Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Treat your home with insecticides
• Method 2 of 3: Get rid of fleas without using insecticides
• Method 3 of 3: Eliminate fleas from pets
• Tips
• Warnings

Fleas are small, fairly fast insects that feed on the blood of animals. When they enter the house, these parasites settle in carpets and on pets. To get rid of fleas, use insecticide and vacuum carpets and upholstered furniture. You should also wash your pets thoroughly. If you spare no effort and time, you can completely get rid of fleas in 1-2 weeks.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Treat your home with insecticides

1. 1 Mix Pyrethrum powder (a plant-based powder containing natural insecticides - pyrethrins) with borate powder or boric acid. The easiest way to kill fleas is to attack them at the stage when they are most vulnerable, that is, they are in the egg or larva stage. This mixture will keep fleas from reaching maturity.
   • Borates are minerals that are widely used as wood preservatives, detergents and insecticides, and are intestinal flea poisons.
   • The average lifespan of an adult flea is 2-3 months, and it can live up to 100 days without fresh host blood. On the other hand, newly hatched larvae must eat within 3 days, otherwise they will starve to death. Therefore, the easiest way to start is to destroy the larvae.
2. 2 Sprinkle the borate / pyrethrin powder mixture over carpets, furniture, and bedding. If you have pets, such as a dog or cat, you can sprinkle their bedding as well. It is best to do this before you are going to be away for a long time (say, 24 hours). Also make sure that your pets are out of the house during this time. Leave the mixture for a day. After returning home, vacuum carpets and furniture, and wash bedding and bedding. Do not inhale the Feverfew borate mixture. Wear a mask when you use the product in your home.
   • Use insecticide in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves when doing this.Repeated exposure to insecticides can harm the health of people and pets.
   • Fleas have a long life cycle, so it often takes 2-3 insecticide treatments every three weeks to get rid of these parasites completely.
3. 3 In addition to the borate mixture, set up some flea traps in your home. These traps are equipped with a light source and insecticide. Set up traps in your home to help kill fleas that won't die from borate. Fleas are attracted by the light and heat of the source, and as a result they become trapped and die from the poison.
   • If there are curious pets in the house that might try to open the trap and eat its contents, set the traps out of their reach. You can also place traps in rooms where pets cannot enter.

Method 2 of 3: Get rid of fleas without using insecticides

1. 1 Vacuum twice a day for 2 weeks. Vacuum flea-infested areas, including those your pets often visit. Remember to move furniture around and vacuum underneath, and clean rugs and carpets. Also vacuum all upholstered furniture. Most fleas cannot survive vacuuming!
   • While many people prefer powerful vacuum cleaners, this task can be done just fine with a regular vacuum cleaner.
   • When you are finished cleaning, be sure to throw out the dust bag from the vacuum cleaner. This will help prevent re-infection.
2. 2 Fill shallow bowls with water and add 2 drops of dish soap to each. Pour water into a very shallow bowl and add detergent to it. The bowl should have a low edge so that fleas can accidentally jump into it. Place the bowl near a low light source (a night light works great). Fleas are attracted by the light. The insects will get close to the light source, and many of them will fall into the bowl and die.
   • An aqueous detergent solution acts on fleas like a pool of poisonous liquid. They die when they fall into it.
   • If you don't have a shallow bowl, you can use a flying disc (frisbee) instead.
3. 3 Spray the affected area with a lemon juice solution. Cut the lemon into thin slices and pour 0.5 liters of water over them. Bring water to a boil. To make the solution more effective, let it sit overnight. Then, pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray on the infected areas.
   • Instead of lemon, you can thinly slice another citrus fruit, such as an orange, lime, or grapefruit.
4. 4 Sprinkle cedar shavings over the infected areas. Place cedar shavings in the corners of rooms, in the bedding of pets, and under furniture. You can also put cedar shavings in gauze bags and place them under the cushions of upholstered furniture, under the pillow of your bed, and, if possible, in your bedding. This will keep fleas away. Fleas do not tolerate the smell of cedar and try to get away from it by all means. You can find cedar shavings at your local hardware store or pet store.
   • Make sure your pets are not allergic to cedar. Many dogs are allergic to this tree. Do not use this method if your dog is allergic to cedar, that is, if he starts sneezing and his eyes become swollen.
5. 5 Sprinkle some salt on the carpet. Salt is a desiccant, meaning it absorbs moisture and helps dry things. When in contact with the flea's body, salt crystals scratch and damage it, and the insect dies from blood loss while moving. After 7-10 days, vacuum the carpet thoroughly and remove all salt and insect debris. Repeat this procedure 1-2 more times.
   • Use very fine grain salt. The finer the salt, the better. Its crystals must be small enough to touch the flea's body.
   • After vacuuming the carpet, discard the used dust bag and replace it with a new one.
6. 6 Sprinkle food grade diatomaceous earth (diatomaceous earth) over your home. Like salt, diatomaceous earth scratches and kills fleas. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of diatomaceous earth powder over the infected carpet. For prevention, you can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the entrance to the house. Kieselguhr can be purchased online or at a hardware store.
   • You can sprinkle diatomaceous earth on pets, but do not apply it near your eyes and ears. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the back of the animal and rub it over the fur.
7. 7 Spray the floor and bed with Insect Growth Regulator (PPH). PPHs are chemical insecticides that inhibit the development of fleas. As a result, the larvae die, and adult insects do not appear from them, which are capable of multiplying and intensifying the infection. In this way, PPHs disrupt the reproductive cycle, which ultimately helps to get rid of fleas. Typically, the PPH needs to be applied 2 times with an interval of 3 weeks.
   • The most economical way is to purchase a concentrate and mix it according to the directions provided. The PPH can be purchased at a hardware store.
   • PPHs are not toxic to mammals, so this method is good to use if there are small children or small animals in the house, such as hamsters, reptiles or fish.

