Fleas! How to Get Rid of Them?

This will sound so strange, but my friends SWEAR by it, and it is free so give it a try. IF you know where the fleas are, take a bowl of warm very soapy water and put it on the floor, and when you go to bed and it is dark in the house, set one bright light directly shining on the water. (The light needs to be like a small table light- book light- or something. It needs to not be a lamp. Does that make sense? It has something to do with the heat of light right on the water and then they jump in the bowl and get sucked up by the bubbles- and die in the water. Again, it is worth a try, my two friends say that it worked wonders. Every morning- for about three mornings- they would have flees- and with regular vac. and cleaning, they were gone. Good luck.

Hi M.,
I also had this problem about a month ago. I have an indoor cat that's never been outside, yet I still got fleas bad. We bring them in from outdoors. I found borax to work for me but I used it everywhere ( hard floors and all). I also washed all my linin with it and used the frontline on my cat. I hope you get rid of them because I know how you feel. It's such a headache.

To prevent bites wash with selsun blue shampoo all over, they won't bite you, then call a holistic exterminator

Well Hello there! I know how much you hate the chemical thing and add in the end of pregnancy thing but Bombing is truly the most effective. Put one on the main level and one in the basement. start in the a.m and half way thru the day have one of our many family members go over and open up the house for a couple of hours then you can safely go in and do some cleanup. or a lot of clean up. vacuum everything then wipe all hard surfaces and launder all linens and wash all dishes. don't cover while bombing b/c the fleas will hide there. Seriously though you could do it all yourself but don't. ask for help, your sis won't be able to help much more than you, but I have a brother with a preteen that may be a potential help, and your mom is very competent. The "safer" thing all take more time to work than I would be willing to spend, the last thing you want to come home from the hosp to is a mess from that. It may still take days to work then you have to still clean up after. We had to bomb at g-pa's place on 3rd (both levels) when the big kids were little for fleas and the basement apt for roaches. I started it on the way out the door one morning, came by at noon to open it up between classes and then left the kids at the sitter till I had 2 rooms done then I brought them back and made them stay in those rooms till I finished another. I would also not worry with the basement clean up till you are back on your feet unless you are down there often with your young man. Good luck with you labor and delivery. and send love to your sis also. Am planning to see you guys before the holidays but after babies come. (If this happens to not be my cousin I am sorry)
love from Kate and all the kids.

I use on all of my pets is a toxic free shampoo. www.livetotalwellness.com/yourhome

I know this doesn't help you since you do not have a pet. However, the Advantage that is sold by veterinarians seems to work pretty effectively and fast for getting rid of fleas in homes with pets. It beats calling in an exterminator, spraying all over your house or doing flea baths (especially on cats). Since it is a drop of liquid that you put on a live host this wouldn't help you unless you could borrow the dog back. Our cats live inside but occassionally pick up fleas. Our vet says they can come in on your shoes. I am guessing yours came in with the dog.

Good luck

We had this same problem at this time last year. We do have a cat, but she is an indoor only cat and had never had fleas before. I tried a couple of sprays, and my daughter was crawling at the time and that was a big mistake. She broke out into a rash from it
AND it didn't work anyway. The main thing we did to keep them down was to vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. This greatly reduced the problem and they went away on their own in a few days. I had to vacuum two or three times a day. Even vacuuming the hardwood floors. Just be sure to take the vacuum canister or bad outside and dispose of it each time. Since my daughter's reaction to the spray, I was reluctant to use any chemicals in the house. Another product that I have heard works immediately and is safe to use around children is called Fleabusters. You can buy it online. We purchased some but by the time it was delivered, the fleas were basically gone so we kept it in case it happens again.
After this happened, I treated the lawn with for fleas and insects this past spring. You can buy it at Lowe's or Home Depot and it lasts for the entire season or up to a year. Since you can bring the fleas into your home on your pant legs and other items you bring in from outside, it is a good idea. We have had no problem with fleas this year since I treated.
They are very frustrating bugs and very had to get rid of. I feel you frustration! Just be persistent and they will go away! Good luck!

Just thought I would add a side note, besure to treat all furniture, bedding and clothing.

This is a have to do!!! It is non-toxic, safe for all of you and the fastest way to get rid of fleas!!! When I was growing up we had a bad flea problem and with inside/outside dogs this made the problem harder to fight. After trying everything on the market with nothing working we were told to try Eucalyptus Leaves/Oil. We used eucalyptus oil to steam clean the carpets and had plants inside and out. Needless to say we were all surprised since we had tried everything we also kept a eucalyptus plant around and we never got fleas again. If you want more information on it just search eucalyptus leaves and fleas. Hope this helps to get rid of your problem before the baby comes you don't want them to bite her/him.

If you don't live in an area where Eucalyptus grows, you can purchase the leaves at just about any craft store. The smell of the Eucalyptus repels fleas and quite possibly some other bugs. If you can't find the leaves, you might also try Eucalyptus Oil. Put some oil in a small cup or bowl and set it out of reach of your pets.

Yes eucalyptus can be poisonous if eaten (just like any herb)but I'm not saying eat it so that is not even a concern. Just keep it out of reach of the children and pets to be on the safe side..... it just needs be in the room. If you are concerned about breathing it in which everything I've read said it safe....I too am pregnant with a small child so I'm not recommending something without researching it first. But if you are concerned I would ask your ob which you should probably do with the other toxic chemicals too. But anyways eucalyptus is used in so many things and used for congestion so I'm sure it's not harmful. Here is a website just do your research http://www.ehow.com/about_###-###-####_eucalyptus-oil-use...

