How to get rid of fleas in the house

Fleas are tiny bugs that evade very quickly and live by feeding on the blood of animals. Once infested, fleas can live in carpets and on pets. To get rid of fleas, you can use insecticides and vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture. In addition, you also need to remember to thoroughly bathe your pet. If you apply radical measures, you can completely solve the problem within 1-2 weeks.

Table of Contents

Treat your home with insecticides

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Mix vegetable powder with borate powder or boric acid. The easiest way to kill fleas is to attack them when they are at their weakest: eggs and larvae. This mixture will help prevent flea outbreaks. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Borates are minerals widely used as a wood preservative, detergent, and insecticide. Borat poisons fleas when they are swallowed.
The average adult flea lives for 2-3 months and can survive for up to 100 days without needing to suck blood from the host. In contrast, newly hatched larvae need to eat within 3 days to not starve. Therefore, the easiest way is to destroy the larvae first.

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Sprinkle the borate mixture on carpets, furniture, and bedding. If you have pets at home, you also need to sprinkle the mixture on the dog or cat’s bed. It is best to do this when you are away from home for an extended period of time, for example 24 hours. You also need to arrange for your pet to be out of the house during this time. Wait a day for the mixture to settle. When you get home, vacuum carpets, furniture, and bedding. Be careful not to inhale the mixture of vegetable powder and borate. Wear a mask when sprinkling the mixture in the house.

Use insecticide in ventilated areas and remember to wear gloves. Overexposure to insecticides can be harmful to human and pet health.
Because fleas have a long life cycle, you will have to spray 2-3 times, 3 weeks apart to completely get rid of fleas.

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Place flea traps in your home with a borate mixture. Flea traps include a light and a flea killer. These traps will help you kill any fleas that have not been killed by the borate mixture. Fleas will gather, attracted by the light and heat of the lamp, fall into the trap and die from the poison in the trap. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If you have a curious pet in your home that can open traps and eat poison, place traps where they can’t reach or in rooms where you can prevent them from entering.

Kill fleas without insecticides

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Vacuum the house twice a day for 2 weeks. Vacuum any areas where fleas are present, including places where pets are frequent. Remember to move furniture and vacuum under it, and don’t forget to vacuum carpets and faraway areas of carpeting. You also need to vacuum all upholstery. Most fleas will not survive a thorough vacuuming!

People often use high-powered vacuums with strong suction, but an average vacuum cleaner is more than enough to do this well. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Always dispose of the trash bag in the vacuum cleaner after vacuuming is complete. This will help prevent fleas from returning.

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Pour water into a shallow bowl and add 2 drops of dishwashing liquid. Pour soapy water into a shallow bowl low enough for floor fleas to accidentally jump in. Place a bowl of soapy water next to a low-hanging light bulb, preferably a night light. Fleas will go there because they are attracted to the light, and many will fall into the mix and die.

Soap water is like a poison pool for fleas. They will die when they jump into the solution.
If you don’t have a shallow bowl, you can find something similar to replace it, an old throwing saucer, for example.

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Spray the lemon juice solution on the flea-infested area. Cut a lemon into thin slices and drop in 1 liter of water and bring to a boil. Let the solution sit overnight for maximum potency. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray the infected area. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapefruits all work.

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Spread cedar shavings in areas where fleas are common. Scatter cedar shavings in the corners of the room, in the dog’s kennel or nest, and under furniture. You can also wrap the cedar shavings in cotton and tuck them between the mattresses on the sofa, under the pillows, and if possible, inside the sheets. This will help prevent fleas from crawling onto the bed. Fleas hate the smell of cedar and they will stay away at all costs. ^{[5] X Research Source} Cedar shavings are available at pet stores or building supplies stores.

Make sure your pet is not allergic to cedar. Dogs can have a cedar allergy. Discontinue use if your dog has a reaction such as sneezing or eye swelling.

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Sprinkle salt on the surface of the carpet. Salt is a desiccant, which means it will draw moisture from other things and leave them dry. The salt crystals will attach to the fleas and rub off as they move, dehydrating them to death. Leave the salt on the carpet for 7-10 days, then vacuum the salt. Be sure to thoroughly vacuum the salt and fleas from the carpet. Repeat this method 1-2 more times. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Use very fine grained salt, the finer the better; The salt must be fine to adhere to the fleas.
When you’re done vacuuming, dispose of the trash bag in the vacuum cleaner and replace it with a new one.

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Sprinkle food grade diatomaceous earth around the house. Similar to salt, diatomaceous earth will kill fleas by rubbing them against their body. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of diatomaceous earth over flea-infested carpet areas. ^{[7] X Research Source} You can also use diatomaceous earth for flea control by sprinkling it around entrances to your home. Diatomaceous earth is available at feed stores, hardware and building supplies stores.

You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth on your pet, being careful not to get it in their eyes and ears. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on your pet’s spine and rub it all over the skin.

