How can I get rid of fleas in our home without hiring an exterminator?

Question

Our beloved cat had to be put to sleep, but left fleas for us to remember him by. I have tried several sprays on our carpeting and furniture... but the fleas keep finding us.
I have vaccuumed,sprayed,washed... everything I can think of...HELP!

Answer 1

I hear bengle is great and if it doent work first time call the company and they will refund all your money and send you something different to try..

Good Luck

Answer 2

To get rid of the fleas that are alive you can bug bomb for them or get flea traps that work really well that are a sticky white trap that plugs into an outlet with a night lite over it. Fleas are attracted to white in the dark. To be rid of the infestation you must get rid of the flea eggs that get into carpeting. That's the hard part because the eggs survive for a long time and bombing and sprays don't work. If you sprinkle Borax on your carpeting a couple times a week before vacuuming for a few weeks or if you see signs of fleas again you will be flea free in no time. Good luck

Answer 3

I have never had fleas, but, here goes: I hear that if you sprinkle salt on your furniture this will repel them. You could try this and in the meantime, spray around the floors etc. with a spray to kill what falls off the furniture. I have a bug spray called " Eliminator" which i bought at a local Walmart that says it kills fleas, you might try it. After the salt has sit on your furniture for 20-30 minutes, vacumn it good and then make sure to clean your vacumn out or they will be back. Also a pet repellant might work. Ask your local Pharmacist, sometimes they know of an ingredient that works on the body or surroundings. Also ask your local hardware store.

Answer 4

Most of the answers were right - you have to use a bomb to knock down the living population. the problem is that fleas have a 6 week cycle, every 2 weeks another bunch hatches. After 6 weeks the first hatchlings start again. You can bomb the place every 2 weeks but that gets old very fast. I ended up sprinkling powdered sevin all over and left it down. As the eggs hatched the fleas died. After 7 weeks (give it a little extra time) first vacuum very well then steam clean the rugs, furniture etc.

Answer 5

Fleas are among the hardest pest to eliminate for a homeowner wothout using an exterminator. Stop being a cheapskate. Your families health is worth more than saving a few bucks. Do the right thing. Using too much pesticide or using something that can contaminate your home is not a wise thing to do. You wouldnt let your neighbor do heart surgery just to save a few bucks would you? Use a professional to get the job done right the first time.

Answer 6

There are a few 'routes', that you could take. Natural vs Chemical.

Naturally, you can obtain Chrysanthemum oil from a local vet. Black pepper oil can also be easily obtained. Both can be very useful, in eliminating the flea problem.

Chemically, you can go to almost any harware, grocers, retail store, and purchase at least two flea-bombs, per room (*depending on size) set them off, and you, and any other living beings leave, for about half the day. Come home, and air out your now flea-less house.

Answer 7

Take a plate of water and put some dish soap in it, put it on the floor at night in different areas with a desk light shining on it. The light will attract the fleas and soapy water will kill them. Do this after a good vacuuming and spraying to get rid of the stragglers. Sounds nutts but what have you got to loose? Also don't forget to empty the vac bags each time!! Don't forget to change the sheets as well,as they love bedding.

Answer 8

Morton Salt- Sprinkle salt on carpets, let sit for at least three hours or longer, and vacuum thoroughly. This worked great for me.

Dawn Dish-washing Liquid- to kill fleas in carpeting pour 1 table spoon of Dawn into 16 oz spray bottle, fill rest of bottle with water and spray the carpets, upholstery and floors. the soap dries up the insects killing them almost instantly. after 15 min. wipe floors with damp cloth ( or mop) and vacuum the carpets.

Lysol- Spray the carpet and upholstery with Lysol disinfectant spray. the antiseptic kills fleas. repeat the following day to kill any newly hatched eggs.

All these methods work, I have used them all at different times. I personally like the salt method best. I looked for remedies that would not harm children when my daughter was very young, and I continue to use them today. I hope this helps you.

Answer 9

Talk to your vet, they have things available to them you can't buy in a store. They are also a good source of information for ideas to rid the home of fleas... I have 3 cats and it's a constant fight to keep the flea population under control.

Answer 10

sometimes the vaccuum itself and be a source, if you have a bag style vaccuuum, fleas and or their eggs can reside there and the next time you run, it some can escape, if you have the bagless type, wash it our really well. Change out the bag each time for few runs if you have a bag vac.

Answer 11

what i always have doen in my house is about every 6 months or how ever soon you want to do this. but what i do is get flea bombs. we take our dog and kids away for a weekend and we set off teh bombs in every room in the house. then when we get back home we go in the hosue and we vaccum and wipe off the dead fleas. it has always worked for us and due to this thing i do we have hardly no fleas in the house and our dog dose not carry them much at all.