How to Eliminate Fleas Spreading Inside Your Home

If your pet is constantly itching, losing large patches of fur, or developing scabs or hot spots, they may be facing a serious flea problem. If fleas are on your pet, they're also likely in your home and yard – they might even be on you. The good news is you can take steps to eliminate these fleas using both synthetic chemicals and natural remedies while still keeping your pet safe. Continue reading to learn how to handle the situation.

Start by giving your pet a thorough bath. Wash your dog or cat with a gentle pet shampoo or a natural citrus-based dish soap. You can also use common flea treatments. Fleas won't stick to your pet's fur, so they will fall into the water and drown.

• Bathing alone isn't enough to remove all the fleas. Fleas from the environment will jump back onto your pet once their fur is dry. It's essential to apply flea treatment after the bath.
• After the bath, brush your pet's fur with a flea comb. Use the comb every time you treat your pet for fleas.
• Have someone help you by holding your pet still or trimming their fur before applying treatments. This will ensure the flea treatment reaches the pet's skin, where fleas reside, and will make combing more effective.
• Consult your veterinarian for recommended sprays or powders that can be used on your pet.

Treat all your pets with both oral and topical medications. Oral medications like Program and Sentinel can be used alongside topical treatments like Frontline.

• Make sure to use the correct dosage specific to your pet, as they could have severe reactions if overdosed. Never use flea medications intended for dogs on cats, as a cat's nervous system can only tolerate those designed specifically for felines.
• Apply flea treatments on the same day that you treat your home and yard for the best results.

Wash your pet's bedding and fabric items. Washing will significantly reduce the number of flea eggs and larvae, making flea treatments more effective.

• Washing alone won't kill the fleas, but it can remove some eggs during the rinse cycle. On the other hand, drying for about 30 minutes will kill the remaining eggs and fleas on the fabric.
• Do everything at once: remove all items and wrap them tightly. Wrap clean items in fresh cloth or in sealed trash bags for up to 12 hours after treating your home and pets to prevent fleas from getting into clean items.

Allow your pet to roam freely around the house after you’ve treated for fleas in both the home and on your pet. Fleas will sense the scent of a potential host and jump onto your pet's fur, but they will quickly be eliminated once they bite into your pet's skin.

Try to keep your pet indoors as much as possible for 30 days. If your pet must go outside, ensure they avoid tall grasses, fallen leaves, rocky areas, and sand pits.

• If you own a dog and need to take it for walks, try to stick to the sidewalk during the first month. While fleas can be poisoned when they jump onto your pet's skin, you don’t want your pet to pick up new fleas while you’re still trying to eliminate the old infestation.
• If possible, keep your pet indoors during the winter months, especially cats. Keeping pets isolated will save you money, as after you eliminate the flea infestation, you won’t need to treat again unless new fleas are detected.

Continue treating your pet with flea medications every 30 days. If your pet stays indoors, you can stop flea treatments after 4 months. However, if your pet frequently goes outside, continue with the treatment.

Use mosquito repellent containing DEET on your socks, ankles, and cuffs daily to prevent flea bites.

• If you've treated your pets, the fleas will be eliminated when they come into contact with your pet's blood. However, if you haven't treated yourself with flea repellent, your blood remains a feast for them. Fleas only need one blood meal to lay eggs, so you must stop feeding them.
• After 30 days, you may no longer need to apply mosquito repellent to your ankles. If you no longer see fleas jumping around, you can feel confident. But if fleas are still visible or you get bitten on your ankles, continue using the repellent.

Thoroughly clean your floors. Clean both carpeted and hard surfaces.

• Vacuum the entire carpet and upholstery. Add a flea collar (cut into small pieces) into the vacuum bag. Vacuuming will not only help remove fleas, eggs, and larvae but also the vibrations from the vacuum will cause fleas to emerge from their cocoons. Since insecticides can't kill fleas in their pupal stage, exposing them is an excellent opportunity to kill even more fleas. Dispose of the vacuum bag outside after finishing the job, then continue vacuuming and spray flea repellent into the vacuum nozzle.
• Wipe down hard surfaces. Use cleaners like Pine-Sol or undiluted apple cider vinegar to drive fleas out of cracks, making them more visible when you spray or treat the area.

Purchase a spray or mist, read the instructions carefully, and ensure you buy enough product to treat every room in the house. Make sure the product targets flea eggs, so look for active ingredients like methoprene, fenoxycarb, or pyriproxyfen.

