Flea infestations can be an awful nuisance. Not only are they fairly disgusting due to their daily diet of blood, they also pose a health risk! Perhaps you are trying to kill the fleas on your pet or in your yard. Much to your surprise, maybe you find a few fleas on your clothes, hair or skin which can even cause flea allergy dermatitis! Fleas on people are actually more common than most think. However, regardless of their location, if you have been trying to get rid of a flea problem, I am sure that you are desperately looking for a solution. The good news is that you have visited the right website as The Bug Squad is the authority in free bug removal methods! It is very important that you work at this immediately and do not put it off for a later date as fleas spread and multiply very fast. The first step in any battle is to know your enemy as this will help you to fight effectively. Keeping with these points, this article will review the life cycle of a flea and other various relevant facts that are vital to know in order to get rid of them as fast as possible.
Flea Infestation in the Home – What You Can Do Right Now!
The first thing that you should do is remove the fleas from your pets. Having to deal with flea infestations on dogs are the most common but cats also often have them frequently. Fleas are most commonly found in their hair, especially around the neck region. This removal process can be very affordable and I highly recommend that you have a look at a few natural flea remedies first or give a flea comb for cats a try. These are great because they are very cheap and you do use any poisons which can be potentially fatal to your pets. However, do not worry, if properly administered, flea poison can be safe and very effective. If I have to recommend a specific brand, it will be either Advantage or Front-line. I am not suggesting that others won’t work but these two have yielded excellent results for my pets in the past. You can usually purchase them for under $60 but just make sure that you purchase the right amount for your type and size of pet. After application, you should start to see results in the next 18 hours so just be patient, they will not die on contact, and it takes awhile to remove fleas.
Whatever your decision, make sure that you do it as quickly as possible. If you kill the fleas on your pet before they spread, you can stop the flea infestation dead in its tracks. Another good flea remedy that is very effective in killing fleas around your home is to build your very own flea trap. These traps are very cheap and can effectively help you with any flea problems.
What Is The Life Cycle Of The Average House Flea?
In order to combat fleas effectively, it’s always good to have a brief understanding of the way that they reproduce and grow. If you grasp the stages of flea development, it will make it easier to kill them. The life cycle of a flea is comprised of four important stages, namely:
- The flea eggs stage.
- The flea larvae stage.
- The flea pupa stage.
- The adult fleas stage
The entire process can vary from a few weeks to a couple months, depending on the type of fleas and of the climate. This section is meant as a summary, please check out my full article on the lives of fleas for much more detail. With that in mind, lets look at the flea reproductive cycle and gain some insight into how they grow.
Flea Eggs
The first stage (as previously mentioned), is the flea egg stage. Unlike most other pests, these eggs are not sticky at all and thus your darling pet is often responsible for spreading these tiny eggs all over your house. They often fall into places like your carpets, bedding and other places where they go unnoticed due to their size.
Flea Larvae
The second stage is the flea larvae. They look like tiny white worms with small hairs and are about 6 millimeters long. They feed on organic material that is found on their host or in their surroundings and provided they receive enough nutrients and consume enough food, in about 13 days, the larvae will spin a flea cocoon.
Flea Pupae
The third phase is referred to as the flea pupae stage. This is a very interesting part of the flea cycles as the time the flea spends in the pupa has a very large variation. What do I mean by that? Well put another way, provided its surroundings are humid, and the temperature is right, an adult flea could appear in just under a week. However, if not, the flea can remain dormant for over a year. This means that we could have a potential flea infestation in hibernation and it should be our top priority to kill them off asap.
Adult Fleas
The life cycle of a flea is almost complete, with the last part being the emergence of the actual adult flea. This entire process can take as long as two years or as short as a few weeks so it’s critical that you be proactive about flea control, even if they are not jumping around your house or living on your pets. And that is about it, the life cycle of fleas isn’t that complicated, and I encourage you to share this information with others or perhaps even use it in school projects (just mention this blog).
How Long Do Fleas Live and Where Do Fleas Come from?
What causes fleas to infest your home in such a short time? Well the average lifespan of an adult flea can vary depending on a number of factors, ranging from the climate to the availability of a host. For example, as soon as the flea emerges from its pupa, it has about 7 days to find a host (such as your darling pet) if it is to survive otherwise it will die. Many wonder where are fleas coming from and the answer usually lies with their pets. As already mentioned, fleas need to have their first meal fairly quickly, and as a result, female fleas tend to lay their eggs on a host that is warm blooded. Since pets spend a ton of time outside, this is usually where fleas come from, especially in the moist, dark areas around your garden.
Remember, fleas can jump quite a far distance, if you do find a flea on your skin it’s probably jumped there while you were stroking your pet. I have also found that fleas can come from your neighbors’, especially if they live fairly near to your living space. Unfortunately, you do not control their lifestyle, but you can use preventative measures to keep the fleas from their house and garden from infecting yours by using a combination of eucalyptus and cedar wood. More on that in this article about the best way for getting rid of fleas.
Where Do Fleas Live and What Do They Eat?
Where Do Fleas Live? Not Me, Surely?! 
Many people wonder what do fleas eat, and the answer is blood. It doesn’t have to be animal blood either; it can even be human blood so it’s very important to check yourself from time to time to ensure that you don’t have any on your body, especially if you have pets. The scary thing is that once the flea has fed just this once, it can then survive for up to a year on that single meal! I am not suggesting that the flea will stop trying to feed. Ironically, if the flea feeds 24/7, it will actually only live for about two weeks, and this is usually the case. Of course, preventing the fleas in the first place is the best medicine and as a result, I will be writing an article on flea control in the next week or so, stay tuned!
Fleas love to live in areas where it is both moist (slightly humid or wet areas are ideal) and typically warm. This allows fleas to thrive and is the reason why certain countries or areas around the globe suffer more from flea problems than others. Fleas live on any host that has warm blood, regardless of its type. Depending on its previous host, flea bites can be rather dangerous so it’s important to get rid of them as soon as possible. Sometimes you won’t even feel a flea on you as it numbs the skin before feasting on your blood. If you find a flea living on your pet or yourself, make sure that you treat it immediately to prevent further outbreaks and potential health risks associated with fleas. This makes humans flea extermination to be very important. I have been asked, “When do fleas come out” and although the answer can vary, usually they come out of the garden (and other places) because they need blood to survive.
What Do Fleas Look Like And What Attracts Them?
Fleas are very small bugs. In fact, if you are not actively looking for them, you probably won’t even notice them, even if they are jumping around your house. Once fully grown, the adult flea is about 0.3cm long and is usually a dark brown color, although some have been known to have a red hue on their bodies.
Although fleas do not have any wings, they are able to use their legs (the three back ones) to jump very far, and as a result, they are able to land on various things around your house, including you. Their body is very resilient to physical damage as they are rather flat in design. If you do manage to catch one, you will have to use your nails to squash it. However, it’s a much better idea to toss it down the drain of your kitchen sink and to ensure that you wash your hands properly after being in contact with fleas. Fleas are attracted to warm blood, either on yourself or your pets so make sure that you check yourself and them fairly regularly.
Interesting Flea Facts That You Can Share with Your Friends
- A flea can drink 15 times its weight in blood in just a single day!
- Scientists have found over 2,000 types of fleas and continue to find different ones each year!
- The biggest flea that has been found measured in at about 2.5cm!
- Scientists have shown that fleas can jump up to 1.2 meters!
- Fleas have been known to live for two years after having just a single meal of blood!
- For every flea that you find in your home, there are statistically about 80 others hidden from your sight!
- Research shows that fleas have been around for over 100 million years!
- Natural Flea Control has been proven to work despite being down played by most professionals!
- Many wonder, can humans get fleas? The answer is yes, some even have a severe reaction, usually a dog flea allergy or a cat flea allergy!
Flea Problems – Can They Be Solved Instantly?
Flea problems often take a long time to resolve. However, there are a few options that you have available to you if you want to treat flea problems. Besides applying Frontline or advantage to your pets, you can use things like flea bombs or foggers and mild flea sprays to eliminate these pests from your home. They are all very good for flea treatment and control. Whatever your choice, make sure that it has insect growth regulator (IGR) on the label otherwise it will not prevent (or kill) fleas that are still in the pupae or larvae stage of the flea life cycle. IGR compliant products prevent these from maturing into fleas and will ensure that a flea infestation does not rear its ugly head again.
In conclusion, I think it’s safe to say that fleas are definitely an unwelcome guest in our homes. Flea infestations can be both an irritation and a potential health risk, both to your pets and your family. As a result, it’s a good idea to get rid of them as soon as possible. Learning about the life cycle of a flea and various facts such as where this bug comes from and what it looks like is very beneficial as it allows us to understand them better. This will allow us to diagnose flea problems better and fight them effectively. Flea removal from your home is not that difficult, provided the correct steps are followed. I invite you to read a couple of my other pest control articles related to fleas to learn these exact steps. I would like to thank you for reading and hope that you share this with your friends and family so that they also can fight their flea problems properly.
Hello! My name is Natasha, and I have been helping people with their insect problems since 2012. I have published a book, worked with many pest control companies, and helped thousands with various infestations on a one-to-one basis. My goal for this blog is to create evidence-based guides that are easy to understand, provide sufficient depth and can be trusted to be very accurate. Please remember that my guides are for informational purposes only, and that you agree to the terms of use when reading content on this website. If you leave a comment, I typically respond within 48 hours.
Hi we have a bad flea breakout in our house for over a month now we have bombed our house twice sprayed poison in and around the house gave flea baths and topicals to all our animals washed everything multiple times and we still have fleas please help we are at our wits end and dont have the money to keep forking out treatments all the animals have been given at least 3 topicals at this point trying in vain to get rid of the fleas it would be best to email me directly thanks
Hi Brittany! The steps you have taken are good, but you will probably find that you didn’t kill all the fleas, and they just rebounded back. I will drop you an email directly since you have specifically asked, thanks for your comment!
Help! I think there might be fleas in our house. We have one indoor cat, who we flea regularly and we’ve never had flea problems with her. Over the weekend I was doing some major garden control as the grass has grown very high and all the trees and plants were overgrown. Sunday morning i woke up to bites on my hand. Over Sunday more and more bites appeared on my legs and I’ve been itching light made. I now have a total of 7 bites on my feet and legs (Monday). My partner has none but has said he’s been itchy this morning (Monday) since waking up. I’ve checked the cat and can’t see any evidence of fleas. Could it be something else? I’ve heard fleas can live in long grass in the summer so could some have ‘jumped ship’ on me as i was gardening and I’ve carried them indoors? Do i need to de-flea the whole house or with a minimal infection or will just cleaning the sheets work?
I work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, so have limited time to do anything but would like to tackle the problem head on. I won’t want to wait until the weekend if by that time i’ll have hundreds of fleas in my house!! Thanks
Hi Jayne! It could be something else, but I want you to try something. Please read my article on flea traps, make a couple yourself and leave them out overnight. If they catch anything, then you will know how to proceed and I will help you. Let me know how it goes.
Hi Natasha,
We live in a detached new build house for 6 years and 2 months ago my toddler was getting bit by something mysterious. We moved him to our room and he still got bit, we moved him to the guest room with me and then I got 8 bites in one night. We have no pets and only carpet upstairs. Exterminator said bed bugs but after spending close to 500$ on bed bug traps and hiring a bed bug dog, my husband found a flea on him! We set out flea traps over a period of 2 weeks and only caught 3 fleas. The fleas were identified by the exterminator. However, they were in various places in the house like the kitchen, living room, and office. None in the bedroom. My toddler is constantly in sleepers yet within a week he was bit in the neck!, we got the house sprayed with precor 2000 with an IGR by an exterminator (in the 45mins I talked to the exterminator I was bit 3x wearing shorts), and I am due with my newborn any day now. We have been vaccuming everyday and also got a Roomba to help. I read that sometimes a second or third spray might be necessary. Our questions:
1) What else can we do to avoid another spray??? My toddler and I are highly allergic to the bites as they turn to welts. My husband does not react or they don’t bite him.
2) how big of an infestation do we have if we didn’t figure out what was biting him for 2 months yet we have only found 4 fleas in total yet we keep getting bit and the fleas we did find were in random places? Also my mom got fleas from us!
3) Also, my mom babysat for us two times and then also started getting mysterious bites. She’s been setting out traps and has been catching fleas in two hot spots in her house each night but again she has no pets and has lived in that house for 30 years. Does she need to get sprayed? Would it be effective to spray just those rooms she’s catching them in or if she only sprays those rooms will they escape and spread somewhere else?
4) when will it be safe to walk around without socks again for us????
We are at our wits end here! I don’t want to bring a newborn into a flea infested OR chemical bombed house and I can’t even have my mom over here to help when she’s busy with her infestation and we are scared to get reinfested too.
Hey! Thanks for the detailed comment, very strange situation! Before I answer your questions, I want you to do something first. Please can you check out the article that i have one flea traps (under the “fleas” section) and make a few (they are very cheap to DIY). Put 1-2 per room out at night and I want to see how many fleas they catch, with that information I will be able to provide further assistance 🙂
Hi there, i seem to have a flea problem in my home, i’ve tried all sorts of things to deal with it from sprays to powders to homemade traps, but they keep coming back (yes regular cleaning and vacuming, that goes without saying). I think the problem is my cat, he runs whenever the flea comb comes out so i can only get one or two strokes each time, and he seems to have bad reactions to the chemical treatments like the back of the neck drops, collars or sprays.
the vet says the reaction is caused by the fleas but it clears up whenever i stop treating, so i don’t believe that to be the case, the only option i havent tried is the pills, but i’m worried this like the others will cause some kind of allergic reaction, is there anything you can suggest to treat a pet that seems allergic to flea treatments?
Hi Jez! That is a tricky one, but your best course of action would be to treat the surrounding area (inside and outside) for fleas so he doesn’t keep getting reinfected. I will send you an outline of some content that I have in the works that will help, thanks for your comment!
PLEASE HELP!! My 92 year old mother-in law has a flea infestation in her home. SHE HAS A 6000+ SQUARE FOOT HOUSE!!! HUGE!! Both her and my sister-in-law don’t believe in using toxic chemicals so they had the house ozonated (to the shock level over the course of 2-3 days by a professional) then had her carpets cleaned. Her yard was sprayed with a cedar oil mixture I think. Her and my sister-in law stayed in a hotel for 5 or so days and had the dog go to the kennel where he was treated and such. Now they are back (the fleas) in less than 2 weeks.- we tried to tell them both to take all the usual measures – buy new clothes, throw away the ones worn to the hotel, wash hair & shower at hotel, clean all bedding, furniture etc..These are two hard headed gals here… I don’t think they followed our advice to the T. And here we are again- they are back! My mother-in law is 92 (bites all over her again) and we are terribly worried about the stress this is putting on her emotionally and physically (92 years old & 95 lbs- with all of her marbles rolling in the right direction) She lives in a house that that is so freaking big and carpeted everywhere- the thought of hitting every square foot is an insurmountable task; let alone ALL of the furniture… IF ANYONE has ANY ADVICE- PLEASE PLEASE respond to this post!
Hi Jennifer, sorry that you are dealing with this. While it might sound a bit simplistic, I highly recommend that you try some DIY flea traps. I have an article on this blog (under the “fleas” category), go check it out. They are extremely effective and although I am not saying they will solve the problem overnight, they will definitely help. Once that is in place, I will help you with the next step.
My family and I have no pets but there is a feral cat or two always around( one leaves another comes around) We have a trailer home so no foundation underneath. We have been fighting fleas off and on for 2+ yrs what can we do to keep them from comming back? Is there something I can put under and around our homes so I can live ( normally) again? Please help!
Hi C, yes there is 🙂 I have recently finished writing an article on beneficial nematodes, I will send you the link via email (I don’t like adding links in my comments section hehe). I hope that it helps you, ask any questions you have about them in that article 🙂
Hi! I don’t have pets! I moved into an apartment that had fleas and the landlord paid for an exterminator. We’re doing the borax method currently but as I was looking up traps I read that lights attracted fleas I’m not sure how true that is but now I am concerned that if I’m lying in bed on my tablet late at night in my dark room I’ll get some fleas jumping on me and that’s just not cool.
Hi Annabel! Yes they are, it is one of the reasons that my DIY flea traps work so well (check them out, article is under the “fleas” category). That being said, fleas can’t fly so if you are sitting on your bed and they are on the floor, they probably won’t reach you.
So I live with my family in a four bedroom apartment that has two floors with stairs and we had a kitten for about a month and she had fleas for short period of time and now our house is infested. I think the infestation is a small one because there aren’t many jumping on me or my family but the house is getting bombed on Tuesday and we’re going to wash everything as well as throw borax on the floors. Wish us luck! If it doesn’t work my mother is moving us out.
Hi Joey! Sounds like a plan! After applying the borax, I suggest you also leave a few DIY flea traps in each room (at night), its a great combo. I have an article on that, check it out.
Hi. I have couple questions and could use your help. My husband brought fleas into our house from one he was cleaning since we was going to buy it.
We didn’t realize we even had fleas until we was overloaded with them well I guess average just seems like more to us.
We have stuff boxed up to move and some items stacked on top of each other from where we hadn’t packed them yet but had exterminator out.
Do we have to empty all our boxes to make sure they aren’t hiding? The exterminator didn’t help us very much. We treated our cat, vacuumed (daily and empty canister outside) vacuumed our beds, furniture and everything we could. But still have them. Do we need to do every item in the house including all the ones boxed up still (but not air tight). We have a 1 yr old so some items aren’t safe to use just incase we miss a spot since kids find even the smallest spots/things we overlook. Please help
Hi MJ, it is not usually necessary to be honest. I suggest that you read my article on flea traps, and leave a few out at night. See how many fleas are dead in the morning, and we can take it from there, I will help you!
Hi!
I adopted two kittens about 6 days ago. I took them to the vet yesterday and he informed me they had fleas. I gave them a bath and used Revolution on them, but now I’m concerned for me and my house. I only introduced them to part of the house so far…bathroom and kitchen which I already mopped and a family room with hardwood floors which I mopped and a rug that I’ve salted and vacuumed multiple times. How concerned should I be for a large infestation? Should I be cleaning my clothes daily In hot water to avoid spreading the fleas? I feel bad because they are kittens so they look for attention but I’m very paranoid that I’m carrying eggs through the house now if I pick them up or hold them for long.
They also spent about 2 days in the finished basement while I was at work which is carpeted. I vacuumed there but should I get a fogger?
I guess the real question is, how bad can the fleas be in my home after 6 days? Thanks so much in advance from a very paranoid new pet owner!
Hi Sue! I don’t think you need to worry, especially after the steps you took. If you want to make double sure, read my article on flea traps, put a few out at night and see if they catch anything by the morning. If they do, let me know and we can take it from there. 🙂
Hi I’ve bombed my 1 bedroom apartment twice now and used the carpet powder and still have fleas im not sure what to do now I don’t have any pets either it seems like they’re just babies but idk I need help
Hi Shaun, check out my flea trap guide (under the “fleas” category, just browse to the top of this site) and put 1-2 in the bedroom each night. They really work. Good luck!
Hi Natasha! We recently discovered we have fleas…we have carpets…we are taking the carpet up in our house , will that help along with the other steps that you mentioned to get rid of the fleas? Should we bomb only after we pull up all the carpets? Should vacuuming our couches be enough after bombing?
Hi Sheila! Yeah, bomb after the carpets are removed, and yes, vacuuming your couches is a good start. After everything is settled down, check out my DIY flea trap article and leave a few out overnight. If they catch anything, then you know you still have a flea problem.
we found out about two weeks ago that our dog had fleas. I treated him with a flea shampoo and vacuumed and sprayed our whole house down. About a week and a half later I realized he had another flea so I called the vet and got medication for him. I have only found one living flea on our couch and none on our carpets. How concerned should I be at this point? Do you have any more suggestions?
Hi Julie! My recommendation is to view the situation as solved. Just keep an eye on it, if their numbers start increasing, just comment on this blog and I will help you deal with it. If you want to be extra proactive, read my article on DIY flea traps (on this blog) and put them out at night. Hope that helps!
So I live in a apartment building and I have a two month old, I do t have any pets but a lot of people in my building does and we somehow got fleas what is the safest and cheapest way to get rid of them and if I do get rid of them will they come back because of the other tenant. It’s so bad that I got in my moms car walking 10 feet and still had one on me and now I’m worried she’s going to have them in her house… please help me!!
Hi Brittany! I suggest using some DIY flea traps to start things off. I have a guide on this blog, find it under the fleas category. After trying that, let me know how things are and I will help you.
