Accepted Answer

Hello and thank you for your great question.

Chemicals are not necessary to rid your home of fleas and to keep them out in the future.

First: Prevent them.

Fleas multiply most quickly in heat and humidity, so check your pets most frequently during hotter weather, but fleas can continue outdoors through fall, so don't give up your vigilance. A critical preventative measure is to keep your yard trimmed to a reasonable height and not full of weeds, and keep shrubs and plants pruned, especially right around your house. Avoid having shrubbery touching the house or foundation.

If you think you have fleas living in the soil around the home you can even buy nematodes (these are a type of worm) to put in the soil around the home - but this is more often a solution that farmers use to control insects around farm animals and orchard trees, not too common for the urban or suburban homeowner...

Second, wash your pets' bedding and anything fabric that they're prone to sleep on in very hot, soapy water on a weekly basis as this is the most likely site for flea eggs and larvae to hang out and multiply in your house.

Third, there are commercial "flea traps" that you can buy - try http://www.springstar.net" - that will kill some percentage of the fleas. You can also try home-made traps: fill some bowls of plain water and put them in areas where you've seen flea activity. Keep these under a lit flashlight at night. Fleas tend to jump in and drown.

If you catch fleas, rub them into a wet bar of soap, where they will be trapped and drown. (Fleas are nearly impossible to kill by squashing or crushing, so if you think you've killed one and you put it in the trash it may just "revive" and jump back out later.)

It isn't necessary to use poisons to kill fleas, but that's of course a quick fix, and getting rid of the fleas without them can take awhile longer and you have to keep up with it so they won't come back.

To treat the pets: plain old soap kills fleas. Wash your pet at least once a month (preferably twice) with pet shampoo. The soap suds will trap and drown the fleas. It's best to wash the pets outdoors so that any fleas washed off the pet will not just get loose in the house. Dry the pets and comb them carefully with a flea comb (that's the really fine-toothed comb you can get at a pet store.) This removes any eggs. Again, it's best to do it outdoors.

Now you need to de-flea the house before you let the pets back in, or the fleas will just re-attach to them. Wash anything fabric that will fit in the washer and is washable (blankets, sheets, curtains, pillows, even your clothes if your pets sleep on them...) in regular detergent, and hot water (make sure hot water is safe for your items first. If not don't wash them - you'll need to seal them up in plastic bags for now and take them to the dry cleaner.
You can wash larger things in a bathtub with hot soapy water - soak them underwater for awhile to make sure all fleas drown.

Carpets are difficult, because fleas get deep in them and hide in the little spaces and hang on. Vaccuming very thoroughly will help, but it's best to shampoo the carpets - either get a professional in or rent a carpet shampooer.

If you clean all fabric items, carpets, curtains, and pets ALL AT ONCE, and don't let the pets back into any room with carpets or soft items or finishes until they and everything in the room have been cleaned, that should take care of the problem.

But now you have to keep up with a regular schedule of cleaning the pets, thoroughly vacuuming, and washing anything washable in hot soapy water.
Remember you need to do ALL soft surfaces - even curtains. Fleas can jump 6 feet or more and cling to anything soft.

Citronella, cedar, lavender, eucalyptus, and lemongrass oils are all repugnant to fleas and most insects so these may also help in the home (but DON'T apply directly to pets without advice from a vet!!)

I hope this information helps, and if it does I hope that you'll remember to click "ACCEPT" as this is how I get paid for my time in answering questions.
Please feel free to ask related questions.

Thank you!


Edited by MJ on 12/4/2008 at 5:42 PM

Expert:	MJ
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Accepts:
Answered:	12/4/2008

Architect

Licensed Architect, LEED® AP, NCARB Certified, M.Arch degree, 10+ years experience