Whether it’s your pet or your home facing a flea infestation, chances are you want to eradicate it as quickly as possible. Below we share some of our top tips for getting rid of fleas.
What to do if your pet has fleas
The best way to prevent an infestation in the first place is to regularly use a flea treatment on your pets. You can either do this yourself or ask your vet to do it for you.
If it’s too late and an infestation is already present, it’s important to get it treated as soon as possible because it can lead to tapeworms and other diseases. Again, you can either do this yourself or through your vet. Only use products which are suitable for your pet. Some dog flea treatments for example are toxic to cats.
As well as providing treatment, you should also do the following to ensure the successful removal of fleas from your pet.
- Wash their bedding on a high heat. To completely eliminate the problem, it’s best to do this once a week for a month or until you’re certain they’re gone. For heavy infestations, you’re better off destroying and discarding all pet bedding
- Vacuum furniture, floors and skirting boards. Remember to throw away the vacuum cleaner bag afterwards because any surviving fleas could escape
Removing a flea infestation from your home
If your pet has fleas, there’s a chance the insect infestation may spread throughout the rest of your home. Fleas can enter properties in a number of other ways however (such as via second-hand furniture) so even if you don’t have pets, you may still get them.
If you do notice a flea infestation in your home, the following can help to eliminate the problem.
- Do a thorough vacuum. Don’t forget hidden places such as behind bookshelves and under beds. It’s also a good idea to hoover upholstery, cabinets, cushions, pillows and even your bed. Do this every other day until you’re confident the infestation is gone
- If you have a heavy infestation, it’s a good idea to do a steam clean before vacuuming. The heat from the steam will kill most of the fleas but not all of the eggs
- Flea sprays can be used on furniture, carpets and beddings and some can be effective at killing most types of fleas as well as their eggs. If you have pets or children, make sure you check the ingredients for toxic chemicals
The most effective way to contain and eradicate a flea infestation is to call a pest controller. They will be able to carry out an initial assessment which will determine the severity of the infestation. As well as advising what you should do to help eliminate the problem and keep future infestations at bay, they can carry out controlled extermination methods such as spraying insecticides and using a fogger.
If you think that you may have a flea infestation, please feel free to get in touch with Prokill and we can book
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