Quick and Convenient Flea Control
Is it really that easy?
Flea bombs often seem like the ideal solution, since they’re quite easy to use, and seem like a simple, low maintenance way to control fleas. However, the indirect application of insecticides to your carpets, pet bedding, or other areas that might be infested with fleas, is much less effective than applying them directly.
What’s a better way?
A better way to apply spray insecticides is directly to the areas infested with fleas. In most homes with pets, this usually means the pet’s bed and bedding, carpets, and any other ares the pet frequents. The advantage of applying insecticide spray directly is that you can use much less of the toxic substance.
In addition, when you apply the spray by hand, as opposed to setting off a bomb in the middle of your living room, you can move furniture and other obstacles, and apply the spray to the exposed area. Flea bombs do not allow you this flexibility.
Use a multi-pronged approach for best success
This website is dedicated to providing you with the most accurate and helpful information on flea control. As you will see, the best approach involves treating the infestation in your home as well as your pet. If doesn’t make much sense to treat one and not the other, since one will just re-infest the other if they’re not both treated.
{ 113 comments… read them below or add one }
my guinea pig has well her cage is full of fleas none on her just her cage and my walls
I am a homeowner, if you have fleas in your house they are on your pet as well even though you do not see any on your guinea pig.
You can use a flea shampoo for cats on your guinea pig. This is what the pet store told us.
My kitten has a really bad flea infestation. It has gotten to the point where they are all over him, my blankets, and biting the crap out of me.
I have the same problem and I said if another bites me I am going to scream … I don’t know what to do and what to use to get rid of these things. They are annoying
my house is infested with fleas use to have a chiuaua but she died so i want to clean my house and yard help please! i have bites bad and so does my baby we just want the fleas gone and out my house.
A friend of mine told me to use GARLIC for this situation.. Haven’t used it yet but it makes much sense and seems like it could work. Your lucky that all you have to do now is get the fleas out/dead. If you had a pet, the best is to put garlic in their food because what it does is dehydrate them. And for your carpet/floor, either make your own homemade powdered garlic and spray it all over the room or you can go to any pet store that might already have something similar. you can also mix garlic in your pets shampoo and lather it in their fur for about 5min. I’m still on the hunt for a good flea bomb as well. MY plan is to 1.make an appointment for a flea bath @petco 2.set the flea bomb off since it takes a couple hours.. 3.Take kitten to app. 4.come back home with powdered garlic to spray all over infested area 5. keep feeding/shampooing kitten with garlic for a couple of days 6. after a WEEK, vacuum the carpet and see how it goes from there. Hope this helps you!(AND FOR ME)
SCRATCH THAT! JUST HEARD GARLIC IS TOXIC TO CATS/DOGS
BUT, lemon juice w/ water can help.
We tried the lemon water on my dog but it didnt work
BUT i read that its only WHITE GARLIC thats toxic to dogs
Put out saucers of vinegar. The fleas are attracted to the vinegar and will drowned in it. It does work and is less toxic after the initial flea spray and vacuuming.
i had fleas in my house. Tried bug sprays. Here is what worked. Pour salt on all carpets and furniture. Let sit 12 hrs. Vacuum thoroughly. Empty bag or canister. Vac every day and empty bag or canister. Reapply salt once a week and vac everyday and empty bag or canister. For other areas, spray with pine sol (regular version) everyday…such as kitchen and bath floors, etc etc. It works!!! Sounds crazy but google it. I did. It works. No more fleas after 2 wks. Major improvement in just 4 days. Pine sol! Who knew. Spray it on any area that wont be harmed by it. Smells way better than bug spray and works better too. Safer for kids and pets too. Spray outside too. Pine oil keeps them away. It works, wait and see. Salt kills the fleas and eggs too. Dries them out. But you have to empty canister or replace bag after every vacuuming. Fleas are survivors to a degree. Out damn fleas, out! LOL
where can I get a flea bomb . around the sumas area.
were abouts can we get flea bombs in the washington area????
I have not yet an answer but good to know I am not the only one with this problem, it is not something you want to discuss with others I am embarassed and feel dirty! Have you found a solution yet, I have tried allsorts, bombs, sprays, vaccuum powders and frontline and spent a fortune.
I have 2 cats and have sprayed with the furniture flea spray and given them both flea baths. Their fleas were so bad that even after letting the shampoo sit on the cats for 10 minutes, they still weren’t all dead. and the fleas are still somehow living in my house. I cant even do my laundry at home, because the fleas are still able to live in the basement.. where there is no upholstery or animals. All concrete. Help!
nicole we have same problem fleas only in basement concrete nothing up in the house what did u do that worked? email us shauneandapril@live.com
To Hannah with the kitten, Do NOT use flea powder on a kitten, it is very harmfull! Go to Walmart and buy a fleacomb. I fleacomb kittens 2 or 3 times a day, dipping the comb in water to drown the fleas. I lost a kitten to anemia caused by biting fleas. I tried using a regular comb, but nothing works like a flea comb does. Wash all kitten bedding in hot water, or soak in a pail outside and then wash.
my cat has so many fleas, i can’t even sleep in my own bed…please help!
I have no pets but the skanks who live behind us do, so I guess we tracked them in (the fleas, not the skanks thank god). Yes, getting the crap bitten out of my ankles and calfs. Treating the place this weekend.
I might add that the skanks NEVER walk their two large dogs, and they pick up their poop from the yard and walkways only because we contacted the dept of public health about them leaving it around. Irresponsible t-park trash, and now we have fleas because of ‘em.
Dude well spoken! My apt is infested with shanks too, and their cats have fleas also. Let me know if you find how to get rid of either pest.
