The bed is your only personal sanctuary. It’s where you go after a long day of work to rest and relax — at least that’s how it should be. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for fleas to make their way under the covers where they have a plentiful source of blood. You may wake up in the morning with a couple bites on your exposed skin, but the problem can quickly spiral out of control if left untreated.
Note: fleas in the bed is not an indication of a dirty home. There’s a certain social stigma associated with flea infestations. Some people assume that only dirty homes are susceptible to infestations, but this simply isn’t true. You can clean your home on a daily basis and still find these blood-sucking parasites crawling throughout your sheets.
Off With The Sheets!
If you believe fleas are lingering somewhere in your bed, the first thing you should do is wash the sheets. Don’t just toss them in a normal load and call it day, but rather wash them multiple times (two at the minimum) using a quarter cup of filtered white vinegar. Some people will naturally turn their heads at the smell of vinegar, but trust me, it goes away once the sheets are washed.
The highly acidic nature of vinegar, along with the intensely hot water of the washing machine (note: wash your sheets on the hot water setting) should kill any fleas the sheets are harboring. In addition, vinegar will kill any bacteria and germs on your sheets as well.
What Next?
I wouldn’t go making the bed with your flea-free sheets just yet, as the blood-suckers could still be hiding around your home. I recommend thoroughly cleaning your home to eliminate any other possible sources of fleas. This includes vacuuming the floors, cleaning around the baseboards, vacuuming furniture, washing blankets, etc.
Once you’ve cleaned your home from top to bottom, use a non-toxic treatment method like Diatomaceous Earth (DE). This will ensure the safety of both you and your pets while killing fleas in the process.
Unlike most pesticides, DE doesn’t use chemicals to kill fleas, but instead it kills them by cutting into them. The powder-like substance is actually made of fossilized bone fragments which are sharp to small fleas but soft to humans and pets.
Are you dealing with a flea infestation in your bed? We’d love to hear your story in the comments section below!