Anyone with pets is likely to have fleas in their carpet, whether they allow the animal inside or not. If there are fleas in the yard, there will soon be fleas inside because they come in on your clothing and you don’t even notice. You can also tread flea eggs or larvae in on your shoes or bare feet and because they are so tiny you can’t tell. The right kind of carpet cleaning by a professional company is essential to get rid of this pest.
Actually, professional steam cleaning is the best way to treat carpets when there is an infestation of fleas because it uses hot water that will kill them. The main trouble is that flea eggs become embedded in the floor cracks under the carpet and these can survive if the water doesn’t quite reach them. The eggs can then hatch, even up to 12 months after they were laid. That is why you may think that the carpet treatment didn’t work at all. Treating carpets for fleas is a long term job.
Here are some steps to take that will help you deal with that flea problem.
- First and foremost, treat your pet for fleas on a regular basis. Never allow the treatment to be done late, not even by a day. Dogs and cats can pick up fleas when they go outside the yard, since they are hosts to this pest.
- Wash all their bedding in hot water 3 times a week until you are sure no fleas are left in it.
- Vacuum the carpet thoroughly every day for 3 weeks paying particular attention to the crevices and edges – and get rid of the vacuum cleaner bag each time. If your cleaner is a bagless one, empty the dust into a plastic bag and then spray it with insecticide for fleas before knotting the end. That will ensure no fleas escape from the bin back to your yard.
- Also vacuum the hard floor surfaces at the same time, making sure to get under the furniture and in the corners.
- There are many home remedies for fleas in the carpet; some work well, while others sound a bit iffy. It may be best to go for commercial treatments, especially if the flea plague is a bad one.
- Keep up the cleaning for a month, then have your carpet professionally steam cleaned. This should get the last eggs and larvae.
- If you have a deck or verandah or mats where the dog or cat often sleeps, wash it with hot water.
- Spraying the yard is quite expensive and fleas can come in from other animals. However, spraying the dog kennel is a good idea as many flea eggs are likely to be found there.
