How To Get Rid Of Fleas In Your Home

If you want to know how to get rid of fleas in your home you’ve come to the right place. There’s nothing worse than seeing those tell tale tiny black specks.

Or even more worse, feeling itchy and scratchy! Then, you remember you have friends coming round in a few days time!

One thing is certain if you have pets, they will get fleas at some point. Whether you have cats or dogs it’s vital you treat both them and your home at the same time.

In this post you’ll discover proven ways to get rid of fleas in your home quickly and safely. You’ll also learn how to spot fleas, where they like to hang out, and lots more.

Why Treating Your Pet Isn’t Enough

While regular monthly flea treatments for your cat or dog are good, you must treat your home as well. This is because eggs and larvae can lie dormant for months.

If your pet brings them indoors you can expect female fleas to lay up to 30 or more eggs a day! Can you imagine how many females your cat or dog could be hosting?

Once these tiny eggs dry they can fall off your pet and become embedded in carpets and furnishings. So you see, unless you take control of the situation your home can quickly become infested.

It’s not only your home that suffers but your pet as well. As your cat becomes infested she’ll start scratching. If you fail to treat her and your home things could get worse.

Thinning hair and bald patches aren’t something you want to see on your furbaby! This could easily happen though if a flea infestation takes hold.

How Fleas Enter Your Home

You may be surprised to learn that it’s not only your pet that brings fleas indoors. Visiting your friends who also have pets can have you returning home with a few hitch hikers!

Although humans don’t make good hosts for fleas they can still become attached to your clothing. This is how easy it is for fleas to enter your home. In fact, they can even be carried inside on the soles of shoes.

Also, fleas are so tiny they can enter your home on pieces of old furniture. So, that antique dresser you bought home from a garage sale could easily have a few passengers tagging along!

In addition, tiny cracks in window frames or floor boards can be the perfect entry point for fleas. It’s not just your home either, as fleas thrive outdoors on lawns, flower beds, and compost heaps.

Fleas can jump as far as an amazing 13 inches. That’s about 200 times its own height!

This is why it’s so easy for them to enter your home. You don’t have to worry though as I’m about to share some proven tips on keeping your home flea free!

How To Spot Fleas

Before we get into cleaning tips, you may be wondering how to spot fleas. As mentioned previously, they’re very tiny and only just visible to the naked eye.

Flea dirt has a reddish tinge, and is feces with ingested blood. You can distinguish this from dust by placing the black specs on white tissue and spraying with water.

If they turn red it’s flea dirt. Also if you notice tiny white dots on your carpet or furnishings, they’re probably flea eggs.

Most people assume fleas only appear in Spring and Summer, but they can enter your home all year round.

Central heating provides the perfect environment for fleas, where they can thrive in warm places. So you see, autumn and winter are just as flea friendly in warm homes as the heat of summer.

Invest In A Powerful Vacuum

If you have pets you need a pet vacuum with hepa filter. This is because it stops fleas, larvae, and eggs from escaping. In addition, it also traps pollutants, allergens, and dust.

Get the best you can afford as this will be your number one tool in eliminating fleas from your home. Most come with a variety of attachments making it easy to clean sofas, curtains and flooring.

While bagged vacuums make it easy to dispose of everything without coming into contact with dirt and dust, I prefer bagless. This is simply because I hate changing hoover bags!

Make sure you wash the filter regularly to avoid clogging and loss of suction. In addition, cleaning your vacuum will extend its life.

Get a steam cleaner

Steam cleaners are great for blitzing bacteria as well as killing fleas. However, although some eggs will be killed, there’s a chance others will hatch.

This is because heat from the steam may stimulate eggs to hatch. You could use a steamer after vacuuming though. This will give maximum effect.

Wash all bedding

Make sure you wash all your pet’s bedding on the highest temperature recommended for the fabric. Also, tumble dry on a high setting if possible.

This ensures all adult fleas and larvae are killed. In addition, add a cup of apple cider vinegar to your laundry as this repels fleas.

If your cat or dog shares your bed it’s essential you wash all sheets, pillow cases and duvet cover. Even if you can’t see any fleas or eggs they’re so tiny you could easily miss them.

After you’ve stripped the bed, vacuum the mattress. Use the upholstery attachment and pay careful attention to crevices.

