Have you ever heard that an adult female flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day? It’s fascinating for such a small insect. The part that isn’t as fascinating is where these eggs can land: on your carpets and furniture.
Fleas usually get brought in by your cat or dog who may have interacted with other animals with fleas or with surfaces that were already adult flea-infested. After these fleas begin laying eggs, they’ll usually hatch within two weeks.
Fleas love carpet and couches because they keep their eggs nice and warm and will hatch them within a short amount of time. This is all a reason why they love your dog.
What this means for you, is an infestation with fleas in every life cycle ( adults, eggs, and nymphs).
You know you’ve got a flea problem if you keep waking up with flea bite. They love the taste of humans, dogs, cats, and other animal’s blood.
So, what can you do to get rid of them fast and stop these pests from pestering your pet? There are some easy natural remedies you can use before calling on the professionals. However, phoning a pest control service is recommended for intense flea infestations just as in the case with bed bugs.
How Do I Get Rid of Fleas in My Home Fast?
There are some ways to get rid of fleas in your home fast without calling a professional if the infestation hasn’t gotten too bad.
These flea treatments all deal with treating your carpeting, furniture, bedding(including pet bedding), and other upholstery.
Use a steam cleaner.
You can use steam cleaning for upholstery, carpet cleaning, and pet beds. Steam cleaners combine heat and soapy water, making them effective against the entire flea population in all stages of life. You’ll want to pay close attention to hotspots like where your pet likes to rest.
Wash bedding and any couch pillows.
The first step you’ll want to do is wash all the couch pillows and bedding in very hot water. Following that, you need to dry it at the hottest possible setting. If the flea dirt infestation is serious, you should probably throw out your old bedding and start fresh.
This goes for your pet beds as well. You might need to purchase a new pet bed if fleas are infesting every inch of your home.
Use chemical treatment.
You have the option of a flea fogger or an aerosol spray. It’s better to use an aerosol spray so you can spray directly in areas that foggers aren’t able to reach.
Either insecticide you choose should contain adulticide, like permethrin. This kills/flea killer off the adult fleas. It should also contain an insect growth regulator like pyriproxyfen or Methoprene. These both kill flea eggs, flea pupae, and flea larvae.
Be careful with these chemical treatments. You and your family (including your pet) should have no contact with the spray until it’s dry. And you need to protect your hands by wearing gloves when you use the spray.
Can You Vacuum out Fleas in the Carpet?
You can vacuum out fleas in your carpet by getting rid of the flea eggs that have been dropped. Vacuuming can also remove a small number of larvae as well as debris that they feast on. Just be aware the vacuuming will cause adult fleas to come out.
This is why vacuuming is best done with other treatments and can even add to its effectiveness.
Be cautious not to come into contact with any of the contents of the vacuum bag. It’s best to choose a bag that you can dispose of without it being messy. You wouldn’t want everything you just vacuumed up to end up back on the floors or upholstered furniture.
How to remove fleas from carpet with home remedies
There are a couple of home remedies to get rid of fleas like a simple flea removal before you call in the professionals. Just be aware that a majority of home remedies will only kill off the adult fleas, so if the infestation is severe, these may not work for you.
You might have some vinegar and baking soda sitting around the house and are wondering if it would help this pesky pest problem.
These natural remedy include supplies you probably already have along with a few other supplies you may have to go out and purchase.
1. Herbal flea spray and vinegar
Herbal flea sprays are all-natural and made from products free of toxins. This makes it a great alternative to aerosols and foggers since you can use them around your children and pets. Here’s
What you’ll need:
- Vinegar (4 liters)
- Water (2 liters)
- Lemon juice (500ml)
- Witch hazel (250 ml)
Combine all your ingredients in your large spray bottle. Before you use it, make sure you vacuum all the areas of your home impacted by the flea infestation. After emptying the bag, make sure to take all the contents outside to the outdoor trashcan.
Wash all pet’s bedding and cushions. After you’ve done this, generously apply the flea spray or the flea bomb. Making sure to get all carpet, furniture, windowsills, floors, and pet beds.
2. Dish Soap
What you’ll need:
- Dish soap
- Water
- Bowl
This home remedy is amazing because there’s a 99. 9% chance you’ve got dish soap! All you need is dish soap and H2O to create a flea trap and tick trap, nothing more.
Fill a bowl with warm water and the dish soap of your choosing. You can then place the bowl in every room in your house that has been subject to the flea infestation. The mixture acts like glue and it traps the fleas.
