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.

How to Get Rid of Fleas When It's Not a Flea

Getting rid of fleas naturally is tough enough. It get's tougher when the flea isn't a flea. There are a variety of other parasites that can torment pet health and can easily be confused with a flea infestation.

Sarcoptic mites can pose as a terrible problem to pet health and can only really be solved under the close care of your veterinarian and with the administration of pet medication. These pests are also called scabies or red mange. Sarcoptic mites create intensely itchy skin, hair loss, and inflamed skin with multiple small scabs. Sarcoptic mite infestation, more than any other pest infestation, is frequently misdiagnosed as an allergies. This misdiagnosis is really unfortunate as it delaies proper treatment.

Cheyletiella mites are also called "Walking Dandruff" because upon close inspection of your pet's coat it seems like little flakes of dry skin are actually walking about. Thankfully, these mites are easy to treat. You can get rid of Cheyletiella mities easily by using any common flea shampoo. Generally no further pet medication will be required.

There are also Demodex mites which is also called mange. These annoying parasites live just under the surface of your dog's skin. They reside in the tiny hair follicles and oil glands of your dog's skin. Demodex mites can only be seen on a skin scraping viewed under the microscope. Demodex mites are most commonly seen in young dogs. An older dog with these mites might have a different and more serious health problem.

Remember whether it's getting rid of fleas or getting rid of another parasite: don't delay. Parasites multiply rapidly and greatly interfere with pet health.

Natural Flea Remedy From the Inside

There are all types of natural ways to get rid of fleas. One way for your to dog or cat to repel fleas is from the inside out. Although I use a natural flea collar I know people who use internal flea repellents as a natural flea remedy.

For obvious reasons, certain household items don’t come in a garlic scent. Garlic is yummy but it stinks. Thankfully it's not a flea's favorite smell either. When your cat or dog eats garlic, the garlic smell is excreted through the pet's skin making your pet less likely to be attractive to fleas. Garlic can be a tricky and perhaps thing when it comes to dogs so please, please,please discuss the quantities of garlic with your vet before trying this method. Some amounts of garlic can harm your pet.

Additionally, brewer's yeast tablets can also help to make your pet a bit stinky and less attractive to fleas because once again the smell is excreted through their skin repelling fleas.

I have also heard about people adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to their pet’s water bowl. This will make your pet's skin more acidic and unpleasant to fleas and ticks. If your dog isn't fussy about apple cider vinegar in their water bowl, dilute it 50/50 with water and use in a spray bottle in the same way you would use a citrus repellent. Let me know if anyone else has tried this method.

Preventing fleas naturally isn't very hard and is well worth your while.