Just found out my puppy had bad fleas yesterday morning. We also have two cats in the house. My roommate checked them with a flea comb and didn’t see anything. Neither of us have seen any fleas whatsoever. I was wondering what order I should be washing everything. Clothes, carpets, fabric drawers, etc? Do I spray my clothes with flea killer after I wash them to keep them from coming back? I want to do this right the first time as this is very quickly becoming a huge pain-in-the-ass. Please help!
Hi Kaylee! I suggest that you put out a few flea traps (DIY guide on this blog) at night and see if they catch anything. If not, then no action needs to be taken.
Dealing with my first flea experience. After my son was born premature, we spent nearly twenty-four hours a day at the hospital. Unfortunately, while we were at the hospital, our apartment was becoming infested with fleas (we had unknowingly brought them in from outside). For 3 weeks, we have tried professional exterminators, flea bombs, vacuuming, and DE. Two weeks ago, when my son was released from the hospital, we decided to live elsewhere until we could get rid of the fleas. My husband has regularly returned every few days to bomb, treat, and clean; however, there are still fleas. They are smaller, weaker, and (maybe?) fewer, but I refuse to bring my newborn son to a home with even one flea in it. If we bomb and lock up the apartment, how long would we have to leave it uninhabited before the fleas would die out on their own?
Hi CMR, I don’t suggest just leaving the house uninhabited, as it could take months. I will send you a link to my flea ebook, you can send it to your husband. I don’t like hard selling but it will solve your flea problems, otherwise you get the $9 back. Plus its all safe methods. Hope this helps.
Battling fleas…took a pic of what looks like eggs on a pair of socks my husband had left on the laundry room floor, is there a way I could send you the pics to see if these are in fact flea eggs? We did notice adult fleas crawling on the socks as well. The ‘eggs’ are quite a bit larger than the flea (maybe 3x the size).
So grossed out I wanna torch the house 🙁
Hi Jenn, yes, you can reply to the email notification that this comment response generates. I also suggest checking out my other articles on flea removal, there is a lot that will help you get rid of them quickly. Alternatively, I also have a step by step guide for $9, if you want to support me 🙂
Hi!
I’m also an unlucky person, who’s treated their pets and home, and still has a flea infestation. I’m constantly washing bedding, clothes, vacuuming daily and washing floors almost as much, combing the pets. Have sprayed home defence flea repellent/killer almost everywhere including outdoors and still no luck. Vacuumed the furniture as well, including our beds.. somehow, the majority have been secluded to our guest room, which remains closed at all times and has not had an animal In it since the infestation started, and yet each time you go in – minimum of 20 jump on your feet instantly. Ive vacuumed it and sprayed it a million times and no pets reenter but the problem won’t go away I don’t know what else to do. I’m anticipating I’ll have to throw the guest bed away at this rate. I don’t have the hundreds of dollars to get an exterminator, please help!!
Hi Melissa, since that sounds like a fairly heavy infestation and you don’t want to call an exterminator, I suggest you get my simple PDF guide that takes an holistic approach to getting rid of them. It is only $9 and if you don’t get results, I will refund your money, that is how confident I am with the steps. Hope that helps.
I had 2 elderly kitties that have never had fleas in their 16 & 17 years. I never seen one flea on my pets, home, etc. Around July 13th I seen flea dirt where my pet was laying. I couldn’t believe it! I live in a townhouse type complex with 3 floors in each unit. Contractors came in to re-do my entire bathroom including floors. They had drop cloths through house and doors wide open & fleas showed up 2-3 weeks later. 1. Could they have brought them? When this renovation was occurring, I had put the kitty’s in the basement so they wouldn’t get out or hurt. Once seen I came home from work to treat them with Advantage & find my 17 yr old cat weak & lethargic. Unfortunately he had to be put to sleep due to anemia, etc. We are heartbroken and I’m so upset that these fleas basically killed him. I treated my other cat with Advantage & got her out of there. I bombed my home with no avail. I then used the peppermint oil natural spray through house, and then DE. They were still reeking havoc especially in my basement. I’ve been staying elsewhere bc they were so bad. Since I work long hours it’s unrealistic for me to vacuum 2-3 times/day. I’ve been doing as much laundry & vacuuming that I can. It’s hard bc I can’t use a traditional vacuum with DE and in basement so a shop vac is hard for large areas. I then got in touch with the office of my complex and they offered to bring in an exterminator as a one time courtesy. I was at work when he came & was told he did the best he could. Well here we are 2 weeks later & there are still an abundance of fleas! Mostly in basement again but also in my sons bedroom the worst. I’m at a loss! I can’t take the bites anymore & want to get back to my home! Please Help! Should I hire an exterminator myself? Help
Hi Allison, sounds like that exterminator might be a good call, based on your circumstances. Alternatively, if you want to try have a go at it yourself, I have a $9 guide that will sort it out. If it doesn’t work, I will even refund you 🙂
Hi,
I just found a couple of fleas on my cat. I think it’s from this stray cat I’ve been feeding and I allowed him to hang out in my room for a couple of hours the last few days and I about two weeks ago I took care of an abandoned kitten with lots of fleas as well. I haven’t noticed a flea problem until I saw the fleas on my cat. I live in campus accommodation and I just have the one room and it’s a massive mess. I can’t ask the campus office to help me because I’m not allowed to keep a pet so an exterminator is out too. With my finals coming up I don’t have the time to clean up the place and my laundry and stuff are all piled up on the floor and on every available surface. I’m taking my cat for a treatment in the morning but I don’t know how I can take care of this situation. Is there anything I can do in this situation, without a massive cleanup, something quick and easy to get rid of any fleas until my finals are done? That’ll be in about a week or two. I’m also alone here, all my friends have gone home so there’s no one to help me. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do. Also, I live in Malaysia. I want to wash my cat with apple cider vinegar but wasn’t sure if I should because I’m going to the vet in a few hours as soon as he opens up. I haven’t noticed any bites on me but since I found the fleas on my cat, I’ve felt like I have creepy crawlies all over me. That’s probably all in my head though. I’d really appreciate it if you could help me in any way. Thanks!
Hi there, I don’t recommend the apple cider bath, just wash your cat with warm water and dawn dish soap (no more than once every two weeks at most). It kills fleas instantly, and you can use my DIY flea traps for your rooms.
Hi Natasha, my daughter and hubby had been getting bites and we were clueless as to what kind of bite they were. Turns out we have fleas in our apartment. I’ve found a few already. We do not have any pets! Is it possible that I have an infestation? There was a stray cat and kittens in my patio. I’m sure that’s where they came from. I need help on how I can get rid of them fast, I have two toddlers and a newborn. Please help!! I sprayed something that’s for fleas and also children safe, which I sprayed just this morning. I also purchased some carpet powder. Do you think this will resolve the problem? I’m desperate to get them out…PLEASE HELP!!!
Hi Adriana! It is possible to get a flea problem without pets, but in my experience, it rarely escalates to an infestation. What you have done should be sufficient, let me know how it works out for you!
hi i just moved and none of my cats had fleas all winter but now they are bad I have used zodiac, and I have used huntz flea spray on them and the one for the couch, I am still getting bites, and so I vaccummed the whole area they spend their time, since it doesn’t seem to be in our room today if after doing that I treat them again last month was the last time, will it kill them?
Hi Marie! I am sure that will be sufficient, but let me know if you have any flea problems after that.
Hi Natasha!
My fiancée and I just moved into an apartment and discovered that it has fleas! We ourselves have no pets, but the previous tenant had a ferret. The apartment is hardwood floors, ground level, and I just emailed the manager after the past few days of finding them more and more frequently. In a petless home without carpet, will they go away on their own? Or is it just the best bet to go buy a flea bomb and nuke the place? I saw you mention the use of DE with carpets, but hardwood I have no idea where they’re coming from. Any help is much appreciated, thank you!
Hi Matt! If there is nothing for the fleas to feed on, yes. I recommend that you read my article on the DIY flea traps. They are cheap and I think (based on your comment) that it will be all you need. Good luck!
Natasha,
Is it possible for a flea treatment in a room to have worked but you pick up a skin allergy or something from when the fleas were present? I ask because we’ve been treating the bedroom the fleas were originally in for months, and I used to see fleas back then but have not seen one in a while. Yet, I feel the sensation of bugs on my skin specifically when laying down to sleep anywhere (even in hotel rooms with clean clothes and after a shower!) so I’m wondering if the experience left me with some kind of allergy or imbalance that gives me the sensation despite no fleas visible.
Hi Frank, not too my knowledge. However, I have zero knowledge about medical stuff, maybe worth chatting to a doctor about it.
Hello, your tips are wonderful. My puppy had a small case of fleas. I no longer have him but I feel itchy are they in my bed clothes? I spayed bed bug and flea stuff on my bed now im concerned are they on my clothes. Throughout the flea breakout i got bad bites but only seen two on him . Do you think I’ll be okay????
Hi Madison! Thanks for your sweet words! If there are fleas in your clothes, just give them a hot wash and they will die. Otherwise just a keep an eye on the situation and take action if you start seeing more of them. 🙂
My indoor cat who never goes outside has fleas and so does my apartment. Not sure how the little buggers got in. My wash machine does not have hot water. Does putting bleach in the water kill them? Also is it safe for other tenants if I use a fogger?
Hi Pat, any soap will kill them, so although it may be mentioned in the article, it is not critical for the water to be hot. Although a fogger can work, I suggest that you try some of the other natural methods on this blog. They are extremely effective, especially the DE. Hope that helps.
Hi,
We live in an apartment, and ever since we moved in, my poor cat has been attacked w/fleas! She is an indoor cat, so I am so confused with how! None of us are being bitten, but she has it so bad that they had to put her on an antibiotic! How do I get rid of them in our home? We have had them for over 3 years!
Hi Brandi! That is pretty weird, but remember that fleas can feed on other animals (like rats, etc.) so maybe they got them from that. Anyways, I suggest that you check out my article on DE, as well as my “cat flea treatment” article, both will give you some stuff to try. Let me know if you get stuck!
Hi Natasha,
My garden was infested with fleas and the exterminator managed to get rid of them. However, I have ninja fleas in my house and car now, they are not visible (fleas from the garden are black and visible). I can feel them on my cloths and jumping on my body and hair.
I tried vacuuming the carpet daily, tried baking soda & salt but nothing work. I wash my cloths with hot water and highest temperature in the dryer but fleas still survive despite multiple rounds of washing and drying.
The exterminator sprayed my carpet twice but still not working. Help! What else can I do?
Hi Alex, all fleas are visible. Yes some might be bigger than others but if you are feeling them on your body and hair (but not seeing any), it is likely that you have some sort of skin allergy or the like. Further to that, you say that after multiple washes the fleas still survive? That is not possible. I suggest going to see a doctor instead of calling an expensive exterminator back to spray. Hope that helps!
So I was being very nice when it was very cold out and let two cats in my house. They gave fleas to my pet rabbit. Luckily, where she lives in my home there isn’t much for fleas to live on or to infest (I have no carpeting anywhere, thank goodness)! I am treating her with prescription medication but they were in a room with several items that can’t be washed like a futon mattress, collectable scarves, and most importantly luggage that I need to use in the next few months. What should I do to treat it to make sure it isn’t covered it eggs that will hatch while I’m on vacation?
Hi Dallas, to be honest, fleas need to be around for awhile before they start spraying eggs everywhere. I recommend that you just put a few flea traps (article on this blog) in the room, should be sufficient. Hope that helps!
Hello! I am picking up a kitten tomorrow as I fell in love with him. Unfortunately he has fleas so I’m taking him straight to the vet for a treatement with Revolution (he is 7 weeks). I am very very worried about this move, I thought about it a lot and I’m concerned about a potential flea infestation in my car or house. He will be in a carrier in the car and will not enter the house before Revolution is applied. Should I confine him to one room for a few days? Should I be worried about flea infestation in my car and/or house? Please help!!!! Thank you.
Hi there! The spot on should kill all the fleas but yes, keeping him in a single room for a day or so (still give him lots of attention though hehe) would be advisable. Otherwise you will be fine, let me know how it goes!
I left my side door open in the garage for my cat and dog to have shelter if it rains while they are outside. NOW I have a huge flea problem in my garage, I treat my animals with Capstar but I think the neighbor cats are coming in the garage also. Can I use a flea fogger in the garage if there is a water heater out there? I don’t want to do it if something will happen but I use them in my house and the gas stove has a pilot light too and nothing happens. Home Depot or Lowe’s employees don’t know if if can be done. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Shawna, yes if you keep that water heater off during the treatment. I definitely don’t advise you use them near any naked flames, you might get away with it a couple times but its unnecessarily dangerous.
Hi! We got fleas from our neighbors and have had pest control come out three times to spray. We washed all our bedding, vacuum regularly, vacuumed the couches each time pest control came and laundered any clothes that were on the floor. We hadn’t seen any flees for about 2-3 weeks but we just saw some in our rooms. I immediately washed all my bedding and any clothes that weren’t in my closet. We are actually moving out of the house and having pest control come before we go so we don’t bring any fleas with us. I was wondering if you think my best bet to make sure they don’t come with us (we don’t have any pets) was to steam clean the bed, couches, and curtains before and after they spray to make sure there aren’t any eggs? I was also wondering if I should steam clean what’s hanging in my closet? I have a lot do clothes hanging and don’t know how I’d be able to wash it all but do you think it will be okay if I just try and do a quick steam clean through the closet? Let me know if you think there is anything else I need to do. Thanks soooo much!
Hi Julia, great idea! Steam cleaning kills fleas quickly! Yes you can steam the clothes, but if they have been unused for awhile, it is unlikely that there are fleas lurking in them. In all honesty, I think that is enough, unless you have pets, it is unlikely that you will bring the fleas to the new place. Good luck, please share this post on Facebook if you appreciated my help.
I have a small one bedroom house and I don’t have any pets although my family dog has been over once about a month ago, since then I’ve see a few fleas. Sad to say My family’s dog has been put to sleep since then due to cancer. I was going to get a couple of flea bombs for the house and leave for a few hours or however long the direction says, I also have a 11 month old baby, the crib is very hard to put together so do you recommend anything I can do that would be safe for her toys and crib. Also I was going to put plastic bags over the clothes in the closet, do you think fleas would be on the clothes or would that be OK . I would hate to have to wash all of the clothes going to the laundry mat can get very expensive. Thank-you
Hi Amanda! Since you cannot remove the cot, I don’t recommend that you use the bomb. Wash the clothes to kill any fleas (although they are unlikely to be hiding in them), use DE on the floor (article on this blog) and set up a few flea traps. Hope that helps!
Have mercy. Where in the heck did they come from? I have two cats and neither have set foot outside ever. We don’t have a dog and I have never had a flea problem. Now, they are everywhere. I can hear them jumping on hard surfaces. Where are they coming from? I have had Terminix since we moved here 10 years ago. They treat the yard and house. My poor kids are being eaten alive in their beds, and we spray and wash and vacuum. You said they don’t hitch rides in clothing. If that’s true, how did they get in my house? Terminix has been coming every two weeks for the last 6 weeks, and I have treated the cats with Frontline twice. There has been zero impact. my kids will be at dad’s next week, so I want to do something while they are gone. Please help. I will use anything that works. I’m on chemo so they don’t bite me, but my poor kids look like hey have measles head to toe! And my cats are scratching so much, and they are losing weight because they don’t feel like eating.
Hi Maya! Sheesh that sounds hectic, not sure why the treatments are not working, might be worth getting a different company with different chemicals perhaps. Alternatively, check out my DE and flea trap articles, they will give you some excellent results at a super low price 🙂
Hi Natasha! Last week I noticed a few fleas on my dog. As I saw them I removed them and killed them. I then went out and bought flea shampoo as well as flea spray for the house and cleaned my apartment top to bottom and scrubbed my dog to no end! Everyday since then I checked him and wasn’t able to find anything.. Until today. I found two tiny ones on him. They were much tinier than the ones I saw last week. Is it possible these are babies? Should I clean my whole apartment again? I am so frustrated and so grossed out and having anxiety about the whole thing. I don’t know what I’m doing and if I’m doing this right at all.
Hi Brittney! Yes they are probably young ones but honestly, a couple fleas isnt the end of the world, just kill them and keep an eye on the situation. Maybe make a couple flea traps (article on this blog) to see if there are any lurking in the carpets.
hi natasha–
For the first time in 40 years, i have a cat that has gotten fleas, despite being on revolution monthly. My vet says this is most likely courtesy of Hurricane Matthew, and the long hot, humid summer we had in Charleston.
I have been vacuuming area rugs and upholstery constantly, given the cat capstar twice and per the vets instruction a dose of Vlexsar on Friday. Terminix comes Tuesday AM to spray the house. I have been told to remove everything from the floors. That said, if I put them on surfaces, those surfaces will be missed? What do I do with shoes? Is a bathroom “safe” from fleas–no wood floor. all tile. What about clothes in bureau drawers?? Will fleas still be in the bed even if it has always had sheets etc on it? Likewise in the guest room that the cat is not given access to.
Lots of questions, I know, but I am FRANTIC!!!!
Hi Carry! Yes, that is why you must pack everything away. RE the bed and other places, your best bet is to wash and wipe those areas, trust me everything will be fine after the spray. Hope that helps!
My neighbors cats all have fleas bad. I keep bombing my house and treating my cats we get rid of them and then all of a sudden we have them again. I watch the kids in my house daily. Am I getting them from her house. We live in a duplex.
Hi Donna! Are the flea numbers reducing? If they are, keep at it and you will win the fight.
hi natasha, I have been trying to get rid of a flea infestation hopefully in one room only, and used flea spray in my clothes cupboard before looking at the instructions (I know, I’m an idiot). I then read on the tin I should not spray on clothes. Should I dispose of the clothes now that I have sprayed the flea spray on them?
Hi Julie. It’s all good, we all make mistakes. No, just wash them well and they will be fine.
Quick question,
My mother in law has a pretty bad flea infestation at her house, and we just realized this, after visiting her place a handful of times. I now suspect that we have brought them over to our place, since my cat has been itching quite a bit, around her neck. I am making an appointment at the vets asap. My question is, how do i make sure my house is clean? Everything is hardwood and tile. We do have one shag rug, that i was in the process of getting rid of anyways, so that isnt an issue. Should i just take care of any bedding and i should be fine, or can the fleas still live off of the hardwood and make their way to myself, and my family as thier food source?
Thanks!
Hi Kristin, easiest way is to put a flea trap in each room, you can make them yourself (article on this blog). If they catch fleas, then you know that there is a problem in that room. Hope that helps!
I need serious help. I had a stray dog that got under my house and wouldn’t come out. Apparently the dog either went away or died. I haven’t smelled anything if he died under the house. Anyway I now have a huge flea infestation under my house. I’ve tried everything and they seem to be getting worse. We’ve sprayed insecticide, put out sevin dust. Diatimaceous earth inside the house and around the perimeter. These have got to go. Please Please help
Hi Angel, I suggest that you get an exterminator to fog under there otherwise you won’t have any relief (and I am sure you don’t want to go under there).
I am rehabbing a house in Joliet Illinois. I haven’t been in it for a few weeks and its not occupied. Today O went over to pick up a tool, grabbed a drink and sat in a vinyl office chair I have in the middle of the livingroom. Within two minutes I had a bunch of fleas on my hands, legs, pants, shirt… right out of a Steven King novel! I have no idea where they came from. No food in the house for them. Its like all of a sudden they appeared. I b ok mbed the living room and kitchen twice tonight. I changed clothes and left mine there to be bombed with the main floor. Should I bomb the rest of the house? Why would they suddenly appear when nobody is there to supply them with food. Potentially hundreds just appeared in my kitchen which is in the final stages of a rehab. But until now there has never been a flea present. Any advice? Also how do I make a flea trap? Thanks. John
Hi John, they might have come from rodents, bats, etc but flip, that is hectic lol. Yeah probably do the rest of the house, it will be worth your while. As for the flea traps, check out my article on the subject. Just go to the “fleas” category, you will find it there. Hope that helps!
I have fleas/had fleas and my pets sleep with me. My bedding has been washed, whole apartment vacuumed and sprayed and pets are on Revolution and Advantage2. I also vacuumed my mattress and sprayed it. Do I need to replace my mattress and boxspring?
Hi Tammy! No, you should be fine, provided the pets are flea free now. Well done 🙂
Hi Natasha,
So about four weeks ago my roommate and I (we are two college students renting a duplex) discovered we had an awful flea infestation. We thought all the bites on our ankles were chiggers, and we didn’t pay any mind to the bites because we don’t have any pets. But one morning they were everywhere, and we immediately called our landlord, and he had our inside and outside treated. Since then, we have continued to vacuum every other day/every two days as instructed by our exterminator. We cleaned everything, and washed all blankets and linens. The past week we haven’t seen any, but tonight while doing homework in my bed I found one on my arm. I freaked out and searched my entire bed and my carpet (I vacuumed two days ago) I didn’t find the flea, but now I am extremely paranoid.