LOL. You must live by my BF’s baby mama. She let her kid get infested and now they are in our house and on my cat. I’ve been washing bedding nonstop. I even bathed the cat twice this past weekend. The BF’s response, “So what. It’s just fleas.” Unbelievable.
Casseopeia, Sounds like it’s time to get rid of the bf along with the fleas! lol
hey yeah… my kitty’s got fleas, where can i get a bomb??
Goto your Local Pet Store, They always have a full line of items to help stop fleas.. Best thing to do is use a bombs, normally 1 per 1-2 rooms.. then Spray a infected area with spray (normally there bedding and under furniture like sofas) places the bomb would of had hard time reaching.. BUT ESP where the animal sleeps.. THEN you bathe the animal and put them in another room thats not infected (like basement or attic) THIS IS ONLY TEMPORARY ) do this repeat twice… (IF REALLY BAD) . For those EXTREME cases vets do have injections for animals that will cause there blood to be a poison for the fleas… so the fleas can’t lay larva. Also VACUUM DAILY and change the bag every 3 -4 days. or fleas will come out the vacuum and be in the house again. good luck guys!
I hate fleas – nasty little blood suckers!
I would not waste your time and money trying to treat for fleas yourself if you are actually seeing fleas in your house and on you. Call an exterminator – it usually costs about $150 for the initial treatment, but most of them will guartantee success after one or two treatments. We’ve spent that much trying unsuccesfully to rid our home of these tiny little things from hell! We had them so bad, we actually spent almost a week in a hotel. Lastly, the most important thing you need to do in ridding your home of fleas is to vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! If you don’t vacuum at least every other day very thoroughly, you will be feasted on for months to come! Call a local exterminator and they will explain the importance of vacumming.
I used a flea comb with my kittens, and the darn fleas jumped off the comb as soon as I took it away from the kittens, I used flea shampoos and flea bombs and still there are fleas. I have a small two bedroom apartment and the fleas are out of control. I got rid of the cats and bombed again, and still there are fleas. My son is getting bitten to shreads, but I don’t have a single bite. Why would only one of us get bitten, even though he’s sleeping in my bed most of the time? How can I get rid of these stinking fleas?
did u ever get rid of the flees…I am a landlord, and my rental has flees, its a newer house, the last tenants caused the flee problem. if u could, call me and give me some ideas… 517-862-6626
We have two indor cats(that never go outside) and I don’t know how it happened but it did. We have fleas, they only bother me (so far) at last count I have 56 bites from the knees down. I am loosing my mind. we have tried Sentry natural defense but it is not getting the job done. I will welcome any ideas.
I have bites all over my legs and arms. I went to urgent care today b/c I thought it might be bed bugs from sleeping in a motel last week but they said it was flea bites and hives from flea bites. My 2 cats are indoor as well and I don’t know where they came form either. I have a small 2 bedroom apratment and the building allows cats and dogs. Maybe I tracked them in from one of the neighbors dogs? How else would they have come in to my apartment? Do they live in apartment walls?
Can I dilute flea shampoo for dogs, and, it be safe for my two cats? Need a response quickly. I’m being overtaken by fleas…
NO! I did something along that line and almost killed my cats! Something in dog flea med is poison to cats!
Found two baby fleas on my 7 month old pup.. ran to petsmart with only a half hour til closing.. i bought a flea shampoo.. a pack of 3 flea bombs.. the flea powder.. and the flea spray.. i went to war.. first i washed my pup Marley.. shampoo was very effective.. saw a bunch of dead fleas in the water.. and this morning i found a dead flea on her coat.. so i’m satisfied with that.. work instantly.. then i set her outside and i let loose with the flea bombs.. took off all bedding and set it 2 wash.. then i set out the 3 bombs.. i have a 1 bedroom apartment.. set one off in the middle of the bedroom.. middle of the living room.. and in the hallway in front of the bathroom.. came back home.. sprayed furniture and bed down with the spray i also bought.. sprayed it under the furniture.. on the furniture.. on the carpet around everywhere she tends to spend time.. around her kennel.. on her bedding.. finally i took the flea powder and just started dumping it around my apartment.. i’m telling you.. this was warrrrrr!!!
Did this work, I have 2 cats, who don’t really come in, but I have fleas… both cats have frontline on, so I just don’t get it… bombed 6 times this summer… Im at war and need advice. please e- mail me..
Hi
Having had cats for many years I have battled with fleas what I would say is it takes a good while to get rid of them best way is professional pest control (in UK about £50 for whole house) well worth it and have the cats Frontlined and wearing flea collars and nip it in the bud before the little blighters take over
Found two baby fleas on my 7 month old pup.. ran to petsmart with only a half hour til closing.. i bought a flea shampoo.. a pack of 3 flea bombs.. the flea powder.. and the flea spray.. i went to war.. first i washed my pup Marley.. shampoo was very effective.. saw a bunch of dead fleas in the water.. and this morning i found a dead flea on her coat.. so i’m satisfied with that.. work instantly.. then i set her outside and i let loose with the flea bombs.. took off all bedding and set it 2 wash.. then i set out the 3 bombs.. i have a 1 bedroom apartment.. set one off in the middle of the bedroom.. middle of the living room.. and in the hallway in front of the bathroom.. came back home.. sprayed furniture and bed down with the spray i also bought.. sprayed it under the furniture.. on the furniture.. on the carpet around everywhere she tends to spend time.. around her kennel.. on her bedding.. finally i took the flea powder and just started dumping it around my apartment.. overall i spent about 70 dollars for the four items.. i’m telling you.. this was warrrrrr!!! Overall i spent about 70 dollars for the four items
OMG im going through the same thing. Just the last few weeks my kitties have been attacked by these god awful things! theyre all over my carpet and everywhere! Ive been using Borax on the carpets which seems to help some.
