Fleas are a pest that is harmful to pets if not eradicated quickly.
Flea infestations cause numerous headaches to whoever finds the pests taking over his home. Their bites cause allergic reactions in pets, including red bumps, dried skin and crusty lesions. Eliminating fleas is no easy task, but with a few simple steps, you may find yourself starting to win the battle with these small, annoying creatures.
Instructions
Eliminate Fleas
1. Drop your pets off at the veterinarian. Have the veterinarian professionally dip the animals to kill any fleas. There are at-home remedies and shampoos, but the vet has a medical-quality flea dip and you need to get the pets out of the house for the next few steps.
2. Take all your clothes to a professional cleaner. Fleas are not only in the carpets but also on the furniture and in your clothing. This will kill most the fleas in the materials while eliminating these items from your house for the next few steps.
3. Vacuum your carpets. An Ohio State University insect specialist experimented on flea-infested areas and found that 96 percent of adult fleas and 100 percent of younger ones died when sucked into a vacuum cleaner. The study showed that the mixture of fans, brushes and powerful air currents led to the fleas' death.
4. Read the instructions and set off flea foggers in the house to kill the remaining pests and damage most of the eggs. Fleas captured in the vacuum will die, but there are more on the furniture and in hard-to-reach areas. There are also eggs that the vacuum cleaner cannot reach. Follow the instructions on the foggers to determine how long you need to remain gone and how long you have to let the house air out when completed.
5. Pick up new flea collars for your animals while the house is airing out. Look for a collar that contains methoprene. These collars attack flea eggs and are not harmful to pets.
6. Set off another round of flea foggers two weeks later to eliminate the rest of the infestation. The first foggers kill a majority of the fleas, but there is a chance that some eggs will have survived.
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