I have 5 dogs in my house as well as 5 children. I have a flea problem. My question is: how to I kill the fleas, eggs, whatever that are on all the piles of clothes in my kids room. They leave all their clothes on the floor and I'm sure they are loaded with fleas, because they are everywhere else. Also what do I do with their stuffed animals?
I am about to go crazy. I have a very large house also (3600 sq. ft. 2 floors) so bombing and spraying is very expensive, and I'm not sure it is working. At the moment, I am sitting with a towel on my head with Dawn detergent rubbed into my head and hair. Please help.
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The important thing to remember is when treating one animal for fleas to treat all of them. What I do is I get the largest Advantage for dogs. Most vets will sell a tube singley for around $17. Then I pore it into a medicine bottle and then extract it with a needless syringe. I put three drops on the bigger dogs and two on the medium and one on the smaller dogs. Cats also need to be done.
Do all of them at once. The fleas in the house should die too along with the fleas on the critters. The fleas are usually dead within an hour. I found out this trick from an ebay seller. I can use one tube to do all 7 of my dogs and 5 cats. I treat them every month and a half the same way every time. I never see fleas at all. Before I started doing it this way I had a horrible flea problem. They were eating me too..LOL. Good luck!
Do you mean use the strongest medicine for dogs as in the largest dog dose?
Been using advantage it not working
Where do you buy this flea meds for all your animals
I have 6 cats and my roommate has 2 small dogs all of them are treated with the drops she uses advantage I just went back to Frontline but even that's not working I just gave 1 of my cats a bath he has Frontline plus but he was infested with fleas and so are all the rest of them I spending hundreds on flea products nothing is working...please someone help fleas are even in my house
Dawn dish soap gets rid of fleas with a spray bottle and some water mix like a pot to do dishes garden sprayer for large areas and its safe for ducks its safe to kill fleas fast
Doesn't work.
Rule of thumb, flea eggs hatch every two weeks. Vacuum every day, empty the bag,container every time you vacuum, do not wash dogs with flea shampoo, or a shampoo with detergent - use a non detergent shampoo, so when you put a flea application on your dog, it doesn't wash off. Also, something to remember - Advantage can be used on your dog/dogs every week until infestation has been killed, or frontline every two weeks.
I beat an infestation of fleas in Florida with Borax. I used a jar with nail holes in the lid to sprinkle it. It sifts through the carpets and some of it stays, even after vacuuming, where it will kill the emerging fleas. It does not harm kids or pets, and as a bonus it's a good deodorizer. Use it every night after the kids are in bed, and vacuum in the morning. (If you have five kids, some of them must be old enough to help with this.) You can add bay leaves and whole cloves to the mix to add a nice scent, if you like.
You may want to treat the outside of your house with a chemical spray. But all of this is useless if you can't get them off your pets; you have to tackle all of it at once. The vets have a preparation called Capstan which will instantly kill all fleas on an animal; it is not a preventive but may work just to get you started on the problem. You really need your vet's advice on the best way to proceed; once you have a plan, if it's cheaper to buy the products at the store go for it! Also, be absolutely certain that you do not use a dog flea preparation on a cat; it can and will kill the cat.
Side note: I, personally, have never heard of fleas living on someone's head. Fleas bite and jump off. Are you sure they are not headlice?
I no longer have pets outside just fleas
When one of my children was younger,the school nurse thought the child had lice but called back and said it was a flea,so they can go in human hair.
I just have to say o have a 27 year old daughter and when she was 1 and a half we had fleas so bad in our backyard and my daughters head was infested with fleas we thought they were head lice and took her to the doctor to have her checked out because she had never been exposed to any other children and my husband and my self didn't have head lice and the doctor ensured me my daughter did not have head lice and it was intact fleas. I mean you could part her hair anywhere and when her beautiful almost platinum blonde hair would move her scalp was almost black. The doctor gave me the head lice treatment to try and see if it would work and we tried it and it got rid of them but we had to bomb the house steamclean the carpets and have the exterminators come spray down my back yard. But I have seen fleas live on a human.
I just have to say o have a 27 year old daughter and when she was 1 and a half we had fleas so bad in our backyard and my daughters head was infested with fleas we thought they were head lice and took her to the doctor to have her checked out because she had never been exposed to any other children and my husband and my self didn't have head lice and the doctor ensured me my daughter did not have head lice and it was intact fleas. I mean you could part her hair anywhere and when her beautiful almost platinum blonde hair would move her scalp was almost black. The doctor gave me the head lice treatment to try and see if it would work and we tried it and it got rid of them but we had to bomb the house steamclean the carpets and have the exterminators come spray down my back yard. But I have seen fleas live on a human.