I will tell you guys this…get a few flee colors from Walmart and put it into your vacuum whenever you do the carpets. I think we need to Bomb but i wana get the right stuff
so if anyone knows something that works good let a bitch know!
I’m having a flea problem right now… this weekend i plan on bombing my 1 bedroom apartment and letting loose with a furniture/upholstery spray. I don’t have pets, I’ve never been able to have pets and my landlord doesn’t allow pets… but the previous tenant had cats anyways and from what I hear would just let them come and go as they pleased. No carpets anywhere in the apartment either, I just don’t get it. But I’m ready for the chemical warfare this weekend…
they also like to lay eggs in the skirting boards!
My 3 year old dog got fleas right after she went to a dog park we thought it was just a little itch but we saw in constently EVER SINGLY DAY and then i just said to my self that this was a big problem she has fleas.
My cat who lives in the garage and outdoors got infestested with fleas hanging out with stray cats…brought fleas into the garage and now they got in the house. Got rid of his sleeping quarters and bombed the garage this morning. Ordered flea killer, Frontline plus for cats… http://www.thriftyvet.com
They have the best prices. Now I need to bomb the house. This is a real drag..
Me & my girlfriend don’t have any pets, we don’t have many friends that have pets & our flat is clean but the problem is we just bought a second hand sofa && it has fleas! Were gonna go buy some stuff t get rid of these pesky things !!
I’ve been bitten 17 times and we have only had the darn thing 2 days!!
I came home six weeks ago and automatically felt something I just did not know what it was, over the course of two more weeks I started noticing little tiny dots flying around and it seemed that it was my imagination because they were so fast i felt it just could not be anything. By the fourth week, or rather the end of my thrid week I was being attacked so much that I was going crazy. I did my due diligence and started reading up on things and found a page on the cycle of fleas. it upset me so much that I was unable to read it. The next day however, I had decided that if I was going to get rid of my problem I would have to know what the problem was. The following week I left a message for the management company and the manager called and said she would send their Pest Control Specialist to my home. He showed up and said he would use something that was built specifically for spraying near the ground and not necessariily like the bombs I had been using. That night after he used his chemical, after a night of studying, I crawled into bed and was severely attacked like whatever was in my home felt that I had intentionally set out to hurt them. It was the absolutely worst night of my life. My hands, parts of my body, feet ankles, neck, ear cheek, you name it was bite and all areas swole up so bad that it actually affect the use of my legs because the bites were bad, and my hands were really damaged. I washed load after load of laundry using the hotest temperature, dried the batches using the hotest heat and to no avail. I had my carpets cleaned after hearing such horror stories to rid the larvae or eggs so tht they would not come back the next week. Now almost two months later I am being attacked at night and i feel trapped. this is riddiculous and I am not sure what to do. I called another company after I ended up having to ask the last bug guy to leave because he made some really aweful remarks of which almost calling me a lier and saying maybe it was because I was taking some kind of medication that did not agree with me? never to have him come into my home again. I AM DESPERATE! I am just not sure what will help. I have bombed personally 8 times and nothing has helped. I recently found out that I am allergic to fleas and have just had a kidney transplant almost two months ago. I want to feel and do better, not feel trapped and out of sorts. I cannot leave the house without feel something crawling on me or biting me. Its embarrasing and i cam not sure how much more I can take. To stiffle them I bought a mattress cover and a plastic cover to hopefully kill them and overnight them seem to have infested by king size bed. I have no pets, have a cleaning service twice a week, and am rarely home. Here in Sacramento CA our weather has been horrible and we seemed to have winter straight through May. Finally it got hot and not it seems from what I read in the newpaper and on the news that fleas are in abundance this year due to all the weird weather we have had.
Signed in need of a miracle!
Phyllis, I’m very sorry to hear about your horrible infestation. It sounds like a bad one, and if you’re not having much luck on your own, you really might want to think about hiring a professional pest control service to come treat your home.
It sounds like you had a bad experience with the last company, but I think if you do some screening beforehand, you can find a good professional who will take care of you. With really bad infestations, sometimes that’s what you have to do.
Good luck, and take care of yourself.
Im sry to here about the hell u have had to be living in. I have 2 children n for some odd reason, we seem to get the weirdest rashes, allergies, etc. So I have done plenty of research on all types of bugs. U said u were rarely ever home and that u have no pets. That being said, I have high doubts the pest u are dealing with are fleas. It would be my best guess that u probably have bed bugs. A friend of mine had them before n she also was brutiley attacked at night, with welts appearing all over her body. Head to toe. Bed bugs usually do not come out during the day or when the lights are on. They wait patiently until dark n until u are fast asleep. First thing u did right is that u used a plastic cover for your mattress. But…u need to get a cover that zippers, and u have to use them on both your mattress and box spring. And u have to keep them on there for atleast a year!! These bugs can live without feeding for over 12 months!! As much as I hate to tell u this, from all the reading ive done bed bugs are one of the worst to get rid of. If u are a renter I would advise u to contact ur landlord n get an exterminator at their exspense! This does not mean u are dirty, do not be embarresed, just try doing as much research as u can and calling as many exterminators as possible until u find one that u like n trust will give u the attention n time it needs. They say it could take an exterminator up to or over 3 hours to even determine if u have bed bugs!!
