If you have ever had fleas in your home, you may get nervous if you see your pet scratching his ear very insistently. Fleas are a persistent pest, which can affect your well-being and that of the pets in your home. Treatment for you and your pet can solve the problem over time. Complications arise if fleas reach your home. And if they nest in your home they can become very uncomfortable guests in your bed, your sofa or your clothes. With the drop in temperatures the flea population also decreases, but that should not cause us to let our guard down. If you confirm that you have fleas in your home, you should take action as soon as possible.
It is possible that fleas have settled in your house and you have not seen any of them. They are small insects that at first glance look like very dark spots. Luckily, movement gives them away, so you may find them jumping on different surfaces.
If you can’t find them, another sign that you have fleas in your home is their bite. As explained by Seville City Council“their bites are reddened mounds together and in a line that are quite itchy. The most normal thing is that they do it below the knee or in areas where the clothes are very close to the body.”
Once you take your pet to the vet to have fleas treated, it is important that you address the problem at home. If fleas make your house their own colony, it will be very difficult to kick them out. Things get complicated when they reach the tissues, since it is one of their favorite places to reproduce.
If you find yourself overwhelmed, remember that you can contact your municipality’s pest control services for advice. It is even possible that they organize an operation to solve the infestation. Remember that the best treatment against these insects is professional fumigation. But if you want to try to address this problem on your own, there are a series of home remedies with which you can combat them.
How to eliminate fleas on clothes
Fleas may have infested your closet after an infestation. Don’t worry, you won’t have to throw away all your clothes, but remember that one of the main targets of fleas are fabrics: “Once inside the home, fleas can lay eggs in carpets, bed sheets, etc. the bed or furniture, causing an infestation,” explains an article in the Harvard University. If fleas have reached your tissues, this is what you should do:
- The washing machine, your best ally: wash your bedding, blankets and textiles in the washing machine, in a long washing program with higher temperatures starting at 60 degrees. You can use detergent, but if your clothes allow it, use bleach. “You can also add rosemary, eucalyptus or lemon to the washing machine water,” they propose from the Seville council.
- Use the dryer: once you wash your clothes, it is important that you put them in the dryer. Again, the programs must reach high temperatures, around 60 degrees. Check by labeling if your clothes are suitable for this appliance.
- To the freezer: what you cannot wash or dry with high temperature programs you can freeze. Lower the temperature of your freezer to the maximum (make sure the food you have there will not spoil) and place the clothes and textiles in a vacuum bag. Put the clothes in the freezer and leave them for a week. Then, wash everything normally, but separately from the rest of the clothes.
How to eliminate fleas on the sofa
Without a doubt, the sofa or mattress are extremely complicated places to eliminate fleas. You can treat the surface of upholstered furniture, but fleas can infest the interior. If you suspect that the battle is lost from the beginning, it is possible that the best thing you can do when faced with a sofa with fleas is to get rid of it. If you don’t know where to throw it, remember that you can contact your local council’s pest control center and ask how you should proceed. In case you want to give your sofa a chance, this is what you should do:
- Use dehumidifiers: use products such as boron salt, conventional salt or baking soda on your sofa. These are compounds that absorb humidity from the environment, which will reduce the survival of fleas. “This causes the egg to dry out and prevents it from hatching. The egg needs more than 50 percent relative humidity and a temperature below 37º C (at 40º C the eggs are inactivated),” the Sevillian city council indicates.
- Vacuum several times a day: You should be especially persistent when vacuuming your sofas, do it several times a day if possible. The vibrations from the vacuum cleaner will activate the flea eggs, allowing you to vacuum them up when they hatch. If you have a steam cleaner, “use it every day,” Harvard insists.
How to eliminate fleas in the mattress
As we have mentioned, it is very difficult to eliminate fleas from our upholstered furniture and mattresses. Saving your mattress from fleas is a very delicate task, but it can be achieved if you are persistent:
- Do not use it: Until the flea infestation is controlled, you will not be able to use your mattress. You could accidentally carry the pest to other areas of your home. Fleas may also spend the entire night biting you, so avoid this if possible.
- Vacuum several times a day: As with upholstered furniture, it is important that you vacuum the mattress persistently, several times a day.
- Purchase a biocide: there are biocides available to the public with which you can control the flea infestation in your mattress. Remember that you must follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
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