About 2 cups of dry 20 mule team Borax for average size carpeted room. Sift over carpet. Leave for 2 weeks to get larvae eggs and adults. only then can you vacuum. You will not have fleas in your house for over a year.
Wow, you're in for a big job! I recently moved to a new apartment that's only about 700 square ft and it turned out the tenants before me had an indoor outdoor cat and sadly the landlords didn't spray after they left. Within six weeks I was totally infested and my poor eight year old indoor cat who had never had fleas was going crazy!
While waiting for pest control to come spray (a week) I used Frontline on her. That helped her a lot but fleas were everywhere. Anyway, night before the spraying a neighbor came and helped me give her a good bath (dish soap only) and whisked her away to his apartment for the night. Then I shook out all area rugs and bedding, thoroughly dusted from top to bottom, then vacuumed everything including under cushions (leaving them in a standing up position), all the floor boards even in the bathroom and kitchen. Placed all dirty laundry in a large plastic bag. Went to bed.
Next morning, just to be safe, placed all loose food on the counters into the fridge or empty dishwasher, lifted up the bed skirt, opened all closet doors and linen cabinets, made sure all windows were closed, placed the area rugs back down and waited. When he got here I let him know I was worried about areas where I am not physically able to move them for vacuuming. He slightly moved them out so I could push them back. He ended up spraying under the bed, closet floors, behind the large furniture and under the cushions, along all carpet and linoleum edges and, of course the carpeting. He also sprayed around my patio and entryway. Had to stay away for four hours and then air out well for an hour.
Anyway, a couple rogue fleas got on Rachel when I brought her back home and more eggs dropped for a couple of days but by the third day no more fleas and no more flea eggs! (It sometimes takes up to three days for the fleas to die)
As large as your house is and for the amount of pets you have you need volunteers to help, and I hope you spend the money for a pest company because they are the only ones who can get their hands on the safe for you and your pets chemicals that will do the job first time out. It kills not only the fleas but also the eggs, pupae and larvae.
And, for a little wink and a smile, tell your kids they're helping and that they no longer can leave dirty clothes in piles on the floor ;-)
Good Luck!
There are so many good answers here, but it boils down to: Don't allow pets outside (even cats).
If they have to go potty, make sure your yard and your neighbor's is sprayed for fleas at least 2 times a year (3 is better). If you spray your own, it costs about $10. You can get it at Home Depot or Lowe's for. When doing yours, do your neighbor's, too. Fleas jump about 15 feet or more and can come in via other people. If your friends have fleas, you will. They can come in on clothes and shoes. You can't be lazy about fleas The first scratch by a pet, you'd better be digging in to find it. Period.
5 kids? You are busy. Now, 5 pets and hundreds of thousands of fleas added to the mix and you are really busy! You have to do what is said here, and you have to do it all in one day. Within a few hours you have to have a "team" of people to help you and get it done. If you don't do it all at once, within a few hours, you will never cure your problem. Just like some others said here.
Take the pets to a groomer. Better yet to a veterinary clinic. They will need to be checked for worms too, which means the kids can catch worms, too. Let them know the problem before you get there. Ask them to keep the pets for the day, and groom and de-flea. Flea infestations cause worms in pets and humans. I didn't say this was going to be cheap! If you want cheap, then ask friends to help you. Take the pets to their homes, and have them bathe and groom with groomer recommended flea products. If it is that bad they probably need a real groomer and nails clipped, etc.
Do the yard first, on a day it isn't raining or snowing. 8 hours later you can water the lawn, and wash it into the ground. It will help kill fleas there. In 10 days you should do the lawns again, because flea eggs hatch! New fleas may also appear, so kill them. Then bug bomb the house, garage, and porches.
Be careful of plants and fish tanks (turn the pumps off and cover fish tanks completely). Take birds outside, or put them in the garage. And do the garage last after things have been moved inside. Take all clothes with you to the laundromat, after spraying lawn and starting bug bombs inside. Don't skimp, buy enough bug bombs!
Know when you return to air the house out that you will need a team to help you clean up. You will be washing dishes, cleaning floors, washing down bathrooms, tile, tub, and sinks. You also may have to clean windows, as it will probably film them up a little.
Carpet; hopefully it can be saved. And hopefully the bug bombs will save your carpets, too. If not, you will be replacing them. Maybe get tile? Then you can be lazy about it somewhat. And get some of the stuff you sprinkle on carpets for fleas. Just sprinkle some and sweep it up.