I have a pretty bad insect anxiety, and have since I was little, so this is extremely unsettling to me. Is it common to see one or two fleas four weeks after treatment? We have followed all the rules and are exhausted, mentally and physically. Our neighbors on both sides of us have cats and dogs, so there isn’t much we can do about them, but we did notify them about our infestation hoping they would take care of their animals. I just need to know that this is normal, and if it isn’t, should I call the exterminator again? Or is there something else I should do? Helllllppppp.
Hi Maryn, honestly I wouldn’t worry. Keep an eye out and if the numbers increase, then call them out again. In the meantime, make a couple DIY flea traps (article on this blog) and put them in your rooms at night, they are fantastic and easy to use. Hope that helps, please share this article with your friends!
Hello,
I was previously living in an apartment where the upstairs neighbors had a severe flea infestation so since the day I moved in I was using Advantage monthly. In the process of waiting to move in to my new apartment I took my cats to a professional groomer where she groomed and gave them each a flea bath. She said she only found some flea feces on my 2 cats and a dead flea in my third cats ear but found NO live fleas. Immediately after their flea bath treatments I had them spend time at a friends home (they have no animals) so they would not get reinfested with fleas until I was able to move in to my new apartment. Now I am in my new apartment 10 days later and today just as a precaution I combed my cats and found nothing on the 2 cats but I did find a dying semi-adult flea on my third cats head. I spoke with the groomer and she did say that it is sometimes normal for an egg to hatch and a flea may emerge after the bath but it should die shortly after. I am now nervous my brand new apartment has a flea infestation now. I am giving all the cats capstar and advantage topical treatment today and am actually getting my new apartment exterminated tomorrow just to be safe. Do you think I am okay and that it was just a hatched flea slowly dying or should I worry that my brand new apartment is now infested? Please please please let me know
Hi Lauren, you don’t need to worry about it, you will be fine. Just keep a proactive eye out for any increasing numbers and let me know if that happens. I will help you. Please share this page on social media if you appreciate my advice 🙂
How do I safely remove the insecticide residue following the use of a flea spray??? This is my last resort after having done the vacuuming, diatomaceous earthing, cat bathing in Dawn, Frontline Plus and Revolution. I am extremely concerned about using this option and feel very guilty that I am exposing my 1year old to this.
Hi Tara, you can just use regular cleaning agents. Perhaps consider hiring someone for a day or two to help you out. Have you tried the DIY flea traps, I have an article on this, check it out.
Hey so we took our indoor cat to the vet to find out he has flees and have take all precautions of getting rid of them. A relative of ours came over for a visit and her cats have flees. Could this be the reason why we have them? I have sprayed my house with flee remover spray and our carpets with flee powder ! Is there anything else you would recommended? I have children and don’t want them to be bitten ! Also would Lysol help with this problem or just flee spray?
Hi Savannah! Yeah it’s possible. I recommend a couple DIY flea traps, I have an article on this blog, check it out 🙂
Hello!
My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and recently caught himself a flea problem. We used Frontline, but I’m still pulling live buggies off of him, so I’m wondering if I didn’t apply the dose correctly. I got Revolution from our Vet, but she recommended waiting until next month to apply, I don’t want to let our flea problem go for a month. I’ve sprayed two cans of aerosol flea treatment throughout our house, but is there anything else I can do? We have a 20 month old. I have been looking for bites and so far we haven’t gotten any, but I’d like to make sure we get this taken care of before it gets worse. Right now our mattress is on the floor and I don’t want to have any issues there. Is there anything else you’d recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Cadence, you can try washing the cat in dawn soap and warm water (if you dare), kills fleas instantly. Also check my articles on DE and making your own DIY flea trap, both will really help you. Cheers!
I wanted to let all of you know that Dawn soap dish detergent absolutely gets rid of fleas it is a process it takes quite a while to get rid of them but I wanted to let all of you know that Dawn dish soap detergent absolutely works. My question is where can I get flea bombs to flea bomb my entire house? And where can I go with my cat’s how long is that process while my house is being flea bombed?
Hi Shelley! Thanks for letting us know about your success. RE the bombs, you can order them off amazon or something and take your animals out the house when you do it, maybe at a friends house (make sure they dont have fleas as well though lol).
Hi Natasha,
I found three dark dots on my dog a few days ago. I thought they were little moles at first but now I see him biting and scratching. He sleeps with me and I believe I also have bites after reading other emails. You recommend to bathe the pet in dawn soap. Can it be any kind of dawn soap, there are so many varieties. And I’m confused why he would have fleas since I treat him every month. Please help before this gets out of hand. Also can I remove those back spots myself?
Thank you
Rosemary
Hi Rose! Just grab the one that has the least scents, etc. Just want some regular soap and is nice and gentle. Yes, the spots should disappear after the bath. Hope that helps!
Hi. Please can you help? I went to a house I rent out yesterday to clean it after the tenants left and I found three fleas. I killed them and hoovered everywhere, came home and didn’t think any more of it. This morning I’ve woken up with 11 bites, mainly on my ankles and legs. We do sleep with the windows open but I’m worried they’re from fleas and that I might have brought them back with me? Last night I just put my clothes away in my wardrobe as normal- could the fleas have been on my clothes and now be all over the rest of my clothes? I’m really panicking that I may have brought them into my home!!
Hi Lisa! Easiest way to check is to read my article on making some flea traps, putting them in each room and seeing if you catch any. If you don’t, all is fine. Hope that helps, share if you like the tip! 🙂
Hi thank you for this article it has a lot of great information in it.
We have fleas all.over our house and have terminex coming in to spray. We have a 1 1/2 year old daughter and I don’t want her to ingest any of the stuff they are spraying. The terminex people said that we do not have to wash all of our dishes or the baby’s clothes/toys as long as we stay out of the house for at least 4 hours after they are done.
I know the spray is different than the bomb, but I am still leary about not washing her clothes and toys and the dishes. It takes a crazy long time to do that and would.prefer if I didn’t have to. Do you have any insight on the safety of the spray? Should we wash all dishes, clothes, and toys after they spray?
Thanks,
Abby
Hi Abby, they are not wrong but I would personally wash/wipe anything that came into contact with it. I know it can take ages but I am a little OCD so I hope that gives you an idea.
Hi Natasha, Just wanted to make you aware of the safest and quickest flea and tick treatment I’ve ever found. It’s called Capstar, it started working within 15 minutes and is safe to give multiple times (it is a small pill).
Another product I’d like to recommend is called Pet Protector. You can find it online , it is a little pricy but if you live in an area with flea and tick problems it is quite worth it. used it for a year and no bugs! I didn’t read all our comments, so I’m sorry if theseis are already listed
Hi Lynda! Thanks for the recommendation, I havn’t used those products but they sound great. Much appreciated!
This is a fairly simple question (I think), but I’m a little confused about the order of doing stuff. Here’s what my understanding is:
1) get pets on meds, wash, and clean with flea comb as often as possible (my cat’s gonna love that!);
2) wash pet bedding in hot water (if possible), and sheets;
3) sprinkle DE or borax on surfaces;
4) vacuum everywhere (and if hardwood floors, like me, scrub in DE and clean with antimicrobial cleanser (pine sol or bleach);
5) bomb, spray, whatever;
5) wash clothes in hot water;
6) repeat as necessary.
Can you clarify the optimal order of operation?
Some questions about clothing. This happened, unfortunately, at a time that I was organizing my clothes. I have clothes spread out EVERYWHERE. Luckily, the dog and cat weren’t tramping over them. Do I have to wash them, even though they were 5-10 feet away from my animals?
Also, if you have delicate clothes that absolutely cannot be put in the wash/dryer on a hot cycle, are there any options? Can clothing be left out and be bombed, then worn after two weeks or so? Natural sprays that will work (clove, cedar, citronella, etc.)? Are there laundry additives that would help (I read hydrogen peroxide and vinegar might be good in cold water…?)? Or putting pillows (microfiber, not washable) and delicates or things that will shrink in the freezer? Please help with this–I’m on a fixed income and there is no way that I can afford to dry clean everything.
Thank you! Your blog posts have really been a life saver 🙂
Hi Anouk! Glad you like it! Honestly, that order is perfect, well done hehe. I don’t recommend leaving those clothes out, rather just hand wash them. Borax works well but honestly, any soap pretty much kills fleas so don’t worry about using anything special. Hope that helps, please share this blog on Facebook if you appreciated my help 🙂
We brought a kitten home yesterday and then took him to the vet this morning where they told us he has fleas. They did say he likely didn’t have many on him as the vet tech combed him multiple times before any flea dirt showed up. Also he wasn’t out of his kennel very long before he was treated and has been treated for fleas, I’ve also vacuumed and have been washing all the bedding and other fabric items he might have come in contact with – how long does it usually take for the treatment on the kitten to start killing fleas. Is there anything else I should be worried about?
Hi Anna! It should take about 24 hours, depending on what you are using. I think you are fine, just let me know if you see any fleas hopping around soon.
I have had it! I have 2 wonderful cats but since my daughter has been born (she’s 10 months old now) and I saw fleas, I’ve locked them in their own room. I go in there several times a day too feed, socialize, and clean. But now the fleas are everywhere! Kitchen, bathroom, and sometimes bedroom! I have bombed my whole house multiple times with different kinds of sprays, bathed and medicated cats with different things, vacuumed, wash, and even used sevendust in cracks and such! the poor cats are still getting chewed up that I’m thinking of giving them up because I can not financially pay for what they need to be flea free and can’t stand their crying in agony anymore. I’m at my wits end. me, my husband and daughter get bit if we go out of the safe zones (bedroom and living room) . So far the fleas have been reduced to the cat room, some of the kitchen and bathroom (both of which are near the cat room). My house is all laminate flooring.
Hey! I suggest you give DE a try, it is cheap and will work well for your situation. Check out my article on this subject.
Hi,
We took our goldendoodle in for a grooming and the groomer said he had tons of dead fleas on him. He’s two years old and she’s never seen him like that before. He’s been on a medicated flea pill from the vet which obviously worked in killing them but now I don’t know what to do? I don’t know where they came from but I assume it’s from doggie daycare where he goes weekly. Does this mean they are all over our house? Do we need to treat the house now? How do I ensure that he doesn’t just keep bringing them back in. Ugh, I just hate those little vermin! I feel sick thinking about it all.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Michelle! If they are all dead, it is unlikely that you have a big infestation at home. To be sure, please use a couple flea traps (easy DIY guide on this blog) in your rooms, it will quickly tell you if you have a flea problem. Hope that helps!
Thank you. I was so scared that our place would be infested. I will take your advice. Thank you.
Hi Michelle, it is a pleasure! Please share my blog on Facebook, etc. if you appreciate my help 🙂
Hi,
I have had an issue with fleas for almost 3 years. It started when I got 2 of my cats from a lovely friend who had no ideas on how bad these awful things are. (I have 3 cats). I was told I couldn’t treat the cats till they were 12 weeks old and therefore put up with the fleas for 3 weeks. Anyway, you can imagine how bad it has been.
I’ve been told by vets and vet suppliers that if I treat my indoor cats with advantage 6 consecutive treatments 3 weeks apart and that I don’t need to worry about treating the house as the prolonged treatments will take care of residual issues. How reliable is this information? I have SO had enough of these nasty things!
I have treated my front door area with a spray to kill what comes into the house.
Am I doing enough? I work very hard at my job and frankly have no energy to vacuum everything frequently. Affording the advantage is about all I can manage. How long should I do this for and am I maybe wasting my time/ money?
Thanks.
Hi Christine! It is possible but I suggest that you treat the house as well, try using DE (I have an article on this blog) as the food grade variation is completely safe for cats and humans. Let me know what you think.
Hi Natasha. My daughter lives in a council house and moved there 9 months ago. All brand new carpets/furniture etc. She has no pets at all, but her 4 year old son has recently been coming out in bites all over his upper body, arms, back n tummy. She has a couple on her ankles. She lives 4 in a block so only has one downstairs neighbour who does have a number of cats. My grandson doesn’t pet them or anything as they don’t let you and always run away. She also has a big back garden which is shared with this neighbour, and is all grass. Is it possible for her son to just get fleas from the grass? Or she’s convinced fleas are getting on her washing as its drying on the washing line outside…is this possible? We know they’re definitely fleas as I used to own a cat few years ago which did have fleas. Do u still have to use the same methods in de-fleaing your house? ie the spray can stuff from vets etc. She has already hoovered house from top to bottom, and washed all clothing, bedding etc too. Help!!!!
Thanks
Moira Anderson
Hi Moira, yes it is possible. I suggest that you look at getting something like “beneficial nematodes” (google it), they will sort that issue out fairly quickly. Hope that helps!
hello, PLEASE HELP!!! I live in a fairly big house so I am afraid that fleas will run all over the place. We went to the vet and they said he has fleas… I almost cried! I am so worried. I’m not very worried for my dog because the vet says it’s an easy problem to solve. We have had him for five days so far. My breeder gave him to me with worms and fleas. The vet gave him the flea medication and also me the medication so I can do it for him. I think it is working because the fleas are coming off but they’re coming off ALIVE!! I am so scared. I called my vet again and she said that they will die eventually. I hope so. My puppy was just inside the house and we were watching him to kill the fleas coming off. However we just put him outside. It is very hot so I feel very bad but my vet says that as long as he has water, he should be fine. I am so upset. Especially since my family and I are huge germaphobes!! The vet also said to keep vacuuming for a few weeks and they should be gone and I’m just wondering how I would know that they are all gone! I hope that my family and I are free of fleas as well. I am so stressed out by him. Very disappointed in my breeder/seller as well. So any tips? Vet also said that since I’ve only had him for five days, maybe only one or two ticks may have fallen off because they love staying on the dog. The vet says this is common and easy to fix but for my family and I this is very stressful and annoying. Please help ASAP!! What I am going to do is: 1) vacuum his area
2) spray fleas and ticks home spray and then 3) vacuum again and also keep giving my new puppy the medication. Please help… Please, please, please!!
Hi Anna, your steps are perfect, follow them and he (and you) will be fine, promise. Little dogs (even hamsters lol) get fleas all the time, you just need to take steps to get rid of them and other than that, nothing bad will happen. Hope this advise calms you a bit, let me know how it goes ok?
And please consider talking to the proper authorities about the breeder/seller. No reputable breeder would sell a pet like that.
Yeah true that!
Hi my questions are this, 1) I have a large house and rooms that we do not use. Hardwood and tile throughout. If I put things too large to wash, such as special pillows, in a room we are not using with the door shut, how long before the fleas die? 2) I live in Mexico and have no hot to wash clothes and bedding with, will cold work, I mean they’ll drown won’t they? Great, informative blog, thank you in advance for your assistance.
Hi Vicky! They can last quite a while without food hey. I suggest treating the area if you want a quick resolution, try using my DIY flea traps (make them yourself). Yeah cold will work, just make sure that there is washing soap in there and that will kill them instantly. Pleasure, please share my blog on Facebook if you appreciated my help 🙂
We are going out of town for 5 days. Would it be helpful to bomb before we go, even if I don’t have time to vacuum? Or should I wait until we get back so I can vacuum after we bomb? We’ve never had fleas and I’m trying my best to nip this in the bud before it gets worse.
Hi Courtney, yes you can definitely do that. Bomb and clean it up when you get back.
About 3 weeks ago I started getting these bites on my feet and legs. They reminded me of mosquito bites when I was younger, yet where I live now, there are hardly any mosquitos. Fast forward 3 weeks now and I’m still getting bites, new ones, if not everyday, every other day! They are red and some could be super itchy! And I don’t have any pets! Looked up bed bugs and I don’t think that’s it because I’m only getting bites in legs and feet. I’ve since washed my sheets and vacuumed! Please help!!! Do u think it’s fleas?
Hi Cindy, a good way to test is to use a homemade DIY flea trap in each room. I have an article on it, check it out.
I have a friend that is trying to fix up a rental house he owns for sale. The previous tenants had dogs and the place is completely infested with fleas. He is unable to work inside due to the fleas. He had a professional come in and spray but thinking it may take a few visits. I was wondering if you may have some quicker solutions or suggestions for him. He’s trying to get it up for sale by the end of summer. Everytime he attempts to go in the house to work he gets attacked. Also do they stay on your clothes? Worried that they’ll spread to another home. Any information or suggestions you may have to help would be much appreciated!!!
Hi Karen, tell him to spread a decent amount of DE throughout the house, especially since its empty? It is absolutely fantastic, read my article on it, it is on this blog 🙂
Hi,
I we have a flea investation in our studenthouse and I’m moving out. I had a lot of shoes who where on the ground in the invested area. Most of them I can’t wash (lether on the outside). What do I do with them so I won’t take the fleas/egss in them to my new place? Thx!
Hi Lotte, spray them with warm water and dawn soap. Then wipe them clean. Hope that helps!
Hi there, yesterday we discovered that our cat and dog both have fleas. I gave them both Capstar when I got home from work and bathed them in Dawn soap. This morning I applied the Advantage and K9 Advantix on them. I was planning to bomb the apartment tomorrow, but I’m having second thoughts. What do you think is more effective, bombing (fogger) or just hitting the common areas with the spray? We are in the process of moving so our place is not exactly tidy at the moment so I think the residual clean up after the bomb would be tough. We also bagged up a bunch of clothes and bedding for donation this week, will the fleas die inside the bags, will they suffocate? I would hate to pass along items with fleas. 🙁 Thank you for your help!
Hi Pet Mom, a localized spray should be fine, especially since it doesn’t sound like you have a big flea infestation. Bagging clothes is mainly to prevent fleas getting in, if you want to kill them, just hot wash the clothes. Hope that helps!
Hi Natasha,
I have a family friend who is suffering from a flea infestation at their house. I have been there and then here and I noticed when I woke up this morning new bites on myself. I have no pets but am now paranoid I will be battling a flea ingestion for a long time, with me as the host!
I’ve already vacuumed and used borax on the carpet and planning to flea bomb tomorrow. What is the likelihood my infestation isn’t that bad?
Hi Teagan, I personally think that with the steps you took, you are not going to have a flea problem.
Hey how do you find out if the fogger is igr and do you need to wipe all furniture down after using one and wash all bed sheets, comforters? Our dog was stolen and we recovered her she had fleas all over her we treated her outside in a pool with liquid gain and hertz flea wash and combed her. We did the process three times and thought all was gone, but two hours of her being inside we saw there were some still on her jumping. We can’t get the pill till tomorrow or the bombs. She is currently outside will we have an infestation problem with her being in here for two hours or should we be fine with just using the bombs? Thanks.
Hi Charlie, you should be fine, I doubt that you would have a big infestation after such a short amount of time. Let me know how it goes!
I’ve had all animals on Revolution regularly – had the house professionally exterminated two weeks ago; vacuum every day, sometimes twice a day, and take the bag (and the vacuum outside). I spray the vacuum even. Still have some fleas. What can I do? One cat really needs some kind of extra help. he is a big boy and I don’t think the dose really covers him.
Hi Sharissa! I suggest you try DE, I have a lovely write up on this blog, check it out and let me know how that goes!
I recently had a really bad infestation of fleas throughout my apartment, because i rescued a dog till the owner was found, i mean it was so bad i couldnt stand up from bed without getting at least 4 or 5 fleas on my legs. It was gross. I called an exterminator he came out twice and couldnt get it done. So i went to the store, found some flea carpet powder, had that on my carpet for 30-45 mins bought spray, for the baseboards the tile and everywhere else, within one treatment my apartment is now like 100% free of fleas, ive found one or two from the kitchen, where the dog mostly was, and when i dis i just resprayed the boards, and now, no fleas
Hi Tyler, thanks for sharing that experience. Strange that they couldn’t help you, all the guys that I recommend do a fantastic job but either way, glad that you have found some relief through a little hard work, well done!
Hey Natasha. I stumbled upon your website after adopting a new kitten yesterday. We had her in our home for maybe an hour, max 2 hours, when we noticed fleas. I’m fairly certain our other 2 cats didn’t have fleas before. I secluded the kitten in my bathroom & picked up the mats until I ran out & got some Dawn soap since he’s too young for medicinal flea treatsments. I bathed him twice in the Dawn & went over him with a flea come & didn’t see any more fleas. I let him roam around the house & sleep in my bed that night. The next day I saw a live flea on him. I snagged it & immediately went out & bought a carpet powder & upholstery spray that kill fleas in all stages of the life cycle & it says it treats for 7 months & pulled all of the sheets & am washing them in hot water. I treated the adult cats with frontline & gave the quick tab to the kitten. All of that being said, what are the chances of the little buggers coming back as we noticed the problem quickly? Do you think I’ll need to retreat the house? Thanks for your help!
