How to get rid of fleas in my home and on my pets? | The Sun

FLEAS are tiny parasites which live on your pets, your furniture and – sorry to say – even on you.

Though they're incredibly small, they're carriers of disease, so it's important to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

How to get rid of fleas in my home?

Getting rid of fleas in your house yourself is a tough job and will take over a month.

Eradicating them requires timely interventions aligned to the fleas' lifecycle, and you'll need to be vacuuming for up to a month to catch any new fleas as they hatch.

Professional pest controllers are also an option. They use sprays or fogs that kill eggs and fleas.

But if you're looking to sort it yourself, here's what you'll need to do to get your home flea-free:

1. Clear the floor

Move all furniture that a tiny flea can get underneath and pick up everything on the floor that doesn't need to be there.

2. Evacuate the house

To get rid of fleas in your house you need to get everyone else out for a bit too; so your family and pets all need to go out for a while.

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3. Remove anything belonging to your pet

That includes dog beds, food dishes, toys etc. Even cover the fish tank.

4. Look for flea dirt

Mostly this looks like black pepper. But it isn't, it's poo, and flea blood. There will be pupae, larvae and eggs in there too.

Flea larvae eat flea dirt while they grow, then they feed on blood from you and your pets.

Fleas are the bits that move, but they're very ellusive.

They like to hide in carpets, out of direct sunlight, so stay alert!

5. Vacuum everything

Vacuum everything throughout your whole house, all the floors and furniture, even the pillows and cushions.

Get under any remaining furniture you can and get right into the edges and corners of the rooms.

Vacuuming prepares your house for using insecticides as well as getting rid of some of the fleas, their dirt, eggs, larvae and offspring.

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When you are done, empty your vacuum cleaner into a bag outside your home, tie the bag and put it in an outside bin.

6. Repeat every day

Vacuum thoroughly like this every day; you need to keep removing fleas or any remaining juveniles are going to keep hatching in your home.

Some recommend brushing salt and/or baking soda through your carpets as these dehydrate the fleas.

7. Steam clean

Heat from a steam cleaner will kill fleas for good.

If you can't steam clean, wash everything you can with hot soapy water, this also kills adult fleas.

8. Use a household flea spray

Follow the instructions on the packaging carefully.

You will need to do this more than once to get fleas out of your house, so make sure you've got plenty of it.

9. Consider changing your pet's bed

If you only had a small number of fleas in your house and they haven't been there long, wash pet bedding, bowls, etc.

If you had a lot of fleas in your home, or they have been resident with you for a while, destroy pet bedding and buy your pets lovely new beds.

As a general rule, you should wash your pets' bedding at least once a month.

To get rid of fleas on my pets

Fleas can live on your pets, causing them skin irritation and putting them at risk of serious disease.

Thankfully there are a number of things you can try to alleviate your poor pooch's discomfort.

1. Brush your pet

To be sure it is fleas, brush your pet carefully over a light-coloured surface with a fine comb.

Sprinkle a little water on anything that comes off, and if it turns a reddish brown, then that's flea dirt and it is likely your pet has fleas.

Flea dirt is essentially flea poo and blood, and there will be eggs, larvae and pupae in there too. Yuck!

2. Consult your vet

Contact a vet, you might need a powder or spray to treat the adult fleas, and another treatment to deal with their hatchlings later on.

3. Give your pet a bath

This may soothe your pet from any itching, and you could use a flea-treatment shampoo which will help deal with the adult fleas.

Some recommend spraying your pet with rosemary water as rosemary is thought to repel fleas.

4. Thoroughly brush again

After the bath, comb your pet with a fine-tooth flea comb.

A flea comb catches the fleas and debris out of your pet's coat while allowing their hair to pass through.

It will remove fleas, alive or dead, and any flea poop from your pet's fur and body.

Fleas tend to feed near the neck, ears and tail, so pay particular attention to those areas.

The gentle scratching of the comb might sooth any irritation from the fleas, but take care, your pet's skin may have been irritated by them.

5. Kill any fleas you find

Kill any fleas you find on your comb by dipping it in hot soapy water.

This is the best way to kill the fleas because they jump quickly, and so are hard to squash.

6. Comb once a week

Repeat the combing once a week until the fleas have gone. Regular combing will also prevent them coming back.

Your pet will also enjoy the attention from you, and combing and brushing acts like a massage for them.

7. Use a preventative treatment

Contact your vet to find a preventative treatment to stop your pet getting fleas again.

This may be a spot treatment, a tablet, or both, but will be easy for you to administer at home.

8. Buy a flea collar

Flea collars release a chemical on to the skin or fur of your pet that helps in warding off fleas.

These chemicals will kill any insect present on the body of your pet.

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9. Eradicate fleas from your home

If your pet has fleas it is likely your home does too, so your pet could pick them up again.

Of the 2,000 types of flea, only one lives on humans, so you might be bitten, but probably not lived upon.

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