Does Palmolive Kill Fleas? Vet Reviewed Safety & Effectiveness
By Misty Layne
Updated on
Nobody likes it when fleas invade—not you or your pets. Not only do fleas cause lots of itchiness and annoyance, but they can also be deadly for some animals as they carry diseases. And if your cat or dog is covered in fleas, then the first step to removing them is giving your pet a bath. But what’s best to use when bathing them?
You’ve probably heard that you can use dish soap to get rid of fleas during a bath. Some people say Dawn is the best, while others claim Palmolive is the way to go. So, does Palmolive kill fleas? The short answer is yes—it will kill adult fleas on your pet, but not eggs or larvae. However, Palmolive isn’t an ideal product to wash your cat or dog with, and it won’t rid your pet of fleas entirely. Why is that?
Does Palmolive Kill Fleas?
Palmolive can kill adult fleas on your pet’s body. It and other dish soaps are thought to affect a flea’s exoskeleton, which causes the flea to sink in water and drown. However, Palmolive isn’t an option to use long-term, as it won’t rid your pet of fleas entirely.
Here’s why—adult fleas make up only around 5 percent of the total flea infestation. Washing your pet will not affect the other stages of the flea life cycle- eggs, larvae and pupae. That means that sooner rather than later, your pet will once again be covered in adult fleas after those eggs hatch. So, Palmolive is only a temporary solution for fleas, not one that will affect the fleas long-term.
Plus, Palmolive isn’t a flea repellent. It might make your cat or dog squeaky clean, but that’s not going to keep more fleas from jumping on your pet for a snack. So, Palmolive is effective at killing adult fleas but not effective as a long-term solution as it doesn’t have an effect on eggs or larvae and doesn’t work as a repellent to fleas.
Is It Safe to Use on Cats and Dogs?
If you’re in an emergency situation where you need to get rid of adult fleas as soon as possible, and Palmolive is what you have on hand, then you need to know whether it’s safe to use before you go about bathing Fluffy or Fido with it. The answer is that as an every once in a while bath time option, Palmolive is likely to be safe for most pets. But it is not ideal, and using it on a regular basis is inadvisable.
The reasons using Palmolive routinely on your or dog isn’t wise has a lot to do with the fact that it isn’t formulated with animals in mind, so it can be quite irritating to your pet’s coat and skin. Plus, if you’re using Palmolive on a pet that already has irritated skin or a dog that has a bacterial skin infection, you could be making the situation worse by causing further irritation. Then there’s the fact that Palmolive might contain ingredients that are unsafe for your cat or dog to ingest—and chances of ingestion are high since cats and dogs lick themselves to groom.
So, occasional use in an emergency flea situation is unlikely to cause problems, but don’t make using Palmolive as a soap a routine thing. Instead, use a designed specifically for cats or dogs, and include a monthly to keep fleas away in the first place.
Final Thoughts
If you have nothing else on hand to give your cat or dog a bath with and desperately need to get rid of some adult fleas, then Palmolive dish soap is an option.
However, be aware that bathing your cat or dog in Palmolive will only eliminate adult fleas, not larvae or eggs. This means the fleas will come back again. Palmolive is also ineffective as a flea repellent, so it won’t keep new fleas away from your pet either. Instead, use a pet-friendly flea shampoo and monthly flea treatment to get rid of and keep fleas away!
Featured Image Credit: Vladeep, Shutterstock
