People want to get rid of fleas from their house quickly because these pests grow and multiply in large numbers at a very rapid pace. Read this article to gather some helpful tips on how to kill fleas quickly.
Flea infestation in the house is a common problem during summer. The chances are higher if you have pets in your house. These pests first attack your furry pets, get into the house and then spread all over the place. They can invade the entire house in a very short time because one single female flea can lay as many as 50 eggs per day! The red streaks of flea droppings not only make your house messy, but the pest itself causes severe harm to the pets and humans living in the house. These parasites suck out blood from your pet’s body and make them sick. Pets experience itchiness all the time because of the fleas hiding in their fur. They also bite humans, particularly small children, and cause itchy skin bumps. Moreover, they act as germ carriers and transmit diseases. The need to tackle the problem of fleas quickly arises as you want to protect your loved ones from the harmful effects of these pests.
How to Kill Fleas Quickly
When your house is heavily infested with fleas, then you have the option of using a flea bomb or flea treatment products in the house for killing them. However, the chemical residues left behind after these treatments are a cause of concern. These traces of chemicals are harmful for the humans and pets. On the other hand, hiring a professional exterminator is an expensive affair. Moreover, they also use chemicals to eradicate these pests. As safety and health issues are your highest priority, you look for ways to kill fleas in your house without using chemicals. In the subsequent paragraphs, you will be briefed about few such effective tools and techniques and their uses.
Vacuum Cleaner
This is one of the most simplest ways of killing fleas living on the carpets, bedding and furnishings. Fleas are found on them in large numbers because the female lays its eggs on all these soft fabrics. Thus, vacuum cleaning can eliminate both the adult fleas as well as eggs and larvae trapped in these fabrics. It should be done daily for a week. Once you are sure that they are eradicated completely, continue to vacuum clean them at least 2-3 times in a week to prevent any further infestation. After vacuum cleaning, throw off its bag after sealing it up in a disposable bag as it may contain some live fleas.
Borax
You can use borax to kill fleas in some of the most heavily infested areas of the house. The best part is that it can be applied on both hard surfaces like concrete floors as well as soft fabrics. Take sufficient amount of borax powder that can be used in the entire house and then sprinkle it at every nook and corner. Start from the cracks on walls and floors, tile grout, baseboard, furniture and move on to softer surfaces like carpets, area rugs, upholstery, pet bedding etc. You can use it in the areas like garage and the basement too. Give special attention to all those places where your pet spends maximum time. Allow borax to settle for the next 24 hours to ensure that all the fleas get killed. The fleas get dehydrated when borax powder touches their body. As a result, their body dries up and they die. After 24 hours, clean up the borax powder using a vacuum cleaner. You can treat your house with it every once a month, if it is infested quite often.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is available in powdered form and it consists of fossilized algae. Its dusty particles have sharp edges that can cut the protective outer layer of the flea’s body. This dehydrates the fleas and they are killed. If the flea ingests the particle by mistake, then the pointed edges will shred their body apart. Before handling diatomaceous earth, you must protect yourself with a respiratory mask and goggles as inhaling this powder can cause irritation. Always use food grade diatomaceous earth as they are less harmful. Sprinkle the powder sparsely on mattresses, carpets, stairs, sleeping areas of the pet, under the bed or other furniture and leave it overnight. Next morning, clean up these areas with a vacuum cleaner or wash off with soapy water.
Nematodes
If the outdoor areas of the house like the garden or yard are infested with fleas, then you must exterminate them. Otherwise, they will come back in your house in no time. Nematodes are predatory mites that are highly beneficial for killing fleas that are growing in the outdoor areas but are harmless for humans and pets. You can purchase these tiny worms from the local garden supply stores where they are available as water-filled sponge. Soak this sponge in water for some time so that the nematodes are released into the water. Put the water into a spray bottle and splash it on the whole yard. The nematodes will eat up the adult and larvae fleas living in the open areas.
Homemade Repellents
You can say that your pet’s furry body is the source of house fleas. For complete flea control in the house, you have to kill the fleas stuck in their hair roots. A natural repellent made of essential oils is the best solution for this problem. To prepare it, you need lavender oil, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, lemongrass oil, calendula tincture and vegetable glycerin. Take five drops of each essential oil and mix them with a little calendula tincture and vegetable glycerin. Take 2 cups of distilled water in a bottle and pour the mixture of essential oils into it. Stir it well so that the oils blend with water properly. Soak a cotton wool into this solution and apply it on various parts of the pet’s body. Once you have gotten rid of the fleas on pets, you should continue to treat them with this solution after they return from outdoors to prevent another flea attack.
If you are looking out for how to kill fleas quickly, then you can see that there is no single method that can be used for this purpose. Rather, you need a holistic approach where you have to implement different techniques for removal of fleas from pets, fabrics and from the entire house. Even after successful removal, you can continue with these treatments once in a while in order to prevent reinfestation.