Like every one else here i have fleas. yay!!! anyways. i was talking to the vet and she gave me a little hint.. get some mothballs and put in your vacume. that way any thing sucked up will die in the bag and not needed to be changed right away. another thing is i have not seen any one write stuff about spraying the yard. you need to treat your yard as well. good luck to all and hope i can take care of these fleas. its my third time trying so maybe lucky number three…
Thanks for the tip, Andrew. Putting a flea collar in your vacuum cleaner bag is also a good way to kill fleas you vacuum up.
how much is too much for a human to be exposed to after fogging a home is 12 foggers too much for a 24X44 double wide mobil home and what can be the effects on a person?? Help Please
i moved INTO an apartment where the previous owners had not dealt with the problem. my landlord is a total flake, and now i’m being attacked every time I walk into my home. is an exterminator really the best way to get rid of these little bastards? i’m sure i have some renters rights to my landlord paying for this shit.
Sorry to hear about that Tyler. You may very well have some recourse with your landlord, but I really couldn’t speak to that. I’d check your local tenants rights organization, or state government website for information. Google will probably help you find some info.
It might be easier, however, to try to get rid of the fleas yourself first. Try using a borate flea powder on the carpets, and vacuuming every day. If you don’t have pets, you won’t have to worry about treating them, so you’ll mainly have carpets to deal with.
Most likely, you can treat the problem, or hire a professional exterminator, and deduct the expense from your rent. Again, I can’t tell you that for sure, but I believe that’s how most state laws work. If if were me, I’d look into that, and then do whatever was easiest and most convenient for me. I know how it is having a total flake for a landlord.
Good luck.
I have a 9 month old baby girl and we have to bomb our house we have fleas bad.. I hate fleas they bite her and myself im tierd of it. So after I know I have to vacume the house and wash down all the surfaces and anything that will touch her little mouth. But what should I wash the surfaces down with hot soapie water or can i use mr clean? had the floors shes crawling will it be safe? Plz help very consern mommy
Hi Alexandria,
I’d focus your cleaning on areas that have crevices or textured surfaces, as well as the corners and edges or hardwood floors, etc. You might try Dawn dish soap for cleaning, as it’s supposed to be fairly toxic to fleas but harmless to people.
Mostly, I’d focus on vacuuming, and you can try a borate flea powder on your carpets beforehand. That’s non-toxic to pets and humans. Consistent vacuuming is your best bet though, since that will do a lot to kill fleas and pupa without the use of any toxins.
Good luck, and please come back with any questions, or to report and how it goes.
Thanks.
i have children and obv. a dog i have way too many things in my house to be bombing! will the spray work better in my favor?? i want and need them gone Asap! they are biting the crap outta us and our dog and our dog is getting her dips so she is somewhat good however b.c they are now into the house into the carpets they are more and more adn are getting back onto her… please help me ASAP!!! what do i do???
Another good way to rid fleas off your pet, without using harsh to their skin shampoos is using a little of your own hair shampoo and putting in lemon juice. the lemon juice will kill fleas on contact without damaging your pet’s skin, and your shampoo will actually condition their hair. Just make sure to rinse it out completely.
I was wondering when the best time is to flea bomb your house?
Christa, I don’t know if there’s a best time to bomb your house. You might do it after vacuuming, to break up the carpet pile a bit to help the insecticide penetrate.
This information is good for carpet issues, but what about hard floor surfaces; especially, around light. When they should die and their is no blood or fur to meet the norm, then what? I have had them in my basement for greater than 35 days. Try two years. Now what?
I have a black lab / mastiff , when we moved into our house I treated the back yard forst with a product called 7 (seven) you apply it to the yard when you know its going to rain, do not let your animals out until this has soaked into the ground it kills all insects, fleas, ticks, red ant, then I bought some front line for my dog,
thankfully it worked wonders no fleas (yay) just thought you would want to know what works great.
I have two puppies and I just moved into an apartment that was infested with these huge fleas, not the little tiny ones that you can barely see. I tried rosemary and lemon water in my dogs bath and it worked wonders now the house Im still looking for a great solution that will work without making me or my dogs sick. Considering I do not have a active immune system it is hard for my body to deal with these infectious fleas biting on me all the time
Hi Chryshella,
If you’re looking for something non-toxic for your carpets, I’d try a borate based flea poweder. Borate is non-toxic for humans and animals, and is quite effective. Check out our page on flea powder for more info.
I want to have my carpets cleaned but I also need to treat the house with flea bombs. Which should I do first?
I’d use the flea bombs first, Jacque, and then have the carpets cleaned. Then, I’d follow up with regular vacuuming and maybe the use of flea powder on your carpets afterwards.
I dunno about this flea collar thing. They don’t even work on my cats so why would they work in a spinning vacuum? I put them in anyway but im out, I throw it out right away anyway so I guess it was pointless. All my cats that are wearing collars get these scabs around there neck too, they don’t seem to have as many fleas as the ones without, but…i took a piece of a flea collar and set it on my foot where i all day sit and pick them off my socks [nice hobby right?] but the flea didn’t move or do anything. Any Even in the pet store the lady said theyre basically useless and only like help in the neck area of a cat, but im pretty sure they dont even kill fleas they might just deter them. so my cats have fleas just not on their necks! pointless. basically makes it jus so u cant see them anymore lol…..I’m horribly infested, and nothing works over the counter, theyre all a waste of money. I’m thinking all I need a steamer, boiling hot water going through the carpet , esp if it has dish liquid in it would def kill alot. thats the only thing that i already had, that actually KILLED a fflea. I got Seagants Cat flea spray – USELESS. I tested it out. Saw a flea sprayed all over it, thing kept squirming and than eventually hopped off. All these chemicals and for WHAT? If you’re going to BATHE your cat. Just use DISH SOAP! It took ALL the fleas off my kitten, but since the house is infested obviously they came back but atleast once a week i give her some relief cause i can’t use harsh chemicals on her. or my prego cat, so I’m assuming its ok for her too, and its the only thing that kills them quickly. i have water dishes in each room for when i pick em off the cats or myself so i can just drop them in and watch them die. slow progress but im not just gonna let it go lol went off topic from a reply oh, and my legs have been bitten to the point where i have to wear my pants with my socks over them cause if i don’t. i get bit so badly. last night i was hot since I’m sick [and i think its also because of the bites which is scaring me since they carry so many diseases] and i wore shorts and made sure there was no fleas on my socks and got into bed [thats probably infested as hell] and wokeup to about 15 more bites on my legs and more on my arms! fucking great. been using alot of benadryl gel lately. …this really is HELL. After reading all this I think I myswell just call a professionall once i get the money. but they cost like 350 damn bucks, for a one bedroom, but hell, it’d be worth it if they got the house uninfested. the cats I can just give baths too, which is not fun by any means but shit…gotta do it.
