How To Get Rid Of Fleas Spreading In The House

If your pet is constantly scratching, shedding patches of hair, or has lots of scabs or hot spots, they probably have a serious flea problem. ^{[1] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to the source} If fleas are on your pet, they’re also in your home and yard – possibly right on you . Fortunately, you can take steps like using synthetic chemicals and natural products to get rid of fleas and still protect your pet. Continue reading the following steps to know how.

Table of Contents

Pet Treatment

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Start by giving your pet a thorough bath. Bathe your dog or cat with a gentle bath oil or natural citrus-based dishwashing liquid. You can use a common flea repellent. Fleas do not cling to fur, so they will fall into the water and drown.

Bathing alone is not enough to get rid of fleas. Environmental fleas will jump back onto your pet once the fur dries. It is important that you apply the medicine to your pet after bathing.
After bathing your pet, brush their coat with a flea comb. You need to use a flea comb every time you handle fleas on your pet.
Have your pet groomer clip the coat or cut it short before using other treatments. This will allow the flea medicine to reach the animal’s skin where the fleas live and can make the comb more effective.
Ask your veterinarian about sprays or powders that can be used on your pet.

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Treat all of your pets with both oral and topical medications. Oral medications such as Program and Sentinel can be used alongside topical medications such as Frontline.

Make sure to use the correct dosage for your pet, as they can have serious reactions if overdosed. Never give a dog flea repellent to a cat, as a cat’s nervous system may only tolerate the one intended for the feline family.
Apply flea repellent on the same day that you treat your home and yard for optimal effectiveness.

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Wash pet bedding and linens. Washing will greatly reduce the number of flea eggs and larvae on it and make the flea repellent more effective.

Washing will not kill fleas, but some eggs may be removed through rinsing. On the other hand, an average drying process of about 30 minutes will kill any eggs and fleas left on the fabric.
Do all of the above at once, remove everything and pack it well. Wrap clean items in a clean cloth or in a sealed trash bag for up to 12 hours after you treat your home and pets to prevent fleas from crawling into clean items.

Treat Your Home, Yard, and Treat Human Fleas with Chemicals

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Apply mosquito repellent containing DEET to your socks, ankles, and bottoms every day to prevent flea bites .

If you have treated your pet, the fleas will be killed on contact with the pet’s blood. But you haven’t been treated with flea repellent, so your blood is still their delicacy. Fleas only need one blood meal to lay eggs, so you need to stop feeding them.
After 30 days, you can no longer have to worry about applying DEET mosquito repellent to your ankles. If you no longer see fleas jumping around, you can rest assured. But if you still see fleas or are bitten on your ankle, you should continue to spray with mosquito repellent.

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Thoroughly wash the floor. Cleans both carpeted and smooth surfaces.

Vacuum all carpets and cushions. Put a whole flea collar (chopped) in the vacuum bag. Not only does vacuuming help suck up fleas, eggs and larvae, but the vibration of the vacuum cleaner also causes fleas to come out of the cocoons. Since insecticides cannot kill fleas at the pupal stage, exposing them is a good opportunity to kill more fleas. Dispose of the trash bag in the outdoor trash after completing the job. Then you continue to turn on the vacuum cleaner and spray flea repellent on the vacuum cleaner’s nozzle.
Clean smooth surface. Use a cleaner like Pine-Sp or undiluted apple cider vinegar to keep fleas out of the crevices so they’re more exposed when you spray or spray your home.

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Buy a spray or mist sprayer, read the instructions carefully, and make sure you buy enough medicine to spray all the rooms in the house. Make sure the product kills flea eggs, so look for active ingredients like methoprene, fenoxycarb or pyriproxyfen.

Spray on carpets, furniture, baseboards, along walls and pet sleeping areas. Be sure to follow the instructions on the spray bottle.
Don’t overlook door edges, nooks and crannies, cracked floors, and under furniture and under mattresses. Flea larvae like to hide in dark places, even if your pet won’t get under the bed because they’re too big to fit.
When using a nebulizer, you still need the sprayer to spray where the nebulizer can’t reach.

Using Natural Treatments to Get Rid of Fleas

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Keep the house as cold as possible when you are not at home. Fleas cannot thrive in cold environments. Keeping the house cold when you’re not at home will force the fleas to “migrate” to your pet, where they will die.

Buy an electronic thermostat that can lower the temperature or turn off the heater when you go to work or sleep.
Open windows when you are out of the house if possible.

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Cover up furniture after handling the house. This is to prevent fleas from hiding inside mattresses, under pillows, or under blankets.

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Apply lemon or orange to your pet’s fur. Squeeze out the juice of an orange or lemon and rub the peel on your pet’s fur. Your pet will smell good and won’t get poisoned if he licks water or citrus oil on his fur.

Note that concentrated citrus peel oil is toxic to pets, so you should only use citrus juice – never essential oils.

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Use natural predators in the yard. You can buy “helpful roundworms” at pet stores or gardening stores that specialize in organic lawn care. Beneficial roundworms will eat flea larvae, preventing the next batch of fleas from entering your home. Don’t worry – they are not worms that can cause helminthiasis in your pet. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Use apple cider vinegar. Mix 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in about 1 quart of water and add it to your dog’s water bowl. When dogs drink water, apple cider vinegar enters the body and causes the dog’s blood to taste unpleasant to fleas. After 2-3 bowls of water like that, you will start to see results; but it will have a good effect when the vinegar gets into the dog’s body.

There is no scientific evidence to support this method, although some people have had good luck using it.

Advice

For dogs with thick and/or curly hair, it is better to use an oral medication as topical medication may have difficulty reaching the dog’s skin.
Work with your veterinarian if a flea infestation is severe. Your veterinarian will detail and recommend the best products to treat your pet and your home and yard.
Apply a lot of menthp tincture to your ankles before entering the house. This will prevent fleas from biting your legs and feet.

Warning

Some dog products contain permethrin, which can cause seizures and death in cats. Dog products are for dogs only.
If your pet has a seizure from an overdose of a flea medication, contact your doctor immediately.
If your pet’s gums are pale, and the pet seems lethargic and cold, they may have lost a lot of blood to fleas, or have fallen into a dangerous condition called parasitic anemia. This condition is especially dangerous for young pets, puppies or kittens, and should be taken care of by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Do not use Frontline or other products containing fipronil because fleas seem to have developed a resistance to this chemical.
Use an oral medication such as Capstar (containing Nitenpyram) to kill adult fleas on your pet within 30 minutes of ingestion. After that you can apply the ointment to your pet.

Things you need

Natural bath oil or dishwashing liquid made from citrus fruits
Flea repellent
Insecticide spray or spray for home and yard
Spray or powder
Flea comb
Oral and topical flea repellents
Clean cloth and/or garbage bag
Mosquito repellent with DEET
Vacuum cleaners and garbage bags
Flea collar
Mops and household cleaners
Flea spray or spray
Tarpaulin covers furniture
Yeast
Garlic (for dogs, not for cats)
Squeezed lemon or orange
Beneficial roundworms
Apple Cider Vinegar

Steps