How To Get Rid Of Carpet Fleas
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How To Get Rid Of Carpet Fleas
It’s raining cats and dogs outside, and you decided to let your pets in for the night. The next day, as your pets roam free in your backyard, you take a minute to relax in the comfort of your living room. Suddenly, your peace is ruined by a really itchy feeling on your legs. You guessed it right; your pets brought along all sorts of pesky vermin when you let them sleep inside for the night.
Many people have problems with fleas making a home out of their carpets. Like animal hair, fleas find carpets very cozy. Carpets are perfect places for fleas to live, breed, and multiply. Fleas then get their food from animals or human beings that enter the living room (For more information, read how to get rid of carpet fleas). Carpet fleas and other house fleas may also harbor many diseases that cause everything from skin rashes, diseases like typhus, and parasites like tapeworms. Here are some ways that you can get rid of fleas.
Don’t Let Pets In
Fleas are carried by your pets through their fur. Even if you do treat your pets for flea infestations, they can still get the pests from outdoors or from other animals they interact with. The best way to prevent flea problem on your carpets is not to let pets in at all:
- Keep your dogs tied to a leash in their own kennels.
- Do not let house cats out of your home.
- If you do need to let your pets in your home, make sure that they are absolutely free from fleas or other pests. If you’re not sure, tie your dog to a leash and make it stay on a dry spot on the porch.
Use Flea Powders or Insecticides
Once fleas have made their way into your carpet or on the fur of your pet, you need to get rid of them before they multiply and breed like crazy. Fleas are very resilient pests. The insects can withstand many home remedies and even physical force because of their thick carapace and ability to move around very quickly. Flea powders and insecticides are your two best weapons to get rid of the fleas.
Flea Powder
Many inexpensive flea powders come with active ingredients that kill fleas, ticks, and other parasites on contact. Unlike topical lotions, flea powder is inexpensive and can be used to cover even those areas of fur that you think do not have fleas. Here are some things you should keep in mind when buying or using flea powder:
- Check the package to see if it’s safe for use on animals. Some flea powders on the market have high concentrations of toxic ingredients that kill fleas, but are also dangerous for pets and humans.
- Gypsum and talc are both used as a base for many flea powders. Make sure that the proportion of the powder base and the active ingredients retain the potency of the active ingredients.
- Make sure that your dog does not inhale or ingest flea powder. It helps to attach a muzzle to the dog while you wait for the flea powder to take effect.
Insecticide
A liberal sprinkling of flea powder works wonders for the flea problem on your carpet, but the best way to get rid of the insects would be to use insecticide. Insecticides are toxic, and may cause many respiratory problems or infections. It’s very important to quarantine the living room or the bedroom for a full day when you apply insecticide.
- Sprays are the traditional resort for killing insects. Remember not to spray the insecticide directly on the carpet, because you may end up ruining some of the delicate dyes or fibers. A little spray goes a long way, so make sure that you don’t end up wasting a full canister of insecticide just to get rid of the fleas.
- Coils are usually remedies to get rid of mosquitoes, but the scent of a mosquito coil can also block some of the sensory receptors of the fleas. Do not light a mosquito coil near a curtain, a stack of newspapers, or at any place in your house that may catch fire.
Vacuum the Carpet
Fleas lie dormant deep inside the nap of your carpeting until they sense food or prey. The problem with flea powders and insecticides is that they don’t set in deep enough to kill the insects that have nested and bred deep within the nap and the carpet fibers. The best way to get rid of the fleas is to force them out of the carpet. You can do this with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
When using a vacuum cleaner, make sure that the suction power is strong enough to suck out the critters from the nap of the carpet. Some vacuum cleaners may have brushes and other attachments that lift up the fibers of the carpet fabric. Remember to clean the brush and suction attachments of the vacuum cleaner when you’re done vacuuming the carpet. (Tips on how to vacuum)
Use an Incense Stick
One way that you could block the sensory receptors of fleas is to wave incense sticks along the length of the carpeting. On your hands and knees, wave the lit incense stick on top of the carpet and coax out the vermin. Incense also helps deodorize your home. While it will take a while before the fleas jump out and head for your yard where there’s plenty of fresh air, it’s a better and more appealing alternative to lit mosquito coils.
Fleas are annoying pests that should be removed quickly. With these simple ways to get rid of carpet fleas, the itchy feeling of blood-sucking fleas biting on your legs does not have to bother you anymore. For more information regarding this article, read how to get rid of fleas.
on March 21st, 2012 at 10:26 am
I have many flea bits on my legs from the middle of my shin to my toes, i am working on getting rid of fleas in my home but what would be best to get rid of bite marks, scars, and itching? please help my legs are in pain.
on March 16th, 2012 at 3:01 am
Why would you even get a pet to begin with if you aren’t going to treat it with the utmost kindness? Were you not aware of the fact that cats and dogs very, very commonly gets fleas? It’s just something you’re going to have to deal with and get over! It’s not the pet’s fault it got fleas. Why should you treat them like garbage for that? Sorry that some of us were raised to believe that all living beings are to be treated with love and respect… Cats and dogs are LIVING BEINGS, just like humans, and they should be treated so. People who can’t grasp that concept shouldn’t be allowed to own pets.
on February 17th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
For those of you who have very skewed views of where your pet should call home, remember these are ANIMALS and are meant to be outside. They are not your children, you did not give birth to them, you feed them and they return to the source of food and show you affection becuase you control the food. They are still an animal that has roots in living outdoors and they still have the hunt/flee instincts like all animals will always possess.
