How to Get Rid of Fleas
If you are Googling how to sort out a flea problem, I know you will want quick answers. This will be a brief blog with the answers you need!
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How to get rid of fleas?
As soon as I see fleas I jump straight into trying to get rid of them. Why? Well, each flea can lay between 40 to 50 eggs a day so it is important to stop the cycle straight away. Also, fleas travel on humans or other pets very easily.
To get rid of fleas, you need to:
- Treat the pets
- Remove eggs from the pets
- Treat the house
Getting rid of fleas from pets
Treat the pets
For cats or dogs, use a prescription strength flea treatment to treat the fleas on the pets. Usually these treatments are put on the back of the pets neck. These can either be obtained from the vets or from online suppliers such as Amazon. I've always had great results from a product called Advantage.
Please make sure you get the right pack depending on the type of animal and it's weight.
Make sure your pet is the right age for the treatment. Particular care should be taken for young, pregnant or nursing animals.
Read the instructions before use and also to check for the repeat schedule. This is usually 4 weeks.
All pets in the house may need treatment as fleas will jump onto any animal including pet rodents. For treating smaller animals, please get advice from a vet. Take caution using near birds and aquatic animals.
Please do not use supermarket brands. This sort of problem needs specialist, safe products.
If in doubt, please consult your vet. Most vets and some online suppliers also offer subscription services where the preventative flea treatment is sent out to your home once a month.
Remove fleas and their eggs from the pets
Use a flea comb to remove the fleas and their eggs. It's very much like removing nits from a child's head.
Vacuum the area well afterwards to make sure the fleas and eggs are removed from the house.
Getting rid of fleas from the house
This is the hardest part!
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum!!! Everything. Repeatedly.
Flea eggs get everywhere. They are tiny and can lay dormant until changes in the temperature, vibrations, carbon dioxide etc.
This means cleaning low down, skirting boards, high up, any little cracks in woodwork/floors and paying attention to where the pets spend their time. Literally vacuum every nook and cranny.
Don’t forget to vacuum furniture and sofas as well as under them. Include pet furniture such as cat activity trees and scratching posts!
Hot wash pets’ bedding etc. I tend to hot wash cushion covers and sofa throws as well as the pets spend a lot of time there.
Use a suitable pesticide. I recommend using Indorex and do one room at a time. You will need to do the room, shut the door and stay out of it for half an hour. Then the room will need to be aired. Read the instructions as it isn’t safe for animals, aquatic tanks or humans.
After treating the room, you should hoover every day for a week. The vibrations mean that the eggs hatch to be killed by the Indorex, as well the vacumming removing the fleas/eggs. Don’t forget to empty the vacuum to remove all the fleas and eggs from the house.
To be on the safe side, I vacuum anything out such as shoes, coats and bags.
I also use Indorex in my car, as fleas and eggs are easily carried on humans. I don't want to take any risks of an flea or egg surviving.