NGD Care | Pets & Health
Fleas out the door — the natural way
A step-by-step approach without chemicals: from flea comb to diatomaceous earth and essential oils.
NGD Care | Stefan Veenstra, DVM
Therefore, in the case of a flea infestation, the focus should be on cleaning the home — in combination with the treatment of the animal itself, of course. It is better to avoid treatment with conventional insecticides at all times: for your animal, for yourself and for the environment. You can read more about this in another blog.
Below is a step-by-step approach to getting your home flea-free again, in a completely natural way.
The step-by-step plan
Always treat your animal and your home at the same time — only then will you really get a flea infestation under control.
Comb your pet thoroughly
Always start with a fine flea comb. Comb your dog or cat from head to tail, paying extra attention to the neck, behind the ears, the belly and the base of the tail — these are the favorite hiding places of fleas.
After each stroke, immerse the comb in a bowl of warm water with a splash of dish soap. The fleas drown immediately and cannot escape.
Wash your pet with a mild shampoo
A warm bath with a shampoo based on neem or lavender oil suffocates and removes fleas quickly. Leave the shampoo on for a few minutes before rinsing off. Not every animal loves a bath — certainly not cats — and not every household lends itself to it either. If a bath is possible, it is definitely recommended. Otherwise, treatment with a natural spray is a good alternative.
Comb the coat after the bath while it is still damp — fleas are less likely to run away.
Clean the whole house systematically
Wash all of your pet’s bedding at a minimum of 60°C. Vacuum carpets, sofas and crevices daily — the more thoroughly you vacuum, the more effective. Dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag immediately outside.
You can easily make a flea trap yourself?
At night, place a small lamp over a low container or deep plate of soapy water on the floor. Fleas jump to the light and drown in the water. This way, you will have a good idea of how big the infection still is within one night — and you can catch a large number of them at the same time.
By steaming the entire house and even the terrace, you can reach places with hot steam that a vacuum cleaner cannot reach. You will get deeper into cracks and corners where fleas can nest. You can also steam the sofa, rugs and baskets well with the right attachments. Steam kills fleas and eggs instantly. Do this at least once a week — daily at first.
Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in your home
Diatomaceous earth (food grade) is a fine, white powder of fossilized algae. It damages the outer layer of fleas, causing them to dry out and die — without toxins.
Scatter the light over carpets, sofas, your pet’s sleeping areas, and along baseboards. Do this after vacuuming and after steaming, and let it sit for 3 days. Then vacuum and steam thoroughly again.
Under the cushions of the sofa — where vacuuming is rarely done — you can thicken the soil a little and leave it longer, so that new fleas and eggs dry out immediately. You can also apply the soil carefully and in small quantities to the base of your animal’s tail. Make sure that no dust gets into your pet’s eyes or respiratory tract.
Only buy “food grade” quality — never the industrial variant for swimming pools. Sprinkle carefully so that the powder kicks up as little as possible. For extra safety, wear a simple mouth mask while sprinkling, as the fine powder can irritate the airways.
Use Flea & Tick Guard from NGD Care
There are ready-to-use natural products on the market, such as the Flea & Tick Guard from NGD Care. These work on the basis of plant-based ingredients and essential oils and do not contain synthetic pesticides.
We have developed an intense variant with a higher concentration of essential oils. This is suitable as an environmental spray and as a spray for dogs. The gentle Flea & Tick Guard is specially developed for cats: in addition to plant-based ingredients, it contains a microdose of essential oil that is absolutely safe for cats.
Natural products are typically less potent than chemical agents and require repeated application more often. Always read the package leaflet carefully and check that the product is suitable for the age and weight of your animal.
The forgotten factor: your animal’s resistance
Addressing the environment and using repellents is essential — but it’s only half the story.
This means that building up resistance is not a luxury, but a structural part of flea prevention. A healthy immune system, good gut flora and the right diet make your animal less attractive as a host — and more resilient when a flea does land on it.
Immune system Mushroom mix 1Medicinal mushrooms such as reishi, shiitake, and maitake contain beta-glucans that provide deep immune support. Specially formulated for dogs and cats, NGD Care’s Mushroom Mix 1 strengthens the natural defences from the inside out — the basis for an animal that is less vulnerable to parasites. | Skin & coat Calanus oilCalanus oil is a natural oil that supports the skin and coat from within. A healthy skin barrier is less attractive to fleas and recovers faster after bites. Calanus oil also naturally contains substances with a mild repellent effect on insects — a subtle but useful contribution to the overall approach. |
The intestine as a foundation of resistance
A large part of the immune system is located in the intestine. A disturbed intestinal flora — due to poor nutrition, antibiotics or chronic stress — immediately weakens your animal’s overall resistance. That makes it an easier target for parasites like fleas.
Choose high-quality, unprocessed food with sufficient animal protein. Avoid cheap kibble that is high in grains and sugars — they feed the wrong bacteria in the gut. When in doubt, support the intestinal flora with a targeted probiotic or the NGD Care Gut Protocol. An animal that feels good about itself is protected from the inside out.
The core of the approach
Natural flea control works — but requires a three-level approach: cleaning the environment thoroughly, using repellents, and keeping your animal’s resistance as optimal as possible. None of these three is sufficient without the other two.
In case of persistent contamination or in case of doubt: consult your veterinarian.
Resistance & immune system Mushroom mix 1 & Calanus oilSupport your dog or cat’s natural defences from the inside out — the forgotten step in any flea prevention. | Flea & Tick Guard Natural flea protection for dogs and catsWithout pesticides. The intense version for dogs and the environment, the gentle version especially for cats. |