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How can I get Rid of Fleas?
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Homes can become infested with fleas due to pets that bring the fleas into the house, or because visitors unwittingly carry fleas into the space and leave them behind. In a short period of time, the occupants of the home begin to notice the pets are scratching a great deal and the humans in the house also begin to itch. Fortunately, it is possible to get rid of fleas in a short period of time by following a few simple steps.
One of the first steps to remove fleas is to quarantine any pets in the home. An easy way to accomplish this is to house your pet with a veterinarian for a couple of days. During that time, the vet can initiate treatments to remove all residue of flea infestation from the skin and the coat of your pets. This will help to provide your dog or cat with immediate relief and prepare them to return to a your home after you have completed the flea removal process.
With your pets safe and undergoing a safe flea removal series of treatments, you can turn your attention to ridding your home of the pests. Begin by collecting all textiles in the home. This includes draperies, bedding, rugs, throws, and tablecloths. Wash everything in soapy water. This will help to kill any eggs deposited on the material. You can then brush the surface of the fabric to remove any traces of eggs and any larvae present. By washing everything, you get rid of fleas, eggs and larvae and begin to whittle down on the infestation.
Continue your quest to get rid of fleas by vacuuming all carpeting and upholstered furniture. Don’t overlook bar floors or any spot where dust could collect. Fleas can hide in dust with the greatest of ease. After vacuuming, remove the bag from the vacuum cleaner and fill it with hot soapy water. This will kill any fleas that were picked up during the cleaning. Toss the bag and its contents into an outside trash container.
After doing all you can to get rid of fleas, it is time to call in a professional pest control service. They can steam clean the carpeting and upholstery and remove any remaining eggs or larvae that the vacuuming did not pick up. Flea removal services also make use of a heat treatment to go over the carpeting. Fleas hate intense heat and the process will get rid of fleas at every stage of development.
As one last step, use natural flea removal products that are formulated to kill fleas that are lurking in the grass around your home. This is especially important if your pet spends a lot of time outside. Once you are sure your efforts to get rid of fleas have made your home safe again, retrieve your pet from the veterinarian and return to your normal routine.
Fleas are a pesky problem, but not something that cannot dealt with easily. By cleaning the home thoroughly and following up with aid from professional services, you can get rid of fleas and make your home comfortable once more.
Malcolm Tatum
After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.
Learn more...
Malcolm Tatum
After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGEEK, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.
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![A flea.]()
By: Carolina K Smith MDA flea. -
![Quarantining a pet with a veterinarian can help eliminate fleas.]()
By: Eléonore HQuarantining a pet with a veterinarian can help eliminate fleas. -
![Steam cleaning a carpet with essential oils may help reduce flea infestations.]()
By: Ernest PrimSteam cleaning a carpet with essential oils may help reduce flea infestations.
Discussion Comments
Start bathing your pets when they are small so they will be used to getting in the water. This is especially important with cats, who generally hate water and getting wet. A bath of water and dish detergent is a great way to get rid of fleas naturally. The extra effort of getting your pet bathed is worth it when you consider how harmful other ways of removing fleas can be.
To stop fleas from getting in your house, you need to keep your pets out of the house. It's that simple. When you live in an area with fleas you can be sure they are going to get on your animals. Even if your pets normally come in the house, you can keep them outside during the warm weather when fleas are going to be out and searching for a host to hop onto.
Once it gets cold again you can start letting your pets come back in the house. If you don't like this idea then you can consider making the pets indoor pets only. The main thing is that you can't have them going in and out if you want to get rid o fleas.
I am constantly trying to keep fleas off my pets and out of my house.What concerns me is that professional cleanings like the ones mentioned in the article can cost a good amount of money and there is no guarantee that all of the fleas ad eggs will be removed.
And when you are trying to get rid of fleas you have to get every last one or they can start to reproduce again. They lay so many eggs that they can quickly become a problem. I don't think there is a way to get rid of all of them when you have pets going in and out of the house.
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