EnvironMental Monday: 'Tis the Season (Flea Season, That Is)

I'll admit it: I'm not a huge summer fan. I like spring, I love fall, and I've gotten a little loopy over winter in the past few years. Summer, however, just seems to bring out the worst in me - I don't like being hot and sweaty. I don't like bugs and allergies and summer traffic. I look good in wool coats and winter hats, but shorts and t-shirts are considerably less flattering.

My dogs are, likewise, not summer fans - which is another reason I'm less than thrilled with the season. The biggest reason, by far, that I'm not a Girl of Summer is the propagation of summer pests. Most notably, fleas and ticks. Up to this point, I've never had a big issue with either: ticks are common enough around these parts that a "tick-check" after every woodsy hike is a must, both for humans and dogs, but thus far I have been able to avoid the Dread Flea.

Until now.

The dogs are scratching, the house is covered with excess dog fur, and the other day I found a flea on my leg. Stop the world, I wanna get off. I really hate fleas.

So, today is a De-Fleaing Day. I'm not typically a fan of products like Frontline, but I picked up a dose for each of the hounds. I've mixed a salt and vinegar solution to spray on carpets and upholstery, which is supposed to kill the little buggers. I have quarters for the laundromat, as I will be doing laundry from now until, oh, the end of time - curtains, blankets, towels, anything and everything that could serve as home to nesting fleas. The dogs will be bathed. The floors will be washed. Diatomaceous earth will be sprinkled in every crack, cranny, and crevice. And then, when it's all done, I'll wait twenty-four hours and do it all over again - it's recommended that Flea Frenzy Victims vaccuum daily, wash down surfaces, and bathe their dogs frequently for at least a week in order to kill all critters good and dead.

The alternative is a flea bomb, but the concept freaks me out a little. All those chemicals released into air that the hounds and I breathe just seems... Unnerving, somehow. For now, I will go the labor-intensive route, scrubbing and re-scrubbing until my house is squeaky clean and, ideally, no self-respecting flea would even consider setting up camp here. Fingers crossed, we'll all be flea-free again in no time.