Here’s a scenario to consider: you find the perfect home at the right price, so you and your family sign the lease to move. Once you’ve finally settled in, however, you discover that it’s infested with fleas. Your otherwise perfect dream home is now a living nightmare, with fleas constantly biting you and your family.
It’s important to note that just because a home has fleas doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dirty. Severe flea infestations often occur in the cleanest homes, making them difficult to identify. The good news is that you can exterminate these blood-sucking parasites and deter them from coming back in just a few easy steps.
Step #1) Vacuum
The first step in ridding your new home of fleas is to vacuum the carpet and floors. Don’t just run over it briefly, but instead take your time to slowly cover every square inch of flooring in your home. One particular study found vacuuming to eliminate up to 95% of the adult flea population. That’s a shockingly high amount that reveals the flea-fighting power of vacuuming. Just remember to take your vacuum cleaner outside to transfer the contents into a trash bag. You don’t want fleas to escape and find their way back into your carpet.
Step #2) Apply Dust Formulation
The second step is to apply a dust formulation throughout your new home. Dust-based pesticides containing boric acid, silica or diatomaceous earth (DE) are particularly effective against fleas. After removing any and all pets from your home, sprinkle a dust formulation throughout the floors, paying close attention to baseboards and other nooks and crannies.
These products may work in one of two different ways: either killing fleas through the use of chemicals, or killing them through dehydration. Regardless of which method it uses, dust formulations are highly effective at eliminating fleas.
Step #3) Treat The Host
If there are fleas in your home, they must have an accessible source of food nearby, such as your dog or cat. The third and final step in clearing a new home of fleas is to treat the host. This can be done using a product like FrontLine, Advantage, or Advantix, or you can use a natural remedy like vinegar spray or essential oils.
Here’s a tip: switch the type of flea medicine used on your pets every couples of months. Using the same medicine may allow the fleas to develop an immunity to it. This is easily prevented, however, by changing your pet’s medicine.