I unfortunately let a stray cat into my place for a short amount of time back in July. I took him to the animal shelter and they were able to reunite him with his owners, however the stray left me with a flea infestation.
I’ve been trying out diatomaceous earth from reading other things online – doesn’t seem to be doing well, unless I’m not doing it right. I left for the weekend last weekend so I threw down a layer of the DE on my area rug and under my sofa and let it sit while I was gone. When I got back, I decided not to vacuum so I’d let the DE sit longer and maybe kill more of the fleas.
Seems like things got much worse with no vacuuming. I’m doubting the DE is doing any good whatsoever.
I’ve read fleas can’t reproduce well in low humidity. Their eggs and larva will perish in dry air. I have a dehumidifier in my place because I live in a really damp environment, so I use it to keep things comfortable, but I’ve since increased the “dryness” setting on my dehumidifier’s humidistat down from 65% to 40%, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping that will do the trick. I don’t know how well it will work, though, because I turn it off at night (I live in a studio and the dehumidifier is noisy – can’t sleep with it running all night long.)
I think my last resort is going to be to call a professional. My place has tiled stone floors, but I do have one large area rug. I’m wondering if the fleas are propagating UNDER the area rug, and maybe that’s why the DE isn’t doing any good?
Any suggestions?
I suggest just getting ride of the area rug.. that might be cheaper then paying a pro to do the job..
I have discovered the pesky little buggers again.We have 2 dogs and 5 cats, and never had a problem before these last two years. I thought I was done with the summer infestation but didn’t consider “a gutted room” (we are remodeling) that our cats dishes and litter boxes are in. I never throughy treated that room as I did the remainder of the house and our animals. So we are back to square one.
Since the amount of animals we have as well as our grandchildren, I wanted the treatments to be as natural as possible as well as cost effective.
I found several websites that listed dawn dish liquid and white vinegar in equal amounts to bathe your animals, lather for atleast 5 minutes. You will see the fleas fall right off as you wash the animals. Then as a flea spray use equal amounts of white vinegar and water. Apply once your animal dries, and everyday afterward. Use the same strength solution for washing floors, spraying down your furniture, curtains, carpets etc…use white vinegar though because red or wine vinegar can stain your fabrics. In any pet bedding, blankets, stuffed animals etc that you can launder, add your regular detergent and a full cup of white vinegar. Vacumme,vacumme,vacumme!! And use the vinegar and water spray daily on your animals, their bedding and any surface that your animal is in proximity to.
and for those of you who seem surprised to have a flea infestation…and don’t have animals…fleas will come in your home on your pants ,shirt, boots etc…they left their original “blood donor” and hooked up on you…
They really suck ! Pardon the pun….and Good luck!!
So I just found out I have fleas in my carpet…. strange to me cuz I have not had a pet in my apartment in 2 months.. I have read ur comments but is it ok for my furniture?
Hi,
We’re preparing to move into a new apartment. Right now, the place is entirely vacant of furniture and living beings (apart, perhaps, from fleas), though I *was* planning on moving some clothes into one of the bedroom closets tomorrow, early.
The apartment manager has some Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea Bombs, and is concerned there might be fleas in the apartment. She’s waiting to hear from me as to whether she should use any of them in there. My questions are:
1) Are flea bombs EVER a good idea, even if the apartment is entirely vacant?
2) If used, how long before our two cats can be introduced to the space?
3) It’s a cool, damp spring. Does that make a difference in how quickly it *might* be safe to move our cats in? (One is about seven or eight years old, the other about two-and-a-half.)
4) Is there a better, safer way to insure there are no fleas or larva?
Any advice you could offer would be most appreciated!!
Thank you for your time,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your questions. The ideal place to use a flea bomb would probably be a vacant apartment. But, if you’re worried at all about residual toxicity, and since it doesn’t sound like you have an active infestation, and since flea bombs are not particularly effective, I’d probably stay away.
Instead, just try a borate based flea powder on the carpets, and vacuum the carpets as much as you can. Since the apartment is empty, that’s probably about the only place for the fleas to hide.
I don’t know what stage of moving in you’re at right now, but if the apartment is still vacant, then you can try walking around the rooms in white socks to see if any fleas show up.
Then, I’d get some borate flea powder, or you can use borax if you want, sprinkle the carpets and then vacuum. You can’t really vacuum too much, since that’s the best way to break up pupa too. Go ahead and vacuum every day until you move in if you have time. Since you say it’s a cool spring, and still early in the year, I wouldn’t think you’d have a bad infestation yet, but who knows.
But, I think you’ll have better luck with this method than with flea bombs, and you’ll avoid any issue of toxins in the apartment with your kitties.
Good luck.
Thanks! That’s very reassuring advice. I’ll gladly try the alternatives you suggested. Again, thank you for sharing your expertise!