This is where flea eggs and larvae could be lying dormant. You can also finish off by steam cleaning it. Allow the mattress to air dry for a few hours before placing clean sheets on the bed.

Steam Clean Soft Furnishings

Most pets spend time on the sofa so if you have a flea infestation you must clean it thoroughly. Start by removing seats and any scatter cushions.

Then vacuum the sofa using the upholstery nozzle. pay attention to any small gaps where flea eggs could survive.

Next, use a hand held steamer to clean the seats. This will not only kill fleas and most eggs but save you removing the covers.

I don’t know about you but removing covers is hard work and often a fight to put them back on again! Also, don’t forget to steam the curtains.

You don’t need to take them down as this creates a lot of unnecessary work. Instead just use a hand held steamer.

Removing fleas from flooring and carpets

Fleas thrive in carpets so it’s important to vacuum thoroughly if you have rugs or carpets in your home. One good tip is to sprinkle salt on the carpet first.

Salt kills adult fleas as well as eggs so it’s a great natural remedy. You’d need to leave the salt for a couple of days before vacuuming though.

Hardwood or laminate flooring can be vacuumed first, then steam cleaned. Watch for any cracks as fleas or other pests can soon take residence.

Spray surfaces with lemon

Lemon is a natural flea deterrent, and when sprayed on kitchen surfaces or any surface in your home can repel these tiny pests. Simply squeeze fresh lemon juice into a spray bottle and add water.

In addition, you could also add a sprig of rosemary for an even greater effect. Be careful of wood though as it’s best to use a dry cloth on wooden surfaces.

Choosing the best flea products for your home takes a little research. While chemical based products often give immediate results they can be toxic and harmful to pets.

However, products with natural ingredients are often just as effective in killing and deterring pesky fleas. In fact if you or your pet have allergies, natural is kinder and less likely to cause any reaction.

Clean your yard or garden

Flea infestations don’t confine themselves to the home. In actual fact, fleas can thrive in tall grasses especially during warm weather.54trt

Mowing your lawn regularly can deter fleas. Avoid using insecticide though as it can be harmful to pets.

Cedar is a natural flea repellant, so sprinkle plenty of it in flower beds as well as shrubs and bushes. You could also sprinkle it on edges of pathways or your drive,

Bird seed is great for feeding local wildlife but can also attract fleas. If you have a bird table in your garden make sure you keep it clean.

Remove any stale food including seed that’s dropped on the ground. As well as deterring pests you’ll have a nice tidy garden.

Nematodes are tiny organisms that live in soil. They also deter fleas as well as termites, grubs and other pests.

You can buy nematodes from garden centres or online. As they’re light sensitive you should always add around dusk or dawn during low light.

The best way to add these microscopic worms to your garden is using a watering can. Always follow pack instructions, and only add the recommended amount.

Treating your car for fleas

If you have a dog you probably take him out in the car. Unfortunately, he could also be carrying extra passengers! The same goes for your cat though you’d probably only the use the car occasionally for trips to the vet.

Treating your home for fleas should always include the car. Fleas can easily be picked up at the vets, even though it’s spotlessly clean.

Your dog could pick up fleas from a park, or anywhere there are other animals. It’s also possible fleas could infest your car after visiting friends with pets.

Remove all mats from your car and wash with hot soapy water. Then, using a car vacuum clean the seats and floor area. Make sure you get the nozzle in between the passenger seats to remove any flea eggs or larvae.

Final thoughts

I hope this article has helped you understand how to get rid of fleas in your home. Though fleas are very common, unless treated quickly a few stray adult fleas can quickly become an infestation.

The most important thing is to always treat your pet for fleas at the same time you treat your home. Also, if you have multiple cats or dogs you must treat each one.

There are plenty of effective flea and tick treatments available for both cats and dogs. Some contain fipronil and methoprene while others use natural ingredients.

Whatever one you decide to try, the most important thing is it’s effectiveness. Flea sprays for the home are a good idea but many have strong chemical smells.

As mentioned previously in this article, natural ingredients can do a great job in repelling fleas. These include lemon, rosemary, and cedar.

If you’ve enjoyed this post and found it useful please share. Feel free to share this pin on your “pets” board

Also, if you have any questions or would like to share experiences leave a comment below.

Wishing you a purrfect day:)

Kathy