How to kill fleas in your house ?

Fleas, Fleas… The mere mention of these pesky little creatures is enough to bring on a frown on many people’s face. Well, understandably so!

Fleas are bloodsucking little pest that feeds on blood and they are frequently found on pets like dogs and cats. However, they need not be restricted to live in dogs or cats alone as they can jump off from their host and reside in the surrounding environment. Flea eggs can also drop off from your pets’ body and you would find the other life stages of the fleas i.e. larvae and pupae anywhere around your house. They can withstand very harsh environmental condition and can stay dormant for a long long time, hatching or developing into the adult fleas when condition is favorable. As such, just when you thought you have finally got rid of all of them, it should not be a surprise when you start seeing more later. 

“How to kill fleas in your house ?” is a question that many fleas infested homeowners would ask and would love to know the answer. Though an uphill task, as considered by many homeowners, it is not impossible if you are willing to toil it out. If you are ready, let’s see how this can be achieved!

First of all, you must know that fleas can be anywhere around your household. It could be living in the carpet right in the center of your hall or they could be hiding in corners, dark crevices, under furniture, under beds, pet beds. This means that you would have to make sure that you do not “leave any stone un-turn”. Every single area of the house must be clean and treated.

Frequent vacuuming is required to remove the fleas and its eggs or larvae in the house. Plan your work carefully. Don’t expect to finish everything within one day but at least ensure that you do so in a systematic way to ensure that all areas are covered. Depending on the area and severity of infestation, you may need to use flea bombs or flea fogger. These are insecticide bombs, which are capable of reaching large and extended area, and are ideal when your house is big.  Be sure to buy one that would kill off not only the adult fleas but also the eggs, larvae and pupae. 

Your next target would be your pet. There are many commercially available flea control medications for both dogs and cats. The most popular brands are Advantage, Revolution, Frontline and Frontline Plus. These are easy and convenient to use. They come in single packed application and applied topically on the neck region. Their effect is also long lasting where you need to apply once a month to keep your pet flea free. A flea pill by the name of Program is also marketed now. It is a birth control pill for the fleas whereby the eggs are prevented from hatching into adult fleas.

With a well-integrated plan, there is no way you can fail in your attempts to evict these unwelcome tenants. Persistence and perseverance is the key to your success. For a detail step-by-step plan on how you can carry out a proper and effective house cleaning, check out the section on “House Flea Control”