Fleas are very small insects that can appear both in the house and in the apartment. They bite people and animals, leaving painful bite marks. Given the speed of their reproduction, the fight must begin from the moment of first detection. Armed with knowledge of what fleas are afraid of in an apartment and choosing a safe remedy, you can quickly get rid of an unpleasant neighborhood.
What fleas fear and dislike
Water is a flea repellent. Therefore, wet cleaning with repellents added to the water and washing pets help get rid of fleas. They cannot tolerate extreme increases and decreases in air temperature. They are afraid of strong odors of artificial and natural products. These can be: pine needles, wormwood, rosemary, soap. To combat fleas, the following are also used: salt, soda, boric acid, baby soap, onions.
Chemical smells
When figuring out what smell fleas don’t like, the obvious fact is the strong deterrent effect of artificial substances. These include the following available tools:
Bleach and whiteness
Products containing chlorine are very effective in fighting fleas. But when processing, safety precautions are required. Chlorine is a poisonous substance.
Attention! When inhaling vapors, very serious consequences occur. Processing of premises must be carried out using a respirator. The skin must be protected by protective clothing. After treatment, the room must be left for several hours.
Kerosene
Kerosene has been used as a deterrent since ancient times, despite the fact that it has an unpleasant, persistent and strong odor. This product has such disadvantages as persistent odor and flammability. To treat animals, it must be diluted with water.
Insecticides
Chemical insecticides are an effective way to kill fleas. The most effective insecticides are Karbofos, Doctor Klaus, Dichlorvos. They are designed for treating indoor and garden areas. The products are toxic and are not used to remove insects from animal fur. Such preparations as Butox 50, Raptor, Clean House, Raid, Combat are effective in destroying blood-sucking insects. The products are available in the form of sprays, aerosols and liquids.
Spray Raptor
Long-acting product with mint aroma. Properties are retained for 20 days. The toxic effect is based on a combination of chemicals: piperonyl butoxide, tetramethrin, cypermethrin. After a single treatment, the larvae die. Before using the aerosol, you must thoroughly wash the floors, wash clothes and pet rugs.
Strong drugs against pests are: Geletrin, Cyfluthrin, Oradelt. Chlorpyrimac is an effective remedy against fleas and other domestic insects. The drug is applied to the surface. After a few hours, wet cleaning is carried out. According to user reviews, all insects die.
Products based on pyrethrins and pyrethroids are effective and have low toxicity for animals. These insecticides include the following drugs:
- Insecticide.
- FAS.
- Medilis-Ziper.
Special drops help get rid of fleas on pets:
- Dana Ultra Neo.
- Celandine.
- Barrier.
- Blokhnet.
Cardinal
If the previous methods did not help, you should act in the harshest way. First, get rid of all carpets. Yes, yes, just get rid of everyone. Even from that memorable Persian that would have been given by my cousin for my mother’s twenty-year wedding anniversary. Carpets are a favorite habitat for fleas, so sometimes it is much easier and better to buy a new carpet for your house than to have such unpleasant neighbors in the old one.
After all the carpets in the house have been mercilessly thrown away, you should return to the first point and start cleaning the apartment. Pay special attention to the corners and floor where the carpet was - insect eggs may remain there, waiting for their new home.
After the apartment has been thoroughly washed and cleaned, you can start purchasing new carpets. And don’t forget to put wormwood under them to avoid unwanted proximity in the future.
Natural flavors
Most natural odors only have a deterrent effect. The use of fragrant plants and products does not destroy pests, but many aromas can become an obstacle to the path of fleas into the apartment. Brooms made from fragrant herbs, fumigators with essential oils, concentrated infusions and decoctions of strongly odorous plants are a pleasant and harmless way to combat parasites.
Tar
Tar soap has gained considerable popularity. This is an effective flea remedy. It is dissolved in water and used to wash animals and floors. Tar destroys adult fleas and their larvae.
