Wednesday, May 20, 2009

How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your House

How to get rid of fleas from your pet is just the first question. Once you have gotten rid of the fleas you need to make sure that they don't come back. Or at least make it very difficult for them to come back. Therefore after you have given your dog a good flea bath, it's time to clean your house. Getting rid of fleas from your house is a process.

It is imperative that you wash everything the fleas may have come into contact with. It will be a long arduous day but well worth it in the end. The first thing to do is to strip all of the bedding and get it into the washing machine. Include in these loads everything washable including pillow sham covers, throw cushion covers and blankets or throws that are left on sofas or chairs. Make sure you include all of your children's special blankets and any stuffed toy that was on the bed. Wash everything in hot water. This is the easy part of how to get rid of fleas in your home.

Bag everything mentioned in the above paragraph that is not machine washable and seal it. At the first opportunity take it to the dry cleaner.

The next step is to thoroughly vacuum every floor in your home. Try to be as methodical as possible and pay specific attention to the areas in which your dog may sleep. Once you have vacuumed every floor you must vacuum every upholstered chair, couch or sofa in your home. Again, you need to pay specific attention to your dog's favorite places to sleep. At this point, I would do a quick vacuum of each bed before I re-made the beds.

After you are done vacuuming, you must immediately remove the vacuum bag from the vacuum and either put it into a sealed garbage bag or take it outside to the garbage. Remember, there are live fleas in the vacuum bag that are eager to jump back out and search for your dog. In getting rid of fleas, it's up to you to prevent a repeat flea infestation.

If you have a steam cleaner, it is best to steam clean your carpets and upholstered furniture. Use the hottest setting possible without doing damage to the carpets or furniture.

In my opinion, the hardest part of how to get rid of fleas is the house cleaning part. However, the house cleaning part is also the most important step in getting rid of fleas. If you cheat at this step you are bound to have a more difficult time keeping your pet flea-free and comfortable. Try to think of it as a good spring cleaning and think of the satisfaction you will have afterward.

Getting rid of fleas is a part of being responsible about pet health.