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Spray an insect growth regulator (IGR) on the bed linen floor. IGR is an insecticide, capable of preventing the growth of fleas. Flea larvae will die instead of developing into adult fleas that are capable of reproduction. As such, IGR helps to break this reproductive cycle and helps control flea populations. ^{[8] X Research Source} Normally, you need to spray the IGR mixture 2 times, about 3 weeks apart.

The most economical way is to buy the concentrate and mix it according to the instructions on the label. You can buy IGR at home stores.
IGR is not toxic to mammals, so it is a good choice for homes with children and small pets such as guinea pigs, reptiles or fish.

Flea treatment for pets

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Bathe your pet daily with a flea soap. You can kill fleas that may live on your pet by bathing them. ^{[9] X Research Source} Rub flea soap near the animal’s ears, face, nose, mouth, and tail before rinsing. When fleas touch water, they immediately look for safe places to hide, such as around the host’s neck, on the head, and near the anus. Apply soap before wetting your pet’s hair.

There can be fleas at different stages of the life cycle on the host, so in addition to bathing your pet, you need to take additional precautions such as vacuuming, using a mixture. borate and cedar shavings.

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Rub the soap and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. After soaping, wet the coat and rub it all over your pet. Rinse off the soap with warm water when the 10 minutes are up. ^{[10] X Research Source} Brush off dead fleas after your pet’s hair is dry.

Take a bath immediately after bathing your pet, as flea shampoos can cause irritation when left on human skin for long periods of time.

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Use flea medication for your dog or cat. Flea medications such as Advantage or Frontline are topical medications used every month. Usually, the medicine will be applied directly to the animal’s skin, usually between the shoulders and a few points along the spine. The medicine will be absorbed through the skin (dermis). ^{[11] X Source of Research} You can buy non-toxic flea products for pets at pet stores.

You can use flea products in combination with a flea comb. Use a flea comb to pull fleas out of your pet’s hair.

Scott McCombe

Pest control specialist

Scott McCombe is the CEO of Summit Environmental Sputions (SES), a family-owned company specializing in pest control, animal control and soundproofing solutions for homes in Northern Virginia. Founded in 1991, SES is rated A+ by the Business Improvement Council and has been awarded “Best of the Best 2017”, “Top Rated Professional” and “Elite Service Award” by HomeAdvisor.

Scott McCombe
Pest control specialist

Expert Opinion: To prevent fleas from returning, you should regularly treat your pet’s fleas with flea control products such as bath oils, oral or topical medications.

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Alternate flea treatments if the first doesn’t work. This will prevent fleas from becoming resistant to the drug. You may find that some common flea treatments don’t work because the fleas adapt to certain medications (including chemicals in flea collars). In this case, change the methods and use an insect growth regulator (IGR) like Nylar. For example, if a flea collar doesn’t work, apply flea powder to your pet’s coat. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Veterinarians sell pills that you can give your pet to take. The drug works by attacking the flea’s nervous system through the blood and tissues of the dog or cat. Medicines can kill fleas that feed on dogs and cats, but do not prevent fleas.
Insect growth regulators will not allow fleas to reproduce and, to a greater extent, can prevent fleas from becoming resistant to the drug.

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Give your pet flea tablets for a quick cure. Flea tablets are taken orally and work within a few hours. The drug will kill all fleas on animals within 60 minutes. However, the drug has no preventive effect and does not make the animal immune to fleas next time. Once the fleas are dead, give your pet a bath to remove the dead fleas if you see them scratching.

Some cats may be hyperactive, meow, or pant after taking flea medication. In this case, try reducing the recommended dose, but you may need to stop using the drug in susceptible cats.

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Add flea repellents to your pet’s food and drink. Since fleas live on animal blood, you can treat fleas through pet food. For example, you can add vinegar to your dog’s drinking water. Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in your dog’s bowl of water or bathe your dog with water and vinegar.

Do not use this method on cats, as cats are much more sensitive to pH than dogs.

Advice

When you check for fleas, you may find flea droppings. They are small black particles and will turn red when left on a damp cloth. Flea droppings are blood that fleas excrete from the body. It is a clear sign that fleas are present.
If your dog doesn’t respond well to regular flea soap, try a soap containing eucalyptus, tea tree oil, or cedar oil. Fleas don’t like these plants, so take advantage of them.
Avoid leaving salt in the carpet for long periods of time. The salt will absorb moisture and will penetrate the carpet fibers.

Warning

Get out of the house when you use a flea bomb. You also need to cover or move pets to a safe area. Always read product labels, as some chemicals in flea bombs are toxic to small animals, birds, and fish.
Using a flea bomb is a good first step to getting rid of fleas, but it’s not a cure-all. Don’t assume the fleas are dead after several flea bomb treatments.

Steps

Treat your home with insecticides

Kill fleas without insecticides

Flea treatment for pets

Advice

Warning

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