Read more about how to treat cats and dogs with tar soap against fleas in this article.
Essential oil
Essential oils from the following plants have a strong repellent effect:
- Carnation.
- Mint.
- Aloe.
- Thyme.
- Walnut.
- Eucalyptus.
- Geranium.
- Camphor.
- Lavender.
- Anise.
It is enough to dilute a few drops with water and wipe all surfaces in the room, including hard-to-reach places. For preventive purposes, treatment should be repeated. The concentrate has an enhanced and effective effect. Pleases with a pleasant aroma.
How to remove fleas from an apartment yourself using citrus peels
Citrus peels will help remove fleas from your apartment; lemon peels are especially effective. If you wish, you can not only spread pieces of zest around the apartment, but also prepare a special decoction.
- Finely chop the lemon.
- Boil 2 tbsp. water and add citrus there.
- Boil for about 5 minutes and let stand.
- Spray the resulting mixture into all places where fleas can accumulate (plinths, carpets, cracks in the floors, furniture, etc.).
Attention! If you have to lay out pieces of citrus fruit, you must promptly replace them with fresh ones or throw them away.
What plants repel parasites
Natural herbal remedies have proven effective in repelling fleas. Herbs must be used for a long time (The most effective herbs for killing fleas in an apartment). Fresh raw materials should be constantly added. Plants are placed around the entire perimeter of the rooms. It should be borne in mind that freshly harvested plants have a stronger effect than dried herbs. Fleas cannot tolerate the smell of the following plants:
- Sagebrush.
- Tansy.
- Mint.
- Carnation.
- Korostavnik.
- Citrus.
- Needles.
- Bay leaf.
- Geranium.
To wash animals and carry out wet cleaning, decoctions and infusions are made from thyme, lavender, celandine, and eucalyptus. A concentrated infusion of wormwood, celandine and pine needles has a special effect.
Advice! We recommend constantly tying a sprig of a fragrant plant to your cat or dog’s collar. The esters contained in herbs prevent the establishment of pests. In the fight against blood-sucking insects, a powder made from dried bark grass gives a good effect.
Wormwood
Wormwood owes its insecticidal properties to its specific odor, which insects cannot tolerate. In ancient times, our ancestors hung bunches of wormwood in the barn where the cattle lived to repel insects. The same bunches were hung in houses.
Wormwood is an easily accessible remedy even for residents of large cities. It can be purchased at the pharmacy in the form of crushed dry raw materials or ready-made tincture. Wormwood is used in different ways. Fresh or dried plants are formed into small bunches that are hung in the apartment. You can also chop the plants and sprinkle them in areas where fleas live.
Another method involves preparing a water infusion based on wormwood, which can be sprayed indoors using a spray or added to a soap solution for wet cleaning.
Recipe for wormwood infusion: you need to take 20 g of dry wormwood leaves or 40 g of fresh plants and boil them in two glasses of water. When the broth has cooled, it can be used both for wiping the animal’s fur and for treating the room. This product is even suitable for treating small kittens, puppies and pregnant females.
Wormwood is an excellent remedy against fleas in the house
Drugs that cause paralysis in insects
There are a number of drugs that penetrate the chitinous membrane of pests. After the active substances enter the insect’s body, its nervous system is damaged. One of the effective drugs with a paralyzing effect is Tsifoks.
The drug is available in the form of a clear liquid with a pungent odor. Cypermethrin is the main active ingredient. The insecticide is economical: a liter container is enough to treat a large apartment several times.
Attention! The product is very toxic! Used for treating premises and summer cottages. The insecticide is available in glass bottles of 50, 500 and 1000 milliliters.
Another option for killing fleas is Sinuzan spray. A powerful professional product used by exterminators. Users note the rapid destruction of fleas - within one hour. The drug copes with adults, their eggs and larvae. Using the product requires strict compliance with safety measures. After treatment, leave the room for several days.
