Fleas are a major problem not just for your pets, but also for you. These bloodsuckers can bite you too and result into itchy bite marks that can lead to infections.
Here are effective ways to protect yourself from flea bites and fleas in general.
1. Check if your pet or your surroundings have fleas
The best way to prevent flea bites is to not have fleas in and around your vicinity. Check your pet and your surroundings for signs of a flea infestation.
Here are the ones you want to check in particular.
- Your pet. If your pet has fleas, it’s highly likely that it will spread them inside and outside of your home. Also examine your pet’s bedding.
- Your carpets and furniture. Fleas can thrive on specific items in your house, such as your carpets. Furniture that has crevices such as sofas and mattresses should be inspected.
- Your yard. Fleas can also thrive on the greens of your yard, such as on the bushes, under the trees, and areas where debris have accumulated. Also check the areas where your pet frequents.
2. Treat your pet’s flea problem
As long as your pet is suffering from a flea infestation, you will always be at risk of getting bitten by these fleas yourself.
Here are simple tips to get rid of the fleas on your pet.
- Give your pet a bath. Use shampoos and soaps that are guaranteed safe for pet use. You don’t necessarily need to use those that are specifically designed to combat fleas.
- Use a flea comb. Stroke your pet with a flea comb and dip the comb into a bowl of soap and water to kill the fleas you have caught there. Give particular attention to your pet’s neck and tail.
- Talk to your vet. A surefire way to solve your pet’s flea problem is through a consultation with a vet. Nothing beats professional help.
3. Get rid of the fleas in your home
As said earlier, a pet that has fleas spreads fleas around your home. This will increase your chances of getting bitten by these pests as well.
So, you should treat the flea infestation not just in your pet, but also in your home. Here are things you can do to solve your home’s flea problem.
- Use a vacuum or a steam cleaner. Vacuum or steam clean your pet’s bedding and your carpet and furniture to get rid of fleas. When using a vacuum, make sure to throw the vacuum bag in a trash bin outside your home to prevent re-infestation. When using a steam cleaner, make sure to have two cleaning sessions because the heat doesn’t kill the eggs. Wait for the eggs to hatch and steam clean again.
- Use chemicals specifically designed to kill fleas. Use aerosol sprays across surfaces. Just make sure to not touch the surfaces while they are still wet from the chemicals. For a more systematic approach, use foggers. Just make sure to close all windows and leave your home for a few hours to give the foggers time to kill off the fleas.
- Get professional help. If you don’t want to rely on DIY and have some spare cash with you, consider calling an exterminator and letting them do the job for you.
4. Keep your pet and surroundings flea-proof
There are things you can do to reduce the risk of a flea infestation in your pet and your surroundings.
- Keep your pet hygienic. Fleas don’t discriminate. They can settle on hygienic and unhygienic pets. But it helps if you regularly give your pet a bath. It will get rid of lone hitchhikers that may start a terrible flea infestation.
- Always clean your home. Always vacuum or steam clean your home, especially the spots where fleas can thrive, such as your pet’s bedding and your carpet and furniture.
- Consider putting natural flea predators in your yard. Lady bugs and nematodes are natural flea predators. You can add some in your yard as a first line of defense against these pests. You can buy lady bugs and nematodes on garden stores.
5. Cover up to protect yourself from flea bites
There may already be fleas on your pets and surroundings. Of course, you can’t get rid of them immediately, so you should think of ways on how to protect yourself from flea bites while fleas are still roaming around.
One way to protect yourself is to cover up. The less exposed your skin is, the less likely you are to get bitten.
- Use shirts with long sleeves. Fleas like warm areas like your armpits and the folds in your elbows. By wearing long-sleeved shirts, you are making your entire arm inaccessible for these pests.
- Wear pants. Fleas are likely coming from your floors, where your carpets and pet’s bedding are usually located. For this reason, the lower part of your body is more susceptible to flea bites. Cover the lower part of your body by wearing pants.
- Cover your ankles and feet with socks. Your ankles and feet make direct contact with your floors, so they are at high risk of flea bites. Cover them with socks.
6. Use natural flea repellents
Another way to protect yourself from flea bites is through the use of natural ingredients that fleas don’t like.
- Put vinegar in your dog’s drinking water. Fleas don’t like vinegar. If they smell vinegar emitting from your dog’s skin, they will naturally stay away. Just make sure you don’t add too much vinegar in your dog’s drink to avoid harming your dog.
- Use a lemon spray. Dilute lemon juice into water and put the solution in a spray bottle. You can spray around your house, especially on spots where fleas can thrive. You can also spray on your and your loved ones’ clothes to naturally repel these pests and avoid their bites.
- Use an essential oil diffuser. Some essential oils are said to be natural flea repellents, such as those with eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, and peppermint. Buy some of these essential oils and put them in a diffuser that can spread them throughout your home.
These simple tips will protect you and your family from flea bites.
The best way to protect yourself and your family from flea bites is to not have fleas in your pet and in and around your home. Keep your pet and surroundings clean.
If you already have a flea infestation, cover up so you are not giving these pests easy access to your skin. Use natural repellents to drive them away. You can also actively get rid of them by vacuuming, steam cleaning, using insecticides, and calling for professional exterminator services.
Follow these tips and you and your family will be safe from fleas and their bites.