Hi Ashley, based on my experience, you should have nipped the problem in the bud so no further action is needed. Just keep an eye out for future fleas 🙂
Hi Natasha, First I want to say how wonderful it is of you to take the time to help everyone out and not try to make money off of them. We were given a love seat, couch, and 2 chairs. It was in the house for 2 days and I never really sat i on it.until one night I fell asleep on the couch. It is like fleas on a major major caffeine buzz. I threw the furniture in living room out and forgot about the chairs in extra room. I had the house exterminated and as soon as I moved those chairs it started all over again. They had been exterminated. Got it sprayed again and it was all good for a couple weeks and then started up again. It is so bad my scalp is bleeding. It is a major night mare. I could go on and on. I just don’t know what else to do unless I just burn the contents of my house.
Thanks for listening
Hi Anne, thanks for your kind words. I suggest that you try using DE, I have an article on this blog, check it out.
Hi Natasha!
I have found your site very helpful. I found a few fleas on my cat a week ago. Since then I have bathed her in dawn, treated her with a Hartz product to kill flea eggs and larvae, put a flea collar that is suppose to kill adult fleas (don’t think it’s working as I’m still finding them on her!), rubbed in various combinations of DE and/or baking soda/salt into my carpets (rubbed DE on the cat the last two days), swept everything imaginable…today I even got out the shop vac and did smaller sections since it is more powerful, and I use a flea comb several times a day. Despite all of this I am still finding 1 or 2 live fleas on her daily. Yesterday I found one live flea, today I found two…I am not seeing any signs of flea dirt…Had I known anything about fleas (this is my first issue), I would have gotten a product that also took care of adult fleas but I relied on a friend who picked up the product for me based on what she used…Please help! I don’t know if I can wait 3 more weeks before I can try a different topical product on her. Thanks!
Hi Linda, you probably find that she is getting re-infested from either your home or from outside. I will email you some info on this.
Hi Natasha!
My parents have been battling with fleas for a few months now. It started a few days before Christmas 2015 when my mom found a flea on her arm. We put Advantage on our dog right away, and the problem has slowly but surely dissipated. In the following month, my mom has found a few fleas here and there, but nothing major (she has vacuumed every day and consistently applied Advantage or Advantix).
This past weekend, I came home for a visit and within my 72 hour stay, had FOUR fleas land on me (no bites). They were all quite young (or I assume so because they smaller than the adults I saw over the Christmas break). We’ve found no flea dirt or fleas on the dog, and I’m the only one being daunted by the little buggers. I’m just wondering if there’s any advice you can give on our situation, considering we’ve done everything our vet and pest control website have recommended. Is this a sign that the infestation is still going strong, or are these juvenile fleas (only on me) a good sign?
Thank you so much for your help!
Hi Siobhan, honestly I think that you should be fine, just make a couple of my DIY flea traps and if they don’t catch anything, it is highly unlikely that you have a flea problem.
You keep referring to your treatment blog giving info but what is the treatment? DIY fly traps? What are they? dE treatments? HELP! We bought our home two weeks ago, have no pets, sprayed with”TEMPO” and are covered with bites!
Hi Jan, you will find some treatment solutions in my article about DE, flea traps and a few others, please take some time to read them.
Hi Natasha
Great site!!
I was wondering, do fleas only itch you once they have bitten? I’ve seen 2 fleas on my bed, but I don’t have any bite marks. I am itchy though but I don’t know how I can bet itchy if I don’t have bites? Can you be itchy just from them crawling on you? And why haven’t they bitten me?!
Many thanks
Kate
Hi Kate, if you skin is sensitive, anything is possible. However, usually it would actually require a bite to start itching, hope that helps!
Hello,I have a flea problem. My mom’s brought her dog to my home which brought fleas into my home. I have tried everything Bombs, Sprays, Professional, Salt, D Earth stuff, the Botox stuff (not sure if that is how you spell it. I put fleas traps in every room every night and I am getting any where from 26 to 2 total each night. They are eating my one year old to death. I feel so bad, I have been using Skin So Soft lotion from Avon but it doesn’t seem to be helping her. I vacuum all the beds and couches in the whole house every other day, I wash the bedding every other day. I vacuum the floor every day (which is all hardwood floor in the whole house) Sometimes I vacuum the floor twice a day. I don’t have throw rugs. I don’t have any pets at all. I also wash all my floors daily. I am not sure what else I can do to get these fleas out of my house for good. I am going on day 34 dealing with this.
Hi Krista! Will PM you.
Our two indoor dogs have had fleas for months despite treating them with Capstar, Flea Shampoo Advantage and Frontline (all except the Shampoo makes them feel sick and go off their food for a day or two) over that time and it is driving me INSANE. We can’t bomb the house as we have an indoor bird and can’t spray outside due to outdoor birds. It’s gotten so bad I can barely sleep at night because the dogs are ‘sharing’ their fleas with me. I feel really bad for them. They like to lick and chew at the carpet (cheeky puppies) so I don’t want to use anything potentially toxic. Any recommendations?
Hi Rebecca! I recommend taking the bird out the home for a day and getting the home treated professionally if you are wanting some long term relief. Combine that with one more 30 day application of Advantage and you should be good. Hope that helps!
I am well acquainted with fleas as this is the second time in my life I’ve had to deal with them. Unfortunately, everything I have read has not given me any new information or helped to resolve my current issue. My family and I have just moved into a new home, where the previous owners had cats, however we only have a parakeet. About a week after we moved in we started noticing the fleas. It has been two months. We thought they were finally gone and now they are starting to reappear. We have bombed twice, ourselves, then called professionals who bombed twice as well. We have been vacuuming twice a day for weeks. My main concern is their focus seems to be on my four year old son, who is now covered in head to toe scars from flea bites. We can always tell when their numbers are up, as he will start getting more and more bites. We fear they are coming from our back yard, which has an oak tree full of squirrels. We treated the back yard twice. Is there anything else we can do? Should we cut down the tree? Do we need to find some way to get rid of the squirrels? Is there any kind of safe treatment we can give our son, similar to those we give pets? If there is anything you could suggest that we haven’t already done, we would be willing to try it. We are getting quite desperate. Thanks!
Hi Shannon, thanks for your comment! I recommend that you try using some food grade DE in his bedroom and seeing how that works. To be honest, those exterminators couldn’t have done a very good job, I will send you a PM for a recommended service. Hope that helps. P.S: I have an article on DE, check it out.
Have been reading posts way back to 2013. You keep advising to use Frontline and Advantage. I work for a greyhound kennel and you don’t know how many calls we get saying Frontline doesn’t work any more. Been getting these calls for 2-3 years. Also postings on FB from people saying. Seems the fleas are immune to those anymore. I am reading your articles because I believe I have a flea infestation. Covered the rugs with DE and Borax last night. Used Adams spray on the dogs (that is safe for greyhounds-not all sprays are) Advantix not working on them either. I know I have a lot to do, but just wanted you to be aware of the Frontline and Advantage not working for a couple of years now.
Hi Blanche, you make a couple good points but I can assure you that Frontline and other products like it do still work in a lot of cases, even if they are reducing at an alarming rate. Also remember that this blog targets the global community and in a ton of geographical areas, those products work wonders. However, this is also a reason why I have been pushing natural methods where possible because they are often more effective. Hope that clears it up!
Please Help .. I live in an apartment and I have a cat that never goes out, but my neighbors in the apartment beside of me has 3 small dogs, my cats and my apartment gets fleas and I boom and put frontline plus on her .. But my question is what can I put in my apartment or spray to keep the fleas out and off my cat…Please help!!!
Hi Penny, check my article on DE, I think it will work well for you 🙂
We moved into an apartment a few months ago that allows pets. There are a lot of dogs and cats in the building. This last month we noticed a flea problem that our cat has and it started biting me and my children (my husband seems immune.) I’ve washed the cat a couple times and treated the carpets but it still seems to be a problem. I’m wondering if other residents have the same problem or not. Our cat roams during the day, but comes back at night. We never had a problem with fleas prior this apartment though our cat also roamed as he does now. Tell the landlord? I’m thinking of hiring a pest control service, but if other residents have fleas too they’ll just come back.
Hi Joy, sorry for the late response, are you still having this flea issue?
Hey there! My name is Samy. Ok long story short. I had my bathroom remodeled with a new tub in and I didn’t noticed any fleas until AFTER that happened. I have 4 dogs and they were ALL scratching incessantly. I felt so bad for them! But I noticed there were fleas jumping off of them and onto my bed, pillows,around my bed room etc. And around where they normally lay, which is normal if they have fleas? But I haven’t seen any anywhere else outside of those places,meaning anywhere else in the house etc. I have been vacuuming the hell out of my wood floors(I have ALL wood floors with the exception of my living room area rug) and area living room rug and washing everything that is machine washable. Dog beds,linen, everything they lay on. I have used Hotshot bed bug and flea around those hotspots where I saw the fleas. I have treated my dogs with Front line and flea collars. And it seems to be working as a mediocre remedy. I guess I am asking if there is anything I need to do besides clean clean clean! I have called a pest control company JUST to see what prices were to compare in case the situation got worse. Is this an infestation or am I just crazy? Lol. Thanks!
Hi Samy, based on your current situation and attempts to rectify it yourself, it probably would be better to get a pro in to help you. I can send you a free quote, give me 15min or so. Sorry you have to struggle with this 🙁
Natasha,
First of all, thank you so much for your articles. I just started Front-lining my cat and have already found dead and live fleas coming off of her. I think I have been bitten twice. Tonight (the first night I looked) I counted six fleas that were dead from frontline and another two that were still alive (one of which got away). I was wondering if you would consider this bad enough for a flea bombing, or should I try flea traps and bathing the kitty. She had fleas initially when I got her, but I had her bathed and cleaned the house and had no further issues until now (months later).
How long do fleas have to be exposed to subzero temps for? And by subzero do you mean below freezing or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit? I live in the Northeastern US, so winter is coming. My plan of last resort is to move out for a weekend and leave the door and windows open. Just want to know how cold it has to be (trust me, its gets well below zero up here).
– Andrew
Hi Andrew! I think you will be fine, 6 fleas is not a biggie. Try my DIY flea traps anyways, just to put your mind at ease. I am not too sure about the exact temperature but I do know that fleas cannot survive in extreme cold 🙂
Please help!!!
I have tried everything!! We just rented a home and intend to move in it but there is a really bad flea problem that we can’t get rid I have flea bombed, used insect spray around the house and around the base boards etc., I have paid an professional to come and spray I have turned my heat up all the way in the house, used de everywhere in the house and I’ve also setup flea traps I just can’t seem to get rid of them so that we can move in please help me thank you
Hi Elizabeth, I have PM’d you 🙂
Natasha,
We recently noticed our cat and our house has fleas. She has been treated and I’m still seeing dead fleas where she lays. I was seeing about 4-5 a day and quite a few in the vacuume. I’ve bombed, sprayed and 4 days later I borax the carpet. I also have Termanix coming on Tuesday. I saw a few jumpers when I vacummed up the borax today. When I re vacummed the living room today I didn’t see any. I did find one on my son today. In my traps I’m only finding 3-5. Does this mean I’m finally getting ahead? I wear white socks and I’m not seeing any. I’m putting a lot of faith in Terminix, do they really get rid of them? I’ve spent countless hours washing vacuuming and crying. Thanks!
Hi Amy! Sorry to hear about your flea issues, they really suck! Did terminix sort you out? Sorry this is a little late.
Hi Amy! You should be fine now, well done on sorting it out!
I found some fleas on my cat last week and gave her a bath in Palmolive (I didn’t have Dawn and it was 11pm) went to Vet and got her Capstar and Frontline Plus, pulled furniture away from walls and vacuumed, shampooed carpets, steamed carpets and furniture, also mattresses and washed everything, threw throw pillows in dryer and bagged them then sprayed with Vet-Kem Siphotrol Plus with Precor IGR from my vet…haven’t seen any fleas for 4 days now but it’s what I dont see that scares me. Should I put salt down as an added measure? I did not have an infestation, just some fleas on cats face…do you think this is going to do the trick, please any advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated and thank you.
Hi Tracy! To be honest, I think you have won the battle, no need for salt. Well done!
Natasha,
Can fleas infest people? Last month we became aware that our house cat, who stays indoors, had fleas. We had her treated with revolution and given a capstar. We then called an exterminator to come out and treat the home. During this time, the vet kept our cat and gave her another capstar, because some were still found on her. 3 days has gone by, and we have cleaned everything and vacuumed twice a day. Plus I’ve sprayed her with advantage, fogged the garage twice (where I believe they came from), sprayed the furniture and carpets with a Raid product that has that growth regulator to it, and wearing white socks so I can see and get a guesstimate as to how many we might have. I’m not seeing many at all in the water used in the rainbow vacuum. Today, I’ve seen a few, really small ones. How long do you think following the professional treatment and our great measures will it take to totally clear up? This has made us insane. We can not stand bugs, and especially in the house.
Hi Nicole! To be honest, after the professional treatment, you should have zero issues, if they did their job properly. I will send you a link for more info, thanks for your comment!
Can you send me the link? We are having terminix gone tomorrow for our fleas.
Sorry for the late response, will send it now!
I used Frontline a week ago, after bringing my cat to the vet and noticed she has fleas (both my cats). I bathed them both with flea shampoo a week later, will frontline still be affective?
Hi Emily, depends on the product, you should leave the Frontline on for about 30 days though usually.
Hey Natasha. I have fogged my room (used to be a garage) several times and I still feel flees biting and crawling on me sometimes. I also found on or two fleas on my sweatshirts. Do fleas stay on clothes? Should I throw my clothes away? Should I wash them all? Or is it fine if I just fog the room?
Hi Niko, fog the room and hot wash your clothes, I am sure you will see some results.
Hello. Most commenting have pets or recently moved into a home previously infested. I do not have this issue so I’m trying to figure out where they could have come from. Some are found in my sink basin and tub. Is it possible for fleas to come from drains and pipes?
Hi Jessica! They could come from the garden, its often the source for fleas. No they can’t, that is a different type of insect.
What do I do with clothes that are in draws, hung up in wardrobes and hung on backs of doors?? Also clothes and bedding that are stored in boxes??
Hi Baz! You can launder them all, should kill them off.
Hi,
I’ve had a bad infestation for a a couple of months now, my cat had fleas and we somehow didn’t recognise the signs as she is an indoor cat and has never had this problem before. She has been treated with a treatment that kills fleas and poisons their dirt so the larvae (who apparently eat the dirt) will also be poisoned. I also used a home spray in every room in the house, using the remainder of the spray a couple of days later to re-spray areas of the house the cat frequents. I try to comb her daily but I get very badly bitten and it’s driving me crazy. The vet cannot give me another treatment for my cat until the first dose has worn off. I find them daily, on me and on surfaces the cat has been on. I am about to try the flea trap with the tealight, I read somewhere else to use a lamp but I’m not sure this is economical. Would bathing the cat help? The vet didn’t mention if the treatment would be washed off or diluted if she was washed, though I was told when the treatment was first put on not to let the cat get wet. I assumed this would be to stop the initial treatment being washed off before it could be absorbed. I was also told that the spray treatments do not work on the pupae stage of the flea’s cycle as it can’t penetrate the outer shell. I live in the UK so I’m not sure what DE is. Thanks (:
Hi! If you can, bathe the cat in warm water and dawn soap. Then read my article on the flea traps you speak of, they are great. Lastly, buy some food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) and after reading that guide (on this site), use it in your home.
Hi we just adopted a pug yesterday we brought it home and within 5 minutes of being inside the house i noticed he had fleas he was hanging out on our hardwood floors. We immediatly brought him upstairs washed with flea shampoo and then when dryed we put frontline plus on we combed his hair and found alot of dead fleas. Should i be worried that we need to treat our house or do some preventitive things or do you think we nipped it in the butt? Thanks!!
Hi Courtney! I think you are fine, just keep an eye on the situation 🙂
Hi!
I’m moving in 2 weeks, and wanted to know what I could do to prevent carrying fleas with me into my new home and how to treat my room at my current home in preparation for the move. My roommates cat has the fleas, and although the cat is not allowed in my room, I still carry a few with me from being in the common spaces. The good thing is that I do not have a mattress or any furniture that I will be bringing with me that could invest the new home, but I do have clothes/shoes etc.
I wanted to know the steps I needed to take to end the problem here and not carry it with me!
Thanks!
Hi Paula! Just wash everything and maybe grab a flea spray from your local hardware store and spray your bags while you pack (try get something fairly non-toxic).
Hey, I tried to help a stray cat and ended up with a bigger problem then i could handle. I have already dusted the house with Diatomaceous or DE and it didn’t work. I will use the other methods on here but was wondering if you had any other suggestions. I have an outside dog and one inside both now have fleas. the cat is gone but not the fleas. we have given the inside dog 4 flea baths with no help. How do i get rid of the fleas on a mattress without poisoning me? I am being told to just burn everything and i cant afford that or Orkin. How long do i wait after i treat for everything to die and how long do i leave the dust, salt, chemicals, and other stuff on my house before i clean it?
Hi Veroncia! Check out my article on DE, that will show you how to apply it properly (it can also be used on your mattresses, etc.). I also suggest that you make a few of my DIY flea traps, they work really well (article is also on this blog). Good luck!
Hello. I really need help! It’s been about two months now we have had a flea infestation.. you walk around and they are all over your legs, they have got into my daughter’s hair, and so fourth. We had a kitten and a dog at first but because of this we have gotten rid of the dog and cat. So we haven’t had an animal inside for a little over a month. We have bombed once a week for a month! We have gotten the flea spray and sprayed everything down! We have vaccumned everyday for hours! We have tried the flea powders everywhere! (And we don’t have ANY CARPET, only hardwood and linoleum) I have no idea what to do anymore? We don’t want to move because we recently bought the house (before the fleas came) please help
Hi Heather. Make a couple flea traps (I have a DIY guide on this website), they work really well. You don’t have to get rid of the pets, just put a decent spot on treatment on them and they will be fine.
Hi. My family and I came back from vacation to a fully flea-infested home. We realized this after my son and I got attacked. Since July 21st, we have had no pets living there. Our grass is extremely short and while outside playing, no fleas are jumping on us. They are just in our home. We have bombed numerous times, used an IGR spray, sprinkled Borax, and yet they are still in my home. We have tons of traps set up and the number of fleas has dropped over the last week and a half. I have many lingering questions though. One, my house is extremely cluttered. Could eggs, larvae, pupae, etc live on things like books, toys, a baby gate? Also, do I need to thoroughly scrub everything that a cat “may have” rubbed up against? More, I folded our laundry on our living room rug which we now realize had fleas, larvae, and probably eggs on it. Do I need to rewash all of our clothes? I also had laundry baskets filled with clean clothes and noticed fleas jumping around the baskets. Would they have gotten into the baskets? Do I need to rewash these? I’m just very frustrated because we have been battling these fleas since July 20th. Thanks so much for any advice.
Hi Al! Yes, eggs can end up anywhere but they usually end up in carpet fibers, etc. Your best bet is to use an IGR spray (or a bomb that contains it) to prevent them from hatching. As for washing, just do anything that might have come into contact, just to be safe. Let me know how that goes!
Hi there,
I have found your article and all the comments interesting!!
I have my own question – my nanny has been covered in bites for over two weeks, and been irritated to the point she has some infected. When she went to the doc they told her it was flea bites. She came home, fully cleaned her room and bedding, and is still getting them two weeks down the track – everywhere – face included. Then Friday my youngest son came out with similar things. His doc told us it was flea bites too. I am not sure if I am convinced as he is usually first to get flea bites in our house – and they don’t react like these (they are oozing clear liquid at times). I want to put everyones mind at ease though and de-flea the house, but no-one has been getting them anywhere else in the house.
Do you think this can still be a case of fleas?? It seems so untypical to me when we haven’t discovered any etc.
Hi Jamie! Hmm it doesn’t sound like flea bites, although certain people do have terrible allergies towards them. I suggest you go and get a second opinion from another doctor 🙂
Hello Natasha-
I would first like to thank you for this site- it is very helpful in a time of need! I am currently battling a flea infestation in my apartment. I have sprayed and scattered DE on both the carpet and hardwood floors. I am still seeing fleas jump on me, but am catching them daily with traps. Since I have treated the area, am I safe to bring my washed laundry back in the apartment? I am afraid if I do, the adult fleas that are still alive will jump back into them. Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi Katie! Yes, you can bring your clothes back from the laundry, just keep up the traps and the DE.