Regards,
Sarah
I have two cats in the house and up until now have not had any problems with fleas but i have a 2 years olf who seems to attract the fleas cus other than the cats noone else has been affected so before they get worse im wanting to fog our home my question is i only planned on fogging the back of the house and living area to rid the fleas would it be ok to fog the house and have the cats in a bedroom cus i have no place to put them while i fog
Hi Casey,
I wouldn’t use a fogger while your cats are in the house. In fact, I wouldn’t use a fogger at all, at least not before trying an area spray, and lots and lots of regular vacuuming. Foggers are not nearly as effective as most people think, and you can avoid the use of that much insecticide by using more targeted methods. Check out our page on home flea control for more info.
I just moved into my new (what I thought was beautiful) apartment last week, only to find out the carpets are flea infested from the previous tenants dogs. Does anyone know if the landlord is required to replace the carpets? And whats the best way to stop getting bit until they do something about it??
Alih,
I don’t know about the legal requirements, but I would imagine the landlord is required to provide you a pest free apartment when you move in. Instead of waiting for them to do something though, I would buy some borate based flea powder, or even regular borax, apply to your carpets and vacuum every day. Do this every day if you can and see what kind of progress you make.
Since you don’t have any pets to worry about, it should be easier. Assuming your landlord has a responsibility here, you should be able to bill your landlord to supplies and your time and deduct it from your rent. Do take my word for it though. Consult your local tenants’ rights organization.
Good luck.
We have two cats who have fleas. I’ve had to quarantine them on our screened-in back patio for two days. They’re free of fleas at the moment and now I have them quarantined inside. Our covered patio is about 30′ long and 10′ wide and has a riverrock floor. Can I bomb this area? Can fleas grow in riverrock? And can I harm the finish on the riverrock? I know the cushions on the patio furniture should be treated. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
You certainly could bomb that area, Jean. But, I would probably start by removing everything like the cushions that might hold flea eggs and larva. Then vacuum the whole area and mop the floor with a detergent. If you need to apply an insecticide, I’d do it directly to the floor, and use an area spray like Adams or Knockout.
I have three cats and they have fleas. My house has fleas to but mainly in the bedroom. What is the best way to get rid of fleas both on my cats and in my house.?
I have a few questions bout fleas and i just want to ask a professional.
I just moved into an apartment last week that is supposed to be pet free, but i have an infestation of fleas! I thought maybe it was my couch, because that is basically the only furniture i have right now, but i can tell that these pests have been here longer than a week. I called my landlord and informed her about the problem, but have yet to get a response. I am on section 8, and i dont have the money to buy hundreds of dollars worth of products. I am seriously at my wits end, i have 2 young children and i need these pests GONE! Please someone give me some advice! I am going to buy some Apple Cider Vinegar and spray that around today, is there any thing else? A fogger, maybe?
Hi Jessica,
Sorry to hear you moved into an infested apartment. I think you’re landlord should take care of that for you, but I understand that can be complicated.
Flea bombs are not necessarily the best solution. You can try sprinkling powder in the carpets (such as Fleabusters RX) and vacuuming. Otherwise, check out the home flea control page for more info.
Also, I’m not a lawyer, so please don’t take this as legal advice, but I believe that you can deduct the costs of any of this from your rent. You might want to check with your local tenants rights organization on that. Good luck.
I don’t know what to do, all 4 of my cats are completely infested with flea’s and are outdoor cats, I am right now, as I type picking flea’s off my body and throwing them on this sticky paper stuff I bought….The entire house is infested, you can see them jumping in the carpet and clothes walls furnature cats…they are everywhere, I want to sleep on my roof, as it’s probably the only spot I can get away from them, I’m also super alergic to them so I’m covered in scabs on my legs from scratching in my sleep, what can i do to solve this problem, please send me an e-mail, to give some sugestions on how to solve this problem. PLEASE.
Well I have 1 cat a gerbil and 14 fish. My house is infested beyond believe. I have no clue what to do. Max (my cat) is so bad that flea medication ia not helping. We have tried the powder stuff and scrubbing the floors. It’s so bad that the fleas are on my clothes when I go to work. Its bad. And I think my cat has got something from the little blood suckers. I don’t know what to do. Please help. My last cat died from fleas in her mouth. I don’t want my last cat dead either.
I buy Virbac spray. It is like a fogger but handheld sprayer. you can buy it online for around 9-12 dollars. This works against adult fleas, eggs and larvae for 7 months.
Here is what I did. I have a bi-level house and my downstairs is all cement and partial rugs. I blocked off the entry way from the stairs to the upstairs with a tarp and set one bomb (fogger) off in the garage (attached) and one in the laundry room and one in the living room. I stayed in the upstairs and never had an issue with the smell or the toxins and I didn’t have to remove my cats from the house. I just blocked off the vents with plastic and tape. 2 hrs later I opened up the downstairs windows and left it as is. about and hour later, I sprayed the virbac spray all over. I made sure I hit the corners, and the entire perimeter of each room. I left it taped off from the upstairs.
The following day I bathed each cat one at a time with a mixture of harts flea shampoo and an oatmeal shampoo for cats. The oatmeal shampoo helps soothe the irritation from the scratching. Harts shampoo is only about 6 dollars.
and its smells great and helps wash away fleas. I took each cat wrapped in a towel, out the front door and placed them in the downstairs, which was still blocked off. I then set the bombs off upstairs…one in each room. I used 9 bombs total for my house.
When 2 hrs passed, I went back upstairs and opened up the house to air it out. Again, about an hour later, I sprayed each area with the virbac spray.
