating effect of peppermint oil on fleas.
Is this true?
About Peppermint Flea Spray
Peppermint oil is known for its versatility and is used topically or externally, as well as ingested or internally. This essential oil is derived from the peppermint plant which is mostly a cross between spearmint and water mint plants.
The oil is known to contain menthol which gives it its invigorating effect.
Peppermint essential oil is widely used for sinus and respiratory benefits, for relieving joint & muscle pains, for improvement of exercise performance, and also for the treatment of allergies.
What more? Peppermint oil is used for relieving headaches, for oral health, promoting hair growth & scalp treatment, as relieving itchiness. These are only a few of its several uses.
With that said, does peppermint oil offer any pest control benefits? This is what we’ll be finding out shortly.
Will Peppermint Oil Repel or Kill Fleas?
Contrary to claims about its efficacy as a flea repellent and killer, peppermint oil will have none of these effects.
The reasons for its inefficacy as simple; it isn’t strong enough to get the desired repellent effect. You’ll have to look for something else that works when it comes to flea control.
Why Peppermint Oil is thought to Repel and Kill Fleas
Having stated the inefficacy of peppermint oil on fleas, it’s important to consider reasons why this essential oil is believed to have a repellent and exterminating effect on these pests.
Peppermint oil is known to contain trace amounts of limonene and linalool.
Now, the emphasis on “trace amounts” must be noted because both d-limonene and linalool are constituents of peppermint oil used for flea extermination.
In small amounts, these constituent ingredients of peppermints will have little to no effect on fleas.
Some Peppermint Oil Products May Work
This might sound a bit confusing to some readers and rightfully so because peppermint oil should be the same or have the same contents.
However, there are situations where such oils are infused with other ingredients. Ingredients like lauryl sulfate and an increased volume of d-limonene and linalool will make the oil more potent on fleas.
When you find peppermint oil products containing lauryl sulfate or any of the citrus extracts mentioned above, these might likely work.
However, it must be stated that there’s no certainty that peppermint oil treatments will kill or repel fleas as results may turn out ineffective.
Only peppermint oil products labeled as repellents may have some impact on fleas. If you’ve applied this treatment without results, you should seek alternatives.
Effective alternative treatments should give positive results.
Alternatives To Peppermint Oil Flea Control
A lot of people have been disappointed with peppermint treatment for flea issues. The inefficacy of such treatments has led people to find other ways of dealing with their flea issues.
So, what else works? There are simple procedures to follow that can give desired results.
These flea treatment procedures include improved sanitation, pet treatment, home treatment, and follow-up treatments. Let’s further discuss each of these treatment procedures as follows;
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Improved Sanitation
When flea problems are noticed, you must take the needed steps to have such resolved. Here, areas with lots of flea presence and activity are targeted.
These include pet bedding, rugs, and bedding. Have these been washed to kill off any fleas?
Also, more thorough vacuuming of your carpets and sweeping of floors is necessary.
Such actions remove or pick up flea eggs which help prevent them from hatching. Wall edges should also be targeted for this type of treatment.
With these actions properly performed, you should have lesser flea issues.
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Pet Treatment
Remember that your pets are primary hosts for fleas. Although these pests do not live on pets, they hop onto pets to get their fill of blood and disembark to digest their food.
This cycle keeps on repeating itself.
To address the problem, you must treat every pet you have.
Treatment is performed by giving your pets a thorough bath with soap and water. A flea comb will come in handy for removing both fleas that are dead as well as those still alive.
The use of soap helps suffocate these parasites.
Before performing pet treatment, you must speak to a veterinarian. You get to benefit from helpful tips that will make your pet treatment more effective.
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Home Treatment
Home flea treatment is performed simultaneously with pet treatment.
Here, you might need some extra help. The combination of treatments (both pet and home) serves to disrupt flea activity as well as their lifecycle.
Home treatments can be performed through DIY or you could call for professional pest control.
Both interior and exterior sections of your home are covered. Before professional treatment begins, the area is inspected to identify the most affected or infested spots.
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Follow Up Treatments
Follow-up treatments are necessary to ensure that desired impacts are achieved. These types of treatments are performed 5 to 10 days after the initial application.
With vacuuming performed within intervals, fleas should be completely exterminated from your home.
Peppermint isn’t known to be an effective flea repellent and killer. However certain formulations specifically purposed for repellent purposes may have some kind of effect.
This isn’t a treatment method you should depend on due to its many downsides. The alternative treatment strategies mentioned should help.