The Popular Scent That May Keep Fleas Away From Your Home

You don't have to have pets to be annoyed by fleas, but your furry friend is often the most common way that fleas enter the home. Fleas enjoy human blood, too. So if fleas get in your mattress, carpets, couch, pillows, curtains – oh, the list goes on far too long – it's important to take quick action. The American Kennel Club estimates that for every flea you find, there are 20 others somewhere in your home, and each female flea can lay 50 eggs in a single day. Fortunately, you don't even have to run out to your local pest control merchant. A home remedy is nearer at hand: Cinnamon oil. It is easy and quick to make the minute you spy your first flea.

Cinnamon oil is safer than many commercial flea killers. The Natural Resources Defense Council lists dozens of flea and tick products that contain potentially toxic or carcinogenic synthetic chemicals. But some of those very same products contain cinnamon oil, since cinnamon oil alone does an excellent job of ridding your home of fleas. There are a number of surprising uses for cinnamon because it contains eugenol; an oil found in many other plants like basil and cloves. The eugenol in cinnamon oil can kill immediately insects if sprayed directly on them. While the oil's strong scent can drive fleas away, it can also keep mosquitoes away from an outdoor fountain. It's often used as a natural pesticide in organic gardening and farming, and it's an effective fungicide.

You can make easily make your own cinnamon oil over the course of a week, but for instant flea control it's better to purchase cinnamon oil from an herb shop to have it always at hand. In either case, wear gloves, protect your eyes, and keep your pets away, especially when spraying it, as cinnamon can be a skin and eye irritant, and can cause digestive irritation in pets. Undiluted cinnamon oil (and other essential oils) can also be harmful to pets, even if it isn't necessarily toxic. (It's always best to consult a veterinarian prior to use.) Using it as a flea killer has the positive side effect of making your house smell good.

To make a cinnamon oil flea spray, fill a clean spray bottle almost full with water, then add 10 to 20 drops of cinnamon oil – or more, depending on the size of your spray bottle, which in turn depends on the size of the area you want to spray. Shake your potion well to mix water and oil as best as oil and water can be mixed, then spray areas where fleas might be hiding – meaning, just about everywhere. When the smell of cinnamon dissipates enough so that you can no longer detect it, it's time to spray again. You can also soak cotton balls in cinnamon oil and place where fleas might congregate, but make sure that the area is inaccessible to your four-legged friends.