I just moved to an apartment that is completely infested with fleas. I originally had asked the landlord to flea bomb as a precaution before I moved in. I knew the previous tenants had a dog. I myself have no pets.
She did, but I went into the the apartment the day after the bomb and I got attacked by hundreds of them all over my pants, inside my pants, on my back, in my hair, and on my face. It was a nightmare.
I'd already signed a lease and given my deposit before I knew of the problem. Yet still I had hope that more flea bombs would help. When I came back again I only got 2 or 3 on me. I figured that was normal. But I am still seeing them crawl out of my pant legs and jump on me. We have flea bombed 7 times, changed all the old carpets, and laid tiles. We had the whole house exterminated yet nothing works.
After each fogging they are still happily jumping around biting us all over. Its driving me insane. The exterminator is coming back sometime this week and I'm renting a steam cleaner. I'm beside myself because nothing is working. I've even vigorously salted all the rugs and furniture, after vacuuming for hours. They are biting me and my children from head to toe. We catch 5-6 of them daily with masking tape while they're biting us. Please help.
20 Mule Team Borax is sold in the laundry section of most grocery stores. I have used this several times for fleas. Sprinkle it on your floors, leave it overnight, vacc it up, then repeat the process in a few days. Be sure to throw away the filter bag after each use. Good luck.
I just recently was in the same situation where the people before had an indoor outdoor pet and I too became infested along with my eight year old indoor only cat who has never, ever had fleas before :-( My landlord hired a professional pest control company to come in and spray and have only seen a couple renegade fleas just after that because it sometimes takes a few days for all the critters to die. The company said they will come back and spray again if I see any more.
It is definitely your landlords responsibility so you need to be firm and tell her that you are demanding a professional pest control company be hired. You shouldn't have to go through all this turmoil and I hope you are not the one paying for the additional flea bombs! Anyway, be sure to do this in writing with an explanation included just like what you wrote here (keep a copy for yourself) and postal mail it certified and return receipt requested. If she does not hire a professional within a couple of days after she receives the letter then call your local health department.
Keep a copy of that letter and the mailing receipts in a 'safe place' just in case you need to move because of the flea infestation. You may have a lovely landlord who takes care of it but if you don't that letter will protect you if you have to break the lease and be able to get your security deposit back.
This has worked for years for me. Mop your floors with Pine-sol water. For bad flea problem I mix a cup of pine-sol to a gallon of water. don't buy the knock-off pine cleaner. I sprayed my furniture with a solution (weaker) in a spray bottle.
Diatomaceous earth (Horticultural or food grade/no swimming pool filter grade). I'd highly recommend getting some, and using it generously on all carpeting and upholstered furniture in the house. You can even rub it on your pets safely. I used only about 1/2 pound to treat a mama cat, her 3 kittens, an upholstered chair & ottoman, and the floor & baseboards in my house.
It's a white powder, fine, much like flour or confectioner's sugar. It is completely non-toxic. I made a shaker can to distribute mine; drilled holes in the top of a Pringles can, filled the can halfway, went to town.
Most bombs of the market (especially the ones you buy in the store & not from a vet) kill only living adult fleas, & not their eggs or young. You'll need to re-bomb or spray with a high quality product from the vet. Be sure to put you dishes, open foods & toothbrushes in the fridge or in oven to keep the chemicals off them! You apartment manager should pay for you to buy these products.
Do yourself a favor, spend an hour reading up on killing fleas here on ThriftyFun & on the internet, it will be well worth your time! You need to bomb a certain amount of time between each time to kill the just-hatched eggs, (I think it's 10 days) unless you buy a products that ALSO kills the eggs & young. If you vacuum first, the vibration helps to hatch the young fleas so they can be killed. Believe me, I know about fleas, because both my son & myself are allergic to them. There are many good posts about ridding a home of fleas here on ThriftyFun.
You know about salt, Try adding Borax: An additional option:
Mix equal parts of: baking soda, borax and salt. Mix together well, then put in a shaker container (like for Parmesan cheese). Sprinkle this mixture everywhere, all over your carpets & wood floors & furniture. Next sweep it into the rug, wood floor cracks & upholstery as deeply as you can. Leave this on the floors & carpets for 2 or 3 weeks then vacuum it up (with a flea collar inside your vacuum). Then do the same thing again.