I allowed my cats to roam the house after 12 hrs and felt safe. I continued to re-spray the house room by room with the virbac spray every two weeks for a month in a half. I also began using frontline every month and a half instead of every month and I am flea free.
The spray isn’t harmful to pets after a half hour and believe me when I tell you…persistence pays off. I rid my cats and house of fleas 2 yrs ago and haven’t had an infestation again. The spray is the best around and I always have a can on hand. I use it as a preventative care for my house and cats. Every 6 months I tackle the rooms again. It says it last 7 months, but i prefer to use it every 6 months.
Hope this helps. I had to do this while me and my animals were in the house because they don’t do well outside the house. I bought the flea foggers online in a 3 pack for like 11 bucks…I made sure it killed adult fleas and eggs.
my method has controled them and worked pretty well….I bomb my house with the 2 cats outside. Then when I get home set up a bath and bring them in one at a time to a flea bath, give them their favorite food after bath with a Capstar pill that kills the fleas on them within 30 min and follow that after they are dry with application of Advantage. Seems to work well with vacuuming vacuuming!!
My bunny has a bad case of fleas and I keep getting the crap bitten out of my ankles xP Any suggestions?
for those of you with really, really bad flea infestations that you can’t seem to get rid of, try calling a professional. i’ve heard having a professional steam clean your carpets/furniture can help. your a professional exterminator can come and zap everything with an UV (i think..maybe it’s infrared) light, which will kill the fleas. hope this helps!
My kitty recently passed away, she had been treated with Advantix. Without the kitty with the flea protection, the fleas have taken off in my house, real bad! I’ve bombed and used direct spray and they keep coming back! I even put moth balls in my vacuum for I heard that kills the eggs. Darn fleas keep coming back. I’m going to keep at it, and hope for the best, darn blood suckers! I just wanted to let the people who have small kitties know that it’s safe to use Dawn dish detergent on small babies. It’s safe and it does kill the fleas, you may have to wash them more than once if they have long fur. When I first got my kitty she was infested, and all I did was wash her with Dawn and they died. Wish I could wash my whole house in Dawn right about now! Any suggestions for me? I’m open to hearing them!
I’ve had a cat for years and suddenly fleas have been appearing, we have all hard wood floor, this has been going on for a day now and i’m skeeved. we’ve washed all bedding and flea bombing tommorow any other advice?
Should I vaccuumn before i set of the foggers
for fleas?
I’m having a nightmare with fleas right now. Lived in Florida for over 30 years where they were very bad, but completely cured the problem with boric acid powder raked onto carpets, left for a week, then vacuumed off. Even fleas the dog carried into the house would jump off and die. It was great, and I’d love to find it here in Ohio. Any ideas?
Hi me an my boyfriend have had our dog for over a year an he lives in the garage with in an out access to the outside an never had a flea problem. That is until we took in a stray kitten. I’ve done everything it is so bad that my 1boyfriend year old is covered in bites we got rid of the cat bathed the dog an sprayed for fleas but they are still here what should I do?!?!? Please help!!!!
Sorry 1 year old lol
I have 2 cats and had fleas on them, i could not keep up with them, I called the vet and they told me to go to petco or petsmart and get a pill called capstar it was kind of pricey but it killed all their fleas on them in in 1 hour… then i bombed the house and used frontline on the cats and have never had another flea
Help I have NO pets… but im being bit all over.. I mean everywhere I belive fleas cause i found one caught it put it in a jar and looked it up… looks like a flea acording to the internet…my oldest son hardly has any and my lil guy has sum on his legs but not prominent… mine are huge…. Am i allergic??? I cant take it anymore its been about 4 days that i started noticing them (bites)… and just yesterday found a flea in my bathroom. Now I have a friend who visits time n time again and I noticed his dog has fleas… is it possible he has infested my home and car i believe….? Can a human transport them from one household to another???? HELP
i have used srays,powders, home defense, foggers, off sprays, fleas shampoos nothing seems to work , what can i do now
I had fleas in my home; the dog is no longer there and was in my home from Mid to end of July until Sept 9th. The dog had fleas and left them in my home. I went to Pet Supplies and sprayed the house and then used fogger 3 cans; one upstairs dog was not up there maybe 2 times when i walked upstairs i do have carpeting there; one can in living room where couch and tapestry rug is i have hard wood floors; and one can in basement. I am going to walk in the house with white socks on apparently they r attracted to white to c if they r gone. Do u think this one bombing will do?
you need to 2 it twice in a month or whever the flea cycle starts because of the new hatching !!
I live in the northwest and we had a wet spring into July. As soon as it started getting warm I noticed my 12 year old poodle starting to scratch. We took him into the vet for his teeth and we were told he had fleas. Our dog was never treated for fleas in 12 years. Now I feel I have over treated him and we still have fleas in our home after two months.
Here’s the dogs treatment in a short period of time….he still shakes his ears and scratches.
Vet gave him Advantage treatment on August 2nd.
My husband gave him Advantage on August 8th
I gave him Resolution on August 10th. and six treatments of capstar tablets starting August 12th.
He had two flea dips from the groomer, shaved down to the skin.
many home flea baths from me
Was seen by vet and vet noticed that he still had fleas on the ears.
1 treatment of Confortis on September 5th.
Here’s what we did to treat the house…
Bought flea spray from Vet and sprayed the yard and baseboards of the area where the dog in now living (He does not access to any other room in the house).
Put borax on carpet, got rid of dog bed….boil dog towels every day. Vacuum everyday with rainbow water vac. Eterminator came in once to do whole house and 1 more time to do basement suite. Set up water bowl traps that caught quite a few of them. Not seeing any in the traps and still seeing live ones in the kitchen where the dog is confined.