I can’t kill these ninja fleas. I have done the following:
used wondercide on pets, in yard, in house.
used Zodiac spray and wondercide in my house – literally every square inch
used commercial flea spray in the yard 3 times, paid a pest control to treat the yard 3 times, sprinkled diatomaceous earth all over the back yard
The dogs are still coming back in with fleas.
HELP !! There is no killing these ninja fleas 🙁
Hi Karen! The missing step is a flea control solution for your dogs. Repeat the process but this time, use Frontline or Advantage on your dogs as well.
Hi Natasha! I sure could use your help and advice. I purchased my first home about a month ago. The day we got the keys, my husband walked through the family room in the basement and noticed a couple of fleas on his ankle. We knew the previous owner had pets but fleas were never mentioned. We called the exterminator right away because we planned on moving in shortly and we have 2 small children. They sprayed, we vacuumed and we decided to remove all the carpets upstairs and in the basement. We only kept the one that was in the upstairs living room because it was fairly new. Needless to say the exterminating company has sprayed our house 4 times and we are still seeing fleas. They are in our kitchen and in the upstairs bedrooms which have hardwood floors. Im pretty sure we have an infestation. How are they surviving on the hard floor? But I really haven’t seen any in the living room carpeted area. I am at my wits end and I don’t know what else to do. This should be one of the happiest times for us and instead it honestly is so stressful! I do not want to bring my small children into a flea infested home nor do I want to move anything in! I really want to contact the previous owner and ask them if they knew about the fleas but my husband does not. He says there is nothing they can do now and who knows if they will be truthful with us. What can we do to help move this process along? I have even put boric acid down. How long should it take for them to be completely gone from our house? Once we stop seeing them, how long should we wait before moving all of our stuff in? I am to the point where I am dreaming about these nasty little bugs constantly. Please help me get them out of my new home! Thanks!
Hi Mary! I suggest that you read my article on DE and use that. Its very effective. Secondly, use a flea trap each night (also have an article on this). Lastly, get yourself a steam cleaner and use that between DE treatments.
Hi,
My name is Johanna and I discovered I have fleas I have washed all our clothes vacuum coaches beds. Mattress everything in ourr house and still dealing with this issue. My housing development has also send two separate contractor to check my apartment out. They keep saying there is nothing in there But we are all still getting bit. Have two small children under age of 5 , no animals at all. However two of my neighboors moved out there apartment and both had pets.
Hi Johanna! Give my flea trap a try and after it catches fleas, show that to your landlord 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Last night, my husband and I went to our basement to workout, we have a small couch down there. I sat on it and a flea jumped on me. I immediately checked our cat, who primarily lives in our basement and found 3 fleas on his white areas (he is black and white so the black parts are hard to see). I checked our german shepherd and found none, although she is hard to check because she is wiggly and of course partially black as well, I notice her scratching but I am not sure if it would be considered “alot”. Our cat is mainly an indoor cat, he is a huge wimp and only went outside of our back door and laid on the concrete in the sun. Anyway, just BAFFLED on how we got them.
I used a more natural outdoor fogger for our exterior, in my garden and around the foundation, I gave each pet capstar and used frontline advanced today. I dont really want to bathe the dog, she is very hard to bathe/control and is really afraid of water, do you think I need to? I used a spray downstairs on an area rug and our couch and the cats bed, those are really the only soft surfaces down there other than our dirty laundry bins and a few bins of shoes and clothes that are covered for the most part, I skimmed those with the IGR spray, too. I bought foggers to treat both the down and upstairs of the house, tomorrow, those say they kill fleas in all stages so I would assume they have an IGR.
Our cat has come upstairs once in the last month, he hates the dog, so he rarely comes up here and the door s always shut anyway since we have a 2 year old.
My question is, should I treat the mattresses with the spray tomorrow as well? Do I need to open the cabinets in the kitchen when I fog? I happened to JUST brng up a bin of stuffed animals from the basement for the kids. Best way to treat those? Do I need to? I do not see any bites on any of us and have not seen any fleas upstairs, we have all hard flooring and I vacuum daily but have a cannister vs bags.
Thoughts? How will I know if I got rid of the problem, totally?
Hi , I suggest you simply hot wash your bedding and before you use a fogger, it might be worth your while to try something like DE or my flea trap first (both articles are on this website). If you can wash those toys with warm water and soap, that will kill the fleas. Lastly, make sure your pets get a spot on treatment (like Frontline) and you will get this problem under control.
We have a major flea infestation in 2 households and 4 cars. Neither house has pets! We believe the source to be a fox den under an old building we use for gardening equipment. After we identified the bites were from fleas and caught some, I called my pest control people. They UNDER treated all areas in both houses and offered no solution for our cars. The bites were increasing. So I hit the internet. When we realized the first treatment was grossly inadequate, I complained and was finally put in touch with someone at the company who returned to both houses and (he says) was aggressive in his application on both properties and the cars. We returned to the house 3 hours after his treatment and felt a little more comfortable about sitting on the couches and sleeping in bed. HA! My 85 year old mother got up in the middle of the night to take a shower AGAIN, bagging her pj’s & towel. We have done 5-6 loads of laundry a day, taken up to 2 showers a day, vacuumed, sprayed vinegar & IGRs, used DEET, NITS, etc. for nearly 2 weeks – all to no avail. Why didn’t the more aggressive treatment give us some relief? Is it too soon to expect results? My mother & I are on the verge of a nervous breakdown, crying ourselves to sleep at night & exhausted by trying to keep them off of us.
Hi Peggy! I am not sure why the pest control company couldn’t help you, they might not have used an IGR conponant in their treatment and now you are suffering from the next generation of fleas. Since its causing such emotional distress, I suggest that you contact a different company because they should be able to assist. Let me know if you need a couple free quotes.
Hi, Natasha.
Thanks so much for all your great tips and advice. We’re right in the middle of dealing with a flea problem and I was hoping you could help me. My two small kids have an enormous stuffed animal collection and we just found some fleas hanging around the toys. Most of them can go in the wash, but there are some that can’t. How can we clean those? Can we vacuum them and wipe them with a bleach wipe? Or is there something non-toxic that we can spray on them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Tiffany! Try using a steam cleaner (if you have one or just hire it). That could work as well, I am just worried that the bleach might stain them.
Hi,
I was wondering if my dog could still bring in fleas to my home even after being treated with flea medicine? Every year I have this problem and they only bite me not my husband or son I must have sweet blood(ha ha) anyway, it’s so annoying he’s on Vectra 3D which is suppose to be good it’s prescribed from the doctor. I started putting the medicine on him in the Spring I wasn’t getting bitten till recent now there eating me alive they seem to be in my room because he he sleeps in my room on the floor. I thought putting him on a good medicine would work I guess NOT!! Can you please give some advice?
Hi Evette! The meds will keep fleas off your dog but not out your house. I suggest checking out my DIY flea trap, that can help you for now.
i picked up fleas from my outdoor cat and brought them in the house. I don’t have any indoor pets but I’m allergic to fleas so I’ve noticed a major problem with them. I went out and got a aresol spray with IGR in it and sprayed the whole house, vacuumed, then sprayed the whole house again. This seemed to get rid of the problem. I made it two days without seeing a single flea or getting s new flea bite until this morning and I’m wondering if it has to do with my books. Yesterday while packing to move I went through a few text books sitting on the floor, in one of them I found a flea, he was clearly dieing but I killed him for safe measure. I’ve been bitten a few times today and two of them corresponded with me opening books. So I was wondering if my books are the problem and what I should do to get rid of the new fleas I’m finding
Hi Chaney! Its unlikely its your books. If you just have a few fleas, I suggest trying out my flea trap. Its DIY and should kill the few remaining fleas, you can find the article on this site.
I have a flea problem in one room in my basement. It is my laundry room. We have treated all animals in the house with frontline and have been treating the carpet in my basement for two weeks with salt and traps. We are now seeing just baby fleas. The one question we have that the vet cant seem to answer is “can fleas or their eggs or larvae stay alive on items such as hard plastic, dishes or the washer? If yes, will bleach water kill them? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Angie! Heat kills them but a better bet is to use an insect growth regulator (there are even some natural ones) to stop them from hatching. Hope that helps.
I have found that tea tree oil will help to prevent from getting bit. Also, it also helps if you put diatomaceous earth all over the floor, it kills fleas on contact, You can find this at walmart, home depot or rural king for a fraction of the cost. Just saying!
Hi Britt! Thanks for your suggestions!
Hi
I moved in April 2015…I do not have any animals. My oldest daughter 3years old and she keeps screaming and itching and my husband keeps itching…well I vaccum and I seen a flea hoping and it got on my cell phone so i killed it….but now I know whats been bite us…..I dont know what to do….
Hi Catalina! Sorry to hear that! Please check out my articles on getting rid of these bests (including this one) as they will step you through some removal tips. If you are still stuck afterwards, let me know.
Hello! We have two cats (indoor) neither one of them have ever had fleas! I’ve been living in my apartment for 5 years and they occasionally hang out on our patio . About a month ago we had our hallway, living room and dining room carpets cleaned. Since the carpet cleaning both cats have been scratching more and just noticed a flea on each of them. Getting them started on frontline ASAP! Could this be a result of the carpets being cleaned? Thank you!
Hey Tisha! Maybe there were fleas there all along so yeah, its a possibility. However, no need to over-react, the Frontline should do the job 🙂
Thanks for the article. We have 2 cats (a short haired and long haired) both indoors. I think I brought in a flea or two from a dog I was petting. We have tried putting salt in the carpet, diatemacious earth, carpet flea powder, getting a rug doctor, and of course, treating the cats with Advantage II. The cats seem to be flea free (although I keep finding white flecks on their hair which I think are eggs- hopefully dead). We are vacuuming profusely and have treated our furniture with the rug doctor. However, I am finding bites all over my body. It started around my ankles, which is how I discovered the infestation. However, now I have them around my waist and on my back. Every day I wake up with more bites. But my husband doesn’t have a single one! Any advice? I’m desperate to stop this madness.
Thanks
Hey Ellen, sounds like the fleas laid eggs and they have hatched so you are dealing with the second generation. I recommend asking your pest guy to treat the house with an IGR (insect growth repellent) as this will stop their life cycle. I can organize a couple free quotes from local exterminators if you want, just let me know 🙂
my boyfriend said he seen a flea jumping around our bathroom. I’m like why we don’t have any pets . we did have shrews that I took care of but , anyways how do I get rid of the little blood suckers thank you
Hey Yolanda! If its a single flea, you don’t need to stress. However, keen an eye on the situation and if it worsens, check out my flea trap article and use it to kill them.
Hi Natasha. I have a question. Ive recently split with my boyfriend and moved in with my aunt.and i want to bring my little dog to live with me but she has fleas so can you tell me whats the best thing to treat her with so she wont infect my aunts home?
Hey Susie! The best thing you can do is just to use a deflea spot on treatment a couple days before you move. Let me know how it goes!
Hi I just moved into my new apartment a week ago and immediatley noticed a couple fleas well by nighttime i was literally being eaten alive i could look down at my ankles and pants and spot atleast 10 . I dont have any pets but i do have a 6 month old and didnt want her at my apartment with this infestation , so i called my landlord and they said well we had it sprayed and the carpets shampooed a week before i moved in , so they said they would have the pest guy return and spray again so as i waited almost two days i trried some home remedies like diatemacious earth, sprinkling salt on the carpet , water and dish soap mixed into a spray, spray and vacumming . They my apartment got sprayed everything seemed ok for about an hour then. i spotted them again , the pest guy said the spray may have activated the eggs causing them to hatch so vacuum and they should die off well they are still everywhere and i even bought organic home flea spray which worked for a few gours and they are back again i cant handle it , how could my apartment be so infested yet i have no animals ?????
Hey Brianna! There might have been animals in the apartment in the past, fleas can survive quite a long time without food. Ask your landlord to get a treatment applied that contains an IGR component, this will ensure that the eggs do not mature into adult fleas. At this point, natural remedies won’t really help so just get that chemical application done as soon as possible.
Hi Natasha,
Please help! After adopting a kitten from a shelter that had fleas, my apartment got infested. My kitten had a rare feline virus and I had to put her down :(. Unfortunately, I am still left with the fleas in the apartment, even though I used a flea fogger bomb, twice! I am at a loss of what to do and my feet and ankles are covered in flea bites. My husband has none though! I can actually see them jumping on me when I wear white socks. I am extremely uncomfortable and itchy, but more importantly I need to get these out of our apartment. PLEASE HELP!!
Hey Jan! I recommend that you give all your linen a hot wash, use DE on your carpets (check my article on this, brush it in really well) and use a decent vacuum cleaner. Repeat for a week or two (not the washing part) and you should be able to get on top of the situation. Good luck!
FOR THE LOVE OF HUMANITY, SOMEONE PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME! HELP ME!!
In 2008 I was blessed to receive the best friend I’ve ever had: a Service Dog. Later on that my service dog began scratching at his ears constantly, so I took him to the vet and was given a medication for mites, even though the vet didn’t see any in his ears. A month or so later I started feeling what I thought were small bugs crawling on my eyelashes during the night when I would wake up. My family tried to say that it was my nerves rather than some type of fly or insect, which I knew was ridiculous. The problem continued and I began to feel what seemed like pieces of sand landing on my face at night when I tried to sleep. Apparently this was the next stage of development. Then my dog began to scratch a lot more than usual, despite being treated monthly via oral medication, and the insects were now jumping on me and crawling into my nose, ears, and corners of my eyes! If that’s not bad enough, when this happens at night I cannot get up and shake them off or get in the shower because I’m paralyzed from the collarbone down and cannot get out of bed until my attendant comes in the morning. All I can do is swat them on my face and ears the best I can, but my efforts are futile since the problem has magnified over the years. Over the years I have moved from an apartment in my hometown, to a house on my college campus, and recently into a brand-new apartment in which I was the first tenant, and the problem has followed me every step of the way! Here’s what we do on a daily basis to fight the problem, but it’s not enough:
-Vacuum, empty the canister, and take it to an outside garbage
– Put Boric Acid on the carpet in my room, allowing it to sit for 10-12 hours.
-Spray Knock-out and Ortho in my room and apartment, and have had exterminators to come in
-Have my service dog bathed in flea shampoo biweekly
-Special flea collar from the vet
-Oral medication monthly for fleas, ticks, and heart worms
– Use an Over-the-counter topical spray that is rubbed into his hair, and I’ve even tried diatomacous earth on the carpet, but
I STILL HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM!
They are in my hair, nose, ears, eyelids, eyebrows, and I can feel them job off of me all over my body. In the mornings and at night, I rub down with Off Spray to help calm it down, but apparently they are getting resistant to the spray because it does not work like it used to. I have not had a sound night’s sleep in years! At this point I don’t think I will ever get rid of my problem, and I’m willing to bet that any suggestions provided will probably not work.
Hey there! Sorry that fleas are causing such a nightmare, they are such a pain to get rid of and I know your pain. Your situation sounds fairly unique, I want to help you but please can you elaborate on the “being paralysed from the collarbone down”? I know it sounds fairly self explanatory but do you mean you are physically unable to move at all? Or are you just too scared to do so? I have a couple theories but I will wait for your response. Sorry this is a little late, cheers!
I’m physically paralyzed , ie quadriplegic
I understand, thanks for explaining. Your case is fairly unique and while I know a great deal about flea removal, I think that your situation requires someone to visit and assess what the heck is going on. I know its probably not what you want to hear but I recommend finding another local exterminator (explain to him exactly what has been done in the past so he doesn’t repeat what isn’t working). Additionally, I highly recommend that you get some sleep medication otherwise the lack of proper rest will seriously damage your health. Sorry I cannot be of further assistance, would love it if you kept us updated with your progress however! Cheers!
Hello
Ok cat brought fleas into our home. We immediately went and got spray with IGR and set water traps with Dove dish soap. We got flea dip and meds for cat and she has not been home since. We hadn’t seen any and noticed some in the water traps so with vacuuming everyday I thought we were handling the problem. Also used DE borax salt u name it I did it. Just to be sure we decided to just hire and exterminator he told us he makes a strong mixture which includes IGR so we should be good and just to keep vacuuming to make the flea cocoon hatch so those fleas will die. He said we will see fleas but to keep vacuuming and they will be gone. He said the mixture will make them unable to reproduce. HE did say call of we see after 3 weeks. So 3 weeks go by and we don’t see them however we do see bites on my daughter. They love biting her and she’s allergic so we can see the bumps. So he came back and sprayed again and said we should be good now. Will this spray keep killing the hatched fleas because while we haven’t seen a sign of one my daughter has been bit twice only 2 weeks after him returning. I’m so over this!!! Are they just hatching biting then dying?
Hey SA! The IGR should actually stop them from hatching. If they keep coming back, that exterminator dude is not distributing it properly. However, in his defence, it will only affect fleas that it can reach, so if there are fleas inside your couches, etc. they won’t be affected. I recommend that you use something like DE in conjuction with his treatments, focusing your efforts on those hard to reach places.
We got infested with fleas in August and we haven’t had any cats since August either. We have tried everything and just 3 weeks ago we haven’t seen any fleas jump on us. My questions is do you think the fleas are dead or just hibernating?
Hey Tara! From the sounds of it, those steps that you took seem to have got rid of them. I recommend that you use my flea trap (guide is on this blog) to confirm this and if you don’t find any dead fleas in it in the morning, you definitely don’t have a flea problem in the house.
Thanx!! I did that and I found one….do you think they are there and just hiding or what? Thanx so much for your help!
Its possible but if you only found a single flea, there is probably nothing really to worry about. I would just keep an eye on the situation, maybe make a couple more traps for each room in the house and you will be fine 🙂
Hi,
I just moved into my apartment two weeks ago, I have no pets (never have) and I am being attacked by fleas. Specifically in one room. I had the exterminator come in last week to exterminate the carpets. Two days later I was sitting on my bed while working on my lap top I saw one hop on my computer screen and then jumped away too fast for me to kill it. I have flea bites all around my ankle, feet and a few on my calve, I am also a model, with a casting call this week, these bites makes me feel gross!!! How can I get rid of these things FOR GOOD?!! For God sake I do not even own a pet, and after this experience I never will want to! I also just cannot figure out where they are coming from. I just want it to stop 🙁
Hey Nicki! Its possible that you picked up a couple fleas from a friends dog or from the yard. Either way, I recommend that you use some pure lemon juice on those bites (to reduce the itchiness) and to use some food grade diatomaceous earth on your carpets, etc. Its really cheap and its completely non-toxic. It should be enough to kill those fleas (check out my guide on DE) and since you don’t have any pets, you should be flea free fairly quickly 🙂
Hi,
I have a 10 month old indoor kitten who did not originally have fleas when I adopted her but now I have the worst case of fleas ever! I have had her professionally groomed 3 times, she has been on Frontline, Advantage, and Revolution (I bathed her 3 days after her spot-on applications). I have had the exterminator come three times and used Temprid/ Precor (IRG), Zenprox/Precor and Alprine aerosol (IRG). I have bombed the house, used DE, salt and baking soda, and Borax on the carpets. I vacuum everyday (I move the furniture to make sure I get everywhere) and throw away the bags. My mattress is covered in plastic too. All of my clothes have been washed and are in bags and keep everything off the floor. I am actually even getting bit when I take my clothes out of the dryer and get dressed not in my house. I get bit where ever I go which I can’t understand. I bath with apple cider vinegar because they are in my hair too. I had my car professionally cleaned (using steam) and used the Pro-Zap strip. The cat has been on Capstar for 4 rounds and she still has fleas around her eyes. I even boarded her at the vet for 5 days which got rid of them on her but they came back as soon as she came back in the house. I have spent so much money to fight the fleas and my next option is going to be moving and throwing away everything I own and going back to my parents house HELP!
Hey LA! Your flea infestation sounds fairly severe, I would usually recommend that you get an exterminator to come in at this point but it seems you have already done that. I know it might sound a bit simplistic but have you tried use Diatomaceous Earth? Its a natural powder that works really well with fleas and kills them fairly quickly. The best part is that you can leave it on your carpets for as long as you like and use it repeatably. Despite the extent of your flea problem, I suggest you check out my guide on it and use it in your home. Keep me updated!
Needing some questions answered. My roommate got her ex’s dog and when she brought him home I discovered he had fleas. Im needing to know how long does it take for the apartment gets really infested? I’m going in the morning to buy front line. Should I wash all curtains and bedding and blankets? And does dawn dish soap help for a home remedy. I’m just so overwhelmed.
