How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your Home
For such a small creature, fleas create big problems for pets, people, and homes alike. Whether they’re causing rashes, itches, swollen bites, or general discomfort, any scale of infestation requires flea control in your home. Many homeowners take matters into their own hands, alongside seeking professional support. Learning how to get rid of fleas in your home using household items helps curb the spread and keep yourself safe.
Treating Fleas On Your Pets
We all love our pets, and seeing your furry friend in pain will urge you to take action. Your first step involves identifying your issue. Comb your pets on their necks or flanks; if they’ve got fleas, you’ll see them quickly. Fleas grow between 2 and 3 centimetres long, with a dark brown or red colouring. Relative to their size, they’re the furthest jumping animal on the planet, making them easy to identify but hard to catch and contain.
But how to get rid of fleas once you identify them? Regularly combing your pet helps you keep the issue in check, and warm washing with soap and water kills them. Problems arise when fleas hide in the rest of your house and jump back onto your pets to multiply between treatments.
How to Get Rid of Fleas Using Plants
Strong floral and herbal scents can help deter fleas. Before turning to pesticides, try populating your house with scented plants like rosemary, lavender, and chrysanthemum to support your anti-insect efforts. Taking extracts from these plants and turning them into sprays will increase their impact.
How to Get Rid of Fleas Without Pesticides
Learning how to get rid of fleas in your home without pesticides supports a holistic pest treatment strategy. Pest control experts suggest boiling scented plants, such as lemons or limes, and placing the resulting liquid in spray bottles. Fleas love soft furnishings like sofas, blankets, and bedding, making them a prime location for infestations. When you treat these furnishings with natural or chemical sprays, alongside regularly washing and combing your pets, you give yourself a great chance of beating your infestation.
How to Get Rid of Fleas With Household Appliances
Most households have access to two important weapons in the fight against fleas: a vacuum cleaner and a washing machine. Fleas move from one soft furnishing to another, then to your pets, then back again, but washing and vacuuming help keep them at bay.
Firstly, it’s important to wash all used bedding, both human and pet bedding, after every outbreak. Increasing your clothe washing, both in terms of frequency and temperature, also ensures they aren’t hiding in your daywear.
When you’re learning how to get rid of fleas through combing and washing, the vacuum offers a vital companion. Vacuum around key pet hotspots, from scratching posts to water bowls, and after every combing session, to catch any escapee fleas. Pest control experts suggest treating carpets with salt or spray before each vacuum cleaning, and emptying the bag as soon as you’re done.
What if Your Flea Problems Persist?
With large-scale infestations, it’s hard to notice the problem until it’s too late. Flea populations grow exponentially. They appear they explode, you treat them, and then they die down. Fleas can survive for 100 days to a year; if even a few survive, the infestation continues.
This cycle of treatment and reappearance creates a real detriment to the physical and mental health in your home, with each outbreak more draining and frustrating than the last. Homemade treatment tactics can help, but sometimes, you also need to call in the flea control professionals.