Once you have treated your cat for fleas, the next step is to
control the fleas in your home.
Two impressive tools to help you ...
are hot, soapy water and a vacuum cleaner.
If it's time to reclaim your home, you can make a pretty good
dent in the flea population with regular washing and vacuuming.
Pay special attention to your pet's sleeping areas.
Fleas have four personalities ... eggs, larvae, pupae and
adults.
Adults only account for five percent of the flea population.
The remaining 95 percent are lying hidden in
such places as bedding, sofas or cracks in tiling.
Unleash
your vacuum cleaner and thoroughly vacuum your home -
floors, carpets, furniture and cushions, mattresses, baseboards,
under furniture ... at least weekly. Use an attachment for crevices
and hard to reach areas.
Larvae position themselves at the base of the carpet
where they can avoid light and are somewhat protected. These creepy
creatures might be hard to remove by vacuuming, but you will remove
their food source (dead skin, bits of food, flea dirt).
When done, dispose of swept up dirt and the vacuum bag
immediately. Make sure the vacuum bag or garbage bag is
sealed up and remove it all from the inside of your home.
Clean your bare floors often with very hot, soapy
water.
Wash your cat's bedding, or any blankets or bedding that
have come in contact with your cat. Gather them up carefully.
Flea eggs are designed to slide off your cat, onto the floor,
and could just as easily slide off blankets before they make it
to the washing machine.
Hot soapy water should remove the attached flea population (swimming
lessons). Use the hottest temperature on your dryer.
Washing and vacuuming should be done at least weekly, much more
often if you have a heavy flea infestation. Persistence pays off.
Does Borax kill fleas? Is it safe?
I have survived two flea infestations in two homes. Not wanting
to use traditional pesticides, I used Borax to eliminate the
fleas. Borax acts as a desiccant and basically dries
the fleas up.
I vacuumed the wall-to-wall carpets first. Wearing a mask,
I then used a plastic container, with holes punched in the top,
and generously sprinkled borax over carpets and rubbed it in
well with a gloved hand ... so the borax was pretty well sitting
on the nap of the carpet, not the top. I worked with sections
about a meter square. I didn't vacuum for several days. Not
all the Borax was vacuumed up, some remained in the carpet.
About two weeks later, the fleas just disappeared and
never returned. A lot of work? Yes. Did I need to use
any other flea control products to treat the inside of the homes?
No.
This was a few years back. Currently, there is disagreement
on whether or not Borax is safe to use as a flea control
product. Some authorities claim Borax is about as toxic as table
salt and others say it is dangerous and certainly should not
be used around children or pets who might ingest it or inhale
the dust.
Given there are concerns for the safety of people and pets,
we recommend you get the advice of both your veterinarian
and doctor before using Borax to control the fleas
in your home.
