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orange oil and wood
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Author:  ali starr [ Tue Nov 09, 2010 6:33 am ]
Post subject:  orange oil and wood

Been reading about flea treatment in the "Library" section on dirtdoctor site and am not finding any information about the use of a diluted mix of orange oil and water. What mix of Medina orange oil concentrate and water will be ok on wood furniture, floors, and painted baseboards? Or is there a better way to treat these places than the orange oil mix?

Author:  northwesterner [ Mon Nov 15, 2010 6:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: orange oil and wood

Those kinds of things, wood, furniture, and paint, can be affected by orange oil.

Before you start spraying inside the house, have you done what you can in the yard? Use beneficial nematodes, orange oil, and diatomaceous earth in the yard? Are you bathing the animals with the recommended shampoos? Any shampoo is going to kill fleas if you leave it on the animal for a few minutes before rinsing, but the library also mentions shampoos with tea tree oil or orange oil. Don't use too much of either of those, and don't use them straight on any animal.

Once you're sure you've dealt with the problem of the source in the yard, then look at the most benign treatments first, like puffing the diatomaceous earth in the house. Spray when you can't get rid of them another way, and test the dilute orange oil in a spot that doesn't show for the paint and wood and floor finish (someone else may come along with more information, but I typically use orange oil at the rate of a couple of ounces per gallon).

Good luck with this project!

Author:  Susan Horn [ Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: orange oil and wood

Light traps inside work great for longterm flea control (only brand I know of offhand is the Enforcer). We keep one or two going year-round.

Outside, beneficial nematodes are the best longterm control we've found, and we never had to re-apply -- just one application and our yard's been fine ever since.

All the other methods help with quick knockdown and/or repellant properties, like DE, soap, orange oil, tea tree etc. and are great when you have a severe infestation. Be super careful with orange oil as it can irritate the skin in no time. It's good on unfinished wood, but the orange oil is a very powerful solvent and can melt some paints and plastics unless extremely diluted in water.

Author:  ali starr [ Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: orange oil and wood

Thank you for your thoughtful replies to my question. Nematodes it is!

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