Home Remedies for Fleas – Flea Bombs and Other Treatments

Posted on Oct 22, 2012 in Fleas | 0 comments

Home remedies, natural treatments and other methods for getting rid of fleas can be easier to implement than you might think, though it may not seem so, when in the middle of infestation, you might feel that you are being eaten alive.

One of the most important things to realize is that you don’t really have to worry about fleas so much, the problem is never as bad as it seems. With proper guidance and treatment, your home or pet will be totally flea free within no time.

You should not think that your dog, rabbit or cat are the one who have brought these unwelcome visitors in your house, as it is not their fault. Fleas simply love warm vertebrates and this includes humans too.

Once you see your dog, or cat scratching furiously with a red, tell tale itchy spot on their body and even on your body, then your pet or you have surely been made meal of. In their life-cycle, adult female flea lays 50-60 eggs a day and more than 650 in her lifetime. These eggs can either stay on your pet or may drop off wherever they go, at various places inside your house. These eggs will go through two more stages before developing into full fledged adults and then, cycle begins once again, which is the reason for their overwhelming presence inside the house.

So, How Do I Get Rid of Fleas From My House ?

Fleas usually end their lives on the host animal, but in reality your pests are not the source of flea infestation, but your home is. Fleas, as discussed above, begin their life cycle as eggs that are laid on the host, but then fall elsewhere inside the house. These eggs develop into large and feed on dried blood droppings and skin flakes. These eggs can even remain dormant for a year. Therefore, for, killing them is the first step. Getting rid of eggs and larvae is the next crucial step in getting rid of fleas. Here, we are discussing some of the most successful methods on how to kill fleas.

One of the most successful ways to rid your house of fleas is by using a flea bomb. This is covered further down in the article. but first lets discuss some less drastic measures yet still effective.

You should collect everything that cannot be vacuumed and then wash it in a washer at the hottest setting using laundry detergent. This will immediately kill larvae and eggs. You should then vacuum everything else. You should vacuum corners, upholstery and cervices using various vacuum attachments. You should be thorough if you want to get rid of fleas. This step will clean all spots and help in killing most of them.

Once vacuuming is over, you should remove the vacuum bag and sprinkle some flea powder inside it and then seal it in some plastic bag and throw it in a trash can outside. As an additional safety measure, you should also get your carpet steamed cleaned by professionals to get rid of larvae and eggs than may be hanging to your carpet fibers.

Once everything inside your house becomes flea-free, you should use various home remedies for fleas to ensure that they do not make a comeback. This will ensure that your house remains flea free, but you should also incorporate some preventive habits to be on the safe side. Some of these are:

You should wash your pet bedding on regular basis

Vacuum should be done frequently to keep eggs and larvae from gathering on carpets.

Pets should be kept current on flea medication.

All these methods will help in keeping things under control and can help you in get rid of fleas. When any remaining larvae hatch, they will try to cling onto your pet, but will be ultimately killed if you use keep your pet clean and use herbal soaps to give them a weekly wash.

Allergic Reactions to Flea Bites

Fleas actually inject their saliva when they bite, as this helps in preventing coagulation. This saliva causes allergic reactions in the humans and animals. In humans, it appears in the form of mild to severe itching, skin lesions, and dermatitis. You should try to apply camphor, calamine lotion, ice or menthol. You can use neem soap for bathing as it is natural disinfectant and can help. In case of serious allergies, you should consult your doctor as he/she may prescribe something that can help you in getting your infestation under control.

Many cats and dogs are quite allergic to fleas and may even chew themselves raw. With so many natural remedies, you need to let your pet suffer even for second. If your pets have been bitten recently, you can use natural flea soap to give them a thorough wash and apply some moisturizer to soothe their itching.

Herbal Remedy

You can prevent the infestation of fleas in your house by keeping it clean, both indoors and outdoors. All your floors, carpets and corners of your house should be thoroughly vacuumed on regular basis.

You should keep your kitchen clean and cover up all food spills and immediately cover all food stuff. Water is also a breeding ground for fleas, so leaky pipes and joints should be immediately replaced. Place herbs such as lemon peel, bay leaves, dill, coriander or clove in the pantry shelves, or in the stored grain to keep fleas away.

Flea Infestation in Your Pets

You should give a regular bath to your dog using natural flea soap. You should leave soap on them for few minutes. This helps in suffocating the fleas. When its time, you can water down their coat with water, as this will drown the fleas. Aside from that, you should frequently wash soft dog toys, their bedding, human bedding if pets sleep on them and dog bedding.

If adult fleas have successfully trenched themselves in your pets fur, you can use flea comb to remove them. There are numerous advantages of combing. It not only removes adult fleas without using any chemicals, but also provides instant relief to you pet.

Adult fleas prefer the thick fur on pets and accumulate heavily in their neck, tail and near the face. So, these are the areas that you should concentrate on and are great home remedies for fleas on your pets.

You should also give your pets diet rich in EFA (Essential Fatty Acids) as this strengthens their immune system and makes them less attractive to fleas. Therefore, by following all these simple tips, you can be successful in getting rid of fleas from your pets and house.

Find out what can be done in terms of home remedies for fleas from listening to advice from veterinarian Dr. James Talbott in this educational pest control video.

The Flea Fogger or Flea Bomb

Do you know what a flea bomb is? It’s one of the best ways for getting rid of fleas ever invented.

More often than not, fleas enter the household through the entrance of pets such as cats and dogs. Pets that are not bathed often and hangout most of the time outside the house are more likely to have fleas. When the fleas enter the house, they can be very difficult to deal with. These pesky pests can suck up peoples blood and they can just lie anywhere, lay their eggs and multiply.

When the presence of fleas in the house is detected, employing an appropriate and effective measure to get rid of them must immediately be observed. This is to prevent the fleas from incurring tremendous damage to the household. There are actually lots of methods that can be employed to get rid of fleas. However, when eliminating fleas from pets, the house should thoroughly be cleaned also because almost 95% of the fleas reside in the house and the remaining 5% is found in the pet’s body. Spraying of insecticides and pesticides, cleaning the house and bathing the pets are few of the most effective home remedies to get rid of fleas.

Usage of these bombs is considered to be one of the most effective strategies to get rid of fleas permanently. An excellent bomb should contain a powerful ingredient that would act as an insect growth regulator. When shopping for a flea bomb, consumers should make sure that it capable of destroying fleas in every stage of their lives.

Flea bombs are seen to be an ideal solution to flea infestation because of the convenience and effectiveness it bring to the homeowners. However, there are a number of safety measures to be undertaken prior to the setting up. Utensils and dishes should be removed or kept from the vicinity where bombs will be placed. Everyone should also leave the house including the pets because the stinky and harmful smell which the bomb can leave behind. The bomb should be placed at the center of the area which is intended to be covered. The house should be closed including the windows to confine the powerful chemicals inside the house during the process of fumigation. Once the bomb is set off, you should immediately leave the house.

flea bomb in action

After The Flea Bomb

Return to the house a few hours after as specified by the instruction provided. However, no one should be allowed to enter the house immediately. Windows should be opened and fans should be turned on to keep the house ventilated for a few more hours. All necessary garments, pots, pans, utensils and dishes should be washed before using them again. Many homeowners recommend the use of a flea bomb or fogger to completely eliminate the presence of irritating fleas inside the house because of its effectiveness and efficiency in providing a flea-free home.