How to Rid Your Home of Fleas
Fleas can be a big problem for pet owners. Thankfully, there are many
products that can help you rid your pet of these annoying pests.
Unfortunately, killing the fleas on your pet will not solve the problem.
Fleas, as well as their eggs and larvae, can continue to thrive inside
your home and re-infest your pet or family members. Therefore, it is
very important to take appropriate measures to free your home of fleas.
To rid your home of fleas, you need to start from the beginning. That
means destroying any flea eggs before they hatch. Fleas can lay up to
one egg per hour. These then roll off of the fleas’ host, usually a pet
or person. This frequently occurs when sleeping. Therefore, you will
want to thoroughly clean your bed and anyplace your pet may sleep.
Vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, and mopping are all ways to destroy flea
eggs. These same methods will also remove flea larvae occupying floors
and carpets. Flea larvae feed on skin cells and other organic matter.
Thus, your cleaning efforts will also remove much of their food source.
In most cases, simply cleaning your house will not be enough. You
will also want to use a form of insecticide to treat the entire home.
There are several types of these products that you can use. Liquid
treatments are one highly effective method. They use a “residual
insecticide concentrate” to kill adult fleas and a growth inhibitor to
prevent larval fleas from maturing. If you choose to use a liquid
treatment, you will want to wear shoes when walking through your house
for the first four to six hours after use. That is how long it takes for
the insecticide to dry. Once treated, though, your house should remain
free of fleas for four to six months.
For those who prefer to use an insecticide powder, there are also
many products of this type for destroying fleas. Flea powders act by
dehydrating larval and adult fleas. Usually, you will need to leave the
powder for many hours, or even a few days, before vacuuming the entire
affected area. Additionally, it can take up to six weeks for all fleas
to die using this method because dehydration is not instantaneous.
However, once the treatment is fully implemented, your house should be
rid of fleas for a year or more.
Finally, there are aerosol products that can kill the fleas in your
home. These work in a similar manner to liquid insecticides. However,
they do have a greater risk since they will affect the air in your home.
Most products are non-toxic to humans. However, if you have fish or
birds you will want to remove them from the area. Ultimately, aerosols
are the easiest insecticide option to use and will keep your home flea
free for up to six months.
To ensure fleas do not come back, you can also purchase flea
granules. These small beads are non-toxic to humans and pets. It is
applied to the nap of the carpet to inhibit flea larvae from growing.
They will bond to the carpet and remain active for at least one year.
During this time, all flea larvae that come into contact with the
granules will become dehydrated and die.
By using any or all of these options, you can free your home from a
frustrating flea problem. This is great news for any pet owner who has
struggled with fleas that just keep coming back. Once you a flea-free,
your whole family will breathe easier and your pet will be much happier. |
