How to kill fleas: chemical and folk remedies

Home / Articles / Ways to get rid of fleas in a sofa

15 Feb 2018

Category: Articles

No comments

The appearance of fleas on the sofa is not a pleasant situation. This situation can happen even if it seems to you that order reigns in the apartment. The sofa is not a favorite habitat for these insects; they settle mainly under baseboards, carpets, animal bedding, and move to the sofa and bed to be closer to the food source.

Fleas on the sofa are a very unpleasant discovery.

How to determine the presence of fleas in the house?

Fleas are small in size and most often hide from human sight. Parasites appear in apartments where there are pets. The insect has the ability to jump and quickly move from object to object.

The parasite is most often seen in carpets and bedding, as well as in the pet rug area.
You can also identify fleas by examining animal fur.
The presence of fleas in a home is displayed in the form of bites on a person’s skin. Since insects can feed on blood, small blisters and spots appear at the site of the bite, which cause an unpleasant itching sensation. One insect can infect a person many times.
Insects are most noticeable on white objects.

Meeting the bouncy “neighbors”

Unwelcome guests are signaled by painful bloody flea bites on a person. Most often they bite the legs, since the insects live on the floor and cannot fly. The flea is ideally built for a parasitic lifestyle. This is a small insect, barely visible to the eye, protected by “armor”.

Powerful hind legs help to nimbly jump half a meter in length and 30 cm in height. The body of the insect is streamlined and flat with small hooks to make it more convenient to cling and linger on wool and fabric. It is for this reason that silk was valued in ancient times, as it did not allow parasites to cling to it.

There are more than 2000 species of insects in nature. Among the variety of blood lovers, there are “vegetarians” who parasitize green plants, feeding on sap and causing a lot of inconvenience to gardeners. Due to their small size—the largest individuals have a body length of 0.5 cm—fleas easily penetrate a person’s home and “settle in” well there. Household fleas love to parasitize dogs, cats, birds, and rodents. Most often they hide in upholstered furniture, behind the baseboard, near the radiator, in the pile of the carpet, soft toys, under the sink. Animal bedding is an excellent “nursery” for breeding offspring.

Small parasites live in a variety of environments. For example, grass or earth fleas, as the name implies, like to hide in bushes and grass, waiting for their prey. Linen fleas thrive on cotton and linen fabrics. In fact, these are the same parasites, and the common name indicates only the habitat. The most common fleas are red and black. This is the same species, but only at a different stage of development. Redheads are younger individuals that will later acquire a darker color.

A flea needs favorable conditions. The ambient temperature should be around 17-26°C. At −15°C, parasites try to leave the room, which does not allow them to lay eggs and raise larvae. Humidity - no more than 70%, otherwise the offspring will die. Fleas actively reproduce in summer and autumn. In winter they prefer to live in the fur of a warm-blooded animal.

Causes of parasites

Fleas in an apartment can occur not only if there are pets. Very often the following reasons for the appearance of blood-sucking insects can occur:

improper care of pets;
after visiting the street with pets;
insects can move from basements and empty homes;
insects can be brought by people from the street;
insufficient hygiene in housing.

Let's celebrate! Blood-sucking pests can be not only those carried by animals. There are a large number of varieties of parasites that feed on blood and can settle in human housing.

What species can be found on the floor?

There are more than 2,000 species of fleas in the world. About 500 species live on European territory, and about 30 of them have adapted to apartment conditions. Most of the fleas on the floor are the ubiquitous cat, dog and rat fleas.

Types of fleas

With rare exceptions, sand parasites can be found. They are concentrated in India, Africa, South America and do not take root in Russia due to the unfavorable climate for them. Insects enter the apartment along with tourists returning from the mentioned places.

For reference! A flea, regardless of its subspecies, can easily change its host. For example, cat parasites easily adapt to life on dogs, guinea pigs and vice versa.

Insecticides against fleas

When choosing medications to eliminate fleas, it is necessary to proceed from the complexity of the problem and personal preferences.

Aerosols

The effect of the chemical drug is achieved through the distribution of active substances through the air. The use of aerosols allows you to kill fleas even in the most inaccessible places.

The form of the pest control product does not leave marks on objects and quickly disappears from the room, which allows the procedure to be carried out in a short time.

Among the most effective aerosols are:

Dichlorvos;
Raid;
Raptor against insects;
Combat against ants and insects.

Let's celebrate! When using aerosols, it is necessary to close all windows while poisoning insects; most often, the desired result is noticeable after 1 hour. If necessary, you can use odorless pest control products.

Powders

The use of such means is used in cases where a large number of insects have appeared. The use of powder insecticides involves the distribution of the product throughout the home, including carpets.

It is possible to kill a flea using powder only if a particle of the substance touches the body of the parasite; upon contact, the poison penetrates the insect’s body and blocks its receptors.

Most often used:

Pyrethrum;
Fenxin;
Clean house with dust.

Note! After using powder products, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the room. It is prohibited to stay in the home while the powder is being used.

Solutions

The use of special solutions is used to eliminate not only fleas, but also other harmful insects. You can kill fleas with the solution in just a few applications.

To apply, it is necessary to treat the home with a solution, also paying attention to carpets and furniture. To apply pest control solutions to furniture, you must use a spray bottle.