Hey Kim! From my personal experience, it will take about a week or two and its incredibly important to get rid of them as soon as possible otherwise it will get out of hand. I wouldn’t do the curtains but definitely the bedding and blankets, especially if the dog has spent some time in the rooms. Don’t use the dawn soap + water remedy after you have applied Front Line. I recommend that you wash the dog with it first and once completely dry, use the spot on treatment.
Hey natasha, great article! I have 2 cats and a small dog… and I feel like I am slowly getting rid of my flea problem… We have had fleas for about a month and a half now. i have given advantage to my 2 long haired cats and my small dog twice now.
About once a week we vacuum everything and spray the carpets. we have washed bedding on our beds and the animals beds a couple times. So with that being said the animals are still scratching and biting and licking quite a bit. but when i check them i can barely find any fleas. if i do it is maybe 1. I am getting freaked out because idk how bad they are or if i am doing this correctly. Is there anyway to check how bad you have them?
Hey Kody! Thanks, glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Absolutely, there are a number of ways to check. Firstly, I personally check my pets by using a flea comb find any fleas or their dirt. If found, I use a natural treatment (such as lemon juice) or a spot on treatment (such as Front Line). To check for fleas (or how bad I have them) in the house, I use my tea light candle trap (which I have written about on this blog). If you place it in a dark room (especially when there are carpets), the amount of dead fleas you find the next morning will give you an idea of the amount of fleas possibly infesting your house. Good luck!
hi im just wondering do a flea say on clothing once you go outdoors and then can transfer to another human please let me know
Hey Cathy! Yes its possible. However, just remember that fleas do not live on humans. I suggest you review my article about human fleas, you can find it on this blog. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions 🙂
help, i have tried every thing i dont have an animals i think the fleas came from my roomates old couches since he had rats in his old house basement, its been two months, its mostly my clothes i have washed them six times and bagged them and still, what could i do i bathe and clean, i am moving out , what measures should i take to not have them travel with me and what should i check in the new apartment.
Hey James! If you wash and bag your clothes (which it seems you have done), you shouldn’t have any problem at the your new apartment. If you want to be sure, consider reviewing my tea light candle guide to detect and kill any potential fleas in your new place. Enjoy!
I have done EVERYTHING other than get rid of my dogs and burn the house down. I have bought spray after spray, I have used frontline on my dogs and they are re-infested everyday. I have to bathe them everyday to get the ones they get on them off. and They go out go potty and come right back in.. UHG~ What to do??????????????????????????
Hey Kymoon! Haha, while that might work, I dont recommend either of those so I am glad you have resisted 😉 I recommend you give Advantage spot on a try, its not that its better then Front Line, its just that sometimes it yields better results in some situations. Also, its important to remember that you should never bathe your dogs after using the spot on as it will completely destroy its effectiveness. Grab some advantage, use it for an entire month and then only after that, you can try giving your dog a bath. Hope that helps!
i bombed my bedroom and left the closet door open. im not sure if the flees were in my closet as I only saw them in the living room bc in there we have ceramic tile o I was able to spot them. do now need to wash all of my clothes bc I bombed each room? thanks
Hey Brittany! I recommend it as flea bombs do leave a chemical residue on surfaces, meaning that your clothes may have poison on them at the moment. It wont kill you but its definitely not healthy so chuck them in the wash. Good luck!
My house dog has pasted away since than it like me and my two young kids have fall pray to the fleas I need all the help I can get that’s not harmful to young children
Hey Keyonia! I have a number of free guides on flea control that you can review to help you with that goal. Check out the one on borax next, it will help you use this natural powder to kill fleas at a relatively low cost. Good luck!
Please help! Suddenly I’ve found my home infested with fleas, and my 2 cats are miserable. I’m disabled and can’t seem to keep up with them, my poor pets still scratch, even though I constantly use the comb and tried home remedies. I can’t get advantage, or other products unless I take them into the vet. I can’t afford that. I want to order them from a reputable pet supply store, as well as that on the spot stuff but how can I be sure they’re legit. Can u recommend a company close to my location in Sturgeon Falls ont. P2B 3G7
Hey Beverly! You should be able to get a decent spot on treatment for fleas from Walmart or even online (Amazon). The nice thing about ordering online is that they usually can deliver to your door which will make things easier. If thats what you want, visit amazon and order it for your pets and it should arrive in a couple days. Hope that helps!
I have just put tthe DE everywhere and will be vacuuming it up on Wed. Put out dishes with soapy water last nite and did not catch any fleas – seached my dog and cannot find any.
I only have a small ratan carpet in my house to make things a little difficult for the fleas.
My friend makes a great anti-flea shampoo and I find that helps as well – all natural.
They have not been too much of a challenge here in Toronto this summer – past 2 summers I nearly went crazy with washing and cleaning.
I also sprayed everywhere with a mix of 1 cup warm water, 2 tbsp white vinegar and a tblspon fresh lemmon – furniture, floors, and dog!
Hey Mary! Would you mind sharing the anti-flea recipe that your friends makes with the community, I am sure we will all benefit from it 🙂 Let me know how the DE treatment goes. Looking forward to hearing from you!
hello Natasha,
my name is angie and I recently bought a home and I didn’t notice there were fleas in the home until I seen one inside my sock one morning. I bought bio spot foggers 6 of them and put them inside my house for ten hours without opening my windows. I doesn’t seem to be a big infrestation of fleas because I wont see them on my carpet or furniture. so, I want to know will bio spot foggers to the work of killing them? And, also I don’t have a pet inside my home or outside so will the fleas eventually die? Also, do you think I should spray down my mattress? oh, and before I moved in the house I had the carpet washed so would that had helped get rid of some fleas? Thank you so much..
Hey Angie! If you don’t have a large infestation (doesn’t sound like you do) in the house, flea foggers will do the job if you follow the instructions properly (e.g. usually you need one per room). The fleas will eventually die but its not really a good idea to try and “outlast” them, rather just kill these pests. You can use DE on your mattress (under the base sheet) and also on your carpets, just in case fleas are hiding there. Good luck!
Natasha,
Thanks for these articles. We have had fleas – again – for 2 months. We bombed, that did not work, have been vaccumming and “laundering”, I put borax under my daughter’s bed a few days ago and just now on the couches. Used flea drops on the cat – who doesn’t go outside – but I’m not sure they were effective either. Hoping to get rid of these b***ards soon because my poor daughter is covered in bites and we will have a newborn next month. We can’t afford extermination or anything like that, I am hoping the borax is effective but am feeling a bit hopeless with all we have already tried.
Hey Natasha! Borax works great, I have had lots of success with it in the past so I am sure you will as well. I have another article that deals specifically with using borax for flea control, check it out for more tips. If you have any questions, I am just a comment away from assisting you. Good luck!
Hello Natasha,
I am desperate!!! We have no pets and our house is infested with fleas. We have had a professional bomb the bed rooms and sprayed the entire house, laid down carpet flea powders several times, steamed the hardwood floors and carpets once and had the outside sprayed, as well as under our house 3 times. I have “homemade” and store bought traps in almost every room and we are still catching 5-10 baby fleas in each “trap” everyday. Our house is large over 3000sq feet and with my health problems I am having a hard time vacuuming thoroughly everyday. This problem so far has cost me over $2000 to fix. Today I bought Ditanimous earth powder and I plan on spreading it EVERYWHERE with a sifter and pushing it into the floors and carpet with the broom in the next day, waiting a about 5 days and to vacuum it up. I also bought encased mattress covers for the beds. I am starting to feel like a crazy lady since I jump at the sight of any black speck, like pepper! Lucky my mom lives next door and we have been living with her for the last 2 months. I have not seen a mature flea on the inside of the house or in any of my “traps” so I am hoping we have broken the cycle. We are now only getting baby fleas in me traps and on my body. I have served as the host. Short of selling my house – what else can I do? Am I taking the right steps? Please help I just want my house back…..thank you
Hey Vicki! Sorry to hear that you have had to deal with such a bad infestation. While the following may seem a bit simplistic, here is what I recommend:
1) Use DE on your floors, carpets, pretty much everywhere fleas may be hiding. Rub it in with a broom. Vacuum up after about 12 hours (or longer, doesn’t really matter). Repeat each day for about a week.
2) Use a flea bomb that contains an IGR and make sure you read the instructions on the back. If you have a moment, check out my guide on using flea bombs on this blog. You usually need to place on in each room.
3) After using the bomb, you can use a couple flea traps a few days later and if you combine this with regular washing of your clothes, towels, etc, you will get on top of this problem.
Lastly, I recommend getting your yard inspected for fleas because if they are coming in from there, you will get a repeat infestation and that’s something you definitely want to avoid. Hope that helps, please share this with your friends 🙂
Hi Natasha,
We have a very old dog who uses K9 Advantix regularly. She has never had fleas until recently. We moved into a house in the country, where the former renters did not have pets. For some reason, our dog started scratching, and after an examination we found fleas and flea dirt on her (even with her monthly treatment). We gave her a bath with flea shampoo, and the last few examinations have not shown any fleas. My big concern is that we are moving into one of the larger houses on the property in under a month, and that house is infested with fleas. I have never even heard of so many fleas in one place. The house is empty, and has been bombed and repeatedly vacuumed, flea killing carpet powder has been applied as well, but the fleas are still jumping around, and quickly bite anyone who walks in there. I am a little concerned about moving into the new house, because of the flea problem, and I wonder how we can get rid of them
Hey Lola! Well done on getting rid of the fleas on your dog, that’s definitely the first step and I always enjoy hearing that owners are taking good care of their animals. As for the new house, it seems that while the adult fleas are being killed, its possible that the sprays/bombs/etc. do not contain an insect growth regulator (basically stops the flea life cycle) compound and this is causing repeat infestations. I recommend getting a flea bomb that contains this. Secondly, after about a week, make liberal use of DE (check my article on this) on the floors and vacuum it up a couple days before you move in and I can almost guarantee your new home will be flea free. Hope that helps, share if you enjoyed my response 🙂
I have washed my clothes, bedding, etc – can I hang them in the sun to dry or is it nec to use a clothes dryer to make sure all the eggs are dead?
Hey Mary! Hanging them outside in the sun should be sufficient but I recommend giving them a go in the dryer to make sure that none of them escape, presuming that they are still around at this point. Let me know how it goes!
Hi Natasha,
We have no pets, but somehow ended up infested. We have been fighting fleas all summer. We have gotten most of them out with the help of an exterminator, and I vacuum everything daily, but they keep returning in the kitchen specifically. I have tried various sprays with an igr it, and they still appear. All of the carpeted rooms seem to be in control. Any thought on what to do in a kitchen with a tile floor? I am really at a loss. I have tried Raid and an Enforcer spray both with an IGR. But they say for carpet and upholstery.
-Josh
Hey Josh! Fleas can come from rodents and other pests so you don’t actually have to have pets to get fleas. Since your carpeted areas are fairly sorted, just use some borax or DE in the problem areas and leave in place for about a day. Both of these are non-toxic and fairly cheap. Check out my guides on both of these and let me know if you have any questions 🙂
I got front line and put on ALL dogs, and cap-star that I gave them where the fleas are dead off the dog in 24 hours. I also sprayed my yard and my home. Needless to say I have fleas AGAIN and the dogs are COVERED with 1 1/2 weeks in for the front line. Do they give refunds. Ridiculous.. Going Crazy,,,
Hey Darlene! Since fleas can sometimes become immune to certain products, I highly recommend that you try something else for treating those fleas. I have personally had great success with Advantage and it will be worth your while to give it a shot. Alternatively, check out my dog flea article that discusses all your options for killing these pests. Hope that helps!
I moved into a house that had fleas, unknowingly now I’m moving back to my old house they are on both of my dogs and assuming in the house somewhere. Will I take them to my other house when I move all my furniture and mattresses. I also have 2 other dogs at my other house. HELP.
Hey Sherry! Fleas don’t really “stick” well to things like furniture and their eggs will simply fall off when placed on a surface so you shouldn’t need to worry about that. However, you will need to get rid of those fleas on your dogs, check out my article on dog fleas for a more detailed, step by step approach and if you get stuck, drop me a message and I will help you personally 🙂
I found a flea shampoo that seems to be working well,, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup antibacterial soap and 1/2 cup of water, kills the fleas and leaves the dogs fur very soft,, I didn’t like the smell but it worked well. Also another tip, sprinkle salt on floors and in dog houses, leave for a few day and salt kills the flea, it cuts their under belly and they bleed to death,
I am still infested, but I have 5 dogs and a huge back yard. I am going nuts and am expecting a litter of pups in 3 weeks,, uhg………………
I have used 7 dust outside but still have just to much ground and too many dogs,, what else to do?
Hey Darlene! Thats a great combination, I have just shared it with my husband and he is rather excited to give it a try on our friends dog so thank you for that! My recommendation is that if you know the fleas are coming from outside, get them a monthly spot on treatment. While I am a huge advocate for natural methods, this will keep them flea free without having to spend massive amounts of money fixing up your yard. How much were you quoted to treat the yard?
Hi Natasha, my kids stayed with us a few days while having their house exterminated for fleas. We do not have any pets in the house and I have never had fleas but noticed a few fleas the last few days (3-4 of them). I vacuumed the whole house which only 3 rooms have carpet and the rest hardwood, should I be concerned since I seen them? I did get rid of the ones I seen but wonder if I need to take precautions and exterminate or since they were just a few and we have no pets not to be alarmed. Please advise, thank you. TW
Hey T W! Based on your description, there isnt any real need for alarm. You followed the correct procedure and I recommend that you just keep an eye on the situation and let me know if anything develops. If you havnt done so already, check out my flea trap guide as it can help you determine if there are any fleas in the house before they start to spread. Good luck!
Hello! Thank you so much for all of your information on tackling flea infestations. I am in the process of fighting the biggest flea infestation I have ever witnessed. I think it started after taking my dog to the dog beach, because by about 2 weeks after that, my apartment was filled with fleas. I don’t like to use chemicals, so I used a natural spray on my couch and rug, because these were the only spots where fleas would jump on me. I let the spray settle and dry, and then I vacuumed. I also gave my pup frontline. I did this a few days ago, and since then I have only seen a few fleas, most of whom were dead or dying, and a few on my pups belly, so I used a natural puppy spray on her (the natural product I am using is sentry natural defense). But then today, I was making my bed and under my body pillow I saw tons of pupae and larvae!!!’ aaaak! I am terrified to sleep now. Are they in my mattress too? Inside the pillows? Do I need to wash every piece of clothing that I own? Are there any places they would be laying eggs that I wouldn’t think to check? I really want to avoid bombing if possible and would prefer to go a natural route. Please please anything you can do to help me would be much appreciated!! Thank you!
-Kellie
Hey Kellie! Its a pleasure, glad you are finding my guide useful! Fleas need a host and thus its unlikely that adult fleas would be hiding on a long term basis in your bedding. I recommend giving your clothing a wash, definitely wouldn’t hurt but before you do, are you certain that those were flea large and pupae and not bed bugs? Let me know! Either way, since you are looking for natural methods, if you want to kill any pest on your mattress you can either use DE (check my article on this) or get it steam cleaned. I recommend trying DE first as its very affordable and completely safe 🙂
Our neighbour has caused a real problem cleaned every where as per your tips problem is the cat keeps coming to the door and is always in the garden which has several moist areas plus some gravel any other tips
Hey Hooper! Unfortunately, if that cat has fleas and keeps coming into your home and yard, you will be fighting a loosing battle. My recommendation is to try and keep the cat out (this may be hard lol) or to speak to your neighbor about it, perhaps referring him to this blog as it has many affordable options for flea control. Sorry I cannot be of any further assistance but I hope that helps you. Cheers!
my cats have fleas and we are keeping them in the basement until the fleas are gone. its not an infestation yet but it soon will be. we’ve ordered advantage but it just cant get here fast enough. we love to cuddle with our kitties and they don’t understand why we wont let them up, they cry constantly and its heartbreaking 🙁 i feel terrible keeping them in the basement all lonely and i hate how there doesn’t seem to be anything i can do until the advantage comes. any tips?
Hey Mims! While you wait for the advantage, I recommend that you give them a bath in warm water and a lemon based dish soap. This is extremely effective and will get rid of their fleas that are on their fur. Despite their annoyance at being bathed, they will thank you later and at least you can spend some time with them in the meantime.
Hi Natasha, I have 2 cats and they just recently brought me a decent sized infestation. At first, we used some Hot Shot flea spray around the places cats hung out and for about a week it did the trick. After the week was up, we had a full blown infestation at least twice the size as before. We decided to bomb with Raid Flea killer- which didn’t work at all. We then took initiative to call in a professional who sprayed the house and yard with IGR. Both cats are also treated with frontline and have been outside now for 4 days. This seemed to help as the infestation is dramatically reduced. There’s just one thing..I am constantly finding very large & extremely small fleas on my 2 year old. several at a time, mostly in her hair, latched onto her head around her neck or temples. these are NOT lice- i know what lice look like. Also, I’m finding “flea dirt” in her hair. This leads me to believe that they are indeed feeding and breeding on her. Though, most articles I read say that fleas can not live on humans. This is certainly not the case here. Any thoughts?
Hey Brandi! To be honest, I find it surprising that the fleas are taking preference to your child as they usually seek animal hosts and actually need to if they are to survive. Its possible that those fleas have not come into contact with your pets and thus are simply following their instincts to feed. To be honest, thats the only viable explanation I can think of as fleas do not prefer human blood. Remember that fleas can live on humans temporarily but not exclusively. I recommend that you use a few of the natural DIY solutions (like borax and DE) that I discuss in my other flea articles to help you get rid of them in your home. Good luck and please keep me updated!
We need help. I have bombed my house twice. We have sprayed we have cleaned and vacuumed. I even removed the carpets. Nothing is working. Were out money and ideas. Please help.
Hey Les! I often recommend using DE (as you will see when you look through the other comments hehe) as its a natural, effective product for flea control. The good news is that its also very cheap so grab some and head over to my diatomaceous earth for fleas article and follow the steps. Hope that helps!
Ive been using the steam/mop on the carpets, will that kill the fleas, eggs and larvae? Just rescued a mama cat with kittens, kits were finally old enough for Advantage. I found the kitten formula doesn’t kill as well as the over 5 pound cat remedy. Mama cat, may get on or 2, but I am sure they cross transferred from the kittens. I flea comb the kits a couple times a day. I still get fleas off the kittens like crazy, I know the fleas will hide inside the kits eyes, nose, mouth ears and private parts and reemerge later, but its been over 3 weeks now of seemingly endless war. Also, what about the DE, borax, baking soda and/or salt sprinkled into carpets, does that really work?
Hey Linda! If you are using a decent steamer on your carpets, that will kill both the adult fleas, larvae and eggs as you correctly mentioned. The problem with fleas is that you pretty much have to have a plan of attack for the entire house (and even the yard, if this is a problem) and it needs to all be done during the same time period otherwise you will never win. Borax and DE definitely work, I have used it myself on a number of occasions and even have separate articles on each of them on this blog so check them out for more details. 🙂 I recommend giving DE a try and use it in conjunction with the tips in this and my other flea articles. If you get stuck, please let me know and I will try my best to guide you further.
Hello, Natasha, our neighbors unfortunately are not very diligent caring for their pets. Recently they came back from Florida and their cat from what I heard died and their dog is still at the vet boarding facility. I’m very concerned because not only did their cat die but we have 3 cats that we treat every 28-30 days with frontline, have sprayed our outdoor porch with flea/tick spray. Vacuum every week if we see even one flea with borax/salt. I also comb them with a flea comb every week or week and a half. How can we treat our yard because of this situation? PLease help!!!
Hey Judy! Its unfortunate that your neighbors don’t look after their animals, I feel that if you can’t look after your pet properly, you shouldn’t own any. Anyways, sorry you have to deal with this situation. A good natural, long term solution is to strategically place lavender bushes in your garden. I know this is not really feasible with very large gardens but give it a try, they keep away all sorts of pests. You can also use DE in your garden if you have a dry season, make sure the grass isnt wet. (this works great). Other then that, it seems you have a good flea control process in place so just keep that up and you will be fine 🙂
Desperate in NJ,
We had a wild cat living in a crawl space under our family room. The cat and it’s kitten was evicted this past Monday. Yesterday, 7/4, I noticed 2 fleas on my legs as I cleaned the hard wood floors in the front room, but said nothing about it. WE DO NOT HAVE PETS.