Know that you will be sweeping under furniture, behind fridge and stoves, move everything. Beds need to be cleaned under, linens will have to be changed, and you may want to even take down curtains and laundry those after you air out the house. Fleas lay eggs everywhere!
You should change your furnace filter after bug bombing. Do not turn on furnace or a/c until you change the filter first. Fleas go everywhere and they may have gotten into the filters too. Oh and by the way, turn off a/c and furnace before you bug bomb.
Have your team clean all toys and put them away, wash all stuffed animals that can be washed and throw the rest away. Turn all electronics off and pull the plugs. Cover them with a sheet or you may regret it.
When washing laundry you may try the borax laundry soap, too. It won't hurt.
Since you have a huge flea problem, 5 kids, and lots of pets, I usually discourage the use of Front Line for any pets but, I think you need it. I do not like to use any topical treatments on my pets. I never have and never will.
But emergencies are different, and you have an emergency. So I would get it, and after they are groomed have the groomer or vet put it on them before you take them home.
Tables and cooking surfaces must be cleaned really well. You will need to take out silverware, cookware, etc. and clean it all again. Good time to clean cupboards and put down new paper, etc.
Now, know that in 10 days you are going to need to do all of the above again. Pets can go to someone to be groomed, so stay there again until the house is ready to come back to.
Oh, and on pets, make sure their beds are in the washer. Use hot water and run through the wash 2 times, then dry. You will want to buy a bug spray to use on the pet beds. Check out the pet stores for that, or ask Vets or groomers.
Combs, brushes, etc. all should be cleaned up of all hair, and if possible put them in the dishwasher and run it. It will disinfect them, and hot water kill anything on them.
Also, ask the Vet what they would recommend for a de-wormer for all pets. They may give it to them while they are there. Usually you give a dose and then follow up in 3 wks.
Good luck. I am itching just thinking about fleas! Thank Goodness I keep on top of it.
PS. The picture of the dogs I put on here have never had fleas. The chihuahua is 13 yrs old! Tiki, Skeeter (Cavalier), and Fancee are rescue dogs.
I do the yard 3-4 times a yr. and never do I use Front Line. If I do the yard, I don't have to use a flea preventive on the dogs. I use dog baby shampoo on the dogs 2 times a month for grooming. That's it!
Living in FL, I bug bomb my house in spring and fall, just because of creepy crawly bugs anyway.
What do you use to do the yard, or do you have a pest control service come out?
Vacuum all the time and put a flea collar in your vacuum. Also when you wash your hair, use dawn and leave it on about 10 minutes then use a conditioner after you rinse your hair. Use a flea comb to get them out of your hair.
Now sprinkle salt and baking soda all over everywhere and let it sit. Some people use borax. I like the salt it is safer and the baking soda freshens the carpet. I have put them under the fitted sheet on the bed, under covers on the couch, all on the floor. I use frontline spray on the dogs, and then I would do what the last poster says for the cats. I would not use dog topical flea treatment on the cats, it could kill them, but it is such a good idea for the dogs though! Go to earthclinic.com for flea control ideas, but don't do some of their radical treatments like peroxide inhaling.
First I would buy two cans of KnockOut. It kills the flea larva as well as the fleas. The flea larva will start crawling and looking for places to hide and pupate. The KnockOut is a bit pricey, but works wonders. (Once you have a handle on this, use the knockout lightly for preventative measures.)
Remove the kids and animals then spray the infested areas. Wait at least an hour then shake the clothes out (lightly) and start doing laundry. If there is "blood spots" on the clothing from the animals licking at the fleas, treat the fabric with a spray bottle filled with peroxide to get the blood out before laundering. (Peroxide is a staple in my house for blood removal during menstrual cycles!)
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Dispose of the bags in tightly sealed plastic shopping bags and put in the outside trash. (A shot of KnockOut in the can wouldn't hurt.)
I buy the big pump bottles of FrontLine at Economy Price to treat the animals. Use 1 - 2 pumps per pound of body weight, depending on the thickness of hair. If you can ruffle the hair backwards as you spray, it helps get deep to the fleas. Do not get it in their eyes or on their genitals. It will spread out on it's own in time. Be sure to wear plastic gloves.
Also if they have been infested with fleas, you will need to purchase tape-worm medicine! Your vet will tell you the dosage of the pills. I would also recommend asking the vet for an economy size liquid medicine that will treat three other kinds of worms.
