Safe Flea repellent?

I know this has been discussed before, but here we go again!
The flea season has begun here in SoCal! My dogs are on Advantage but we still have some stray fleas bothering them. Eventually the cycle will be broken, but in the meantime, is there a safe and natural flea repellent I can spray on the dogs that won't hurt them if they lick it off? I thought of maybe lavender or rosemary oil (diluted and sprayed on) but I want to know I won't be risking the dogs' well-being. Does anyone here have any good experience with something like this?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on June 12, 2009 at 1:54pm

I had good experience with tea tree oil extract, 2-4 tsp, rub in fur. Do test in a small area first to check for allergic reaction. I've also heard greats things with a mixture of lavender, rosemary and citric blend, have not tried it yet.

As far as carpet goes, I prefer baking soda over borax just because it's cheaper and readily available in supermarket.

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on June 12, 2009 at 1:56pm

I read that tea tree oil might be toxic, but that's only undiluted and in high doses. Maybe I'll try the lavender/rosemary/cutrus blend.

How long do you leave the baking soda in before vacuuming it up?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on June 12, 2009 at 3:04pm

I leave the baking soda for half a day, I sprinkle a combo of that and salt, dry the fleas right up, it also absorb odor. Half a day should be good enough. I usually do one room at a time just to make things easier for everyone in the house.