2006-08-01 06:58:32 · 5 answers · asked by Gemini 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
There is no fast way to rid your home of fleas. Although fleas live on your warm-blooded pets (dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.), they drop their eggs in carpet, upholstery, bedding, linen in cupboards, and even in the dust piling up in corners!
When the eggs hatch, the fleas look for the first warm-blooded thing that they can find. Usually your pets are lower to the floor and they get to play host. Unfortunately, if no pets are around, you become their dinner!
You'll have to take the pets to the vet for flea removal which could entail just a bath, or might require clipping and/or shaving and oral medication. (Our old hound had oral medication that worked beautifully to keep them away after we cleared them out of our home.)
While the animals are at the vet, the entire family has to start at the top of the house and do all of it on the same day. All the beds have to stripped and all of the bedding has to be laundered. (We took ours to the coin laundry so that it could be done at the same time.) If your family has been in the habit of tossing their dirty clothes on the floor, they'll have to be laundered at the same time.
You have to vacuum every square inch and in places where you wouldn't even think of vacuuming--like behind the dryer! (A Shop Vac with a bag would probably be the most effective.) When removing the vacuum bag, do it outside and dipose of it in a plastic garbage bag which can be sprayed with flea powder or spray before being tied up.
When you finish vacuuming one room, someone should be in there immediately spraying along the the basebords or skirting or quarter round. Carpets should be sprinkled with flea powder and re-vacuumed once the enitre house is done.
Don't forget the basement, if you have one!
Shag carpeting is the hardest to de-flea.
The chemicals used to combat flea infestations are derived from chrysanthemums and are safe for humans, but I would still advise wearing a mask when applying them. This is particurlay important because this job should be done with the windows closed.
Your question about the mattress makes me wonder if you have bed bugs instead of fleas. Fleas normally do not inhabit matresses and feast on pets not people. If, however, you wake up with little bites every morning, you have bed bugs.
The same chrysanthemum chemical is used on them, but in addition to cleaning the enitre house, you also have to vacuum the mattresses (both sides) and spray them as well.
After this, you have to close up the house and sleep somewhere else for that night.
This whole procedure is not for the faint of heart. You could always call an exterminator and go on vacation.
2006-08-01 07:30:03 · answer #1 · answered by Judith S 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Yes fleas can infest a mattress. A commercial service might be able to treat it but you may have to throw it away. Matresses are very hard to treat.
There are home flea treatment products available. You will have to treat the entire house then treat it again in a few weeks to catch those that hatch from existing eggs. You will have to treat any pets you have in the house at the same time.
2006-08-01 07:06:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get that advantage stuff. You can get it online or from a veternarian. It's expensive ($30 for 6 vials) but soo worth it! Take 1 vial and put 1 drop in the center of every room and if any left over maybe a drop under your matress or bed. If you have dogs either keep 'em in or out not both~they are bringing them in! Put 1 vial on the back of each dog's neck. This will get rid of any fleas in your house or on the dogs almost immediately (with in 48 hours) and will work for a month or more. We adopted our dog from a rescue shelter and she had a TON of fleas. One dose of this stuff around our house and on the dog and they totally disappeared. One vial every 6 weeks on the back of her neck and I never saw another flea!
Look around the seams on your matress or in the nooks and crannies especially around the head boards, if you see specks of brown or red (like blood) you may have bedbugs instead. Not sure what to do about this but I would get new matress but you probably have to do ther things to keep the new one from being infested.
2006-08-01 12:22:32 · answer #3 · answered by Cyn 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sprinkle bug dust around the outside of the house 6 or 8 feet at minimum. then use flea spray all over the inside. use boric acid around inside walls, ( also good for most pests) you can put animal flea and tick soap in mop & shampoo water. Fleas will get in all furnature while looking for a host. YOU and your little dog too!!
2006-08-01 07:17:11 · answer #4 · answered by edwadio1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you kill the fleas on the animals like front line is the best then vacuum everything thoroughly it should work if fleas have no host they die all the gimmicks never worked for me and i wasted time and money and this advice came from my vet it worked and only for ten dollars the price of the front-line
throw the vacuum bag out after you vacuum and start with a new one each time you vacuum for fleas that is once should do it
2006-08-02 11:24:27 · answer #5 · answered by squawwitoutamule 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