Tips On Removing Fleas From Your Carpet And Furnishings

If your dog or cat has fleas, you want the little insects out of your house fast. But getting rid of fleas means more than just treating your pet. You're going to have to work on cleaning your whole house to rid your home of fleas. Otherwise, fleas will hide in carpets and bedding or on your sofa and in all the places your pet likes to frequent. The life cycles of fleas can make it very hard to get rid of them unless you are very careful to remove them from your carpets. When eggs hidden in cloth fibers hatch they leap back on to your pet and the cycle starts all over again.

Your carpets and floor rugs will have to be washed. If you can toss them in your washing machine, go for it. Use soapy water, as the soap will kill the fleas. If your carpets are too big, vacuum them thoroughly and dispose of the vacuum bag properly by wrapping it in a plastic bag before throwing it away.

Furnishings

Have a carpet cleaner come in to wash your flooring. Steam cleaning will rid your carpet of eggs and larvae hiding in the fibers. Pest control professionals and some carpet cleaner experts can also treat your carpets for you. For those who can't afford steam cleaning or professional carpet cleaners, wash your carpets with insecticidal soap.

However, once an infestation has been brought under control by these methods, you can keep it under control simply by regular vacuum. Up to fifty percent of flea eggs can be eliminated with one vacuum. Dr Michael Drydon, Professor of Veterinary Parasitology at Kansas University conducted experiments on nylon carpets which showed that vacuuming controls fleas as well as permethrin at the pupal stage. Permethrin is a commonly used synthetic pesticide and therefore introduces a health risk into your home. In peak flea season, Dr Drydon recommends vacuuming very second day, paying particular attention to areas your pets frequent and remembering to clean underneath sofas and chairs. The vacuum bag should be removed at least weekly and thrown into an outdoor trash bin.

Even if you prefer to use a chemical solution to your flea problem, you will still need to clean the carpet. However, as a final touch to rid your carpets of fleas, you can spray your flooring with a flea-killing solution, paying special attention to the places your pet loves the most. You can pick up a few bottles of spray at most stores or your veterinarian. It is probably unnecessary though, and if you have little children (or even big children) who crawl, roll, lie or sit on your carpet, you will be exposing them to a pesticide which can be absorbed through the skin. Furthermore, the whole family will be breathing the vapor of the pesticide for some time. If it's not absolutely necessary, why do it?

Tips On Removing Fleas From Your Carpet And Furnishings

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