Does White Vinegar Kill Fleas? How to Use White Vinegar for Fleas

Vinegar is a wonderful ingredient with so many uses that entire books have been written on how you can use it for a multitude of tasks around the home.

But…Does white vinegar kill fleas?

Yes. In fact, all vinegar can kill fleas, including the most popular type, which is apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is actually used as a natural Pest Control ingredient for many other insects, like hornets, and ants.

So, that bottle of white vinegar in your cupboard could be the answer to all your flea problems. And to find out why, and how you use it as a flea killer, all you need to do is continue reading below.

How to Use White Vinegar to Get Rid of Fleas

White vinegar based flea solutions are common. And they’re often used for lighter or less serious infestations, as insect killers, repellents or both.

Here are some of these vinegar remedies that you can cook up at home.

White Vinegar Spray Bottles

You can make spray treatments from different kinds of home ingredients. It’s the easiest way to incorporate the flea-killing properties of plants and liquids. This particular spray uses white vinegar.

Combine equal parts of the condiment with water in a regular sized spray bottle. Spray the solution all over the flea-infested areas of your house. Start with your pet’s bed, and work your way into your upholstery and carpet.

The mixture doesn’t kill fleas; it repels them, making it possible for your house to get rid of these bugs.

Also, you don’t have to worry about the smell. White vinegar evaporates, so the smell eases over time. You just have to get used to it when you’re trying to treat your house though.

Bathing Pets with White Vinegar

Give your pets a bath, and use a white vinegar mixture as a final rinse.

Bathe your dog using a vet recommended flea shampoo. After rinsing it off, Flea Bites recommends adding 1 quart of distilled white vinegar into your pet’s bathing water. Use this as the final rinse, and let it air dry. Don’t rub your pet with a towel because this will diminish the treatment’s effect.

If you’re not comfortable with a wet dog scurrying around the house, Maine Coon Cat Nation suggests carefully pouring small amounts of the vinegar into the shampoo’s lather. Let the lather sit for a couple of minutes, and rinse it off. Repeat this for as many times as you need to. Any surviving fleas in your pet’s fur will be put off by the vinegar’s pungent smell.

A controlled dose of white vinegar is not toxic for dogs and cats. In fact, it can even give their fur coats a nice shine.

Washing Clothes and Beddings with Vinegar

Another method is to wash your clothes and beddings with white vinegar. Sure, this sounds repulsive at first, but hear us out.

Draw water into your laundry machine, and pour 2 to 3 cups of the vinegar into it. Soak your items into it for a few hours. Then, wash them as you normally would, and dry them using the highest option in your washer’s settings.

Don’t worry. Once the vinegar fully dries, you won’t even notice any trace of it on your clothes and beddings. You can also do this for your pet’s bed. It’s great for removing flea eggs, larvae and pupas.

Drinking White Vinegar

Lastly, we have this dietary option. Drinking vinegar is not new for health enthusiasts. Apple cider vinegar is typically what’s used for this pest treatment. Some homeowners substitute white vinegar because it’s often more accessible.

Just add white vinegar to your pet’s water bowl. That’s 1 teaspoon of the condiment to a quart of water for every 40 pounds of your pet’s weight.

Pet MD reports that adding vinegar to your pet’s drink can actually treat common health issues. But you have to remember to heavily dilute it. Consuming this condiment on its own can cause your cats and dogs gastrointestinal upsets, and diarrhea.

So there you have it, these details not only answer the question, “ Does white vinegar kill fleas? ” They give you everything you need to know about using the condiment as a pest control option.

We hope the tips we gathered gave you the ideas you need to finally get rid of those pesky fleas in your house.