Hope this helps! Been there, done that! Preventative treatment from now on in my house. And I use an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of who got what meds. I care for a lot of homeless animals. This helps me a lot.
16. Walk through a room wearing white socks to detect fleas. Dark fleas jumping on the white background are easily seen.
17. Use banana peels to repel fleas.
18. Feed yeast to dogs to repel fleas.
19. Fleas hate Stash Earl Grey. Tear open a few bags, scatter the tea about on your carpet and vacuum up in a few days.
20. For flea control, add a little vinegar to your pet's drinking water to fight fleas and mange.
21. For flea control add ½ teaspoon to the wash water or a few drops to the pet's shampoo.
22. Suspend a light bulb over a pan of oil or soapy water to attract and drown fleas during the night.
I have tried all the suggestions listed, nothing worked. My groomer told me about Adams Spray at Wal-Mart. You can spray dogs, kids, cats, clothes, and it worked! Repeat every few days though.
Plain old rubbing alcohol. Spray everything. It kills on contact.
You need to (1) get some Capstar for all your animals which will remove all of the fleas right away. Then toss out all the stuffed animals which they are probably living in. (2) Treat your yard, every inch, and spray your house (I use Raid Flea Spray and keep it on hand). (3) Treat your animals again with something from the vet like Comfortis, Advantix, etc. (4) Your kids MUST not leave clothes all over the floor. You are creating too much habitat for the fleas.
I have 3 dogs and a cat and I live in FL where fleas are a real problem. I bathe my animals with Neem shampoo and I treat them with a topical or an oral treatment. I also have the yard treated and I wash their beds when they get their bath. A good suggestion for you would be to get your pets Kuranda beds which have legs to stand a few inches off the ground and can be hosed off. They come in various sizes and they are good quality and reasonably priced.
After the first time, it shouldn't be so hard every month, but keep the clothes off the floor and try to get the kids to help. Good luck~
I agree with the suggestions to sprinkle Borax on the rugs. It is a close relative to boric acid, which is deadly to insects, but about as toxic to humans as aspirin. Keep in mindthough, that if you have babies crawling on your rugs, this would not be a good idea. Pets will also get this on their feet and lick it off.
Common sense will go a long way toward keeping everyone in the house safe. I would suggest using boric acid instead of Borax, which is available online at guardianofeden.com. I bought 6lb for about $25 which included shipping. Their packaging goes up to 50lb. Wearing a particle respirator when spreading the stuff on your carpet and when vacuuming is a must. Use high filtration vacuum bags, and discard immediately while still wearing the respirator. It is possible to poison oneself and loved ones with this stuff, so use some common sense. Good luck!
You also say spraying and bombing is expensive. lol
Yeah well let me know about Dr bills for kids getting worms from pets who ingested fleas! lol What about pets with worms? What about being ashamed of people not wanting to walk in your home, because they get attacked by fleas?
I can buy a 3 pack of bug/flea bomb at $1 store or Dollar general for about $5. Even on 4000 sq ft home. You would probably only spend $15 - $20 on bug bomb. Doing twice would cost tops $40. Losing your friends, paying for vet bills and doctor bills and grooming, costs how much?
Yeah, cheaper to bug bomb 3-4 times a year isn't it? Do the lawn too. That can be done for about $30 - $40 a year too.. tops.
By the way, you may want to pare down on pets. 5 kids are enough to care for. But that is none of my business, just thinking of your sanity and ease of cleaning and keeping up.
RE: Nothing Is Working To Get Rid Of The Fleas By chrissym15 (15) Profile Contact
I have tried all the suggestions listed, nothing worked. My groomer told me about Adams Spray at Wal-Mart. You can spray dogs, kids, cats, clothes, and it worked! Repeat every few days though.
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Remember any chemical you use is not the best thing in the world for a pet or human. That is why I do not like using front line or anything else I dab on a pet to keep away flea's. Adam's is good, but it is harsh.
Anything anyone uses on a pet, and the pet scratches and digs at their skin. They are telling you it is harsh, and their skin hurts! Bath them right away, and don't use a human soap or another hard bug awy, type item. Get some baby puppy or cat shampoo, no tear etc. and bath them in that.
People you have to think. Do you want all those chemicals on pets and you if it is toxic? And it is toxic if it can kill flea's! A quick fix if you had to take a pet out on a walk, or to a pet park is a spray.
Then take them home and bath them in a baby or pet shampoo.
Do not use human soap or rinses on pets. They have a different PH value and needs.
Eucalyptus oil is poisonous to cats - do not use as a spray or otherwise around them.
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