5 Steps To A Flea-Free Home
- Written by News Company
As any pet owner can tell you, the battle with fleas can be an exhausting one. If you tackle it alone, you may find yourself facing many months, or even years, of battling with these tiny but powerful pests that seem to hang on to your home for dear life. If you’ve spotted fleas on your pet or hopping around your home, take these steps quickly today so you can stop the problem in its tracks before it takes over your household.
Call in the professionals. Once you’ve treated your pets for fleas, you could still get locked into an ongoing problem if the house isn’t properly cleaned out. It can be a real hassle to thoroughly wash, vacuum, and clean every inch of your home to make sure not a single egg remains, so calling in experts like Australian Pest Specialists can be a great way to speed up the process. They’ll inspect your home and do an expert, thorough treatment to ensure that your pets and your home aren’t bothered by these itchy critters any longer.
Watch out for the symptoms. Even if you’ve treated your pets and home for fleas in the past, it’s important to be aware of the signs that they may have returned. This is especially key if you’re a new pet owner and you’ve never dealt with fleas before. Keep an eye on your pets – if you see them scratching away on a regular basis or acting irritated by a particular spot (especially around the ear and neck area) then fleas could be bothering them.
Treat small animals with a nit comb. If you have small kittens or puppies then traditional flea treatments may be too harsh for their delicate bodies. Use a nit comb to comb through your pet’s fur and be prepared to kill any fleas that you find. Mix dish washing liquid into warm water and rinse the comb in the bowl of water every time you grab a flea with the comb. Start with your pet’s head and work your way through their body for as long as they’ll allow it. Some animals even find the process soothing, so it may not be as tough as you expect – and it certainly won’t be as difficult as attempting to give a cat a flea shampoo bath!
Apply medications. Flea medications like Front Line and Spot On will kill the live fleas on your pet’s body, but the gel must be applied to a spot where your pet can’t reach it and lick it away. The back of the neck usually works best. Reapply the treatment on a schedule according to the directions and make sure you get all of the contents of the tube onto the animal’s skin.
Clean your home thoroughly. Even when you’ve treated your pet for fleas, there will be other live fleas, as well as their eggs, larvae, and pupae, living around your home. Getting rid of them will involve plenty of vacuuming, especially around your rugs, carpets, and the corners of your home. You’ll need to tackle every area of your home where your pet hangs out, so this will probably include a hot wash of all of your bedding and pillowcases, as well as washing and vacuuming the covers of your sofas and chairs.