You'll have to do this 2 times for sure & possibly 3 times. This formula works because the borax & salts dehydrate the fleas & their shells, which kills them. It's not the best thing for carpets because it the salts are slightly abrasive & can make the carpets wear out faster. If you live in a very humid area like Florida & don't have air conditioning, then the salt can attract & absorb moisture from the air, so if you live in a humid climate without air-conditioning just use the Borax all by itself. It's not nearly as effective, but it's an option. Don't worry if you have air-conditioning because it gets rid of excess humidity.
They sell this very same formula at most vets, but you'll have to pay a pretty penny for it. The Salt & baking soda are usually sold 2 or 3 for $1 at most dollar stores. The Borax can be hard to find. They don't sell it at my Walmart, but I've found it at several grocery stores in the laundry isle. (It's called: "20 mule Team Borax" & it's sold as a laundry additive)
If you have a pet, you'll need to buy those flea drops you put on the back of the pets neck like "Advantage" or "Revolution".
We have 5 cats right now and a whole lot of fleas in our house. I'm going to be giving my cats baths all week and pick up that spot on flea treatment from the vets when I get paid on August 1st, but I need remedies for getting rid of them in my apartment. All 5 cats are indoor/outdoor cats.
I have a 14 month old son and our floors are linoleum. We have 2 couches. I gave the cats a bath last night and now I am going to give them one every night from now on and comb them out until i can get to the vets next week. Our orange tiger cat has tons of fleas, then we have 2 pure black cats, one black calico cat, and one dark grey cat.
Any advice would be great. The fleas are driving me nuts!
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Request: Fleas In An Apartment (10/22/2009)
I am in desperate need of any advice given to me in getting rid of fleas in apartment and on two cats.
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Request: Fleas In An Apartment
Archived on 10/22/2009
I am in desperate need of any advice given to me in getting rid of fleas in apartment and on two cats. Pulling up the carpeting is not an option here and the building I live next door to is abandoned and the yard is atrocious.
Aisha from VA
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RE: Fleas In An Apartment
If the problem is that severe, you should "bomb" your house with a flea product. Keep all your cats confined outside until it is done. Then before bringing the cats inside the house, treat them for fleas. Then put them in the house and treat outside your house. This is a big job to do. But if you don't stop the life cycle of the fleas, you will continue to have a problem.
My girlfriend had a severe problem and used a product called Enforcer, sold at Home Depot for inside and outside her home. I believe they have a variety of insecticide products. She used a flea dip by the brand name of Zodiac on her cats and dog. You should probably spray inside and outside your house in two weeks. I always keep a two inch piece of flea collar in my vacuum cleaner during the summer. This will kill any fleas inside the bag. If financially possible, hire an exterminator. Be very careful with any chemical products concerning your child's health. Good luck to you. (07/28/2005)
Living in the south fleas are always a possibility.
I've used salt on my carpets for years. Treat your animal
and sprinkle salt all over your house the day before you need to vacuum. I put a piece of a flea collar in my vacuum. I have a bagless vacuum and it works fine.
I always take it outside to empty it out. When we had a bad infestation I did this every other day and it took care of them quick. Good luck.
If you know where to get some black walnut twigs and leaves and put them around your house that will get rid of them and they won't come back. (07/29/2005)
By
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
Just had the same problem. Zodiac spray for carpet and upholstery is good, however, vet said not to use Zodiac on pets because there's an ingredient dangerous to cats. Between combing out fleas, using the Zodiac spray on carpets, in and under furniture, beds, etc., and bowls of soapy water that they jump into and drown themselves (that must be where the expression "flea brain" came from) they are now all gone. I use old butter dishes for soapy water and a tiny bit of dish soap, any brand. These placed around the house, where your son can't reach them, help to tell you if any are still there. (07/29/2005)
By Rev Alex
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
I had a friend that had a horrible flea problem. I'm talking like you walked in the house and your ankles were instantly black from fleas jumping on you. I got some stuff from Wal-Mart called Bug Stop. It is about $10 for a gallon, but after one application they were pretty much gone. We did spray twice just to be sure. We sprayed everything in the house, carpet, chairs, bed, floors, everything. You might want to check though with the baby. (07/31/2005)
I had a terrible problem with fleas in the house a couple of summers ago. One cat is an indoors only cat and the other is indoor/outdoor. Someone told me about Frontline, one of the spot-on flea products. Went to the vet's office, and left with sticker shock. Looked on eBay and found it for 1/2 the price or less than what the vet was charging. Bid on some, received it in a week or so, and put it on the cats. The fleas that were already on the cats died quickly. The other live fleas in the house environment died soon after jumping on the cats. The problem tapered off quickly, as the fleas that were newly hatching jumped on the cats and died, leaving fewer and fewer mature female fleas left to lay new eggs. Any fleas that the indoor/outdoor cat picks up are eliminated before they can be brought indoors.