Oh, and by far the most disgusting of all is the animal owners who share open mouthed kisses with their little baby ‘FiFi’ who just spent the last 5 minutes eating it’s own butt. For real, if you have a closer connection with your animal than most ppl in your life you really need to seek some professional help.
Animals that have open access to water and shelter outdoors are fine, probably better than being inside where it isnt natural for them to be and they eat your shoes and destroy your personals because their having anxiety because no one is there and they are bored…
on January 7th, 2012 at 7:11 am
…You people who treat your ANIMALS like children, need to get your head examined. I bet you dress them up like people, and talk baby talk to them as well.
Several people have pets that are outside, and that is perfectly normal. What isn’t normal, is your completely neurotic responses. Just because someone doesn’t allow their ANIMAL inside, does not mean that they do not love their pet.
Where did common sense leave you, and ignorance enter? Why don’t you, instead of acting and speaking like someone who is uneducated on the subject at hand, read a book on Canine, or feline behavior? Or, better yet..go talk to an animal expert? Like, your Vet, or a reputable breeder, instead of spouting off nonsense.
on November 15th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
[...] normally hatch in 1-2 weeks, after which the fleas emerge as larvae that can live in carpets (learn how to get rid of carpet fleas) and bedding for up to 200 days before transforming into legless pupae. If conditions are still not [...]
on November 1st, 2011 at 2:10 pm
I think they mean tie them up while you go through the cleaning process. And if they were as close as you say you would keep them clean to begin with.
on October 25th, 2011 at 11:48 am
You guys are all idiots. This is information to help people get rid of their problems, take it or leave it. Arguing over the internet is like the special olympics. You may have won but your still a retard.
on October 20th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
You guys are ridiculous. Don’t you know that animals are PETS not family. PETS!! They don’t belong in the house and definitely not treated like family. You came on this site to get advice. If you can’t send your animal outside just to clean your infested house then you minus well not have looked on here for an answer since they’ll be in your house anyways. Call me ignorant, but pets are pets, not human beings.
on October 18th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
This “information” is a complete waste of time. It reminds me of the stuff we believed in the 60s.
on October 17th, 2011 at 11:29 am
[...] The eggs, which are left around the host, will fall off and accumulate in beds, clothing, carpets (how to get rid of carpet fleas), automobiles, and anyplace that the host [...]
on October 2nd, 2011 at 1:50 am
HELLO!!!! iF A MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY, INCLUDING YOUR CHILDREN, HAD A DISEASE OR PARASITE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE QUARANTINED UNTIL THE INFECTION, (OR IN THIS CASE INFESTATION) IS GONE. iF YOU READ THIS ARTICLE COMPLETELY YOU WOULD’VE SEEN THAT FLEAS CAN CAUSE MORE SERIOUS SICKNESSES IN PEOPLE AND PETS. YOU ARE ONLY KEEPING YOUR PET AWAY FROM THE HOUSE UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. fOR YOUR SAFETY AND YES…..FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR PET. rEMEMBER THE STORY ABOUT “THE BOY IN THE BUBBLE”? HE HAD TO BE QUARANTINED FOR HIS OWN SAFTEY. wAKE UP PEOPLE.
on September 29th, 2011 at 9:53 am
So i dont have any flea powder right now but i have a body powder with talc in it will it work on the carpet??
on September 12th, 2011 at 8:03 am
ALSO..if it says to tie them up or not to let them in…this is all optional..its Advice..
on September 12th, 2011 at 8:00 am
Are you guys really complaining about this advice because it says lock your animal in a kenal.. Are you serious…obviously it means keep them in their untill you can get them flea dipped… Not forever.. Only for the period of time that you have a flea infestation.. You people are ignorant
on September 11th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Your site is MARVELOUS as it pertains to infor- mation relating to fleas. I’m going to begin using the information gained here today and will return to post my results.
THANKS!
on June 1st, 2011 at 8:59 am
Great article
on May 5th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
You are so right I would never ever leave a pet tied and then into a kennel
They are our KIDS and will be always treated as so!!!!!!
on January 25th, 2011 at 2:12 am
Jamie and Nate- totally agree with you! I was shocked when this BS came up about tying your dog up in a kennel- even just tying your dog up period. This is the worse advice that anyone could ever offer. If you feel that you need to tie up your pets and not let them in the house - DON’T GET A PET! Pets are to be part of the family and loved just like any other member of the family. Some people are so stupid and ignorant with pets it makes me sick. Why don’t we tie up people who feel that dogs need to be tied up and see how they feel? That would be like living in prison your entire life and not doing anything wrong. That is one way that a dog will become mean and hateful. Anyway, I could go own all day about this- but enough said. God intended us to love all creatures!!!
on October 25th, 2010 at 5:25 am
Will disinfecting the carpets in the house, then vacuuming get rid of fleas in my home?
on May 25th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
My cats are indoors and do not go out. No idea how we get this infestation, but that tip is not helpful!
on September 11th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Nobody who cares about their dog would leave them outside tied up in a kennel! If you don’t care enough to let your dogs or cats inside don’t get a pet!!!!!
on September 11th, 2009 at 6:52 am
‘Keep your dogs tied to a leash in their own kennels.’
Is the worst advice ever on the subject, never ever leave your dog tied to a leash in their own kennel.
Ridiculous!