You don’t want your pets bringing fleas into your home, because they can bring disease to your family. Fleas don’t only suck blood from the warm-blooded host pet, but they also lay their eggs on your carpets and furniture because they imitate the feel of a host pet’s fur. The good news for home owners is that getting fleas out of carpets eliminates up to 95 percent of the flea infestation. Let’s have a look at some of the best flea treatment for carpet, which are both non-toxic and simple.
Cleaning Methods
Flea females lay an average of 45 eggs per day within 36 to 48 hours of mating. The eggs are not glued together, but are spread widely over a large area of carpet. Therefore, physical methods like vacuuming and steam cleaning help remove the eggs from carpets and kill any adult fleas too.
Vacuum
Vacuum your carpet intensively using the nozzle attachment to suck up fleas at all stages of life, including eggs, larvae, pupae and adults as well as all of the nastiness coming with fleas like their feces. However, make sure to use the vacuum extension tool to get into the carpet corners, underneath the furniture, and along the baseboards. Go over the entire surface area of carpet thoroughly several times. Vacuum again daily for a period of 10 – 14 days for extreme infestations. Once you have completed the vacuuming, take the cleaner outside and empty the contents into a bag and tie it tightly. Discard it immediately to prevent the fleas from getting out and coming back into your home or garden.
Steam
Fleas at all life stages cannot survive temperatures above 95 degrees, so steam cleaning should be taken advantage of as one of the best flea treatments for your carpet. Keep in mind that you have to follow instructions on the steam equipment carefully to prevent injury to yourself. Alternatively, you could consider hiring a steam cleaning professional for your own safety.
The above cleaning solutions are highly recommended for pet and home owners who are seeking safe and effective measures to deal with unwanted fleas in their carpets.
Ingredient mixing method
Ingredient mixing is a method of making up natural, safe substances to kill or control the flea population. While toxic sprays or chemicals may eliminate fleas faster and more completely than the following mixes, they could expose owners and pets to adverse effects. We’re going to share a couple of simple, safe, and effective methods that you can easily make at home.
Vinegar
There are many ways to kill fleas that are cheap, effective and homemade, one of which is taking advantage of vinegar. Simply mix water with vinegar in a ratio of 1:1 in a spray bottle and shake it. Then spray the entire carpet. Fleas dislike the smell of vinegar. This method is best for light infestations.
Lemon
Instead of using vinegar, you may create a flea repellent out of lemon. The recipe is simple. You just need to boil half a chopped fresh lemon in a pot of water, and leave the pot overnight. After that, the water mixed with boiled lemon is ready to be poured into a spray bottle. For more coverage or heavy infestations you may require more lemons for the solution while for smaller coverage or low infestations you can compromise with fewer lemons. The solution can be used to target carpets, rugs, upholstery or any shady corners where fleas are likely to be. The natural, fresh smell of lemon makes your living room more pleasant while repelling the invasion of fleas as they can hardly stand it.
Baking Soda and Salt
Baking soda or salt alone can be used to treat fleas. However, combining the two substances makes an even more powerful tool. You just mix baking soda and salt together in an equal ratio and get it ready to sprinkle on the flea infested areas. To help the ingredients penetrate right down into rug or carpet surface, use a broom to spread them over and rub them in. Baking soda will cause the fleas to evacuate their nest while the salt will dehydrate them to death. This method is effective for treating eggs, larvae and adult fleas. The everyday household ingredients are readily available and have a relatively low cost. It takes about twelve hours for the mixture to finish its job of fighting off the fleas so remember to allow adequate time once you have spread it on the surface. To prevent fleas from escaping by jumping to other rooms, sprinkle some baking soda and salt at the threshold or entrance. Simply put, completely surround the areas you plan to treat for fleas with the substances to leave them no way of escape. Once the treatment is done, vacuuming thoroughly will sweep away all the fleas, their offspring and the dirt. A one-time treatment will not remove all the fleas as their eggs and hidden population are still out there. Therefore, you will need to apply this on a regular basis until no further signs of fleas are detected.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth or DE is a kind of fine white powder with many uses, one of which is killing fleas. The substance is safe for humans and animals, but poisonous to insects. The mechanism that DE brings death to fleas is dehydration. As fleas come into contact with the substance, the hard outer shell that protects their inner body gets broken, which results in their death soon after as the water in their body is absorbed by the DE. It is best to use DE for carpets by sprinkling it onto the carpet surface. The fine powder can penetrate easily into the carpet fibers and get to the fleas. Although DE is non-toxic, you need to use food grade DE and wear gloves and a mask while dealing with it. Pets and kids should be kept away from the treated areas as well. Vacuuming is ideal for clearing the DE off once it has completed the mission of killing fleas.
Flea Traps
Flea trap is another good option to reduce the flea population. You can certainly make one by yourself at home instead of spending money on one. The idea behind a flea trap is to attract fleas to the trap with a light and a white color. Once there, they are trapped with no way back. One simple trap is to have a white tray or bowl of soapy water and a lamp or light shining on it. Place the trap in the infested areas and light it up at night while darkening the surroundings. Fleas will be attracted by the light of the trap and will jump into the soapy water that leaves them with no way back. The trap works with adult fleas only, but it is good enough to contribute to the overall effort of eradicating fleas in the house.
In short, there are a number of ways to address a flea infestation. Selecting the best flea treatment for your carpet is now up to you. We hope you will consider all the above-mentioned options before making your choice. You can also use Google and search “flea control in California” for more necessary information. Look around your home now for any signs of fleas and take necessary action as soon as possible to ensure that they will not have a chance to cause any nuisance or harm to you, your family, and your pets.