Method 3 of 3: Eliminate fleas from pets

1. 1 Wash your pet daily with water and flea soap. This will help kill fleas that may live on your pet. Apply flea soap to areas near ears, eyes, mouth and tail before bathing. As soon as fleas feel the water, they will immediately start looking for safe places to hide: on the neck, head and near the anus. Apply soap to these areas before wetting the coat with water.
   • There may be many fleas in the house at various stages of development that have not yet hit the animal, therefore, in parallel with this method, other preventive measures should be taken: vacuuming, treating the house with a mixture with borates and sprinkling the infected areas with cedar shavings.
2. 2 Rub the wool with soap and wait at least 10 minutes. After you apply soap to problem areas, wet the fur and lather the entire body of the animal. After 10 minutes, rinse off the soap thoroughly with warm water. When the coat is dry, use a comb to remove dead insects from it.
   • Shower immediately after bathing your pet, as some flea shampoos can irritate human skin with prolonged exposure.
3. 3 Treat your dog or cat's coat with flea repellent. Flea products such as Advantage and Frontline are intended for topical application once a month. Usually they are applied directly to the skin of the animal, most often between the shoulder blades and on several places on the back. After that, they penetrate the skin (the integumentary system of the body). Pet safe products can be purchased at your local pet store.
   • Flea repellents can be used in combination with a special fine-toothed comb. This flea comb allows you to comb out individual parasites from the wool.
4. 4 If you've used a flea remedy and it doesn't work, change it to something else. In this case, the fleas will not have time to adapt to the remedy. Some methods may be ineffective, as the local flea population may be immune to a particular agent (including substances on the flea collar). In this case, change the product and use an Insect Growth Regulator (PPH), for example Vectra 3D (contains pyroroxifen). For example, if the collar does not work, try rubbing flea powder on the animal's fur.
   • Your veterinarian can recommend suitable oral medications for you. The active substance from the tablet enters the bloodstream of a dog or cat, through the blood it enters the body of fleas and affects their nervous system.While they help kill those parasites that drink blood, they cannot be used to prevent flea infestations.
   • PPH prevents the next generation of parasites from emerging, and fleas usually cannot adapt to this type of drug.
5. 5 Give your pet oral flea pills to get rid of the parasites quickly. These tablets work within a few hours after being taken. In about 60 minutes, they kill all fleas present on the animal. However, flea tablets are not prophylactic and do not prevent re-infection. After the pill has killed all the fleas, wash the animal to get rid of dead insects if you see your pet itch.
   • Some cats can become overly active, voice more often, or have difficulty breathing under the influence of flea pills. In this case, try to reduce the recommended dose, and possibly stop giving the pills if they strongly affect your pet's behavior.
6. 6 Add deterrents to your pet's food. Fleas feed on animal blood, so they can be affected by what your pet eats. For example, you can mix vinegar into the water your dog drinks. Add a tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar to a bowl of water, or bathe your pet in a mixture of water and vinegar.
   • Do not do this with cats, as they are much more sensitive to pH levels than dogs.

Tips

• When looking for fleas, you may find their excrement. These are small black particles. When placed on a damp towel, they turn red. This is because flea feces contain blood. This trait helps to identify fleas.
• Do not leave salt on carpets for too long. The salt will absorb moisture and then penetrate between the individual carpet fibers.
• If regular flea soap does little to help your dog, try a soap with eucalyptus, tea tree oil, or cedarwood oil. These oils keep fleas away.

Warnings

• Leave your home while handling flea-infested areas. Take pets with you or place them in an area that is not handled. Be sure to read the directions for use: some flea products are harmful to small animals, fish and birds.