Flea Infestation: How to Get Rid of Fleas in the House?

If you notice fleas in the house, you’ll need to act fast to solve your flea problem. Fleas carry harmful diseases, and they can harm your pets or your children.

The question of how to get rid of fleas in the house is more complicated than with other pests, however. Purging a flea infestation requires rendering the most likely habitats for fleas to be inhospitable. It also requires killing any fleas which you find trying to relocate.

How To Identify A Flea Infestation

The first sign of a flea infestation is observing fleas on the floor of your home. If you see them on the floor of your home, it means that they are hunting for a new victim. Fleas appear to be small black specks in most cases; young fleas may be whitish in appearance.

Fleas can predate on any warm-blooded animals, including humans. Fleas are prevalent in wooded areas, though via rodents, they can infiltrate urban spaces as well.

Check your pets for fleas. Your pets are the most likely source of a flea infestation in your home. Use a flea comb to carefully pick through their hair, noting how many fleas you find. If you see only one or two stray fleas, there is a good chance that the flea infestation is not their fault.

However, if you find that your pet has a plethora of fleas, there is a good chance that they were the source of the infestation. If this is the case, you should purchase an anti-flea shampoo for your pet, give them a bath, and then apply a commercial anti-flea spray for good measure.

How To Kill Fleas

Fleas are surprisingly challenging to kill thanks to their ability to jump long distances. Don’t bother trying to smash fleas under your boot — they’re incredibly hardy. While you may have some success with freshly molted or young fleas, mechanical force is not the preferred method for flea killing.

Instead, you’ll need to get a quality pesticide, which is rated for high anti-flea activity.

Before you apply the pesticide, however, you’ll need to clean your home. Grab your vacuum cleaner and vacuum every carpet, linen, and other dense and fibrous surface in your home.

This means that you’ll need to wash all of your sheets and clothes, then apply a vacuum cleaner to your bed and carpeting.

Then, apply some steam to surfaces where you think fleas might still be hiding. Steam will kill young fleas more effectively than mature fleas.

Once you’ve applied steam, it’s time to use the pesticide. Remember to apply pesticides to fabric areas only, and be careful about exposing yourself or your family to the pesticides.

FAQs

What to do if you have fleas in your house?

If you have fleas in your house, follow these steps:

• Clean your pet
• Clean your home
• Steam your home
• Apply pesticides
• Keep an eye out for flea resurgence

You should be especially vigilant during the fall season, as that is when fleas are the most likely to intrude into your home. Winter is the lowest risk season, followed by spring. If you’re in an area where it is warm year-round, you face a higher risk than in cold regions.

You can stop looking for fleas after it has been a full month since your last sighting. The lifecycle of fleas is significantly shorter than a month, and their eggs can grow without any parents for weeks on end.

How to get rid of fleas in the house fast?

The fastest way to get rid of fleas in your house is to hire a professional. Professional pest controllers will understand where fleas are the most likely to nest, and they can also suggest options for how to reduce the chances of your pet tracking in fleas.

If you can’t hire a professional to handle your flea problem immediately, you can still take the first step by cleaning your home and pets.   

Where do fleas live when they don’t have a host?

Fleas love to live in dark and forested areas, which are slightly humid. Typically, fleas prefer to live in deep crevices, which are relatively small compared to their size. During the height of summer, it’s rare for fleas to leave their homes if there isn’t an opportunity to attach to a host.

This means that anywhere in your home or yard, which is dark, moist, and small, there might be fleas lurking. The most important thing for fleas is finding a host, however. If fleas don’t have a host, they will eventually die of starvation.

Fleas can also live in extremely arid areas for short periods. These periods are typically seasonal, around the time when these dry areas experience their highest rate of rainfall.