Youdon’t want your pets bringing fleas into your home, because they can bringdisease to your family. Fleas don’t only suck blood from the warm-blooded hostpet, but they also lay their eggs on your carpets and furniture because they imitatethe feel of a host pet’s fur. The good news for home owners is that getting fleasout of carpets eliminates up to 95 percent of the flea infestation. Let’s havea look at some of the best flea treatment for carpet, which are both non-toxicand simple.
Cleaning methods
Fleafemales lay an average of 45 eggs per day within 36 to 48 hours of mating. Theeggs are not glued together, but are spread widely over a large area of carpet.Therefore, physical methods like vacuuming and steam cleaning help remove theeggs from carpets and kill any adult fleas too.
Vacuum
Vacuumyour carpet intensively using the nozzle attachment to suck up fleas at allstages of life, including eggs, larvae, pupae and adults as well as all of thenastiness coming with fleas like their feces. However, make sure to use the vacuumextension tool to get into the carpet corners, underneath the furniture, and alongthe baseboards. Go over the entiresurface area of carpet thoroughly several times. Vacuum again daily for a period of 10 – 14 days for extremeinfestations. Once you have completed the vacuuming, take the cleaner outsideand empty the contents into a bag and tie it tightly. Discard it immediately toprevent the fleas from getting out and coming back into your home or garden.
Steam
Fleasat all life stages cannot survive temperatures above 95 degrees, so steamcleaning should be taken advantage of as one of the best flea treatmentsfor your carpet. Keep in mind that youhave to follow instructions on the steam equipment carefully to prevent injuryto yourself. Alternatively, you could consider hiring a steam cleaning professionalfor your own safety.
Theabove cleaning solutions are highly recommended for pet and home owners who areseeking safe and effective measures to deal with unwanted fleas in theircarpets.
Ingredient mixing method
Ingredientmixing is a method of making up natural, safe substances to kill or control theflea population. While toxic sprays or chemicals may eliminate fleas faster andmore completely than the following mixes, they could expose owners and pets toadverse effects. We’re going to share a couple of simple, safe, and effectivemethods that you can easily make at home.
Vinegar
Thereare many ways to kill fleas that are cheap, effective and homemade, one of whichis taking advantage of vinegar. Simply mix water with vinegar in a ratio of 1:1in a spray bottle and shake it. Then spray the entire carpet. Fleas dislike thesmell of vinegar. This method is best for light infestations.
Lemon
Instead of usingvinegar, you may create a flea repellent out of lemon. The recipe is simple.You just need to boil half a chopped fresh lemon in a pot of water, and leavethe pot overnight. After that, the water mixed with boiled lemon is ready to bepoured into a spray bottle. For more coverage or heavy infestations you mayrequire more lemons for the solution while for smaller coverage or low infestationsyou can compromise with fewer lemons. The solution can be used to targetcarpets, rugs, upholstery or any shady corners where fleas are likely to be. Thenatural, fresh smell of lemon makes your living room more pleasant while repellingthe invasion of fleas as they can hardly stand it.
Baking Soda and Salt
Baking soda orsalt alone can be used to treat fleas. However, combining the two substancesmakes an even more powerful tool. You just mix baking soda and salt together inan equal ratio and get it ready to sprinkle on the flea infested areas. To helpthe ingredients penetrate right down into rug or carpet surface, use a broom tospread them over and rub them in. Baking soda will cause the fleas to evacuatetheir nest while the salt will dehydrate them to death. This method iseffective for treating eggs, larvae and adult fleas. The everyday household ingredientsare readily available and have a relatively low cost. It takes about twelvehours for the mixture to finish its job of fighting off the fleas so rememberto allow adequate time once you have spread it on the surface. To prevent fleasfrom escaping by jumping to other rooms, sprinkle some baking soda and salt atthe threshold or entrance. Simply put, completely surround the areas you planto treat for fleas with the substances to leave them no way of escape. Once thetreatment is done, vacuuming thoroughly will sweep away all the fleas, their offspringand the dirt. A one-time treatment will not remove all the fleas as their eggsand hidden population are still out there. Therefore, you will need to applythis on a regular basis until no further signs of fleas are detected.
DiatomaceousEarth
DiatomaceousEarth or DE is a kind of fine white powder with many uses, one of which iskilling fleas. The substance is safe for humans and animals, but poisonous toinsects. The mechanism that DE brings death to fleas is dehydration. As fleas comeinto contact with the substance, the hard outer shell that protects their innerbody gets broken, which results in their death soon after as the water in theirbody is absorbed by the DE. It is best to use DE for carpets by sprinkling itonto the carpet surface. The fine powder can penetrate easily into the carpetfibers and get to the fleas. Although DE is non-toxic, you need to use foodgrade DE and wear gloves and a mask while dealing with it. Pets and kids shouldbe kept away from the treated areas as well. Vacuuming is ideal for clearing theDE off once it has completed the mission of killing fleas.
Flea Traps
Flea trap is another good option to reduce the flea population. You cancertainly make one by yourself at home instead of spending money on one. Theidea behind a flea trap is to attract fleas to the trap with a light and a whitecolor. Once there, they are trapped with no way back. One simple trap is to have a white tray or bowl of soapy water and alamp or light shining on it. Place the trap in the infested areas and light itup at night while darkening the surroundings. Fleas will be attracted by thelight of the trap and will jump into the soapy water that leaves them with noway back. The trap works with adult fleas only, but it is good enough tocontribute to the overall effort of eradicating fleas in the house.
In short, there are a number of ways toaddress a flea infestation. Selecting the best flea treatment for your carpetis now up to you. We hope you will consider all the above-mentioned optionsbefore making your choice. Look around your home now for any signs of fleas andtake necessary action as soon as possible to ensure that they will not have a chanceto cause any nuisance or harm to you, your family, and your pets.
Thanks for reading!
