I hadn't heard of the salt method, but I have heard of tea tree oil helping. I've actually been trying to find it near me but haven't had any luck so far, I just haven't had the chance to do a search online to find a place to buy it, but I will. As for garlic, I'd thought I'd heard something about that helping but giving really bad gas? Ever heard of this? 2 of mine are already prone to that so I wasn't in favor of encouraging it. I suppose if my alternative is fleas or bad gas I can always invest in a lot of room spray.....