This method should be used at nighttime since fleas are nocturnal. And you need to make sure you dump the water in the morning and make a fresh batch of solution every day as the problem persists.
3. Salt
- Finely ground salt (other salts will work too)
- Hard-bristle brush
- Vacuum cleaner
Saltworks well when it’s used with vacuuming. Salt can help get rid of adult fleas but may not work for larvae.
To use this remedy, you can use any type of salt but the fine groundworks the best. Just sprinkle it on all the carpets and upholstery and let it sit for one to two days. After this, vacuum all throughout the home and empty the vacuum bag into an outdoor trash bin.
4. Baking soda
What you’ll need:
- Baking soda
- Vacuum cleaner
Another method that works best with a vacuum instead of just on its own, is baking soda. This is also another ingredient you probably have lying around.
Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and furniture, then get a very hard brush and grind it into the fabric. After this, vacuum your entire home and empty the contents into an outdoor bin.
5. Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth
What you’ll need:
- Food grade diatomaceous earth
- Vacuum
Diatomaceous earth is a fine powder that can help get rid of fleas since it causes dehydration. It’s non-toxic for humans, however, make sure you get the food grade diatomaceous earth. You’ll see that it’s food grade on the label, usually located on the same label as the product’s logo.
The other kinds may irritate your throat or eyes. for the same reason, it’s also advised to keep it away from your dog or another pet you may have. Additionally, it’s really messy so it’s best that you wear a face mask to avoid breathing any more of the flea powder in than you need to.
Leave this remedy on your upholstery and carpet for two days, then follow up with vacuuming and check to see if you have any fleas the following day. And as always, dispose of the content outdoors.
6. Lemon spray
What you’ll need:
- Spray bottle
- Thinly sliced lemon
- Water (1 pint)
This remedy works for getting rid of fleas while also making your home smell amazing and fresh. The best part is, if you’re all out of lemons, a short trip to the grocery store can make the difference between a flea-free home and a pest infestation.
Start by thinly slicing a lemon and then add it to a pint of water. Boil these two ingredients together and then let it cool before pouring into the spray bottle. You’ll want to let this solution sit overnight so avoid the temptation to use it right away.
When the next day comes, use the solution on all the infested areas in your house (carpet fiber, upholstery, furniture, etc..) Make sure you don’t soak them, just spray enough to dampen the surface.
7. Plants that repel fleas
Maybe you weren’t aware that you could actually purchase plants to get rid of fleas. These plants have oils and chemicals that fleas hate. They will add some flair to your home while getting rid of fleas wreaking havoc on your carpets.
- Plants you can purchase include:
- Lavender
- Chrysanthemums
- Penny Royal
Keep these in areas where fleas are active/flea activity and away from pets.
8. Essential Oils
- What you’ll need:
- Citronella essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Spray bottle
- Water (8oz)
Using essential oils is one of many natural ways to kill fleas in carpet but be careful.
Essential oils can be toxic for pets, both dogs and cat flea, if ingested or even if they come into contact with their skin. This might not be the best solution to kill fleas if you do have pets, but if you do choose to use it, keep your pets out of the room for as long as possible.
Fill a spray bottle with several drops of both oil and eight ounces of water. Spray the areas where the pests like to nest, especially the carpets, and let it dry. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Professional flea control
If you still have fleas after you’ve tried one or all the methods listed above, you might need to get professional help. This will help alleviate discomfort in your pets, as well as yourself more effectively.
When you call a pest control specialist, you’ll be kicked out of your home for a few hours to keep your family and your pets safe from pest control products (insecticides).
The insecticides contain more ingredients that help control fleas during all life cycles and stop the reproductive cycles than home remedies.
After using a professional service, you’ll likely see an immediate change in the number of fleas on your carpet and on your dogs and cats. You’ll need to continue vacuuming daily to help eliminate all the new fleas that may emerge after the initial treatment.
The service provider will also give you additional information to keep the fleas out of your carpet and other parts of your home.
Conclusion
Getting rid of fleas can be an extremely daunting task.
You have to make arrangements for your pet and children to be out of a specific area or the entire house for several hours at a time. You wake up with bites that you think are from bed bugs, only to search about it on Google and find related articles about fleas. And you can’t decide which you’re rather be dealing with.
Keeping positive views on flea treatments, professional or home remedies, can help you get through this difficult time. Just envision Raid’s logo of the dead flea before you go to sleep at night knowing that will soon be the case for you.
