CAT FLEAS - merged

peachespeaches

Im fed up of spraying the carpets with chemicals (which make me feel slighly ill) and I worry about the effects on our small children. The cat is taken care of with frontline drops, but we have fleas in the carpets. Any ideas?

peachespeaches

Any ideas? The sprays seem to make me ill and we still have fleas. The cat is flea free thanks to Frontline, but the carpets arent. The bedroom seems to be the worst, which is strange cos the cat doesnt go there (prob previous resident?). I dont want to treat my bedroom unnecessarily with chemicals that will harm me and my small children.

What works for you?

boo81

Just a tip, only put the spray or powder down after hoovering as the hoovering stimulates the eggs and makes them hatch. Also make sure you put some powder in the hoover bag else they will jump out and reinfest again!

Ive heard lots of things about borax but seems to be disputed as to whether it works. Google throws up lots on this as ive looked before!

odds-n-sods

you could try this:

put a large container of hot/boiling water in the middle of the room; add a few drops of Fairy liquid (others dont work) and then leave it overnight. the heat attracts the fleas, and the soap makes it impossible ofr the fleas to jump out and they drown; something in fairy also affects the fleas (i think) but i don't know how.

boo81

yeah, anything that affects that seals or breaks the surface of the water will work so any household chemical will work - toilet cleaner for example.

The times I have found fleas ive caught them and put them down the loo but they are great swimmers and find their way out again so you have to do this!

Gingernutmeg

I've never tried them but you can get plug in flea traps (scroll down) which are apparently very effective, and obviously don't use chemicals. You can also get natural flea powders for carpets etc which work by dehydrating the fleas.

peachespeaches

I am thinking of trying borax. Last night I tried a nightlight over a bowl of soapy water but nothing seemed to be in the bowl this morning. That was only the dining room though. The fleas "dining area" seems to be our bedroom.

Badger_Lady

My flat is completely empty now, because I've relocated with work and am waiting for the sale to complete. When I visited it last week, I was horrified to find the carpets completely infested with fleas! I was so disgusted, I rushed straight out and spent £40 on:

* Insecticide "Shake n Vac" stuff that you leave on the carpet for a few hours, then hover up. I used the entire bottle, about 3 times as much as should be necessary. This stuff claims to protect your carpet from fleas, larvae and eggs for 6 months.

* Flea spray - reputable brand, totally sprayed all the curtains and into the corners of the carpet.

* Foggers - a spray bomb that you set off in the middle of the room and evacuate for 4 hours before returning to open the windows. I put one in each of my smallish rooms, plus one in the corridor. These claim to protect your entire interior for 4 months.

This would seem to be the full armoury... yet, when I popped round again 2 days later, I was still finding live fleas.

How is this possible when there are no animals etc there for them to feed off, and how on earth do I get rid of them considering everything I've tried already???

hididdlediddle

i used to have a cat and my house had fleas a couple of years ago i have no longer got the cat and tried everything last year but my son was really getting bitten and i was still finding fleas. Last year i had a fire in the house and had to move out for 3 and a half months while my house was redecorated, new floors, new furniture etc My boyfriend stayed at weekend and guess what he found a flea on my bed, there has been no animals in the house for 2 years. If they can even survive a fire what hope have i got any sure fire ways to get rid of them gratefully received

peachespeaches

Are steam cleaners any use?

Getting borax today and will report back on that later. Unfortunately, I dont want to use any more chemicals as they have given me a really sore throat so who knows what they are doing to the kids.