How Do You Clean Your House After A Flea Bomb?

This is where flea bombs come in. Flea bombs kill fleas on contact.

Most pet owners try flea bombs to save their dogs or cats. It is a popular way to end the suffering of pets; from flea attacks, that is. It is easy to use as long as you follow the directions found on the label.

If you have flea infestation problems, before you call your local Salisbury, NC pest control experts, you may want to try this pest control method first. If you are still unfamiliar with its use, don’t worry because we have got you covered.

But first, let us talk about the very insects that we want to destroy with it: fleas.

What Are Fleas?

Fleas are small insects that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. There are around 2,500 identified species of fleas and they are found all over the world. While they are flightless because they do not have wings, they can jump up to four feet because of their strong legs.

They come in reddish-brown color and their bodies are flattened sideways. This enables them to navigate through the furry bodies of their hosts. They have long claws that make them latch on to the skin of their hosts. They transfer from one host to another by jumping. They have piercing mouth parts that allow them to feed.

Fleas have 4 stages in their lifecycle: egg, pupa, larva, and adult. The whole lifecycle takes 3 to 4 weeks. The thing with fleas is most of the pests that bother your pets at home are eggs, larvae, or pupae. Adult fleas account for only 5% of flea infestation at home.

Their eggs are smooth, oval in shape, and pearl-white in color. It is about .5 mm long. These eggs are deposited by the adult on the coat of your pet. Shaking, scratching, and any type of movement is enough to dislodge the eggs and fall off to carpets, mattresses, and furniture. Eggs turn into larvae after 1 to 6 days.

Larvae are the next stage after the egg stage. These are like maggots that are 2 mm long, pale and see-through in appearance. They grow darker in appearance and can reach up to 5 mm in length when fully developed.

After 5 to 11 days, larvae turn into pupae. Pupae can survive 6 months up to a year without being disturbed, emerging only when they sense a host. However, it would take only 8 to 12 days to develop from pupae to adult.

Once they turn to adults, they can already reproduce 24 hours after having their first blood meal.

How Do You Know If You Have Fleas?

Fleas are the size of a pinhead so it may be difficult to see them directly. There are signs however, that can tell us if we have fleas in our house.

Check your dog’s fur for flea feces. Flea feces look like ground black pepper. To check, get a paper towel to pick these off. If these specks of dirt spread out like blood stains after a few minutes, then you have a problem.

An increase in intense scratching and licking by your pet might mean he has fleas. Search for fleas in his underbelly, inner thighs, armpits, tails, and ears.

Aside from being all over your pet’s body, fleas may also be hiding in carpets, couches, pet beddings, and wherever your pet loves to stay.  

Disease Brought By Fleas

Even though they are just the size of a pinhead, they really pack a punch when it comes to transmitting diseases. Some of the diseases they are known to spread are the plague, tularemia, and murine typhus.  

1. Plague - Plague is a fatal illness wherein the patients develop fever, chills, weakness, headache, and swollen lymph nodes. This disease is caused by a bite from an infected flea. The bacteria can spread into the other parts of the body if not treated with the right antibiotics. It once wiped out more than half of Europe’s population during the Middle Ages. Fortunately, it is not as deadly today as it was then and is very treatable.

2. Tularemia - This is an illness that is transferred to humans via flea or tick bites. Fleas get infected by feeding on rodents’ blood, which they transmit to humans through biting them.

3. Murine typhus - This is a disease that is caused by the bacteria Rickettsia typhi and spread to humans through the bites of infected fleas. Symptoms include high fever, loss of appetite, stomach pain, vomiting, muscle aches, and body pain. Severe illnesses are rare though and most people heal completely even without treatment sometimes.   

What Is A Flea Bomb?

Flea bombs or flea foggers are pest control products used by homeowners to get rid of fleas at home. By pressing a button on an aerosol can, it lets out a mist of pesticides in a home or any enclosed areas. It is designed to work by itself for a period of time while the mist is in the air.

Is it effective?

It depends on many factors, like the size of the enclosed space. The bigger the area, the less likely it will hit all affected areas. Preparation is also important. The user must prevent the mist from leaking out of the enclosed area by shutting all doors and windows. Gaps under doors must also be closed by towels or blankets.

Flea bombs are not safe for humans and pets. Before treatment, ensure that everyone is out of the house.  

How To Flea Bomb Safely

Here are some tips on how to use flea bombs safely.

1. Keep flea bombs away from ignition sources like flames, power outlets, and electrical appliances.

2. Inform all family members and your neighbors that you will use a flea bomb. Evacuate everyone, including your pets.

3. Put warning signs on all your doors. You would not want anyone accidentally coming in your house while a flea bomb is releasing its pesticides in the air.  

4. When it is safe to go back inside, air out the room by opening all doors and windows. This will ventilate any remaining fumes. Give it at least 30 minutes.  

How To Clean After A Flea Bomb

After a flea bomb, cleaning the house is very important. Here is what you should do.

1. Vacuum the entire area and use gloves while doing so. Vacuum carpets, doormats, furniture, and curtains as chemical residues seat tightly on these. Do this every day for at least 10 days after vacuuming.

2. Using a good floor cleaner, mop the whole area. 

3. Remove beddings, curtains, blankets, pillows, and even stuffed toys and wash them. Wash and dry beddings according to their instructions.  

4. Clean countertops in the kitchen and bathroom areas with your regular cleanser to remove any pesticides that settled on it during flea bombing.  

5. Pay attention to your pet’s food bowl too. Wash it thoroughly with mild soap and warm water. After washing, dry it with a towel. This is to ensure that your pet would not be able to ingest poison residue.

6. If any food was left exposed during the flea bomb, throw it away. Eating it could be dangerous, even if it is inside its box.

7. Wash toys in a basin with mild soap and water. Rinse them and dry them. Children tend to put their toys in their mouths after picking them up from the ground. 

The thing with flea bombs is that it is not for solving heavy flea infestation. It will only take care of the fleas that are exposed to it and are not hiding. This stuff is also highly toxic to humans and pets.

If you have flea infestation problems that you would want to be solved, then there is a better alternative: Go-Forth Pest Control.

Go-Forth Pest Control Can Solve The Flea Problem

Your flea infestation problem will give you more problems than you could ever hope for. Their bites are extremely itchy and can even transmit deadly diseases. Go-Forth Pest Control will work with you to help you get rid of them in your home.

Go-Forth Pest Control is a family-owned commercial service solutions provider of modern pest control services and techniques, using the latest and most advanced technology in the business, making our service to you more efficient, safer, and more convenient. We have a team of expert professionals who can provide the best pest control services to residents and business establishments all throughout North and South Carolina.