Flea Control in Home

Fleas are tiny brown, wingless insects with horizontal flat shaped body and piercing mouth. They thrive in a warm and humid climate and mostly enter your house through thick fur of pets. They feed themselves on blood sucked from these animals. They also bite humans particularly small children. The attack of fleas are not just confined to pets and humans but they invade the entire house in no time. You will find them everywhere starting from soft fabrics like carpets to sofas, tables, upholstery, etc. Flea control in home is quite difficult mainly because they multiply at a rapid pace. They lay around 50 eggs everyday!

How to Control Fleas Indoors

When it comes to controlling fleas in the house, we prefer natural remedies mainly because they do not involve any harsh chemicals that can cause harm to the pets and children. Here are a few effective flea control home remedies and solutions:

Vacuum Cleaning: Frequent vacuum cleaning can control fleas at home as it is capable of picking up both the pupae and the adult fleas. Use the vacuum cleaner for cleaning soft fabrics such as carpets, mattress, cushions, rugs, drapes as well as bare floors. To obtain better results, keep a few moth balls into the vacuum cleaner bag. Once you are done with the cleaning job, remove the vacuum cleaner bag and dispose it off in a trash can immediately.

Diatomaceous Earth: Purchase powder diatomaceous earth from farmer supply stores and use it for flea control in home. When this powder comes in contact with the fleas, the insects get dehydrated and finally they die. Sprinkle a small amount of this powder on the nook and corner of the house. To clean up fleas on carpet in home, you have to penetrate the powder deeper into the fabric with the help of a broom. Leave the powder untouched for two days. Then vacuum clean all those areas of the house thoroughly.

Table Salt: Many people avoid diatomaceous earth as its inhalation can be harmful for humans and pets. For them, a safer alternative for flea extermination is use of a combination of table salt and regular cleaning powder. Mix up one part of table salt with 8 parts of cleaning powder and sprinkle it generously and sprinkle it on the floors, stairs, under the bed, in the closets, etc. Allow the mixture to stay on all those surfaces for one week and then vacuum clean them.

Pet Clean Up: Prepare a natural homemade solution to clean up your pets. For this, soak a few slices of lemon in boiling water overnight so that the citrus oils get released into the water. Next morning, dip a cotton ball into this solution and apply it on their fur. Give special attention to areas like back of the head, behind the ears and armpits. This treatment should be followed by bathing them with a homemade flea shampoo made of one cup of mild dishwashing soap and two teaspoons of eucalyptus oil. Wash all those items that are regularly used by your pets including pet bedding, scatter rugs and throw pillows. After washing, dry them under direct sun. This is done because the cat or dog fleas cannot survive in heat of the sun.

Once you have successfully eliminated these harmful parasites from your home, you must prevent them from coming back. Eucalyptus leaves work as an excellent flea repellent. Spread them generously all over the house and thus ensure prevention of flea infestation in the home. These leaves remain fresh for around 6 months and give out a pleasant smell all around the house.