How to Get Rid of Fleas: A Combination Approach

how do you get rid of fleas in your house

To get rid of fleas in the house, address the issue from a number of angles by cleaning your pets, your pets’ bedding, and the most flea-vulnerable surfaces around your home. Avoid bathing your cat more than once per week while dealing with fleas. Under normal circumstances, most cats don’t need to be bathed. Apply an even, liberal amount to an outdoor rug, an indoor carpet, or furniture you're targeting.

how do you get rid of fleas in your house

Grooming Your Pets

Check any product you use and follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully to ensure the safety of your pet. If you spill the product on the ground or on your clothes, clean it up and change clothes immediately. This is not to be confused with the toxic compound commonly known as Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate. These ingredients have previously been used in many flea-treatment powders.

Thoroughly Clean Areas the Cat Frequents

Even if you use a topical flea medication or spray, you still need to continue cleaning. Fleas lay a lot of eggs, and the cycle can start over if you aren’t vigilant. If your flea infestation is mild, then washing your bedding in hot water and soap might just be enough to get rid of fleas inside the house. Although flea combs aren’t necessarily natural, they are a good way to reduce the number of fleas on your cat without using harsh chemicals.

Steam-clean carpets and furniture.

Here, you're only half a mile from a year-round dog-friendly beach - imagine your beloved pet bounding across stretches of sand, as well as through nearby forest glens. They are very small with a central red spot, often appearing in groups of three or four. Fleas’ bodies are compressed laterally (from side to side), meaning that they have a rather tall and narrow profile that allows them to move easily among the hairs of their host. A flea’s mouth is pointed and sharp, built for biting and sucking blood.

The most effective method is taking a multi-pronged approach, treating your pet, home, and yard at the same time. Fleas do not typically live on humans; they prefer animal hosts. However, according to Bentley, they will resort to biting people when animals are unavailable and can then readily return to pets. Focus your walk-through on areas where you find flea dirt and that your pet frequents, and those without direct sunlight or heavy foot traffic. If you’re having trouble spotting fleas, also examine areas that have a lot of pet hair and around human beds.

Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Dog Shampoo

SAN ANTONIO — If you're having an issue with bugs or other pests at home, an exterminator can be quite costly. As we report in tonight's Verify, home remedies seem to be the way to go for many people. All pets need to be registered with a veterinary practice, where you can take them for routine health care and advice, as well as any emergency treatment. Take a look at my guide on Pest Proofing Your Home In Under a Day! Before vacuuming, it’s good practice to pick up any loose items off the floor.

Fleas can be dangerous for your cat, along with the other animals and people in your home. The ideal way to treat fleas is a combination of the tasks mentioned above, along with prescription flea medication from your veterinarian. Avoid using things like diatomaceous earth and essential oils to get rid of fleas, as these are often touted as natural ways to get rid of fleas, but they can be dangerous for your cat.

How to get rid of fleas: 9 effective ways to get rid of fleas in the house

It may seem old school, but a flea comb with tiny teeth can do a good job of removing fleas from your pet. Do it outside, and focus on the neck area and the base of the tail. For the parts of your home where you and your pets hang out the most, like the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms, vacuum every day.

How To Identify And Get Rid Of A Snow Flea Infestation - House Digest

How To Identify And Get Rid Of A Snow Flea Infestation.

Posted: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

To check whether your pet’s the culprit, take them outside or into the bathroom, set a bowl of hot soapy water aside, and use a flea comb to comb through your pet’s fur. Fleas can be tricky to kill because they’re rather good at hiding, and they can live for a year or longer, says Cornell University’s Insect Diagnostic Lab. Also, depending on whom you ask, experts say a flea can lay anywhere from 500 to 5,000 eggs during its lifetime. If you miss any bugs, you could be trapped in a life cycle of misery trying to remove them from your home as they repopulate. If you have a bagless vacuum, you need to empty it into a trash bag when you’re done, seal the trash bag and throw it OUTSIDE. Then clean the canister and any detachable hose extensions you've used with hot soap and water.

There’s a hammock on the first floor veranda, and it’s a great spot to swing and take in the view. Four-legged friends have their own space in the ‘Doghouse’ and walks across the North York Moors are a must-do. Dogs can get fleas in many ways, but the most common way is from one animal to another.

Fleas flourish in warm climates and usually (but not always) die in the winter season. Excessive itching and scratching is a telltale sign your pet may have fleas. On average, fleas are 2-4 millimeters long, making them visible to the naked eye.

The most effective way to get rid of fleas on pets is to combine several methods for reducing the number of adults, eggs and larvae in the home and on your pets. These include vacuuming areas where your pets frequent, providing flea treatments to all pets in the home and hiring a professional pest control company to treat in and around your house. As well as ensuring you comb your dogs and cats with a flea comb regularly, there are plenty of natural ways to help avoid a nasty infestation. 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.

By fighting fleas outdoors, you’ll help to prevent them from migrating inside and causing repeated problems. To see where fleas are clustering in your yard, put on a pair of white socks (they need to be higher than your ankles) and any pair of shoes, and then head outside. Once you’ve identified the hot zones, thoroughly vacuum your entire home, paying special attention to those areas. This includes under beds and around furniture; in cabinets, heat vents, floor cracks, and corners; and on baseboards, upholstery, and pillows. Clear stray items from under beds, out of closets, and from carpeted areas. Move furniture and rugs around to expose cracks and baseboards.

Our furry friends are always socialising, so fleas can easily jump from fur to fur. As well as this, dogs can also catch fleas from the grass outside. On our pets, more aggressive action is usually needed, since the flea’s entire life cycle takes place on their host and every stage needs to be dealt with. Fleas are tiny insects (1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long) that commonly live as parasites on cats, dogs, and other warm-blooded animals. They are wingless and usually reddish-brown, with hard, polished bodies covered with microscopic backward-pointing spines and hairs. According to Fernandez, there are dog- and cat-specific treatments that you can apply orally (by mouth) or topically (on the skin and fur).

For a full list of reasons, check out our guide on the reasons why you can’t get rid of fleas in your house. Fleas are far less prevalent in the winter than in the summer, but they can still hang on even during a cold, damp winter season. You should protect your pets year-round from fleas, not just in the warmer months.

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