Getting rid of the fleas on your pet, is only half the battle. You need to treat your home or a new batch will hatch and reinfest your home and pets.
Then, once you have killed all the fleas in your home, continue to treat your home so that you don’t experience a re-infestation.
Treat your pet first
The very first step you have to take after recognizing these nasty bugs is to treat your pet. These horrible brown insects love to take a ride on your pets and feast on their blood, if you don’t make sure they are completely clear, you will be fighting an uphill battle getting rid of them. Take a look at our guides to treat dogs and cats for more information on tackling this.
Hot washing and freezing
OK so your pets are all clear, the next step is to wash all the carpets, pet bedding, pillows, upholstery, etc that you can. Pay special attention to anywhere your pet frequents, such as your pet’s bed and where they sleep. Wash everything you can in as hot water as possible with detergent.
Clothes and fabrics that cannot be hot washed can be placed in a freezer after wrapping in a big bin bag. If you want to be doubly sure you have got the fleas, then you can put all your washed items in the freezer. This machine hot washing and freezing will greatly decrease the number of eggs and larvae from all the clothes and other fabrics.
Wrap up all the items and place them in bags until your home and pets get flea treatment.
Vacuum your home
After that, the best thing you can do is to vacuum as much as possible. Vacuuming will suck up adult fleas, as well as eggs, larva, and pupae that are hidden in your carpet. Vacuuming also breaks up the carpet pile and allows insecticides to penetrate more deeply. After vacuuming, be sure to place the bag in a plastic bag, seal it, and dispose of it outside.
Vacuum your home daily for at least a month to get rid of fleas completely. Adult fleas can be killed on the first treatment but to prevent re-infestation, eggs should be killed.
Flea Sprays, Powders, Flea Bombs and Foggers
To totally clear flea infestation, you’ll probably want to use a flea spray or fogger. Foggers, or flea bombs, are often preferred because they’re convenient, and can just be set off room and left to do their job. However, you may find that using a spray that you use directly on an infested area more effective.
Spray your carpets and all the corners of your home with these insecticides to treat fleas. Read the labels carefully as these chemicals are potentially dangerous. Flea granules are safe for the treatment of fleas and can be applied once a year. Do follow all the directions carefully before application.
Whatever spray you use, make sure it contains both an insecticide, such as pyrethrin, as well as an insect growth regulator, such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen. The insect growth regulator plays the critical role of killing eggs, larva, and pupae so that they don’t hatch and re-infest your home.
The most important part of any flea control program is to stay with it. If you think you’ve killed all the fleas, continue with the program. Keep treating your pet, and keep vacuuming. Vacuum every day if you can, but at least three times a week. It’s the cheapest and most effective way to control fleas, and it’s non-toxic.
Natural flea treatment for your home
If you want to avoid chemical sprays, you can make use of home remedies to kill fleas. They are natural and effective to get rid of fleas.
- Sprinkling boric acid wherever you see the possibility of fleas, eggs or larvae is a good natural home remedy to treat fleas. You have to mix 4 parts of borax with one part of salt to make this flea remedy.
- Placing rock salt or table salt under your furniture is also a good remedy to prevent flea infestation. It’s an inexpensive way to control fleas in the home.
- Herbal flea sprays are also available in the market, which can be sprayed after vacuuming the house to eliminate fleas. Spray your carpets, pet – bedding, floors, every corner of the house.
Keep Your Eyes Open
Fleas feed on humans and on warm-blooded pets, so keep examining your pets closely for this pest. Clean and vacuum your house more frequently during the warmer months as with fleas it is much easier to prevent them than treat them.
Finally remember that while it is hard to eliminate fleas it is not impossible, you just need to be thorough and persistent.