This morning, 7/5 we went down stairs from the 2nd floor to notice several fleas while just getting a cup of coffee. My husband went into the basement to check for the cat and when he came up stairs from the cellar his legs were covered with dozens of fleas. After treating with several (7 flea bombs) 4 in the basement and 3 on the main floor and 8 hrs later we still found a few fleas. We have a professional coming tomorrow to give us an estimate to treat. NOT TREAT just to give an estimate.
ANY SUGGESTIONS? Questions to ask . . . Is it safe to stay in the house?
Hey Joyce! Its possible to have fleas in your home without pets. I have had a few clients who had a massive flea problem in their yard and while the fleas may have originally come from a visiting pet, the actual fleas stuck around for months. Anyways, in your case the fleas were probably brought in my that stray cat. Even though the cat may be gone, keep in mind that flea eggs can lie dormant for a couple weeks, only to hatch at a later stage when the conditions are right. Make sure you ask the exterminator to use an insect growth repellent and that should be fine, just keep an eye on the situation and let me know if you need further assistance. Oh and yes, while you may need to vacate the house during treatment, its safe to stay in the house. 🙂
We’ve used Advantage and Frontline successfully until this year. Our veterinarian says that the fleas are becoming immune to these products. We switched to Vectra 3D on Monday, but the flea population remains the same. So yesterday I vacuumed, washed the dog beds, washed the dogs, used Biospot defense on the carpets, and flea combed each of them, but haven’t seen a reduction in fleas on our dogs. I’m hesitant to give them an oral flea medication recommended by the vets. My dogs are highly allergic to fleas and now their beautiful coats have bald patches. They’ve had to go through antibiotics and steroids to reduce the inflammation, but without getting rid of these fleas, this is not going to help their skin heal. We can’t let off bombs due to our birds, either. Tomorrow we’re getting a puppy, and I’m feeling frustrated that he’s going to now have fleas.
Hi Sandy! It is possible for fleas to become resistant to certain types of products and that’s often why some flea treatments work for some while not for others. Since your dogs are sensitive to skin applicants, I recommend a couple natural methods for flea control that I even use myself (on my pets of course 😉 ). More specifically, try using the lemon water or dawn soap ones, I have had lots of success with them. I have a couple other articles on fleas that detail their use, check them out under the flea category, good luck!
The war against fleas. I’m so against the topical poisons. They are the easy way out at a severe risk to your animal. As Natasha has mentioned, there are very effective ways to getting rid of them but you have to be diligent. Vinegar is extremely effective. The acidity kills the fleas almost instantly. Mix either white or apple cider vinegar in equal parts of vinegar to water, spray on your carpet, and on your pets fur. You can also spray onto a flea comb and work it into your pets fur in this manner. Not only does it kill fleas but your pets coat actually becomes healthier. You can also put a few drops in their water. Vacuum daily!! To kill fleas in the vacuum add baking soda to the bag or canister, the fine particles of the powder adhere to the fleas fur which then dehydrates them and kills them. You can also sprinkle it on rugs and bedding.
Vinegar is my first choice and very effective, you just have to deal with smelling like a salad for an hour until the scent dissipates.
Good luck!!
Hey Maria! Thanks for your fantastic tips, they are a welcome contribution to my guide 🙂 While I havn’t used vinegar for fleas in the recent past, I know it does work and this method gets The Bug Squad’s stamp of approval. Have a good one!
Hello,
I moved into a new apartment two weeks ago with my 4 year old cat who has never had fleas in his life. within 4 days of the move he was covered in them so clearly the prior resident left them behind. He is my first cat and so this is my FIRST experience with fleas (yuck!) we have had the house sprayed once already, taken him to the vet to get bathed and advantage topical put on and I am vacuuming everyday.The fleas are getting less but they are still there, I found 6 on him yesterday (compared to 30 last week). The exterminator is coming again later this week for a second bombing. My biggest concern is my clothing… the cat liked to crawl in my closet and hide on the floor beneath my hanging clothes. I cant very well get in there to vacuum without removing ALL items. Additionally I cannot wash them or dry them on hot as most of my clothes are delicate and I have…well…ALOT of clothes with a small washing machine anyhow. When the exterminator comes again should i leave my closet door open and ask that he specifically spray in there? or would that be harmful to me? Lastly, i have not yet gotten a bite – my boyfriend has gotten several so it would seem they don’t care for me (thank goodness) my concern is that the exterminator and advantage do their job but i continue the life cycle because of the eggs on my clothes. What can you suggest to combat this being that I CANNOT give them a hot wash?
thanks for any info!
Hey Skeeve! It seems that a number of my readers are finding flea problems due to previous residents! First of all, great job on getting the flea count down, you can get rid of the last bit by using a pet flea product or give dawn soap and warm water a try. It may seem too simple to work but its absolutely fantastic and I have used it for many years with good results. The exterminator cannot treat your clothes and if he does, chances are high that you will need to wash them anyways to remove the chemical residue. I recommend taking your clothes to get steam cleaned, that way your clothing will remain intact and any fleas will be killed. Make sure the exterminator uses an IGR spray or bomb to prevent the eggs from hatching. Good luck!
I read how to make them online and have done so, but there were no fleas in them the next morning. Is it possible my battle is over? or is it possible I made the traps incorrectly?
thanks!
Hey Kayleen. That may be true and if that is the case, I am very happy for you 🙂 However, take a few moments to check out my dedicated article on flea traps and try and make that exact trap, I have fine tuned it and have made it as affordable as possible. Looking forward to hearing your experiences.
We moved into a house about 6 weeks ago. It’s a small 2 bedroom house but it has fleas everywhere. It’s all hardwood floors. I can treat the furniture but what do I do about the floors?
Hey Kellie! Well the good news is that getting rid of fleas on wooden floors is much easier then from carpets, etc. I recommend using borax or food grade Diatomaceous Earth on the floor (its a fine powder, you can vacuum it up after a day or two) for an effective, natural flea remedy that will send those fleas packing. Good luck 🙂
Can not get rid of fleas in the house Yard an 2 cats treated. Used several reccommended things for fleas
Could you use Adams Flea Spray in the house ? Furniture floors?
Hi Susan! While I havn’t personally used that product in my home, based on my research (and feedback from readers) it seems that it works well indoors but you will need to vacate until it has dried (this includes your pets). I recommend also taking a look at DE (I have an article on this subject) for a natural flea removal method, it works really well. Good luck and let me know if you need more help 🙂
Hi Natasha!
We’ve had Terminx by to treat our house and yard for fleas. We do not have pets. Terminix came back and sprayed my room for fleas for a second time. Because we were still getting bitten. I haven’t slept in my room since they sprayed. Should I vacuum my mattress even after terminix did their spraying? I even cut open the mesh in my box spring and threw some Diatomaceious Earth inside of it and on my mattress. I’ve washed everything. How long should I wait before I can sleep in my room again? The rest of the house is ok. It just seems to be my room. Help!
Hey Tera! My recommendation is to vacuum and wash any linen, clothes, etc. that may have come into contact with either their treatments or the actual fleas themselves. Glad to hear that you are using DE, its a great anti-flea powder and its completely natural 🙂 Once you have washed and vacuumed, you can return to your room immediately, unless the exterminators have advised otherwise.
Thank you so much!
My house was completely infested with fleas to the point that if you sat on the floor 10-15 fleas would immediately jump all over you. It was awful! We have a small Pomeranian who I was treating with Frontline last year but discontinued it during the winter months because I thought fleas were only active in spring/summer/fall. Big mistake…if I have learned anything it’s that you must treat your pet year round to prevent fleas from coming back because they actually can stay dormant in your carpet or other fabrics until they are ready to hatch and jump on their host. After 2 wks of diligent and exhausting efforts, we finally have got to a point where we are no longer seeing fleas. Here’s what I did:
1. Bathe dog with water all the way up to neck (this will drown fleas. Our poor dog’s bath water was a rusty red from all of the blood from fleas feeding on him). I used Hertz flea shampoo and dawn soap, thoroughly lathering. After bathing, I sprayed him with eucalyptus oil and rosemary oil (diluted in water) that I bought from local health food store. This smells really strong but fleas hate the smell and it works great at repelling them from your pet.
2. Frontline after bath- although 8 days after frontline our dog was still covered and scratching like crazy
3. Trifexis- pill that is for flea killer/preventative and also treats other types of worms- started 8 days after frontline dose
4. Vacuum Everywhere- this is the most important step in ridding your house of fleas because it removes the fleas in all stages (adult, egg, larva and pupae) When I vacuumed, I moved every piece of furniture and vacuumed underneath and then sprayed area with Adam’s carpet spray along with sprinkle of salt along baseboards before returning furniture to their places. I also lifted mattresses and box springs from beds cleaning underneath and between these as well. I vacuumed twice daily for 7 days and once daily from days 7-14. *Make sure you throw away your vacuum bag each time you vacuum. I have a dyson and would squirt dawn soap and rinse the canister out outside to drown the fleas with a hose and allow to dry on my porch overnight.)
5. Wash all fabric in house that’s washable. I mean everything…I washed bed skirts, bath rugs, sheets, clothes, blankets, mattress covers…everything. Anything that couldn’t be washed such as throw pillows or pillows from beds, got a 30 min session in a hot dryer as I read that this should adequately kill eggs from fabric.
6. Flea traps set up in each room at night. Flush water each morning and replace fresh traps each night. Pie plates with dawn and water to foam up and set a lamp over top to center the light over the foamy dish. I’ve noticed that shallow white pans work the best. Fleas seem to be attracted to white objects. At first we were waking up to 10-15 in each dish, but as of last night we woke up to only one flea in one of the traps and the others were empty.
7. We had our yard sprayed by a professional exterminator – not sure how much this cost. Still haven’t got the bill.
8. Keep all clothes, pillows, small rugs, towels off the floor until you are no longer seeing fleas. Otherwise, you are giving them additional objects to lay eggs and then you’re restarting the infestation. It’s also convenient during the treating phase to keep floors clear so that you can vacuum daily without having to pick up first.
9. Adam’s carpet spray- I bought one can of this and it was enough to spray my entire house using directions indicated on can. My house is 1500 square feet. I only sprayed the carpet daily for first week and didn’t use again other than for spot treatment when I saw 3-4 fleas in a room.
10. My family and I sprayed our legs for first week with mosquito repellant (Off spray) just to keep the fleas off our skin. Especially spray if you are going outside and returning…even if it’s just for a few minutes because this is how the infestation started.
Today is exactly 14 days since I did the vigorous vacuum under beds, furniture and finally went an entire day without seeing a single flea on our floor or skin. I saw one flea in the vacuum today after vacuuming the entire house and that was it! Just remember not to get discouraged if you feel like your efforts aren’t paying off in the beginning because thee fleas will get a lot worse before they get better. Vacuuming and treating your house makes them very active in the first few days and you will notice more of them and may get bites on your skin, especially when they realize they can no longer feed on your pet because of the trifexis. I am going to continue vacuuming daily for an additional 2 wks, as I read that the flea life cycle can last 4-6 weeks. Good luck!
Lana, if I had a prize for the longest comment on this blog I would give it to you 😉 Thanks for your amazing list, I have already recommended it to someone (look at my previous reply to a commenter). If possible, I would like to feature it in a “community experiences” section of my blog. I haven’t created this yet but I think it would be cool to have a central place where people can view what has worked for others. I hope you have a fantastic day!
Best advice – vacuum often but be sure to empty the contents of the canister or put in a new bag every time you vacuum so the eggs don’t hatch and jump back out
I have an indoor/outdoor cat. I use Adams flea medicine and give him a dawn bath twice a week, but can’t get rid of the fleas. I’ve sprinkled 7 dust on my porch and around my yard, and now I have fleas in my kids rooms. I’ve sprinkled borax and vaccumm twice a day. Would making a mixture of dawn water and spraying down the carpets and beds help?? At this point I’d try anything. I would prefer not to use pesticides in my home tho.
Hey Jess! Here is my recommendation:
1) Treat your cat with Front Line (or any other top flea products for cats)
2) Use a flea bomb and follow the treatment with borax on your carpets. (Borax is natural, check out my article on this)
3) Vacuum, clean and wipe up, followed by the washing of your bedding and other things that may have come into contact with fleas.
Lana has a great checklist below if you wanting more extensive list (below this comment)
I just brought home a foster kitten this afternoon and she appeared to be flea free when I checked her at the shelter. I loaded her and her carrier into my car. When I arrived home, I set the carrier with the kitten on the floor in the entry-laundry room area, and then set up a bathroom with bedding, toys, food, water and a litter box for her. I then washed the kitten with warm water and Dawn dish soap, wrapped her in a towel and brought her into the bathroom area. After about an hour of drying her, cuddling her, etc. I saw a flea on her! I did go in and out of the bathroom a few times before I saw the flea. Once I saw the flea, I used a bit of food grade diatomacious earth on her and her bedding, and I sprinkled Borax in the laundry room and most of the other areas I had walked. I have two adult cats that I do not treat as they are indoor cats. I confined them to another area of the house away from the Borax areas and let the Borax sit for about an hour or more. I then spent some time with a flea comb and a bowl of warm water and Dawn, combing the kitten and I did get 2 fleas off of her. I then vacuumed up the Borax areas so I could let my own cats out. The bathroom where I have the kitten is adjacent to a bedroom and the door does not open onto the rest of the house where my cats are. My cats do not enter the bedroom that is adjacent to the bathroom, so I left Borax on the carpet in that room. I have been through this flea thing before with foster kittens, and decided I would not foster any kittens with fleas, but then found this one has fleas. It breaks my heart that I will have to bring her back to the shelter so they can find her another foster home. In the meantime, what are the chances that I now I have a flea problem in my house and that my cats will get fleas? I cannot go through this again! My home is about 3500 square feet with lots of carpet and upholstered furniture!
Hey Lynne! Sorry for the late response, been having internet troubles for the last couple days. Congratulations on your new kitten, would love to check it out if you don’t mind dropping me a photo of it 🙂 Anyways, the good news is that you wont need to take your kitten back to the shelter. Just because its a foster kitten, doesn’t mean that its any more susceptible to fleas. While animals from these places may come home with fleas, which could cause a bit of a flea problem at home, once you have sorted that out, you wont have any problems, both with your existing cats and your new one. From what it sounds like, you have taken the necessary steps to prevent a flea infestation. As an added precaution, purchase a flea spray that contains an IGR as this will stop any flea eggs that may have found their way into your carpets from hatching. Let me know if you need any further advice and I will be happy to assist you 🙂
Hi, I have really nasty bites on my ankles and feet from flea bites and I was wondering if you know how I can treat it?
Hey JL! Sorry to hear out your bites, I actually have an article that discusses this exact topic 🙂 If you visit the flea category at the top, look for the post about flea bites. If you still need some assistance after reading it, I will be more then happy to assist you further 🙂
My friend said that if I put a few drops of rubbing alcohol in a garbage bag then seal up my clothes in it any fleas on my clothes will suffocate from the fumes. I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now but my family doesn’t believe that it works so they refuse to bag any clothes and as a result, are covered in bites. I was hoping I could get a second opinion so I can either convince my family or find a more effective method.
Also, how do we kill fleas in the yard? I sprayed yard poison until I was totally nauseated and it had no affect on the fleas (I stood in the yard the next day and got 5 flea bites in 30 seconds. Yes, I timed it).
Help! Oh yeah, we have no pets and can’t use flea bombs because my mom has severe breathing issues.
Hey Lauren! Don’t follow that method with alcohol, its really not going to do anything. For your clothes, just give them a hot wash, its really not anymore complicated then that. As for your flea problem outside, use borax when the grass is nice and dry and repeat the application of this powder for a couple weeks. For inside, use something called diatomaceous earth, its completely safe and is almost 100% natural. I have different guides on both of these treatments under the flea category on this blog, check them out at the top. Let me know if you need any more advice 🙂
Hi I am a college student and my apartment is infested with fleas. I’m moving out soon and I want to ensure I don’t bring the fleas with me to a new residence. What measures do I need to take to prevent that?
Hey Katie! Sorry to hear about that, that really sucks! Luckily, unlike other pests like bed bugs, fleas dont usually follow you into a new residence unless you have pets. Their eggs cannot even stick to any surfaces so its highly unlikely they will make the trip to the new place. As a precaution, the most you will need to do is wash your bedding and clothes. Good luck!
Hi Natasha
I had the house treated for fleas yesterdsy by a professional. We do not own pets and have lived in the house 18 month. I know the previous tenant of the house owned large dogs. Could the flea problem of came from the previous tenant? Also since the treatment yesterday which was applied by a pump spray my baby daughter has been bitten again. Can you advise me if there is anything else I can do or do I still need to give it time until the fleas have totally died off. Your help will be a great relief for us.
Hi Hazel! Absolutely, fleas can lay dormant for up to 6 months so if you noticed an intermittent flea problem after you moved in, it could definitely be from them. Since you have a baby daughter, be careful of using things like flea bombs. As a solution, I recommend taking a look at our featured article about getting rid of fleas, you can find it by visiting the flea category at the top of this page. If you need anything else, please feel free to reach out to me 🙂
Hi i have a 1yr 3 month old cat. when we first got her as a kitten she had fleas and we were quick to buy flea treatment and treated her. after about 2 months of treating her the fleas seemed to die off. but then they came back again. we dont kn how as she is our only pet, other than a budgie who has no insect problems and is perfectly healthy and is an inside cat ONLY she has not been outside since we got her. We have taken her to the vet and they treated her with ‘the top of the range vet treatment’ and have been treating her as the packet says. we vacuum the house regularly especially the rooms that are in contact with her. we have tried cleaning her bedding but nothing seems to work, she stiil hads fleas and they are getting worse and have been biting my families. Do you have any ideas on what we should do?
Hi Kristy, sorry for the late response, was spending some time with the family for the last couple days. What flea treatment did you use on your cat? You should have seen results with a couple days, not months. Anyways, I have found from past experiences with flea control (including my own) that the biggest reason for lingering flea problems is their eggs not being removed turning treatment. A female can lay hundreds in a fairly short amount of time and the eggs can lay dormant for about 6 months (I have an article on this subject, check it out under the flea category). When the environment is suitable for hatching, you will have another flea problem seemingly “out of nowhere”. I recommend using an IGR flea treatment after you get rid of the adult fleas in your home (and on your cat) to break the life cycle of these pests. Good luck!
Hi, I am a minister living in a church owned house. The person who lived here before me had a inside dog and I’m pretty sure the dog got the carpets infested. I have a cat who now has fleas and has never had them before living here. My big problem is I also have a toddler and the fleas are attacking him due to his newer skin. I have vacuumed regularly, treated the cat with advantage ii, washed all clothes and even done home remedies like a bowl with water and soap underneath my sons nightlight but he’s still getting bit. Do you have any suggestions on what to do? Thanks!
Hey Annie! Good job on treating your pets but if there are flea eggs, etc. in the carpet, you will be fighting a loosing battle. You can find an article on this blog about removing these eggs as well as how to treat those bites. I recommend getting your carpets steam cleaned and make sure that you give your clothes and bedding a good hot wash. Combine that with a bit of borax treatment and you will get rid of those fleas!
Hi, I need some help. A few months ago we adopted a kitten and at first I didnt notice anything. Then about a month ago, noticed fleas. Since then, I have been having this ongoing battle with fleas. I have sprayed, bombed, vacuumed every single day, used salt, etc. I am at my wits end. Is there anything that I am neglecting to do? I am still finding a few live fleas!
Hey Brittany! Since you have been through a rather aggressive flea management process inside your home, I am almost 100% sure that the source of your flea problem is outside. If you have long grass and excessive shady and moist areas in your garden I highly recommend sorting that out. If you find any signs of fleas, you can also call an exterminator to treat your yard as this process is rather affordable. Let me know how things work out, I am always here to help 🙂
Hi,
We have moved into a house that has had flea problems before and the fleas are still around. Our roommate has a cat that lives in her room and doesn’t go anywhere else in the house. I’m not sure how much she is doing to get rid of them. She said she used some sort of spray on the cat and in the room. We are doing our best to borax and vaccuum regularly. We Were doing this with our bed and now have them in polyurethane mattress protectors. We have a flea free room we are slowly moving into while systematically trying to erradicate the fleas. I am wondering what I need to be worried about having fleas in it. I don’t want to bring anything into the room that might have fleas. Do I need to worry about books? My computer on the floor? We’ve been bagging stuff and throwing it outside (it is about -16 celcius outside). My two year old son has bore the brunt of flea bites and I just want to get rid of them!