Chemical
If neither wormwood, nor animal spray, nor kerosene helped, then your fleas are incredibly tenacious. It's time to try another old but true remedy on them - this, of course, is dichlorvos. In most cases, it copes well with many types of insects. After treating the apartment with dichlorvos (as usual, special attention to corners and places under carpets), it is better to leave the house for a while if you do not want to keep fleas company. It is at this moment that you will most likely remember with longing such a pleasant smell of wormwood.
Please note that dichlorvos is a rather dangerous product, so after it you should clean the apartment especially carefully. And don't forget to ventilate the rooms.
What fleas are not afraid of
Important! Contrary to various rumors and myths, you should not believe advertising that convinces buyers of the effectiveness of certain electrical appliances. For example, no benefit from ultrasound machines has been proven. The electromagnetic waves generated by the devices do not repel insects.
Preventing the appearance of fleas in the apartment
For preventative purposes, rooms should be thoroughly cleaned at all times. Inspection and treatment of pets with anti-flea drugs should be carried out regularly.
Fleas often enter living spaces from basements. Treating basements with chemicals is a mandatory preventative measure. Fleas can get into an apartment in different ways: on clothes, shoes, on an animal, from neighbors.
Attention! If single individuals appear, emergency measures should be taken to destroy them. Fleas reproduce quickly. Losing time threatens to increase the population exponentially. 15 of the best folk remedies for fighting fleas.
Apartment treatment by specialized services
If you cannot get rid of fleas using available methods, you should seek help from professionals. The cost of disinfecting an apartment is considerable, but the quality and effectiveness of this method is fully justified by the result. To do this, a call to the home of sanitary services is issued.
Processing takes only a few hours, and you can return home the same day.
Sanitation workers use high-quality products that are harmful to parasites and absolutely safe for households and pets. Most drugs are characterized by the absence of an unpleasant odor.
Their active compounds do not provoke allergies in people.
Among the tools used by the services:
- Extermin F;
- Biorin;
- Effective Ultra;
- Chlorpyrimark;
- Empire;
- Sinuzan.
The main advantage of professional disinfection of a living space is that there is no need for re-treatment.
Killing sprays
We recommend using proven products like Hot Shot Bedbug and Flea Home Insect Killer. This product promises to kill flea eggs and adults.
Anti-flea shampoos for animals Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo with Precor for Dogs and Cats
Tar soap
Floors washed with this product repel insects. A small nuance: not only fleas, but not all people like the aroma of tar soap. However, it is a cheap, natural and effective remedy that should not be neglected. Moreover, this aroma disappears very quickly for the human sense of smell. If you bathe your pet with tar soap, then for some period of time these insects will not threaten him. At the same time, it is recommended to wash your pet’s bed in the same way. To consolidate the result, the entire procedure should be repeated again.
Vinegar
Vinegar essence is one of the most accessible remedies. To use flea vinegar, you need to make a solution to treat your home. Water and apple cider vinegar are poured into the container in a 1:1 ratio. The resulting solution can be sprayed onto furniture, walls, and floors.
Then you need to clean the surfaces with a vacuum cleaner and carry out wet cleaning. When working with the substance, it is important to take precautions to avoid damage to the skin, respiratory system, and eyes.
Salt
This simple remedy will help you get rid of fleas in carpets at home. Salt is famous for its dehydration properties. In contact with salt, the outer coverings of fleas are destroyed, the insects lose vital moisture and, as a result, die. To use this folk remedy you will need:
- Table salt or sea salt (the amount of salt depends on the area to be treated)
- Salt shaker or spice jar with holes
The procedure is as follows:
- If the salt is coarse, grind it before use.
- Pour the salt from the bag into a jar, leaving enough space up to the lid with holes so that the salt spills freely
- Sprinkle salt on the carpets in each room, rubbing lightly so that the crystals penetrate into the base of the pile where the larvae and pupae hide.
- Leave for 1-3 days
- Then vacuum the carpets thoroughly