The most commonly used:

Butox in ampoules;
Sinuzan;
Get.

Let's celebrate! The disadvantage of such drugs is the unpleasant odor that persists for a long time. However, drugs in liquid form effectively kill all types of fleas and prevent their re-formation.

Good advice

In order to get rid of fleas, the first step is to remove and boil all bedding

Before treating the sofa, wash it with water. Wait until dry, vacuum and iron.
If you have an aquarium, turn off the air intake when spraying aerosols. Remove amphibians and reptiles from the room. Warm-blooded pets will not suffer from the work performed.
During processing, remove and cover food with plastic wrap.
Upon completion of the treatment, you should wash the dishes, ventilate the room, and wipe the furniture. It is better not to touch the floors until several days have passed. Skirting boards, walls and ceilings should not be washed for as long as possible.
Disinfection should be carried out throughout the apartment. It is important to find the source of the parasites.
Bed linen is washed using dust soap.
It is better to throw out an infected sofa if possible.
Be sure to call the sanitary and epidemiological service to treat the basement.
Wash slippers, underwear and soft toys in hot water.
After treating your home, cover the sofa with a blanket to prevent parasites from getting inside.

To combat parasites, you can use store-bought and folk remedies. You need to act quickly, as insects reproduce quickly. It is important to treat not only the sofa, but also the entire room and basement, otherwise there will be no effect from the work.

Rules for using insecticides indoors

To obtain the desired result, you must follow the rules:

Before using chemicals, all pets and children are removed from the apartment.
When distributing insecticides, it is necessary to wear gloves and safety glasses.
Before using flea medications, you must clean your home and open access to all corners and baseboards.
Vacuum the apartment.
Applying insecticides should begin in areas with the largest number of parasites.
The entire area of the apartment is processed, including furniture, toys and carpets. During the period of use of chemicals, it is necessary that windows and doors are closed.
After eliminating pests, wash all toys and personal items with hot water.
It is recommended to carry out cleaning after a few days.

Let's celebrate! In order to quickly kill fleas indoors, you need to pay special attention to baseboards and folds in furniture upholstery. It is in such places that the accumulation of parasites is greatest.

The use of folk remedies against pests

You can kill fleas in an apartment using improvised means that are available in any home. However, the use of such methods makes it possible to reduce the number of insects only when their number is insignificant or at the initial stages of formation.

Ammonia

You need to add a spoonful of ammonia to the water for washing the floor (5 liters).
Use the resulting solution to thoroughly wash the floor; if necessary, spray the solution onto upholstered furniture and other personal items.
After a few hours it is necessary to ventilate the room.

Soda and salt

Most often used to eliminate insects in carpets.
To prepare the mixture, you need to mix salt and soda in equal proportions and rub it into the carpet using a kitchen sponge.
Leave it overnight and just vacuum the product in the morning.

Herbal infusions

Herbal mixtures can reduce the number of pests; special herbs are used that have a pungent odor.
The most commonly used are wormwood, lavender and bay leaf.
The mixtures should be spread around the apartment in the area of baseboards and under carpets. However, such fees cannot kill fleas, but only repel parasites for a while.

Garlic

To prepare this product, you need to chop a head of garlic and mix it with 20 grams of yeast.
The resulting composition is poured with a liter of water and sprayed on the floor, especially in the corners and around the baseboards.
The mixture is left for 12 hours, after which it is necessary to vacuum and do wet cleaning.

Vinegar

To prepare the solution, you need to mix water and vinegar in proportions per liter of 2 tablespoons.
The resulting liquid must be distributed onto the furniture and the floor washed.
Leave for several days, then repeat the procedure.

Citrus

Citrus peels have a strong scent and can repel parasites.
To use, simply spread the peels in the area of baseboards, under furniture and carpets.
Check regularly and replace dried peels with fresh ones.

Essential oils

To repel insects, it is necessary to use oils with strong odors.
For use, you can add extracts to water for cleaning floors.
The most commonly used oils are mint, eucalyptus, tea tree, lavender, and cedar.
Essential oils are most often used as a remedy against the recurrence of parasites.

Professional pest control

Calling a special service will require money, but only in this case the effect will really be long-lasting and guaranteed. At the first visit, the specialist will inspect, assess the situation and set a treatment time for which the room will need to be prepared.

Disinsection is carried out in one of three ways:

fine spraying;
hot fog;
cold fog.

The most budget option is fine-droplet spraying. During the disinfestation process, the solution is sprayed using an electric or mechanical sprayer.

When treating with cold or hot fog, irrigation is carried out using a generator, during which fleas and their larvae die almost instantly. The difference in the methods is in the temperature of the insecticide solution. Hot fog is more effective due to the heat factor, to which insects are sensitive, but can damage furniture, clothing or room decoration.

Prevention measures

To prevent the occurrence of insects in your home, the following prevention methods should be followed:

monitor the cleanliness of the room;
promptly eliminate parasites from pets’ fur;
regularly change litter in pet trays;
regularly steam upholstered furniture and bed linen;
reduce the humidity level in the apartment.

Good to know! It is not possible to completely reduce the likelihood of insects appearing, but care and timely elimination methods will quickly eliminate the problem.