Hey Lauren! Regular vacuuming will definitely help but if you keep getting repeat infestations of fleas, its highly likely that their eggs are being left behind and are hatching a couple weeks after killing off the adult fleas. Your books, computers and other items will be fine, there is no need to worry about them. Just take care when you bring clothing and pets into the room as they can often contain fleas, or at least their eggs. I have another article on these eggs that you can take a look at as I feel it will help you with the removal process, check it out under the fleas category 🙂
My daughter told me that her dogs got fleas in my yard while visiting. My dog does not have fleas. Can fleas live in the yard in the cold? It is December and very cold out. I would think they would die off in the cold. What can I spray in the yard to kill them?
Hey there! Its possible but fleas tend to become rather inactive during the colder months. However, in order to kill them, it has to be extremely cold. For example, even putting a blanket in the freezer (that has fleas) will often not kill them. You can get a decent flea spray from your nearest shop otherwise it might be easier to get it treated by a company. Explain that you only need your yard treated and it shouldn’t be too expensive. 🙂
Hey Nicole, sorry to hear that you are battling with your flea problem, let me see if I can help you. First of all, keeping your cats on frontline for the rest of their life is not a good idea. At most, it should only be used when fleas are actually a visible problem otherwise you may negatively affect your animals health in the long run. Give a couple of the natural methods a try 😉 Next, if you are concerned about eggs, etc, its definitely a good idea to bomb the house (get your cats out first) and after cleaning things up a bit (remember, they leave residue), use an IGR spray to give you the peace of mind that there will be absolutely nothing left that could possibly bother you or your cats! Lastly, if you are concerned about your clothes, give them a hot wash and any fleas will die.from the heat. Let me know if you have any other concerns 🙂
Hi Natasha, thank you for repyling! The guidance for the Frontline was given to me by my veterinarian. I will follow up with them and discuss long-term use of Frontline. Thanks for the tip! I had an exterminator do an initial treatment for my apartment and he is going to come back and spray the house this week when I get the keys. Do you have a specific brand for the IGR spray that you recommend? I’m feeling a little bit better about things now that my place was treated. Just hoping that I can get the problem under control. These fleas seem invincible!
Hey Nicole. Its a pleasure! Adams flea and tick is a great option, give that I try.
Nicole,
Were you able to totally get rid of your fleas? Did you have any issues hiring an exterminator for the apartment you were renting? I have run into a problem here where the exterminator wont treat without going through the landlord first. We have fleas in our basement which is full of boxes, and are having a terrible time getting rid of them.
Natasha, I’m in need of some help with my newly discovered flea infestation. A few days ago, I finally figured out that I had a flea infestation after taking my cats to the vet. My cats are being treated with Frontline (which I plan to continue for the rest of their lives) and Capstar, and I’m not seeing any new fleas on them; however, I’m still getting bit. I’m moving into my brand new townhouse next week and I want to avoiding bringing this problem there as much as I can. I’ve vacuumed all of the rugs and upholstered furniture in my current apartment and still in the process of washing all of my clothes, bedding, etc. I don’t know if it’s just my paranoia, but I feel like there are still eggs, larvae, pupae that are lingering that I’m not aware of. I’m so afraid that they’re lingering in all of the boxes that are just sitting around my apartment as I pack each day! I am so unbelievably overwhelmed and stressed over this and I don’t know what else to do. I want to get the cats professionally bathed (just to be safe), but I don’t want to bring them back to a still-infested place. I’m considering a flea spray with IGR, but I don’t have anywhere to board the cats while the apartment is being treated. Is there anything else I can do? Do you have any advice?
I am living with my sister and her dog has fleas. It’s a nightmare. I am moving out to my own house in about 10 days and I desperately don’t want to bring any fleas with me. What can I do. My belongings are confined to one bedroom, but I have found fleas in my bed! Do fleas survive on clothing? Should I wash everything that is in the room before I move? Help and advice much appreciated. Thanks.
Hey! Fleas do not survive on clothing, however they might be trying to get to you. However, don’t stress, just wash all your clothes in a hot cycle and ensure that any linen that you take with you doesn’t have any fleas on it (perhaps wash this as well). Let me know if you have any further questions 🙂
We have been treating the pets with frontline fo months an vac daily. They r not even allowed upstairs and I just found three on my pillow- after three bites last night in bed. At the time I did not know it was fleas. Finding them today I now know. Full blown infestation. We have a newborn and here other kids. Considering getting rid of pets. Cannot afford this! Other than vac and rinsing thm in ? Lemon? And frontline and I will buy that chem for the floorboards and rnt a stem cleaner? We have a shark team cleaner I don’t know if it strong enough? And the couch? Can’t take mattresses outside… Vinegar bowls outside and maybe vinega on pets insted of lemon or a commercial soap? Can’t do a bomb with the kids. And don’t know where I would lock the pets up … Garage s packed with boxes….
Hey Miller, its not necessary to get rid of the pets, lets rather try and solve your flea problem. Firstly, if you have long grass in the yard and lots of bush everywhere, you are going to need to do some mowing and trimming. Once you have got that sorted, I recommend getting some cedar wood chips and distributing them around the moist and shaded areas in the your garden (if you have anything like this, otherwise don’t worry about this step). Do the usual cleanup of the home and then wash your pets with dawn dish soap about 2-3 times a day for a week. Let me know how that works out for you 🙂
Hi. last yr my cat brought fleas home. I had her front lined, spent many hours washing, vacuuming, called an exterminator in…this was over the course of 1 month…I was nuts and walked around with white socks on to try to catch the little nasty things, I only saw 8 in total. now, I was 2 weeks late on her frontline, thinking it was ok since it was cold out. I put it on her and yep, in the past week I’ve seen 6. I’ve washed all blankets,sweep the carpets at least 4 times a day, sweep the couches daily, it seems to be in one room only…my babies room. I now have her room completely empty, air conditioner on full blast, I just cannot keep washing things non stop. I’m losing my mind because of this. if my animals have frontline on can the cycle be broken? Please help!
Hey AC! In order to kill fleas with cold, it needs to literally be subzero conditions and while it may deter fleas from taking up a more permanent residence in a cold room, its no guarantee so don’t worry about the aircon, just use it to combat the daily heat 😉 It looks like you did a good cleanup job and I am sure those exterminators did a good job. However, in order to break the cycle, you need to both kill the fleas that you currently have and also their eggs otherwise you will be fighting a loosing battle. Follow the same cleanup process and when everything is spotless, etc. find a IGR compliant flea spray and use it around the home, especially around your dog beds and other places where your pets play/sleep/etc. This stops the flea eggs from hatching and is a very effective solution. Good luck
Hey EJ! They are simply your normal flea insecticide but with an insect growth regulator (IGR) compound that stops the flea life cycle. This stops the eggs from hatching into larvae, etc and this is important because flea bombs/sprays/foggers often only kill the live fleas. To be honest, any decent flea bomb from your pet store will work, just make sure its IGR compliant 🙂
Hi Natasha … Can you recomend a flea bomb? What is IGR Spray? I have been using Frontline Plus but found fleas on my dog yet. Had him treated at the groomer for fles. My vet recommended Vectra3D monthly. Used Sentry Home and Carpet Spray in my apartment. Now I am getting bites. I do not see any fleas on him. HELLLLLLLLLLLP!
Hello 🙂 Please help. I just a bought a house over a month ago. We realized after moving in there are fleas. I have exterminated the inside 3 times by professionals with chemicals that include IGRs. The house is carpeted, but we see fleas even in the kitchen. We believe downstairs is the worst part of the house. Especially because the yard was infested. The yard has also been treated 2 times. Terminix took samples of the fleas and came back and said that the fleas were just your regular everyday dog/cat flea and that if I lived in the house and there was movement in the home they would emerge and die from the residual of the chemicals. I have not lived in the home as I am deathly afraid for me and my children. (I know that seems extreme, But it is a fact.) I do however go to the house everyday and vacuum like they told me to. I am in a position where I am able to replace the carpet and put down wood laminate floors. I am thinking of putting my furniture in storage and having the floors taken out, exterminating at least twice, then replacing floors with the laminate. My questions are: Does what Terminix say sound correct to you? and Does my plan for replacing the floors sound, as far as having the floors exterminated before new floors are laid down, correct and like it could help? I am open to any and all advice. I am so distraught at this point. This is my first home, and what should’ve been a beautiful experience for my children and I, has quickly turned into a nightmare. Thank you for whatever advice you can offer. BTW: I have no pets that will be in the home.
Hey! I do not agree with their statement that fleas would die from residual chemicals at a future date. Firstly, try this with your yard. Get the grass cut really short, reduce shady areas as much as you can and plant a decent number of lavender bushes around your house. At this stage (only after this step has been done), feel free to get your yard treated. As for your home, first get it professionally flea bombed and then get your carpets steam cleaned. Also wash all your clothes and other linen in a hot wash, a couple of times. Personally, I think that removing your carpets and floor is unnecessary, try my suggestions first 🙂
My dog has been itching for a few months now—had him to the vet and no signs of fleas. She determined he had very dry skin and allergies. Tried grain and poultry free food, treats, etc. Used Frontline about a month ago. He was still itching, getting worse. I took him to the groomer about 3 weeks ago for a conditioning bath- thinking he had allergies and fleas were never noticed. I again took him to be groomed last Friday to have his hair cut shorter to possibly ease the dry skin. I waited a few days and did not apply the Frontline in case he was suffering from skin allergies, etc.
yesterday i was rubbing his tummy and I noticed a little bug (not 100% certain it was a flea) and again later that day. I called the vet and they gave me the rundown about immediately applying Frontline. I applied it yesterday midday, so it has been on 24 hours plus. He is still itching and scratching, but not as intensely. I turned him over this evening to look at his tummy and saw another little bug. I have been washing all bedding, blankets, etc, vacuuming, threw away his bed he occasionally lays on and disposed of his soft furry toys. I have a carpet cleaning scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
In everything I have read, the Frontline should have taken effect by now?
I guess I am asking for help in the best way to proceed with this problem. Thank you!
Yes, the Frontline should have had a fairly quick result. One thing that I have found is that applying advantage/frontline/etc while a pet has a skin allergy can really aggravate the skin even further. While I understand that the fleas need to be removed asap, perhaps try a couple of the natural methods as well – At the same time, find a dog food that doesn’t cause skin allergies. I personally find that anything with seafood (tuna flavor, etc) causes my pet to have an immediate allergy. Experimentation will show you results!
We have had our home treated with IGR professionally 5 times, used capstar and revolution and frontline on our cats and vacuum daily, have nothing on the floor anymore, leave apple cider vinegar in bowls on the floor and get 5-7 fleas in them daily as well as fleas jumping on and biting me and my kids. I am exhuasted from the vacuuming giving meds to my cats and scheduling pest control people to retreat. What do I do?
Hey Disturbed!
I recommend that you give this a try:
1) Give your entire house a vacuum and then get your home sprayed or fogged with IGR compliant poison.
2) Keep your cats in a single room for 7 days. Yes they will probably hate you for it 😉 Completely remove any fleas from them!
3) Give all your linen a hot wash and leave your traps out for the rest of the week.
4) Keep checking your kids and yourself for fleas.
5) Treat any dark or damp areas outside your home with a mixture of bleach and water (repeat for 4 days)
6) Free your cats after the 7 days (avoid their deathly eye contact, they will be mad with you)
I hope that helps 🙂
We moved into a new home about 2 months ago and recently discovered that there are fleas here. I haven’t ever seen a single flea, but during a trip to the vet last week, they found A LOT of flea dirt on one of my cats who has been hanging out a lot in our finished basement. Our other cat has very little dirt and doesn’t hang out a lot downstairs, but we have now locked both of them downstairs and they have been treated with a topical agent. When we moved in, we put all of my childrens’ extra clothes, coats, etc in the basement to store them until their rooms were painted and ready to move into. Due to some other complications on remodeling, these items have been stored in the basement now for two months – right where the fleas are hiding out. The vet recommended that I take all the clothes out and wash them, but there are about 25 FULL totes of clothes and coats, some of which can not be washed in hot water! I also have uncovered shoes in crates and coats down there as well. What I am wondering is what is the likelihood they are in the rubbermaid totes AND do I really need to take everything out and wash it now, or can I wash it as it comes time to wear it, like I usually do after it is in storage?
The other thing is is that we are replacing the carpet in the basement next week. I plan to treat the entire house once this carpet is laid. The children had all their toys out in the basement in the mean time including stuffed animals. What is the best way to treat the stuffed animals and other toys? I do have small children who put things in their mouths still.
What about mattresses as well? We have a spare bedroom in the basement. And, since it seems to be mostly in the basement, what all do I need to treat in the rest of the house. The kitties did come up here frequently before we found the dirt and I just want ALL the fleas to be gone.
They are inside only kitties, but we have about 2.5 acres around our house of just grass we’ve played in, so I’m guessing I should have it sprayed too?
Sorry for the book – I’m really frustrated 🙁
Hey Mcfs11, sorry its taken me so long to get back to you. I am sorry to hear about your predicament and thanks for taking the time to ask your question here on The Bug Squad. I recommend that you just wash as per needed but since you will be doing that anyway, I recommend using a flea bomb in your basement to kill most of those fleas. The next day, treat your entire basement with IGR compliant spray as this stops the flea life cycle. Then wash what you can and then just wash things when you need them. Its not likely that the fleas managed to get into the toys but just check them before taking them into your home. As for your mattresses, take them outside and leave them in the sun for a couple hours before inspecting them for fleas. If you have a steam blower, use that to kill the little buggers. Glass outside is fine, just keep it at a reasonable length and get as much sun on it as possible
Hi bug squad I have a question, what if you live in an apt. And can’t take your matress outside plus its fall so its very cold out. But what should you do then to get the fleas off your mattress?
Hey Shanelle! In that case, simply give your mattress a steam clean inside your house. The heat will kill all the fleas if you do it properly. Good luck!
help !!!!!! i have treated my cats and the infestation is only in 1 room now ….which i taped up…i left a bomb in there the other day and its not worked i am going out of my mind…my cats dont go outside and have never had them b4 🙁
Hey! Since you have it contained to a single place, simply clean that room from top to bottom and use a IGR spray (follow the instructions) to prevent eggs from hatching. But you really need to clean properly, take a couple hours if needed. Hope that helps!
Great article, and thanks!
Have had off-and-on flea issues for a year now. I am poor but it seems like bucking up for a spot-on like Frontline or Advantage is a key combination with treating the environment. We’ve even moved and the fleas followed us!
From my understanding is this the way to go:
1) treat cats with spot-on to kill the fleas on their body, limit the reproduction cycle, and poison future eggs
2) vacuum the hell out of everything
3) use a spray or poison with an inhibitor that both kills fleas in the home and kill eggs, larva and pupae
4) vacuum like hell once again
How far off am I? My flea shampoo does not work anymore, and I have been incredibly unsucessful thus far without using a spot-on treatment.
THANKS!
Hey Ben, its a pleasure, glad that you found it helpful 🙂 Frontline and Advantage are great but to be honest, I have only had to use them a couple times when a flea infestation gets really bad. Most of the time, although it takes more effort and time, I promise that natural removal methods do work and they are very effective. However, if you are determined to use them and the flea invasion is fairly bad, those steps look great to me. Just make sure that your pets don’t end up bring a ton of fleas back inside your home from your garden and you will be fine. Flea control is fairly proactive and requires you to be alert for these types of things 🙂
Hi, I have had a flea/tick problem for about a month, I used revolution last month and came to a huge infestation in December. I went to my local vet and they sent me away claiming that all animals have ticks and would have to speak to the vet considering I was just there a month prior. I went to a different vet and they gave me advantage for the dogs and had to go back a week later for advantix. I could still see bugs jumping on the dogs. I knew it was problably the cats. finally got frontline in the mail and I still have to use tape to get these little white bugs off their coat that keep showing up right infront of me from under their fur, I have been using poison all month and don’t know what else to do
Hey bug squad! Just thought I would come back to thank you for your tips, much to my surprise (I am usually a bit sceptical) they worked very well! 🙂
Hey Jennie,
Its a pleasure, I am glad that you found them beneficial! I hope that you get rid of your flea problem as soon as possible 🙂
I’m having a very hard time getting rid of fleas in my house. I’ve tried everything, foggers/ fleas bombs, vacuuming and borox. Please help me get rid of these fleas in a few days or less
Hi Danille, if you want that sort of turn around time I suggest you get an exterminator to help you in your local area.
I had the same problem! 11 years we have had our dog she has never gotten fleas, we brought home a kitten and all hell broke loose. None of the sprays worked, I thought they were gone and then 30 days later they were back! This time I rolled up every area rug we had and trashed them, they were impossible to get everything out of them because the pile was so high the vacuum couldn’t get deep down in enough. After I removed all rugs from the house including the basement I cleaned the house top to bottom vacuuming everything washing floors on my hands and knees. Since our basement is unfinished I decided to remove 3 area rugs we had down there and then I vacuumed the basement covered the floor in dish soap and water scrubbed it and rinsed it down. I still have my guard up because we thought we got rid of them the last time. I really think they were breeding in the carpets, and I literally vacuum and mop my house every day to begin with. I really hope this problem is over with. I hope this helps anyone else out there struggling. My advice is if you can remove carpets do it first thing! Don’t take any chances.
Hi Xtine, thanks for sharing your story and for helping out Danielle! I am sure that she will benefit from your experience and otherwise will find this information useful. Cheers!
Hi Jenny so we just bought a puppy today an just got home from riding around all day I just found out the puppy has flees and it’s been in the house for about 2 hours or so ran an put him in the tub and washed hi with dawn soup repeatedly and I and I am pretty certain they are all of his body but I am now worried about my car an house should I be worried they will spread or will I be ok as long as I get him flea medicine in the morning
Please help!!!!!
Hi Zuri, I think that you should be fine, just keep an eye on the situation 🙂
Hello
I have a dear friend that just passed away unexpectedly. He was very disabled and lived next door to somone that has 18 dogs. Needless to say his house was infested with fleas. He had a cat who was allergic to fleas and she was scratching herself to death. I took her to the vet and they gave her the pill that makes all the fleas die. We then treated all our cats with the monthly topical stuff. I had furntirue items like wood sculptures, dress, table, lamps and framed pictures as well as bedspreads and blankets in the house and dont want to infest my own home with fleas. Will the fleas transport on these items? Should I treat the items with someothing to prevent fleas from getting in my house? Also I have to go back out there to finish sorting through stuff and dont want to get covered in fleas. Is there something I can put on myself to prevent this? Thanks
Hey Julia! Just make sure you wipe them all down and hot wash the linen and you will be fine 🙂 Try chopping up a couple lemons and after soaking them in hot water for a couple hours, spray that on your legs and arms, it will help keep the fleas away. Don’t forget to shower and clean your clothes afterwards.
I’ve tried sprinkling salt around my apartment and in my bed, I still feel bites, I’ve even tried eucalyptus oil and water still did not get any good results. I am at my wits end. Please help me.
Hi Teresa, will drop you an email shortly.
Hi Natasha!
I am having a terrible flea problem, I took care of my boss’ cat for a week and now have hundreds of bites on my ankles. Terminex is coming today to exterminate, what else can I do? I sleep on a mattress that is on the ground – should I throw it away or get a new one? Is that necessary? I am really lost and so itchy please help!!!
Hi Jennifer, it is not necessary to discard it. Just give it a wash when Terminex are done, you will be fine. Let me know how it goes!
How do you recommend washing?
I bought a steam cleaner and steamed my mattress as well as mattress pad after they left, is that sufficient?
Thank you so much!!
Hi Jennifer! I recommend that you leave it and see if you see any signs of them again, then take action if needed.
I have a flea infestation and have had professionals come out and spray twice but I cannot get the fleas out of my clothes no matter what I have used whole washing they are still stuck in my clothes. Please help I have washed with vinegar bleach borax and dried hot and fleas are still stuck to my clothes. I am going Crazy. I don’t know what else to do.
Hi Tammy! Please check my DE and flea trap article (both on this blog under “fleas”). If you combine those two, you will get rid of those fleas!
Have a bad flea infestation in home just recently purchased. Seem to be upstairs in bedrooms where rugs were. Bombed/fogged entire house first. Professionals have been in twice within a month. Have sprayed the floors with amonia. After that purchased flea eradicator stuff and treated house again. Just went back in and fleas are still there. The professionals even though there’s a warranty say it can’t be possible. Need help!!! have to move into house soon . Thank you
Hi Valerie, although there are a couple steps you could follow to do it yourself (on this blog), I would recommend that you get those professionals in again as you have already paid them. If they advertise a warranty, you must hold them to it. Simply demand that they send someone over to look at it. Hope that helps. P.S: I know this might not be what you wanted to hear, my only concern about recommending DE, etc. is that they are probably going to blame that for their treatment not working or some rubbish like that.