has anyone ever had an infestation of fleas in their house, and if so, what treatment did you use?

Question

in addition, how long did it take before the house was flea-free?

Answer 1

Hi Karen...consider trying boric acid products which kill fleas quickly by dehydrating them. Boric Acid, a white powder, is mined from the Mojave Desert in California. It works very well against insects, but is less toxic to humans and pets than table salt.

A list of Boric Acid products you can purchase online for flea infestation: http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=flea+boric+powder+for+fleas&hl=en&btnG=Search You can find some of these at pet stores usually specialty pet stores.

Here's an article on how it works and how to apply it: http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/fleas.html

Answer 2

I had a bad infestation in June when it was really hot, and it was nearly the undoing of my marriage...hubby kept getting eaten alive, it was just terrible!
The secret of getting rid of fleas is two fold. First, you must vaccuum, vaccuum, and vaccuum some more. This will break the cycle of the fleas. At any given time, the fleas that are jumping on your ankles and carpeting are also laying eggs, so there is another whole army of fleas just being born right under your feet. Fleas are born in a two week cycle, and they can stay dormant up to 6 months, even more. Vaccuuming sucks up those eggs and babies and adults. Go in corners and under furniture too. Also, rent one of those carpet shampooing cleaners...that helps too!
The second part would be chemical treatment. I don't like alot of chemicals in my house, but fleas are disgusting and dirty and drink blood, so I made an exception for this. Use a flea bomb, or Raid flea spray in the purple can, and spray as often as you think you need to, to get rid of the fleas. Flea bombs are ok, but they don't let you angle under furniture or rugs, where as the can of Raid lets you spray wherever you want. Also, and this is very important...treat your animals with Andvantage Flea drops from your vet, or some other more pricey brand of flea drops...this works so much better than the stuff you buy at the drug store. That will also help break the flea cycle of hell.
Also, if you're getting bit alot on your legs, take lots of garlic tablets and use OFF! to ward them off your body.
Good luck, it takes a lot of work, but you'll get them out of your house.

Answer 3

First, talk to the Vet for suggestions. Then plan for a full day outing. 1. Cover everything and set the fogger up inside. You'll need to ask the Vet about flea eggs, too. 2. Take the dogs somewhere to get them washed, and ask the Vet for some Advantage or something similar for flea and tick repellant. 3. Go outside with some outdoor flea poison , such as Sevin dust (or organic alternatives), and dust all around the house, no any dry, sandy areas (fleas like dry sand), and anywhere that the dogs hang around outside in your yard. Obviously, the outdoor flea poison has to be comparatively harmless to dogs. 4. Vaccum the curtains, furniture, and bedsheets etc. to help get rid of any flea stuff left over. After you get rid of the infestation (ask the Vet about the flea lifecycle), then start applying the Advantage to each dog once a month to prevent another infestation. Some of the carpet cleaner folks may be able to help, but they may also be expensive. The Vet can advise you better, based on your specifics. In any case, you need the three-pronged attack: dogs, inside, and outside.

Answer 4

If you want to get rid of the fleas within a few hours, you are going to have to bomb your house. Of course, this means you and all living things will have to be out of the house for hours.

I swear by Frontline Plus and I put it on my cats once a month. This stuff kills flea eggs, larvae and adult fleas. If you put it on your cat or dog right now, in about a week, all the fleas will be gone from your house. It doesn't just kill the fleas on the animal, it works on the environment too. Be sure to treat all cats and dogs who live in the house.

In the meantime, vacuum very thoroughly with a clean bag or cannister for maximum suction. If you have wood floors, use the attachment for floors and vacuum them too, paying special attention to the seams of the wood. Also, vacuum your furniture and the edges of your carpet around the baseboards. You might put a piece of flea collar or some flea powder in the vacuum bag or cannister. This will kill the fleas the vacuum sucks up. Don't rush that vacuuming job. Move the cleaner slowly back and forth over the carpet to pull the fleas out. Don't just vacuum in one direction, either. Vacuum front to back and then cross over so that you are going what would have been side to side.

Remember, next year, treat you cat or dog, from the very beginning of the summer, and you won't get the problem to begin with.

Answer 5

Unfortunately, getting your house flea free won't be quick or easy if you have an full-blown infestation. You have to get rid of the fleas on your pet in addition to getting rid of them in your home.

Take your pet(s) to your veterinarian and get started on a flea-drop regimen like Advantage or FrontLine products - whatever your vet recommends for your pet(s). PLEASE DO NOT use any of the flea drops that you can buy at your local discount mega-store. Many of these products have been recalled or have documented cases of causing serious illness or death - my cat was almost a victim a couple years ago. Consistently treating fleas on your pet should remove the need to treat your home.

Next, you'll have to get the fleas out of your home. We tried bombs years ago. They're just were not as effective as they boast, the pesticide is SO strong and made us wary of bringing ourselves AND our pets back in the house even after following the directions and staying out of the house all day. Plus, it was a huge hassle to make sure all bedding, clothing, food, etc. was cleared out.

Your vacuum should be your best friend for a while. Use it often on all floors, furniture, fabrics, etc. (at least once a day)... and do a very thorough job. You'll pick up adult fleas and the eggs too. Empty your bag/canister outside in your dumpster. Pay extra special attention to cleaning the places your pet sleeps and spends most of its time. If you feel you must use powders or sprays to treat your home, please discuss this with your vet to find out which products are safest to use for your family and pets.

This combination of treating the pets and doing a good job of getting the fleas out of the house worked better for us than any of the chemical products... and no worries about ingredients that are unsafe for us and our pets. We haven't had any problems since.

Good luck!

Answer 6

same thing is happenning to me right now, I spray my house every now and then, but that doesn't seem to work so im thinking to flea bombing the house or just call a exterminator. If your pet is the cause of the flea infestation make sure to take it a bath every 3-5 days, it slows the growing of the infestation.

Answer 7

We have tried alot of things.. The best thing is to treat you animal with K9 or frontline and then buy some flea bomb from you local pet clinic.. You will also want to clean all you sheets , curtains and cloths.. Also you want to take couch cusions off when you set the bombs off so that every inch of you house gets treated.. Good luck.

Answer 8

Use a good flea bomb, but first strip every peice of clothing including your bedding and drapes and take them to the laundry mat while you bomb the house. It gives you something to do and it washes the bugs off.

Answer 9

Raid Max fogger for the house, and Frontline for the cats (the one you put on the back of their neck. The spray did not work well). House was clean immediately.

Answer 10

a flea bomb from the local shops should do it but u have to vacate your hse for a few hours