I am now at a loss because I read everything on the internet and followed almost everything that was offered. I saw a vet (professional), hired exterminator (gauranteed) and I still don’t have a life other that vacuuming everyday!
i have flea bombed my house and put two bombers in my basement because thats were it is the worst and they are stilll there !!!!! what should i do ? and could i bomb my house again sooon ?
Dawn original dish detergent….. works great kills the fleas is safe for kittens. just give them a bath and be amazed at the dead fleas. Also I’m trying to use the non toxic approach on the house. Saw an article on Diatomaceous Earth ( a natural component that is is powder form, its used in for yards & animal grain storage) there are several grades the food grade is what you want , I haven’t used it yet looking to buy it. Has anyone else used this product
I have had fleas in my apartment for several weeks now. I have been vacuuming twice a day. I will be getting Zodiac Carpet Spray today, as well as cat flea shampoo. How often do I need to do this. Will one bottle of Zodiac be enough.
I have a large apartment. The fleas are in the living room and bedroom.
Also, I think I have them i my car. Can I use Zodiac in my car. I will have to vacuum also. My husband has emphysema. Does this spray effect people with COPD
Thanks for your help.
Nancy
I have a dog and two cats. I just moved to FL and there are a billion flea infested stray cats around here. My pets have all been treated with Frontline Plus for years and never had a one. Now they are covered in them. Apparently they’re in the yard so whenever my pets go outside, they get new fleas. I’ve sprayed the house repeatedly, keep giving them the Frontline and we just keep getting new ones! I’m at my wits end. I could make my cats indoor cats, they use a litter box just fine, but the dog has to go out! He’ll just bring them in since they’re everywhere out there so I’m thinking this is going to be a never-ending war. I can spray the yard but what good will it do with all the infested cats lurking about? They’ll just deliver new ones the next day. I’m covered in bites, I’m spending tons of money on flea spray and washing my bedding every other day. It’s a viscious cycle that I can’t escape!! This is living hell for me and my poor animals. I thought Frontline was supposed to keep your pets free of fleas for a month. That ain’t happening!! What a waste of $250.00! I’m so beyond frustrated at this point I don’t know what to do…
I heard that Seven (7) it’s a red bag that kills all kinds of bugs/insects. You can not let the dogs out in the grass though. Sprinkle the powder in your yard when you know it’s going to rain, or soak it with a watering hose. Seven is harmful to your dogs. Once it’s soaked in after a rain, they will be ok. It should get rid of fleas in the yard.
ok so my landlord has a cat and now we are covered in fleas because he refuses to give her a bath or a flea collar or anything! I’m seriously ready to scream! 4 months of none stop itch no matter how much I clean is driving me mad! I don’t know what else to do!
I HAVE 5 INDOOR CATS. JUST FOUND FLEAS. IF I USE TERMINIX TO SPRAY IS IT SAFE FOR MY CATS TO BE IN THE HOME AT THE TIME OF SPRAYING?
We flea fogged our house yesterday morning (one fogger in each room) and we saw fleas jumping on a bed this morning. We actually didn’t even see fleas jumping before but knew our dog had them. How long does the fogger take to work or should we assume it just didn’t work? Thanks!
Did you treat your pet with Advantage or a product like that? If you dont treat your pet then fogging the house is basically pointless. When you bomb your house make sure your using a product that has a good reputation. This is a good time to just spend the extra couple dollars and get a name brand. We used Raid just today, and I have yet to see a flea.
My dog is 9/mo old tried dawn blue dish soap worked at first .. then here come the fleas again So I went to petco bought SENTRY oatmeal tick and flea bath those suckers still were alive , I comb him everday atleats 30-50 fleas still come off him beside me using a walmart brand flea liquid on the dog …. my little 5 yr old is the only one getting bit he had an allergic reaction to the bites … it is a mess .I vaccum Daily .. dump it in the toilet … and sprayed my house with ORTHO HOME DEFENCE… and also a trick i seen on YOUTUBE dawn dish soap in Hot water Several FOIL long Cake pans .. place them under the bed under the couch or where evers you dog lays and they jump in I do this every night and I still find them in there ….. ??? keep the dog away from there But I am thinking of an TEREMINX ?
I call them “WAR FLEAS” no matter what you do they seem to come back? you need to wash Everything and do not replace your area rugs back on the floor the Larvae will just stick to the fibers …. Good luck everyone
I have a chihuahua who has fleas, its not a serious infestation but there are a good amount on her. I am treating her with shampoo, Advantage, etc…The real problem is that I know there are some fleas in our carpet, and I have a 10 month old daughter. I am not sure what is the safe method of using powders, bombs, stuff like that. We tried putting salt on the carpets and that hasn’t seemed to work yet.
I think my boyfriends house has fleas but he won’t believe me. I have bites all over me and they are driving me crazy! I don’t know what to do anyone have any advice on what to do with the bites or boyfriend? He knows i have them he’s seen them but he doesn’t have any bites on him. Why do I have them and he doesn’t?
garlic is toxic to pets. don’t ever give garlic or onions to your pets. it can cause liver failure!
My husband has hundreds of flea bites…the worst on his legs(knees down)but also on his torso. I was sceptical they were actually fleas, no pets here, except fish!!! He was insistent he was seeing them. I thought it was more likely bed bugs, or worse scabies. But he is the only one with bites, even though my daughter sleeps in bed with us. He wakes up with new bites every morning, but not us, until this morning, my daughter had two bites. Why would the fleas only be biting him? Anyone have an idea? I also recently saw two fleas. I’ve had pets before and infestations, but this seems bizare to me and Dad is fed up with the bites and me for not being able to fix it. Any info would help