How to Get Rid of Fleas When Your Home is Infested

Prevention is the Key to keeping your pet and home infestation free. However, sometimes it happens before you realize it and you end up with a serious infestation on your hands. I had an indoor cat for years without any fleas until a stray cat started visiting our storm door. They must have crawled through the underside of the door. Before I realized it, our cat and our home was infested. Nothing seemed to work, it was that extreme.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• flea foggers
• flea medication/"Advantage"
• other flea medication from your vet
• washing machine/drier

1. Once you have tried the average steps to rid your home of fleas and these steps do not work you will have to take extreme measures. This is just short of calling an exterminator. Keep that in mind as a reserve if all other measures fail.
   The first step is to buy flea foggers. I advise not to buy the pet brands because I used those and they do not seem to work as well. Get a stronger brand and make sure that it not only kills fleas but their eggs as well. Follow the instructions precisely to prepare your home for fogging.
2. Right before you are able to set off the foggers you will need to treat your cat or dog. You can purchase a one time medication from your vet that will instantly kill all of the fleas that are on your pet. I do not remember the name but your vet will be able to assist you. Also buy a good pet flea prevention pill such as Advantage. I use advantage because I tried the other and it did not work as well. Just before you are able to fog give your pet both of these pills. *Be sure to consult your vet before giving any medication to your pet! Take your pet outside and then set off the foggers, immediately evacuating as per fogger instructions.
3. Go to a location where you can wait the appropriate amount of time for the foggers to work. During this time with the immediate pill you will see fleas trying to evacuate your pet. They might actually be on the ends of your cat's hair at this time. That is fine because they are dead and dying. You can comb through these and discard. Follow the fogger instructions for when to return to air out your house and the amount of time to wait after that.
4. By now the fleas on your pet are dead and the fleas in your home should be dead. After waiting the appropriate time you can return to your house and clean up the prep material from the foggers. Immediately wash all towels, animal bedding material, sheets and comforters of your own. After following these instructions, your pet and your home should now be pet free. If you still see fleas you might want to try these steps again or consult an exterminator.

Tips & Warnings

• These steps are not for finding just a few fleas on your pet. This is for complete home infestations where lesser steps do not work.
• Fleas carry diseases. Take precautionary steps in the future and have your pet checked after an infestation like this.
• Consult a vet before giving your pet ANY medications!
• Foggers should be used with extreme caution. Follow all instructions on fogger containers exactly for your safety!