13 Easy Ways to Get Rid of Fleas in the House Forever
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Flea prevention is the best method to avoid flea-related illness and discomfort, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC). If you already have fleas in your home, though, you can employ a few methods to get rid of them. Multiple modalities may be needed in combination for the best results.
How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your House, in Your Yard, and More
Try mixing a bit of dish soap into a bowl of water; the mixture kills any fleas that fall in. Likely targets are the lamps in the same room as your pet’s preferred sleeping area. For the best results, you need guidance from a professional. Here at A Step Above Pest Control & Termite, we understand the challenges that come with flea infestations. We want to protect your home and your household from these dangerous pests.
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Since this product doesn’t work on all flea life cycle stages, it shouldn’t be used as a standalone treatment. The EPA warns homeowners about the use of non-EPA-approved pesticides and the dangers of using some over-the-counter flea treatments. For fast and safe treatment, it’s best to have a professional pest management company treat your home. Fleas are parasitic insects that are typically brown in color and smaller than 1/8 of an inch. When choosing hosts, fleas prefer furry, four-legged animals to humans. However, fleas will sometimes hop onto nearby human hosts, and they can take up residence in your home’s carpets and bedding.
Try a homemade lemon-infused spray
Move furniture, vacuum along baseboards, and get into as many small crevices as you can. Apple cider vinegar is another key kitchen ingredient that helps repel fleas. Unlike table salt, apple cider vinegar doesn't directly kill fleas, but it may aid in preventing them. It's thought that fleas strongly dislike the smell of the vinegar, and will stay away from it.
Below, we will offer some tips for DIY flea extermination that gets rid of both live adult insects and their eggs. These bloodsucking insects leave behind itchy bites, and in some cases, can carry and transfer disease. Protecting your pets with regular medication is the first step in prevention, but even homes without pets can sometimes become infested with fleas. A week or two after treatment, you may find that fleas have returned. If so, vacuum the entire house once more, again taking care to empty the machine outside. You may also consider using flea traps to vanquish the remaining pests.
Clean your home thoroughly
Tablet salt is said to help kill fleas that may have found a home in various fabrics. This includes carpeting, drapes, furniture, and outdoor rugs. It's thought that salt works against fleas by literally drying them out.
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Then, use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all of the dead and paralyzed fleas that may be left behind. If you’ve ever owned a furry animal before, you’re probably very familiar with fleas. These annoying pests that hitch a ride on cats and dogs can infest your home in the blink of an eye—and once they’re there, it can be hard to get them out. The advent of topical flea treatments for pets have made insecticides pretty outdated. Topical prescriptions stop or augment the flea’s reproductive cycle and rapidly kill an infestation.
Don’t forget to vacuum the areas where your pet sleeps and eats. Empty the vacuum cleaner bin or throw away bags in a garbage can outside right away so the fleas can’t sneak back in. Avoid bathing your cat more than once per week while dealing with fleas. Under normal circumstances, most cats don’t need to be bathed.
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Pay close attention to floors, upholstery, mattresses, and those hard-to-reach corners. Once you have finished vacuuming, empty the bag or filter immediately. Adult fleas live on the fur of animals where they will lay their eggs. The average life cycle of a flea is around 100 days, however, they can live indoors for up to a year if the conditions are favourable to them. Pick up things laying around, wash clothing and other items on the floor, dust, remove trash, and generally make things are orderly and clean as possible.
Whether you have a dog or cat, you'll want to wash their bedding on a hot wash to get rid of any flea eggs. Fleas can be a real pest to deal with once your cat picks them up, and if left untreated, fleas can become very dangerous for pets, leading to anemia and spreading disease. While humans aren’t primary hosts for fleas, that doesn’t mean that they won’t bite you if you’re around.
Keep in mind that, while some kitchen ingredients may aid in managing a small number of fleas and repel them, you should consider seeking professional pest control for large infestations. To use salt against fleas, sprinkle it liberally over an area that has an active infestation. You can also brush it in fabrics, so it penetrates into the fibers to damage flea eggs, too. PetMeds recommends leaving the salt for 12 to 48 hours before thoroughly vacuuming it up. Another consideration is the safety of your pets, as high levels of salt can be toxic to cats and dogs. Failing to clean up all salt left behind can also damage furniture and carpeting.
Flea traps produce light and warmth, which naturally attract fleas, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Once inside the trap, fleas stick to a glue board, which you can then remove and replace periodically. Glue traps generally only capture adult fleas, so they shouldn’t be used as stand-alone treatments. If you have pets, treating them for fleas is every bit as important as treating your home. Your pet can contract flea-allergy dermatitis from multiple flea bites. Flea-allergy dermatitis is severe itching following flea bites.
As an online informational resource, Preventive Vet is unable to and does not provide specific medical advice or counseling. A thorough physical exam, patient history, and an established veterinary-patient-client relationship is required to provide specific medical advice. Diatomaceous earth is a non-chemical alternative to sprays that can be fairly effective in killing fleas. It's a fine silica-based powder made up of fossilized aquatic organisms called diatoms.
You may see hair loss and extremely itchy and irritated skin if your cat isn’t eating a high-quality diet or if they have allergies to fleas. Fleas can be extremely sneaky pests, finding places to hide just about anywhere. They can settle into carpets, furniture, and other surfaces that allow a comfortable place to hide. Vacuum everywhere you can think of in order to catch as many fleas and eggs as possible.
As mentioned above, fleas love hot and damp places, so they will go wherever that occurs. Just like any other insects, fleas hate your lawn being so short. They will not have any hiding places, especially since your lawn will not last long. However, do not make your lawn too short, as this will not help your grass to grow. However, if you recently adopted any pets or stayed at a doggy daycare, your house is also at a higher risk. Diatomaceous Earth is made from the skeletons of tiny organisms called diatoms.
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