• Spray it on carpets, furniture, baseboards, along walls, and in your pet’s sleeping area. Be sure to follow the instructions on the spray bottle.
• Don't neglect door edges, corners, cracked floors, or underneath furniture and mattresses. Flea larvae prefer hiding in dark spots, even if your pet doesn’t crawl under large furniture.
• When using a mist, you'll still need a spray to reach areas the mist can't cover.

Treat your yard if your pet spends more than 5% of their time outdoors.

• Remove debris like fallen leaves, grass clippings, or organic matter before treating the yard. Also, mow the lawn before spraying.
• Make sure to spray shaded or semi-shaded areas, including inside your dog’s house, around tree roots, bushes, shrubs, or underneath tables or gates.

After the first treatment of your home, spray again two weeks later. Some fleas in your home may still be in their cocoons or pupal stage, which insecticides cannot eliminate. A second spray ensures that any fleas left in their cocoons from the first treatment will be destroyed.

• You should also consult with your veterinarian to recommend eco-friendly products that can last for 6-12 months. As the cocoons hatch, the larvae will come into contact with the chemicals and be eliminated, so you only need to reapply the treatment every 6-12 months if necessary.

Keep your house as cold as possible when you're not home. Fleas do not thrive in cold environments. By keeping your home cold while you're away, the fleas will be forced to 'migrate' to your pets, where they will die.

• Consider buying a thermostat that can lower the temperature or turn off the heating when you're at work or sleeping.
• If possible, open the windows when you leave the house.

Cover your furniture after treating your home. This will prevent fleas from hiding inside cushions, under pillows, or beneath blankets.

Rub lemon or orange on your pet's fur. Squeeze the juice from a lemon or orange and rub the peel on your pet's coat. Your pet will smell fresh and won't be poisoned if they lick the citrus juice or oil on their fur.

• Note that concentrated citrus essential oils are toxic to pets, so only use freshly squeezed juice – never use essential oils.

Use natural predators outside in your yard. You can purchase beneficial "roundworms" from pet stores or garden centers specializing in organic lawn care. These roundworms will eat flea larvae, preventing the next generation of fleas from entering your home. Don't worry – they are not the type of worms that can transmit parasitic infections to your pets.

Use apple cider vinegar. Mix 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar into about 1 liter of water and place it in your dog's water bowl. As your dog drinks, the vinegar enters its body and makes the dog's blood taste unpleasant to fleas. After 2-3 bowls of water, you will start to see results; it works best when the vinegar is absorbed into your dog's system.

• While there is no scientific evidence supporting this method, some people have found success with it.

• For dogs with thick and/or curly coats, it's better to use oral medication as topical treatments may not reach the skin effectively.
• If flea infestation is severe, consult with a veterinarian. The vet will provide detailed guidance and recommend the best products for treating your pet, home, and yard.
• Apply plenty of menthol alcohol to your ankles before entering the house. This helps prevent fleas from biting your calves and feet.

• Some flea treatment products designed for dogs contain permethrin, which can cause seizures and even death in cats. Products meant for dogs should only be used on dogs.
• If your pet experiences seizures due to an overdose of flea medication, contact your veterinarian immediately.
• If your pet's gums appear pale and they seem sluggish or cold, they may have lost a significant amount of blood from fleas, or they might be suffering from a dangerous condition called parasitic anemia. This is especially serious for young pets, puppies, or kittens, and they need immediate veterinary care.
• Avoid using Frontline or other products containing fipronil as fleas seem to have developed resistance to this chemical.
• Consider using oral medications such as Capstar (which contains Nitenpyram) to kill adult fleas on your pet within 30 minutes of ingestion. Afterward, you can apply topical treatments for continued flea control.

• Natural citrus-based bath oils or dishwashing liquids
• Flea treatment medications
• Insecticide sprays or foggers for your home and yard
• Flea powders or sprays
• Flea combs
• Oral and topical flea medications
• Clean cloths and/or trash bags
• DEET-containing mosquito repellent
• Vacuum cleaner and trash bags
• Flea collars
• Mops and household cleaners
• Flea sprays or foggers
• Protective covers for furniture
• Brewer's yeast
• Garlic (for dogs, not for cats)
• Freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice
• Beneficial nematodes
• Apple cider vinegar