Folkloric orange recipes that work to rid a dog of fleas include rubbing an orange over your dog's coat. Another way to use an orange to kill fleas on dogs without irritating your dog's skin is to make use of the orange skins you peel from the oranges you eat. Dogs don't like the smell of citrus fruits.
So all you're doing is rubbing the skin of the orange on the dog's coat. But first the orange skins need to be prepared. For a medium-sized dog, use about five oranges, and only the skins (not the juice or pulp) is used. Remember that your dog will lick his or her fur. So you don't want anything toxic on your dog's tongue.
To prepare the orange skins, first put the rest of the orange aside for people to eat. Then rinse off any orange juice from the skins. Next, you put the skins in a pot or pan diluted with at least a cup of water for each orange. Simmer the oranges for an hour or two and keep adding water as the water evaporates.
Your goal is to reduce the liquid in the pot so you get the orange oil out of the skins into the water. Oil and water don't mix, so you're reducing the liquid to get orange oil. But you want the orange oil diluted enough to brush onto the dog's fur. You want the oil released from the skins of the oranges. As soon as the orange skins become soft as they are boiled/simmered, take them out of the pot. Next, put the skins in a blender and puree them with some liquid from the pot. Then put the pureed orange skins back into the pot. Stir and let the mixture cool.
When cooled to barely warm, strain the liquid into a container. It can be kept in plastic, but not in metal. Or put it in a glass jar to store, but pour it from the glass jar to a plastic container if you're near the dog. You don't want the dog to suddenly move and have the glass jar break and hurt you and the dog. So use plastic containers when around the dog. You can keep the mixture for about a week in the refrigerator. Or you can freeze the orange oil and use it after it thaws for several weeks.
Try a small amount of the cooled mixture on your dog's fur. You can use the mixture at slightly warm temperature or body temperature if you test it on the inside of your arm to make sure you are not heating up the mixture too much. Dogs don't like cold liquids on their body either. So if it is coming out of the refrigerator, you can warm it up slightly.
When you put the mixture on your dog's fur, rub it wherever the fleas may be hiding such as behind the dog's ears or on the tail. If the dog's skin feels irritated and the dog reacts, don't continue. You don't know whether your dog will be allergic to it or sensitive or not. So test a small spot first to see the dog's reaction and what the dog's skin looks like. You don't want to irritate or redden your dog's skin.
The easiest way to rid your dog of fleas using home-made orange oil is to mix an ounce of the oil or even a half-ounce of the mixture with half of a bottle of dog shampoo. Then give your dog a regular bath. Don't dump the mixture directly on the dog's fur unless you know whether or not your dog is sensitive to the orange oil. And don't use commercial orange oil meant to clean ovens, floors, or kitchen appliances because it may be mixed with other chemicals and is not diluted or meant for the skin of any animal.
Another use of the oil, after diluting it, besides rubbing it on your dogs is to spray your dog's toys with it or the dog bed. The oil on a dog's harness or collar can keep the fleas away as insects usually don't come close to the scent of orange oil.
Don't buy commercial orange oil cleaners or other mixtures for use on a dog's or human's skin because they're not suitable for being on you or your dog's skin. Some orange oil mixtures you buy commercially are meant to clean ovens and are harsh and not meant for skin. That's why latex or plastic gloves are worn when you use orange oil to clean stove tops or ovens. Any home-made orange oil should be diluted with water and used with dog shampoo, and never applied directly to the skin as a concentrated oil. Also, your dog may lick at anything put on the animal's fur in an attempt to get it off.
Other concoctions to make at home to prevent fleas from coming onto your dog's include lemon. Check out the recipe for lemon and lavender, "Natural ways to prevent fleas." That recipe calls for 6 lemons, 50 drops of lavender essential oil, and 3 cups of water. To make the mixture, you also boil the lemons with the skin on and let it cool overnight in your refrigerator.
Just as in the orange recipe, with the lemon and lavender recipe, you also strain the liquid into a spray bottle and add the 50 drops of lavender oil. But instead of rubbing it on your dog, you spray the mixture on your dog each time your dog goes outside or after bathing your dog.
You can also spray or soak his collar in the mixture to make a flea collar of your own. The mixture can be sprayed on rugs, carpeting and furniture or even in your yard to prevent fleas from settling in from surrounding areas, the recipe site notes. But before you spray anything on your dog or your rugs or furniture, you need to make sure the concoction won't stain fabrics and won't irritate your dog's skin. Test a small area to make sure your dog isn't sensitive to the diluted mixture of lemon and lavender.
Dogs usually hate citrus fruit scents because it doesn't smell anything like proteins such as meat or cheese or starches such as dog biscuits made from grains or potatoes. So test a small area, including to see whether the lemon spray bleaches or discolors your carpets or furniture before you spray any large area of your home.
The reason to test your dog's reaction is that some animals are sensitive to any type of citrus or acid on their skin. Your dog usually will lick at any unwanted scent on the fur or rub himself/herself on carpet, soil, or grass to remove the scent, as you often see after a doggy bath. The lemon and lavender scent also can be used in moderation as an air freshener.
Insect repellent made from spices such as cinnamon or herbs such as mint, thyme, garlic, basil, cloves, black pepper, or rosemary
To repel mosquitoes which will be coming as soon as the temperature rises to 65 degrees F. You can use foods and spices such as cinnamon or herbs like basil instead of having to inhale the fumes of commercial insecticides. Use one or more of these spices and herbs such as cinnamon, basil, garlic, thyme, mint, cloves, lemon grass, black pepper, or rosemary, according to the site, "Different Types Of Spices That Repel Mosquitoes." You can use one or more of these plants. Check out the video with the herbal recipe on the YouTube site, "How to Make Mosquito Repellent."
The recipe, "How to Make Mosquito Repellent" on YouTube video called for mixing witch hazel, aloe vera gel, tea tree oil, eucalyptus oil, geranium rose, but to use more familiar items in most kitchens, you could try substituting olive oil instead of witch hazel and apple cider vinegar instead of aloe vera. Try it out first to see whether this recipe works with mosquitoes.
Other folkloric mosquito repellents you can make from herbs and spices suggest selecting fresh herbs, not the powdered ones to keep mosquitoes out of your yard. When it comes to what to rub on your skin, try spices that don't cause an allergic reaction or reddening of your. For some that might be a dab of mint, cloves, or basil.
Lemon Eucalyptus oil also repels mosquitoes in your yard or home. What you can do is to use insect repellant that works against mosquitoes. But you don't have to buy commercial insecticides. You also can make natural mosquito repellents for use outdoors. Check out the site, Lemon Eucalyptus Oil to Repel Mosquitoes. Also mild soap bubbles applied to the leaves of some plants help repel some insects as an alternative to commercial insecticides. See, "World's Best Green Insecticide is Old Fashioned Wisdom."
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