Iif you are having a problem with fleas, put moth crystals in your sweeper bag. When you vacuum, it sucks up the fleas and their larvae. It kills the fleas and keeps the larvae from hatching. Change the bag often and be sure to bathe your pets to kill the fleas on them. If you do this regularly, vacuuming often it will take care of the fleas.
By Nancy from Akron, OH
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
A couple of weeks ago I got this cat and it had fleas. We bought flea collars and other stuff for it. But the collar went missing and then the fleas were everywhere. We had to get rid of our cat. It's a month since we got rid of it and we still have fleas and they are biting and they just won't die.
By Char
Sprinkle Diatameacous Earth everywhere, under furniture, under couch cushions, everywhere! Now let it sit for 5 days. Then vacuum. The earth dries out the fleas, eggs, larvae. Promise this works, no chemicals.
I have used the salt and even baking soda...sprinkle everywhere - you can't see it in the carpet. Let it lay for several days and then vacuum. Do it again and it should help! I hate poisons!
I have been invaded with fleas and I am at my wits end with them. My two house cats managed to be completely infested as well after being treated with Frontline on a monthly basis. We have used the flea foggers and pesticide sprays in the house with no results, we have tried Pine Sol, salt, and baking soda, vinegar, and eucalyptus oil along with vacuuming several times daily and steam mopping and steaming my furniture.
I have all hardwood flooring does anybody have any other ideas that I could try? I am open to suggestions as I am to the point of desperation, these things are eating me and my kids alive!By Teresa0318 from Macksburg, OH
Hi Teresa
We had the same problem and got some wonderful advice from our vet and it actually works. Get a spray bottle and pure vinegar. Spray your whole house. It stinks for a few days but well worth it. We did this two days in a row and it killed the fleas like you wouldn't believe. Also, during this time take a white bowl, put some water in it. Place the white bowl under a night lite when you go to bed. You won't believe the amount of fleas in that bowl the next morning. Oh, and don't forget to bath the cats. We use Dawn dishsoap and it kills the fleas better than anything else I've ever used. I hope this helps and Good Luck!
My kids and I just moved into a new place. We don't own any animals, but just recently our neighbours said they had fleas. Knowing all 3 tenants have cats and dogs it's understandable for them to get it. But I have them in my apartment and I have no idea how to get rid of them in the house and get them out of my bedding and my hair. I'm a new to it all and I have a 18 month old son and he also has new bites and it's just irritating the poor baby. I don't want to call anyone in to spray harmful chemicals. Any suggestions would be nice. Thank you.
By CC
We are about to start a job remodeling a house for a man that has carpeting thru out his house and it is infested with fleas. You just walk into the room and you are instantly covered with the little devils. I read on this site that borax and diatomaceous earth will get rid of them. What is borax? Is it a laundry aid or is it something else altogether? What are the price ranges of these products and how long will it take to kill the devils before we can start working in the house? Thank you for your time and kindness. God bless you and your loved ones.
By Cassie
Borax is a laundry powder that has been around for ages. It is relatively safe for humans and does wonders in killing fleas. Just sprinkle it on your floors, couches etc., let it sit for a few hours and then vacuum up.
Some people use Sevin Dust to kill the fleas in carpet. You will find this product in the garden section of many retail stores. Sevin Dust is used to kill different kinds of insects on vegetable plants. Just "dust" it on the carpet, wait 24 hours or so, and vacuum it up with a wet/dry vac, not your "good" vacuum cleaner. Dump the used dust in a garbage bag, and seal it. You might need to repeat this several times if there is a very bad infestation of fleas. Sevin dust isn't good to use around your pets. (Read the directions carefully.)
Our vet also recommends placing a night light in one corner of the affected area, place a pie-pan of water under the night light. Close the room up. When it is dark, the fleas will go to the light, and fall into the water.The next morning, empty the water and the dead fleas.It will need to be repeated until they are gone. This procedure will take longer than using the Sevin Dust, or Borax.
Well,guess what? I tried the 20 Mule Team Borax and it really worked. We sprinkled it on the carpets and "scrubbed" it in with our feet and left it for that day. The next day that we went back, there was maybe 4-5 fleas that I saw but by the end of this day there were none left.
After you vacuum up the dead fleas, be sure to empty the vacuum cleaner bag into the garbage can outside. DO NOT use Sevin dust indoors unless the label says you can do this. Carbaryl is a cholinesterase inhibitor and some people have bad reactions to it.
