Getting rid of fleas | CDC (2024)

FAQs

Getting rid of fleas | CDC? ›

Thoroughly clean areas where fleas frequently breed. This includes washing bedding, rugs, and pet bedding, and thoroughly vacuuming and sweeping floors and carpeted areas and along the edges of walls. Pet treatment. Every pet in the home must be treated.

Choose an insecticide that contains both an adulticide (kills adult fleas), such as permethrin, and an insect growth regulator (kills the eggs, larvae, and pupae), such as methoprene or pyriproxyfen. People and pets shouldn't come into contact with an insecticide or chemical treatment until it has dried.

After tending to the fleas on your pet, it's time to get rid of the infestation in your home. In most cases, it takes three to four months to completely get rid of a flea infestation since it takes fleas this long to go through their life stages, according to the American Kennel Club.

Thoroughly bathe pets with soap and water, then comb them with a flea comb. Pay careful attention to face and neck regions, and the area in front of the tail. Soap will act as a gentle insecticide to kill adult fleas. Talk to your veterinarian about choosing the right flea control product for your pet.

Clean bedding regularly and vacuum furniture, floors and skirting boards to help destroy fleas at each stage of their lifecycle. Throw away the dust bag from your vacuum after each use to prevent any flea eggs and larvae from developing.

Many different products are available for home flea treatment. The most effective ones contain ingredients such as permethrin, imidacloprid, or dinotefuran that are lethal to the biting adult stage, and an “insect growth regulator” (e.g., methoprene, pyriproxyfen) that halts development of flea eggs and larvae.

DIY natural flea repellent for animals: equal parts apple cider vinegar and water, 15 drops essential oil of your choice (eucalyptus, lavender, lemongrass, etc.), one drop castille soap.

The closest pet owners can get to immediate flea relief is by treating their pets with Nitenpyram. Common brands of Nitenpyram include Capstar® and Bestguard® which can be purchased through a veterinarian, online, and over the counter.

Use bug spray on your skin.

Experts recommend using DEET, since it's very effective against most pests. Focus the bug spray on your feet and ankles, since that's where fleas like to bite the most.

Why is nothing getting rid of fleas? ›

Even if you do treat the environment but only use treatments on your pets intermittently, you won't be able to eradicate the fleas, as they will be able to feed and lay eggs, some of which will survive and go on to develop into a new generation of adults.

They are designed as indoor flea treatments by slowly releasing pesticides into the air. Due to their size, strength, and chemical composition, flea bombs are not considered long-term pest control and may not be able to combat true flea infestations, but they can have moderate short-term efficacy.

If you want ways to kill fleas naturally, salt and baking soda can dehydrate the fleas' bodies, killing them within a day or two. The bugs are also sensitive to high heat and soap, making steam cleaners, hot water and detergent, and hot cycles in the laundry extremely effective at killing them.

The most common product used to kill fleas on dogs instantly is Nitenpyram, more commonly known as Capstar. This single-use tablet is administered orally and kills fleas within 30 minutes. It is recommended that you contain your pet in a small area when using Capstar.

The fastest options for killing fleas with prescription medication are Comfortis or Trifexis, which also work as effective preventative medications. “Both products contain the active ingredient spinosad, which will begin killing fleas within 30 minutes of ingesting the tablet,” Dr. Burch told The Dodo.

For a quick kill, just shampoo the dog. Soap kills fleas. For this, I sometimes use Castile soap with coconut oil in it, just because I find Castile soap to be a bit harsh, the oil protects the skin from drying, and the soap really kills the fleas.