Will Bleach Kill Fleas In Your Yard? (Find Out Now!)

Ossiana Tepfenhart
by Ossiana Tepfenhart

If you ask many cultures of the world, bleach is the wonder cleaner. It’s super popular in Eastern Europe, and it also happens to be a Midwestern mainstay. It’s not just for cleaning tile, either. Many people use bleach to kill vermin, too. Fleas are one of the many pests alleged to be killable by bleach. Does it work?

Bleach is a great way to kill both fleas and their eggs, especially those that live in your yard. If you want to do this properly, it’s best to avoid spraying undiluted bleach. Diluted bleach can be sprayed on grass safely, within reason.

Fleas can pose a serious risk to everyone who wants to visit your home, not to mention the carpeting in your home. It’s time to talk about how your yard can fare with bleach.

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Can Bleach Kill Fleas Effectively?

Bleach will kill both fleas and flea eggs on contact. It’s a chemical that is extremely caustic and eats straight through their shells, poisoning them in the process. As long as the fleas hit the bleach or come into contact with it, they’ll die.

Many exterminators also use bleach on occasion because it also acts as a very reliable deterrent for fleas and other pests. Fleas, flies, and roaches all hate the smell of bleach.

Is Using Bleach Safe For Your Lawn?

Bleach can be safe for your lawn as long as it’s used sparingly and diluted. If it’s not diluted or used excessively, it will cause your grass to die. Bleach is a very caustic chemical, and that means that it can pose a risk to anything that’s alive. In the case of grass, the bleach will eat away at the blades of grass as well as the protective “gloss” that some grass has.

Over time, bleach will wipe out the nutrients in the soil. As bleach breaks down, it causes the soil’s pH levels to decrease. That turns your soil into a thin layer of acid and destroys the phosphates in soil. This can make it hard to continue to grow grass on your lawn, even if you lay a fresh coat of sod.

How To Use Bleach To Kill Fleas On Your Lawn

You need to use a little strategy when you want to bleach out your lawn. Here’s how to make sure fleas say sayonara with the help of a little Clorox…

  • Mix your bleach solution in a spray bottle. Try to aim for one ounce of bleach for every 10 ounces of water. (That’s a 1:10 ratio, if you want to scale up.) If you have a stronger-than-usual type of bleach concentrate, dilute it down to a 1:15 ratio. It’s always easier to spray more rather than to try to dilute the bleach that’s already on your lawn.
  • Spray this solution throughout the problem areas of your lawn. Fleas tend to live in areas that have higher grass levels. However, extreme infestations might require a light coating throughout your lawn.
  • Allow the bleach to sit. Once you have a coating, you should start seeing a notable reduction in fleas and ticks in your grass.

How Often Can You Use Bleach To Kill Fleas?

Bleach is not an ideal substance to use on any lawn, but it’s still usable once ever 30 to 45 days. If you are worried about the plant life in your yard, don’t use bleach. There are other more eco-friendly ways to get rid of fleas that won’t kill your soil.

What Options Are Better Than Bleach?

Truth be told, the easiest way to get rid of fleas is to sprinkle some diatomaceous earth, also called DE. Diatomaceous earth is made from crushed up seashells and exoskeletons. When fleas and other bugs get into DE, the shells cut the chitin of their bodies. This dries out their bodies but doesn’t dry out your lawn.

DE can be sprinkled liberally without a problem. However, it sometimes can be a bit much for pets. If you are still having a hard time with fleas in your yard, you might want to try some flea repellent. Planting some mint or lavender can help get fleas away from your home.

Can You Hire An Exterminator To Get Rid Of Fleas In Your Yard?

If you have a flea infestation in your yard, then your home is at risk for having them show up, too. This means that it’s best to nip it in the bud. Exterminators might be more popular calls for in-home infestations, but they absolutely can help you get rid of fleas before they make it to your home.

You will need to call them up and explain the issue. At times, you may also have to give them an explanation as to why you may think fleas are in your yard. They may ask you to bring your pets indoors while they treat. One to two treatments is enough to reduce or eliminate most of the fleas in your yard.

How Much Does Lawn Flea Eradication Cost?

If you want to call an exterminator for fleas in your yard, then you’re going to be pretty relieved to hear the news. Flea eradication is actually fairly affordable, especially when it comes to getting rid of them in your yard. If you need to remove fleas from your yard, the national average price is $75 to $120.

People who want to remove fleas from their homes will have to pay around $200 to $300 per treatment. In cases where the flea population jumped out of control, you may need to have more than one treatment to control the situation.

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Related Questions

How long can fleas live without a meal?

Fleas, like bed bugs, are notorious for being able to live a long time without biting anything. A flea can live for as long as two to three months without the need to bite anything. After that, they may die from starvation. Most of the time, fleas will migrate to another area if they cannot find hosts that they can feed off of before that.


Where do fleas hide in yards?

Fleas naturally prefer to stay in tall grass and bushes due to the likelihood of animals walking through them. It makes it easier for them to hunt creatures and get their food. However, they also enjoy moisture. This is why they also might be found in rotting woods, old tree stumps, as well as compost heaps.A good rule of thumb is that you should expect fleas to nest wherever most other pests would be. Of course, their favorite place to hang out is on a pet.


Are fleas actually dangerous?

Tiny as they are, fleas can pose a serious risk to everyone in their proximity—including kids and pets alike. Fleas are carriers of major diseases, including plague. If a person gets bitten by a flea, they can technically catch Bubonic plague. Even if they are not carrying any diseases, fleas still can cause allergic reactions in both people and animals.Depending on your sensitivity, flea bites can cause a rash or they can cause you to go into shock. Everybody is different. The only thing that all bodies have in common is that they don’t like being bitten by any number of fleas!

Ossiana Tepfenhart
Ossiana Tepfenhart

Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.

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