A few ago days my son woke up with a lot of bites. Then I saw little black fleas jumping. What can I do? I got rid of my pet already. Please help.
By Sara from Houston, TX
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Baking soda. Big boxes of it.
First take anything out of the room that can be washed. Everything. Fleas can jump up to 4 feet!
Shove it all in big plastic bags, dusting liberally with baking soda as you go. Fleas breath through their skin. The powder blocks the pores. They can't breath. Don't forget the curtains, throw rugs, ALL the clothes in the dresser and closet.
After filling the bags, tie them tightly closed. (Oh. Cover your hair. They will jump.) Now dust the carpet with lots of baking soda. Dust the mattress with it too. And lift it up and dust the box springs under it. Take everything off the shelves that have any cloth. Dust the shelves with baking soda too.
Take the bags to the laundry room and let them sit for at least two hours.
Now dust the corners of the room and along the baseboards very liberally.
It's best to take the laundry to a laundry mat and put them in those big front loading washers, as they get very hot water and you can just dump a whole bag in at once and quick shut the door before any still living fleas jump out.
However, if you must do it at home, just close the bag quick and the lid to the washer quick. Hot, hot water will kill eggs. If you think a piece of clothing will be damaged by very hot water, separate it out. Group these items in a separate bag with more baking soda, closing tightly.
Once you get to this bag of cloth do the following. Wash it on the hottest setting you think the most delicate item will handle. Now wash that batch 3 times. Yes, three times. This will cause the eggs to come unstuck and wash away.
While everything is washing, you can vacuum the bedroom: carpet, closet, mattresses... Dump the vacuum cleaner bag. Tie it into a plastic bag so any fleas that have not died yet don't get into your yard. Dust the room again with baking soda. Wait an hour. Vacuum again. Throw away the bag.
Now steam clean the carpet to get rid of eggs. Steam clean the mattress and box springs too! Now, what about eggs that may have been laid in dresser drawers and other hard surfaces like window sills and shelves? Like the upper closet shelf where cloth items were stored? Vinegar.
Open all the windows and door. Face a fan out the window and spray all hard surfaces with vinegar. Let it dry. Wash with soap and water. The fleas don't have the pet to use as their source of food, so they go to the next warmest object. Your poor dear son.
Fleas will spread through out the house. If you really really want to get rid of ALL of them, do this procedure throughout the house. It's a pain, time consuming, and the steam cleaning can get expensive. But it's worth it. We were in an apartment, but if your pet played in the yard you will have to treat it too.
Ask a garden supply company or hardware store. There are special treatments that won't kill your plants. Baking soda is to salty and vinegar too harsh.
A much easier way and less work. Use Mule Team Borax. Put it everywhere-up by baseboards, all over furniture, bedding, floors. Leave it for a week. Wash everything you can wash with the Mule Team Borax. Only need to wash it once.
The Mule Team dehydrates the fleas and kills them. But it goes one better by dehydrating them; their eggs do not hatch. Using anything else, you have to vacuum 1-2 times each day as their eggs hatch @ 3 days.
Hatching occurs even after they die. This will not harm floors, furniture or anything. I used it with 2 cats in residence and they were fine. Vacuum after 1 week. No more problem. If you have an animal, get the fleas off them and use advantage type product. I am allergic to fleas and have dealt with moving into house with bad infestation. You can pick fleas up walking through someone's yard.
Before I start treating-I spray myself down under my clothes and on top of them so they do not jump on me in process of treating house and animals. Much cheaper and easier than sprays. Very effective.
The words " I got rid of my pet already." are distressing and damaging. People with the attitude that life is a disposable quantity are filling are shelters and leading to thousands of deaths.
Do you mind telling us why you "got rid of your pet" and where you re-homed it?
Wow I also was stunned to hear that you got fleas so rid yourself of the animal? I am an animal lover and I'm having a problem with fleas right now. I've fogged I've treated yard, home, and all animals I couldn't imagine giving up my dog I've had for 12 years! What I did instead was try make us and her comfortable by getting her treated cause he's exactly right these animals don't ask for it.
There just as miserable if not worse than you are. I don't know your circumstances but I would def think about it more in the future if you want an animal. Gotta go kill some more fleas! Lol
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