We got fleas in our house when I was pregnant with my second too. I called terminix (b/c I was worried about doing anything myself). We had to do a lot of prep work before and vacuuming after (and with their warranty, I made them come back a week later to do it again). It was a huge headache but it was well worth it to be rid of them for good before the baby came!

I bought a spray made by Sentry called Natural Defense. It is essential oils. It would work fine to damp mop the wood floors with it. It would make them shine nicely. You can spray the beds under your sheets just to discourage them from being in the beds. If you spray the rug, you'll get it oily and then it will attract dirt. So I am not sure what to say about the rug. If the rug is small enough, I'd roll it up and wrap it in plastic until this passes.

This is turning out to be a very bad fall for fleas. We didn't see any in June and only a few in July. Suddenly in August and September we are fighting them. We have 5 cats and 2 dogs. This spray helps. We've been doing flea baths almost weekly, buying the oils that you put on the neck and now trying this all natural stuff from Sentry. At least it smells good. It makes my sinuses itch. But it's a small price to pay to know I am using something all natural. I just don't know if it's going to work for the one cat and one dog we have that seems to be affected the most by this problem. Just like with people, some animals seem to attract them more than others. We have 2 cats that have such thick fur that they can hardly find suitable places to bite them or lay eggs. That's what I think anyway.

We do have a new grand baby in the house. He had a few bites when we first realized the problem was so bad. But since we've been fighting the problem he has not gotten any more bites at all.

Suzi

Put some vinegar in a pie pan set in different areas on floor they jump in and die

FleaBusters! I have hard wood floors & we had a really bad flea problem 2 years ago when I was coming home with our new baby. It's harmless to kids! They can crawl around in it & be fine. Everything will be dusty for a while, but it gets rid of the problem safely. It dehydrates them! I left the dust down for a couple of weeks until I noticed they were gone & haven't had a problem since. I cleaned & mopped & was fine! My mom used it when we were kids too & we only had a flea problem once in 13 years. Never had one after we used it. That was on a carpeted home. Good luck!

I had them in the house before my son was born because we decided to get a puppy for him and the fam we got it from didnt inform us??:( We bombed our house! We found one that included fleas and we just left out for the day put things of importance that I was worried about baby wise in the garage and we haven't seen one since! Hope u get some good responses because ffleas suck!! ha ha COngrats on the new baby!

we had to have our yard & house treated by a professional. It was not cheap, but was the only way to fully-eliminate the fleas. & the thing is...fleas have an incupation of 21 days for the eggs & that's why they seem to "return".

We did not treat our yard this year, but had to the last 3 years. & the problem is if we just do ours & our neighbors don't address theirs.....then it's almost a waste of time!
Good Luck! OH, & we did try the bombs & they worked on the live bugs...but had fleas again when the eggs popped.

Oh dear... fleas AND wood floors...I shudder just remembering the battle we had with them a few years ago. That was in the day before we were smart enough to be worried about chemicals and such...so the things I did then would NOT be what you would want to do now...especially since you are pregnant.
I would start out with sections of flea collars in your vaccuum bag, vaccuum RELIGIOUSLY....even the hard wood floors and your furniture. I would be very VERY tempted to try a house "bomb"...check with someone about which one is best as far as your child and yourself..but it can be done with you OUT of the house....so hopefully it would be alright. Whatever you do, check with your doctor first, I don't know what is safe and what isn't.
Another trick that we used to use to make sure that we actually HAD fleas...set up a pie pan with a few drops of dish soap in it...put it on the floor near a night light...at night when the night light is the only light source, the fleas will be attracted to it, jump into the soapy water and die!!! Then you have your "proof"
And, you don't have to have pets to have fleas, they will hop on a person as they pass through their territory and et up housekeeping in your house!!!
Good luck!!!

We've had fleas in our own house and fleas in our rentals. I've set off bug bombs, but in the end have had to call an exterminator. You should do the same. Just tell them you are pregnant and have a small child. They can tell you about any precautions you need to take.

The quickest, easiest, and most effective way to rid your home of a flea infestation is to bug bomb your house. Once you set the bombs, go visit your mom or inlaws or best friend for a few hours (it should say how long on the can) and when you return home your problem will be solved. simply pick up the empty cans and throw them away, wipe down your table and counter tops and you should be good.

I told a friend how he can get rid of fleas with a natural product. It's called teatreeoil. if you research this oil online it will tell you what you can use it for, especially for fleas. My friend said it definatly worked because he saw the fleas jumping off the dog when he sprayed the dog with teatree oil and water mixe. So see if this wil work for you. You can purchase teatree at Walmart or Whole Foods health food store.

M.,
Call United Bug Spraying at ###-###-####. The man to talk to is Chris Robinson..I believe the phone goes directly to his office anyway. We've been using this local company for probably 15 years. There are no contracts to sign, and I think he handles fleas. Give him a call!
Good luck.

well M. my grandson told me of some stuff that kills them dead it is called knock out , for killing flees , hope u can fine it and that it works great for u ,, E.

Go to the vet's office and ask for Vet-Chem carpet spray it works wonderful!

Hello, I have the same problem and am also reluctant to try sprays for the health of my little ones. So, I did some research and actually one lady I know told me to put moth balls in your vaccuum cleaner bag and vacuum the floor everyday for a week or two (even the hard wood) and that'll get rid of them. She swears it works, I haven't actually gotten to try it yet because I haven't been to the store but htought it may be worth a try! Good Luck!

All good ideas from others and would just say be careful if you try the Eucalyptus as it makes me wheeze and be sure nobody in your family has that problem and also the moth balls will be so hard to get the smell out of the vacuum and they are very poison. I know they can cause medical problems breathing them long term too. Check it out.