While most flea infestations occur inside the home, it’s not uncommon for these blood-sucking parasites to make their way inside cars, trucks and other automobiles. As you can expect, this makes the otherwise relaxing task of driving a painful experience. Fleas will come out from underneath the seats and interior to carpet to bite your legs, ankles, arms and any other exposed body part, causing painful, itchy red bumps that last for up to a week.
Don’t Use Foggers or Bombers!
When treating your car for a flea infestation, avoid the temptation of using foggers, bombers or similar products. Granted, they may kill the fleas (and anything else living inside your car), but they’ll leave residual toxic fumes in the upholstery. The toxic fumes will eventually dissipate, but it’s take car longer for this to happen in a car as opposed to an open home or building. Killing fleas isn’t worth risking your health over, so stick with safer and more natural methods of pest control.
Keep It Clean
If fleas are a problem inside your car, you should focus on keeping it clean. Nine out of ten times, flea-infested cars are filled with old fast food wrappers, empty soda bottles, junk mail and other trash. Go through your car and toss out any trash and debris. When you are finished, thoroughly vacuum the seats, floor mats and upholstery. In addition to removing fleas, vacuuming and cleaning your car will eliminate their hiding spot, which subsequently makes it easier for you to spot them.
Cedar Oil Spray
Instead of using a foggers or bombers inside your car, try spraying it with cedar oil. Made from the foliage, woods and roots of various conifers, cedar oil is a safe and effective product for treating flea infestations. Several studies have found it to kill fleas on contact, without relying on toxic synthetic chemicals.
You can purchase cedar oil either online or at some home goods stores — just remember to dilute it in water before applying it to your car’s interior. A 50/50 ratio should suffice in most cases. Once you’ve created your solution, spray it throughout your car’s interior, ensuring it covers the seats, floors mats and practically every other square inch. After applying the cedar oil, let it sit for at least 48 hours, at which point you should roll down the windows to air it out.
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