Fleas are some of the most annoying pests you can have at your home, because they are so small that it may be hard to get rid of them.
But don’t worry. There are simple ways you can follow to get rid of fleas from your home once and for all.
1. Give your pet a bath
Before anything else, look at the source of the flea infestation – your pet. Give your pet a bath. A good soap will be enough to kill the fleas on your little angel. As long as the soap is safe for pet use, you are good to go.
You don’t necessarily need to use shampoos and soaps specifically designed to combat fleas. But if you really want to use such things, it’s best to consult your vet. Your pet doctor can recommend you the best options available for your pet.
2. Talk to your vet
As said earlier, it’s best to consult your vet if you want a more thorough and professional approach in dealing with your pet’s flea problem.
Your vet doesn’t just recommend you the best flea shampoos and soaps. She can also recommend the proper products to get rid of fleas in all their life cycles. She would know how to effectively get rid of both flea eggs and adult fleas.
3. Use a flea comb
If flea shampoos and soaps are too technical for you, you can settle with flea combs.
Go outside and comb your pet there. You don’t want to spread the fleas more in your home. Give particular attention to your pet’s neck and tail. They are hotspots for fleas.
After every few strokes, dip the flea comb to a bowl of soapy water to drown the fleas it has caught.
4. Wash your pet’s bedding regularly
To prevent fleas from thriving, you should wash the things where they are likely to stay. One of these things is your pet’s bedding.
Use hot water in washing your pet’s bedding and make sure to do this every few days. Dry the bedding using the hottest possible setting in your dryer.
If you choose to let a laundromat or a dry cleaner to do this for you, make sure that they are using pet-friendly chemicals.
5. Use a powerful vacuum
Your pet is not stationary. It moves and spreads the fleas around your home.
One good way to combat the spread of fleas around your home is to use a powerful vacuum. Use the vacuum on your own bedding, carpets, curtains, mattresses, and other surfaces where fleas can thrive.
You should also give particular attention to the crevices of your furniture and other small spaces where fleas and their eggs can hide.
After vacuuming, throw the vacuum bag in a garbage bin outside of your home to prevent re-infestation.
6. Try steam cleaning
If you think vacuuming is not enough for these surfaces, try steam cleaning.
The heat from steam cleaning is enough to kill the fleas in these surfaces, no matter how hard they try to escape.
The only down side here is that the heat doesn’t really do that much to the flea eggs. You may need to have another session of steam cleaning once the eggs hatch to kill these next generation fleas.
7. Consider using a fogger
Foggers, also known as bug bombs, use toxic fumes to get rid of fleas from your home. They are so effective that even pest exterminators use them.
What makes them super effective is the fact that they use fumes, so they can reach places that are quite inaccessible for vacuum and steam cleaners. They can also reach places that you didn’t even think of cleaning.
But fogging can be such a big hassle. You have to evacuate your home and close all passageways such as doors and windows to trap the fumes and let them do their magic.
8. Use aerosol sprays
There are few spots even foggers can’t reach, such as the bottom side of your mattress. You can use aerosol sprays for these spots. Make sure you use some that have chemicals specifically designed for the job.
For example, the chemical permethrin can kill fleas.
Use gloves when spraying and avoid touching the spots you have sprayed while they are still wet.
9. Maintain your lawn
Your yard can also be infested by fleas. You or your pet can get these fleas and transport them into your home. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to maintain your entire yard.
One of the favorite spots of fleas is your lawn. They like to hide on tall grass. Make sure to not give them an opportunity to hide by keeping your grass short.
10. Keep your yard clean
If your yard is littered with dead leaves, twigs, and other debris, you are just asking for a flea infestation. Fleas can hide under debris, especially to those that can protect them from heat sources such as sunlight.
Make sure your yard is not giving shade and shelter to these little pests by keeping it free of debris.
11. Clean the part of your yard where your pet likes to hangout
Observe your pet as it stays in your yard. You will notice that it has its favorite spots. Maybe it likes to lie down at a specific spot in the grass. Maybe it likes to stay and scratch itself at a particular bush.
These are ideal spots for fleas to thrive. Make sure to focus on these spots whenever you clean your yard.
These simple tips will help you get rid of fleas from your home
Get rid of fleas from your home by focusing on three aspects – your pet, the inside of your home, and your yard. These three aspects are the likely candidates that greatly contribute to the flea infestation in your home.
Wash your pet. Clean your home, especially on spots where fleas can hide. And maintain your yard to prevent fleas from ever getting near you and your pet. Follow these simple ways and your home will be free of fleas in no time.