We have fleas in our bedroom from cats. I let the mama cat in to have her babies, and oh boy was I ever wrong. We are infested with fleas in the carpet. I don't know what to do. Please help me.
By Alice from Tifton, GA
While on vacation our house became infested with fleas. We don't have any animals that live at our house. What is the best method to getting rid of them? I am kind of scared of all the toxic bombs, but understand it may be necessary. Is there a certain brand that people prefer?
By Stella from Manchester, WA
We got these tips from our vet and they DO work. First thing is spray your carpets/floors with pure vinegar. I know it stinks but once you get rid of the fleas you can clean them. Also at night, fill a while bowl with water and put under a night light. The fleas are attracted to the white for some reason and they will drown. You will be suprised how many fleas end up in this white bowl. I hope this works for you. It did for us and it is environmentally safe.
Nice thing about the vinegar is that it will also remove odors as it evaporates-the smell goes away within 24 hours taking every bit of staleness with it. Another way to get rid of fleas is to spray Liquid Sevin (find it in the garden centre including the big-box stores), be sure to repeat the treatment as instructed on the label. You can also try boric acid dust, again, read the label carefully.
I would like to know an easy way to get rid of fleas in the basement. A couple of months ago there was a cat down there. It was a street cat, not mine and my dog was chasing it. I got the cat out of the basement twice. The cat never returned but what was left was the fleas. They attacked my dog which resulted in his hair falling off and his skin being irritated.
I am washing him once every ten days, which is what the vet said to do. Now my basement has been bombed three times and they are still there. No animal has been down there. What should I do to fix this? Please help.By Isiah
I took the advise posted about washing my kitten in Dawn for fleas and I believe it worked because she stopped scratching. And I sprayed my carpet with apple cider vinegar not white. But I feel itchy; I think there are more in my carpet. Should I spray the white vinegar now or just buy some flea spray for my carpet and my house?
By Suhaylah from Bronx, NY
How do you get rid of fleas in your house?
Try Diatomaceous Earth-safer-check it out on the net-all natural-made from tiny fossilized watered plants. Do not breathe or get in your eyes-but,man we put it all along the entryways of home-no roaches,ants-etc-etc. zow. Totally dehydrates them. None inside house. You may able to use on your floors and later vacuum up-but do the entryways. check it out. Don't have your critters inside walking' around on it though anyway do some research, ok?
Spray your house with demise or precor. I am so allergic, I end up in hospital. If you are having the same, Use SSS original from avon, to soothe use witch hazel. Advantage or frontline animals. Then spray. Bombs only kill the center of the room fleas lay there eggs under and in. Can get fleas even with no pets. Keep off grass. They will come in on clothes. Take blankets if you can and pillows put in dryer for 20 minutes to get them hot enough to kill them. Before bed. Vacum 2 to 3 times a day. They hate citrus smell, so buy a perfume or lotion with it smelling like limes or something along that line. I also put bounce dryer sheets ( generic works) tuck in my chest and bed under sofa pillows. Hope this helps.
I lived in a townhouse for almost 3 years with my 2 dogs. These dogs are well taken care of, getting bathed regularly and groomed every 6-8 weeks. I have never had a flea problem with them and if I have, I've always treated them with a flea medicine and stopped the problem quickly. I never saw a flea in my residence that was crawling on me or on my furniture/carpet.
I recently moved out and part of my lease agreement was to have the carpets professionally cleaned. I took care of this as well as had the place professionally cleaned. Today, my landlord called me and told me the place was infested with fleas. She said that the new tenants claim that they found fleas in their bed, and since I've already been refunded my deposits, that I would be responsible for the bill for having the place treated.
My question is how can a place be infested when I "never" saw signs of fleas to begin with and my dogs have rarely ever had fleas on them? In fact, now that I think of it, I didn't ever have to treat them for fleas the entire time I lived there. My groomer never sees fleas on them either. Wouldn't I have noticed the fleas before leaving the place? Wouldn't having the carpets cleaned have taken care of any fleas/eggs?
I am at a loss for words and I honestly can't fathom how this could be my fault. The landlord told me that they normally hold the pet deposit for 30 days after vacating, but because my place had been taken care of and was so clean, she went ahead and sent me my deposit. I don't see how she can prove that the fleas came from me and my dogs. Wouldn't there be fleas on my dogs now and at my new place? I take my dogs with me to my parents' house very often. Wouldn't they have fleas at their house as well? I am just totally baffled and very much annoyed with this.
By Leah H.