The Best Way to Get Rid of Fleas – From Your House, Pets, and Yard

Learning your house is infested with fleas can be unsettling. Discover the best way to get rid of fleas and keep them from coming back!

The first time you spot a flea on your dog, you may not think much of it. “It’s just one flea,” you think, and get rid of it.

The next thing you know, you are up to your ears in fleas! And that should come as no surprise; an adult flea can lay between 40-50 eggs in a single day. One female can lay up to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. It takes no time at all for one pregnant female flea to turn your house into a flea metropolis.

That is why the best way to get rid of fleas is to treat all three areas of your home: the interior of your house, your yard, and your dog.

Getting Rid of Fleas Inside Your House

Flea treatment for your house involves the following steps:

1. Start by vacuuming your entire house.

Pay special attention to areas that you usually miss, like the carpet behind your drapes. Pull up your dog’s bedding and vacuum underneath it.

Pay special attention to hallways and other high-traffic areas. Do this regularly until you are certain that you have won the battle against the fleas.

2. Each time you vacuum, pull out the vacuum bag.

Stow it inside a plastic bag and seal it up. Throw it away. If you leave it in your vacuum, the fleas you vacuumed up will get back out and start spreading again.

3. Purchase a spray, powder, or fogger for your carpet.

This will get rid of any fleas that are still inside your home.

4. Wash your dog’s bedding and crate or carrier.

This is very important. There are probably a ton of fleas lurking inside each of these.

5. Clean your automobile thoroughly.

If your dog has been in your car at all, odds are there are fleas breeding like crazy in there too.

Get Rid of Fleas in Your Yard

What is the best way to kill fleas in the yard? There are a few steps you should take.

1. If you have overgrown grass, trim it back. Long grass is the perfect habitat for fleas.

2. Fleas also love living in compost heaps or hiding under felled tree branches or grass clippings. These also need to be removed from your yard. Simply moving them away from your house isn’t enough. If your dog gets into them, he will bring the fleas straight back inside.

3. Purchase a lawn treatment that kills fleas and treat your yard with it (make sure you buy something which will not harm other critters). Do this every week or every other week as needed.

Get Rid of Fleas on Your Dog

Taking the steps above should ensure that most of the fleas in your house and yard are taken care of. Remember, if your dog is still carrying fleas, they will start reproducing and spreading again. So getting rid of your dog’s fleas is your last challenge!

You actually have a ton of different choices available when it comes to dealing with the fleas that are living on your dog. You can choose from any of the following products:

• Sprays. Just as there are sprays for your carpet and yard, there are also sprays you can use directly on your dog.

• Topical applications. You just need to apply these to one small patch on your dog’s back. These ointments are not as effective as some of the other products on this list, but they are at least very easy to use.

• Rinses and dips. Unlike the topical applications discussed above, these have to be applied to your entire dog. This can be time-consuming and tedious for both you and your dog, but it is a thorough approach. Keep rinses and tips away from your pet’s ears and eyes.

• Shampoos. Scrub anti-flea shampoo into your dog’s fur and leave it in for ten minutes. This is a great way to kill adult fleas. Of course, it can be tough to get your dog to sit there patiently in the tub covered in shampoo.

• Flea collars. There are collars you can purchase that will prevent fleas from latching on in the first place. Most of them will work for a while and then need replacement. Not all flea collars are appropriate for all dogs; some dogs find them irritating. If your dog tolerates a flea collar well, however, you will find it an effective preventative product.

• Flea combs. Manually removing fleas from your dog’s fur may not sound like a fun way to spend your time, but it is pretty effective since you will find a lot of fleas this way that you might miss using some of the other methods listed here. Plus, odds are your dog will actually enjoy the process. The fleas you remove should be thrown into a bucket of detergent.

• Oral products. You can purchase oral medications for flea infestations as well. These treatments work for around 24 hours and are great for killing fleas and preventing new infestations. They are generally far more effective than topical ointments.

Taking this three-pronged approach to flea control is necessary if you want to get the upper hand over these obnoxious little pests.

If you treat your house and skip your yard, your dog will just bring the fleas in from outside. If you treat your house and yard but not your dog, you will have a new infestation on your hands in no time.

Check out our home remedies to get rid of fleas if you prefer a more natural solution.

Getting rid of fleas can be a challenge, but taking the extra time and attention to be thorough will pay off.

• Apply flea treatments to your yard regularly in the future as an ongoing preventative.
• Invest in a flea collar for when you go on walks or let your dog run around in the yard.
• If your dog starts itching more often then normal, do a detailed inspection of his fur, concentrating around the ears or tail end.

In future years, you shouldn’t have nearly as much trouble keeping these pests out of your home!

Share This Pest Control Strategy!