Okay, just found out I can't do the Borax unless I board all 8 cats and 3 dogs for 2 days....

Borax for flea control can be very effective depending upon your situation. If you have a small area that is infested, then you might have great luck with it. But if you have to cover a large area, since you must keep all humans and animals away from it for 2 days, might be a little bit harder to control.
http://www.stopdogitching.com/borax-for-fleas.html