Flea is a common name for any small wingless insect of the type “Siphonaptera”. A flea though looks small, has the ability to multiply about 800-million fleas within just 5 days. Fleas are tiny agile insects, which lives on animals’ blood. And How To Get Rid Of Fleas In The House, which is important question that we need help. And these animals are frequently your harmless and furry dog or cat. It is common for your pets to bring in some fleas inside the house accidentally. This is when you wonder how to get rid of fleas in the house. To help you out, here are few tricks to consider.
How To Get Rid Of Fleas In The House?
1. Start Cleaning
Once you find out that you have fleas in the house, the primary step is to start cleaning things, which have been exposed to infected animals or persons. This removes much of its eggs & larvae. Gather all your rugs, bedding, pillowcases and throws. Wash them using soapy water. This kills larvae, eggs, pupae & even adults.
2. Vacuum Everything
The next tip on how to get rid of fleas in your house is to use your vacuum cleaner. Vacuum properly on areas that don’t get sunlight (because fleas like cool and humid spots). Before vacuuming your carpets, consider sprinkling Baking soda, Borax or salt over it. Use a broom to spread it evenly on all sides. Let it be there for few hours. Don’t allow your kids or pets to walk on it.
Vacuum all your floor cracks, carpets, furniture, floor corners, bare floors & places where dust collects. Vacuum picks up eggs. However, larvae may be still sticking around your carpet. It needs more and proper cleaning. Once you vacuum everything, dispose the waste bag immediately so that larvae don’t escape out.
3. Steam-Clean Your Carpets
There is a surefire trick to get rid of fleas from the carpet. Use steam cleaning for this but the drawback is that steam cannot kill the eggs. So, after you steam clean the carpet, go for a second process. Use insecticidal shampoo to wash your carpet. Pest control could also be a great option but is highly expensive.
4. Use Humidifiers Based On Your Room Size
A 4×4-m area requires a 10L/Day dehumidifier (this removes 10L water in air/day). Experts say that fleas need 50% or high relative humidity to survive. Therefore, keep your room’s humidity under 50% at least for two days. This will kill all the adult fleas & larva. Even the flea eggs stops from hatching.
5. Clean The Outdoors Too
It is equally important to clean your outdoor space as well. Clean all the space, where your pet hangs out. Keep your pets away while cleaning. Trim the lawns & weeds. Expose moist, dark and cool spots to sunlight.
6. Bathe Your Pet
Use gentle shampoo to bathe your pet. Wash the body and neck thoroughly first so that fleas do not jump to your pet’s head. When you make it bathe, you should see fleas coming out and floating around in water.
7. Use Herbal Water On Your Pet
If you really want to learn how to get rid of fleas in your house then apply this. Just take 2-cups rosemary leaves (fresh) & add them into 2-pints of water. Allow it to boil for half an hour & strain it out. Eliminate the leaves & mix this solution in 1-gallon of water. Now, pour this water on your pet’s body. Finally, air-dry your pet.
8. Use A Clean Flea Comb On Your Pet
Yet another great trick for getting rid of fleas from your pet’s body is by making use of flea comb. You can get it from any pet store. A flea comb is exclusively designed to eliminate fleas. Brush everywhere on your pet’s skin.
9. Use Dish Detergent
Believe it or not, dish detergent is highly toxic for fleas. As soon as they encounter this solution, they die. All you have to do is follow the below listed instructions:
- Place the detergent mixture & water in a shallow bowl. Keep it low enough so that fleas accidentally jump into it. Personally, I used a Frisbee for this and it did the job perfectly.
- It is important to place this mixture near a light source. If possible, a nightlight. Fleas get easily attracted to light and while approaching it, they accidentally fall into the pit you have made for them.
10. Make Your Own Citrus Spray
Take a fresh lemon and slice it thinly. Then add little water & allow it to boil. Let it be there overnight. In the morning, spray it on areas where you doubt fleas might hang out (be careful of staining). Most importantly rub it on your pet’s fur. Do not soak. Just dampen the furs. Do this at least once in a month to fight fleas. Never use a lot of citrus spray on your pet, as it can cause discomfort. So, keep your eyes wide open for this.
11. Employ Pennyroyal
I am sure you must have heard how this oil helps in getting rid of fleas. All you have to do is to plant around your home. Avoid this if your pet is prone to eating plants.
12. A Flea Pet Collar
Take your pet’s neckerchief or collar and add very little drops of pure Eucalyptus oil, citronella, tea tree oil, geranium or lavender oil. Do this weekly. But please make a note, avoid using essential oils on your cat because he or she is tremendously sensitive to tea tree and Eucalyptus oil. There is a big risk of your cat’s system being overloaded. If it is tea tree oil or any other essential oil, make sure it is 1% or even less. Excess proportions can cause vomiting, nausea, lethargy and weakness. Therefore, use it with caution.
13. Clean Your Pets Frequently
This is another important tip to make a note when it comes to how to get rid of fleas in house. Washing your pets regularly will kill all the fleas residing on it. Chances are that there might be host of larvae & fleas waiting eagerly to hop on your pet. Prepare your pet for a bath by using good quality flea soap on its eyes, ears, mouth, butt and nose. As soon as fleas experiences water, they instantly look for safer places to hide, which more often turns out to be your dog’s anus.
Therefore, apply flea soap prior getting your dog wet. Once you have applied the flea soap onto your dog’s vulnerable parts, get your dog wet & lather the entire body up. Allow your pet to stand for 10 minutes at least, working in flea soap as much as possible. Finally, comb those dead fleas out when dried.
14. Repeat The Cleaning Regimen Regularly
Last but not the least on how to get rid of fleas in the house is to repeat the pet’s cleaning regime regularly. Don’t miss or feel lazy about it. Obviously, you don’t want fleas to multiply. So, vacuum carefully every day or at least on alternate days. Vacuuming regularly brings them under control. Also, mow your lawn regularly. Most importantly, wash your pet’s bedding in soapy hot water once a week.