How to Get Rid of Fleas

Guide Note: Hoping to get flea-free in no time? Check out our guide, How to Get Rid of Fleas, and soon enough Spot won't be so scratch-happy and your six-legged friends will have moved on to their next host.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

  • Fido is scratching like crazy. You swear you see tiny-legged beasts crawling in the corners of your living room. And even you seem to be itching around the collar lately. Yes, it's flea season. Usually in full swing during the more humid months in spring and early summer, flea season can last all year if you live in a tropical climate. And while fleas are certainly an annoyance, they can also seriously you and your pet by carrying disease into your home, including, once upon a time, the Bubonic Plague. How do you combat those minuscule pests? With some thorough cleaning and a chat with your vet, you can rid your home of fleas and then focus on an easier course of treatment: prevention. Keep reading to learn the steps to a flea-free home.

Step 1: Start with Pets

  • Pets are common flea-carriers, so start with them to remove fleas getting a free ride into your home.
  1. Monitor your pets carefully and keep an eye out for excessive scratching around the tail and lower back,
    Make sure to check your pets for fleas (Creative Commons photo by Joe)
    Make sure to check your pets for fleas (Creative Commons photo by Joe)
    which may indicate that your pet has fleas. You might also notice actual fleas on your pet or black, dried blood called "flea debris."
  2. Try to bathe your pets once a week, especially during summer and fall or any humid weather, when fleas are particularly troublesome.
  3. To bathe a dog who has fleas, start washing your dog around its neck first so that the fleas don't climb into your dog's face and eyes during the bath.
  4. You can also find special flea shampoos that will help reduce fleas on your pet, though some believe that insects have become resistant to such treatment.


NOTE: Experts have recently stated that special flea shampoos, dips or powders containing traditional insecticides such as pyrethrins, permethrin, or carbaryl may not be safe for animals and should be kept away from babies and children. Talk to your veterinarian about what she recommends, as products you might find in the drugstore or grocery store have caused some bad reactions in a few pets.

Flea Treatment for Pets

  1. Such preventative measures may include flea adulticides - such as a topical flea treatment like Frontline or Advantix that you apply to the skin between your pet's shoulder blades every month.
  2. Oral treatments your vet might recommend include pills like Program or food additives you give your pet on a regular basis (usually once per month).
  3. You might also try a flea collar that likely contains "insect growth regulators" such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen. These collars can be effective on dogs for 4-6 months and up to a year for cats.

Step 2: Double Checking

  • You'll want to check for fleas in areas your pets frequent, as well as yourself if you go in those same areas.
  1. Get in the habit of removing fleas from your pet with a special comb, usually fine-toothed and identified for flea removal in your pet store.
  2. You'll also want to start checking yourself regularly for fleas, particularly after having gone for a walk with your pet or being outside on a hot summer day.
  3. When you do find fleas, submerge them in soapy water to kill them.
  4. You'll also want to check out some of your pet's pals. If Rover is hanging with pet friends who appear to be scratch-happy and full of fleas, it might be time to find him a new pack. Dog parks can be especially rife with fleas, too, so play there with caution.

Step 3: Start Cleaning

  • With a vacuum and some due diligence, you can rid your carpet and home of fleas.
  1. Studies have shown that vacuuming can be as effective as using an insecticide on the fleas in your home.
    Vacuuming can help get rid of fleas (Creative Commons photo by Tracey)
    Vacuuming can help get rid of fleas (Creative Commons photo by Tracey)
  2. But you'll need to be thorough: vacuum all carpets, floors, upholstery on furniture, and pet bedding.
  3. If you have an existing flea problem, you'll want to vacuum every day or other day to rid your home of fleas and the eggs they leave behind.
  4. Empty the vacuum bag promptly outside so fleas don't come crawling back to their old haunts.
  5. Wash pet bedding in hot, soapy water and dry on the hottest setting or in full sunshine. Then, get in the habit of washing pet bedding once a week, if possible.
  6. Be careful with any carpets or upholstered furniture you bring into your home; carefully inspect it first to make sure it's not a flea motel looking to expand.
  7. Also keep the yard clear and in order, trimming grass short and removing large piles of yard waste where fleas like to congregate. They don't do well in hot, dry areas.

Step 4: Use an Insecticide

  • You might need to bump up the de-fleaing a notch and use a chemical flea killer.
  1. If you have a real infestation on your hands, you can turn to insecticides containing ingredients such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen, commonly found in such products as Precor.
  2. But because insects build up a tolerance to these sprays (sort of like humans and antibiotics), you'll need to keep up with the regular vacuuming to keep fleas at bay.
  3. You can spray flea-frenzied areas like your rugs, furniture, and where pets sleep directly with your product of choice.
  4. When the spray has dried, be sure to vacuum right away to get rid of fleas that may be in the process of growing there.
  5. Remember it takes several weeks to get of fleas completely because of their life cycle—you may have killed a slew of adult fleas, but eggs will still continue to hatch for a little longer.
  6. Wait several weeks between insecticide treatments.
  7. And what about relief for you? If you are having major flea-related itching on your skin, you might try using an anti-itch cream like hydrocortisone or calamine lotion to soothe the itch.
  8. And if after all this, you still have a major flea problem, it may be time to call in a professional exterminator.

Natural Remedies

  • Along with cleaning regularly, you might try a natural remedy to avoid toxic insecticides in your home.
  1. There are specific flea-removal combs for short-haired pets that will allow you to remove adult fleas from your pet's coat naturally on a regular basis.
  2. You can also try creating your own flea killer using salt and cleaning powder.
  3. Some swear by brewer's yeast or pennyroyal to kill fleas, while others say that such treatments, along with herbal flea collars, are ineffective.

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