How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your House

Did you know that only 5% of the population of a flea infestation are adult fleas? The immature stages of a flea, including eggs and larvae, make up the rest, allowing these pesky little parasites to invade your home and increasing your pet’s chances of re-infestation. 

That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to get rid of fleas in your house, effectively breaking the flea life cycle.

You may think the simple solution to getting rid of fleas inside is to remove their food source, but this would only be effective on adult fleas. Flea pupae (cocoons) can lay dormant in carpets, pet beds and other parts of your home for well over a year until the conditions are just right for them to emerge, kicking off a fresh infestation. 

All it takes to awaken flea pupae is the presence of a food source, which they can sense by the vibrations of your pet moving around, as well as their body heat.

Flea pupae are also much harder to get rid of, as the sticky outer coating makes it more difficult to vacuum them out, and the hard outer shell can be resistant to some flea-killing chemicals. 

To properly treat a flea infestation, you need to ensure you tackle every aspect of the flea life cycle, including eggs, pupae, and adult fleas. To get rid of fleas fast, follow these simple steps:

The first step to stopping a flea infestation is to treat your pet with an effective flea treatment. Not only will this kill the adult fleas and give your pet relief from itching, but the active ingredient in these treatments will also work on eggs and larvae, preventing them from developing to the next life stage. 

To ensure you’re fighting the infestation, you need to remove any chances of fleas reemerging in your home. By vacuuming your home more frequently, you can suck up as many eggs and larvae as possible, getting them out of your house and away from your pet. 

Make sure you’re vacuuming at least once daily and only empty your hoover in the outside bin, preventing any live fleas from returning inside.

Fleas, eggs and larvae will often drop off your pet as they move, allowing them to burrow into your home. These places include carpets, pet beds, sofa covers and more. Washing as much of these things at a temperature of 60° or higher will kill eggs, larvae and pupae, then flush them right down the drain. 

You can never be too thorough with this step, you want to make sure you’re targeting anywhere your dog has slept to ensure you’re killing as much of the flea population as possible. 

Once you’ve tackled the adult fleas, eggs and larvae, it’s time to handle the pupae hiding in your home. As we’ve mentioned, these sticky little critters are much harder to manage, thanks to the added protection of their cocoon. 

The best way to eradicate flea pupae is to use a flea spray for the home, such as the Indorex® Defence Household Flea Spray. These sprays will encourage the flea pupae to emerge as adult fleas, which are then killed off by the chemicals in the spray, providing effective and long-lasting protection against fleas. 

Each flea spray you buy will come with its own instructions for use on the packaging, but here’s a quick run-down of the general way to use a household flea spray:

1. Remove your pets from the area you’re treating
2. Close all doors and windows in the area you’re treating
3. Shake the can and remove the lid
4. Use the product as per the manufacturer's instructions
5. Leave the room with doors and windows closed to allow the product to dry (30-60 minutes)
6. Re-enter the room and open all windows and doors to ventilate the area (60 minutes or more if you can)
7. Vacuum the area thoroughly for 7 consecutive days to ensure pupae emerge and are killed by the product 

Remember, each product will have its specifications and warnings, so always read the label before applying any pesticide products to your home. 

We hope this guide gives you the information you need to fight that flea infestation finally, but if you’d like more information on the flea life cycle and how to break it, check out our blog on Getting Rid of Fleas. 

You can also browse our range of flea treatments below to find some of the best flea sprays for the home and flea treatments for cats and dogs, so you can look forward to a flea-free future. 

This post is an opinion and should only be used as a guide. You should discuss any change to your pet’s care or lifestyle thoroughly with your vet before starting any program or treatment.