I don't like to spray the house with chemicals that I will be exposed to (since I have to live there too), so the gradual effect of the Frontline worked for me. I have also found that the product does not have to be applied to the cats every 30 days as specified in the instructions. The effect lasts several weeks longer than just one month. I usually reapply it to the cats after 6o days or so. Have not had a flea problem since. (08/04/2005)
By P.
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
Borax works well, but make sure to vacuum it up. It can be poisonous in large amounts and if you have kids that are on the floor a lot or crawling, it's best to keep them out of the room until it is vacuumed. Let it sit there for about an hour or two.
Cats groom themselves all the time so it can get on their feet so keep them out also until it is cleaned up.
Sprinkle food grade Diatomacous Earth in flea infested areas. On sleeping areas and on your animals. Safe to use. Do an on-line search to learn about it. Good luck. (08/29/2005)
By Karen P.
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
Borax is great for indoor fleas. We have successfully used it for 20 years in our home. Read other feedback on this site for proper use. Remember to vacuum it up, leave some in bag. It is possible to make cats sick because they will lick their feet. Especially go around your baseboards and under sofas, etc. and put Borax there and leave it.
Remember stray and outdoor cats will bring fleas into your yard and it also has to be treated. I have never used Borax before outside, but I am going to try it today. I have found a flea here and there on my dog. I would not and do not use chemicals in my house or near my pets and children.
Although tea tree oil can be added to water for bathing dogs, DO NOT use on cats. It is definitely toxic, in any strength. (08/29/2005)
By Lilyrose
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
I used Sevin Dust. I got a big bag at Walmart. Safe for people and pets. Sprinkled it all over everything and then vacuumed the next day. Then put some down again for a second treatment, vacuumed that afternoon. Fleas gone in 2 days. Also rubbed it into the cat's fur. Didn't use much. (08/31/2005)
By octoberbabye
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
I feel so sorry for anyone with flea infestation. We went through that a couple of years ago when my mother-in-law brought her dog to "visit". The vet said cats are the worse for bringing fleas in and also for getting rid of the fleas off a cat. At that time, we had a lab and our cat. Well, everyday, without fail I bathed both dog and cat (they ran and hid when I said "bath").
Anyway, I also used Boric acid, putting it everywhere, scrubbed all the floors in our house everyday with vinegar water, and left the Boric Acid behind dressers, and in places where the pets could not get into it. Also, did not let the animals into the basement at all, as fleas love the damp environment there, and finally, light at end of tunnel. No more fleas. Our cat does not go outside at all, and our beloved Misti has gone over the Rainbow bridge this past summer. (02/01/2006)
By hapiladi
RE: Fleas In An Apartment
I just had the same problem a few things to help get rid of them. First, get rid of your carpet, I just took a 12 X 16 carpet out and put a new floor in, tiles, not expensive, but the carpet was infested. Another thing to do is Baking Soda. It is not harmful to cats, and if you put it around the corners of your rooms it does help.
Vinegar, put it on your baseboards, it creates a film and fleas will not stick to it. Another is salt, just put it around the baseboards as well, It is pretty amazing what we learn after being infested with fleas. You have to vacuum everyday, and throw the contents of the vacuum bag in the garbage outside a.s.a.p. Believe me, this works. Best of luck.
The last is Advantage, for the cats, it attracts them and kills them. (09/03/2008)
