Aaaargh I have fleas!

cepheus

Well hopefully they are dog fleas rather than human ones.

I do occasionally look after dogs but have not touched any for over a week. I have also scrupulously cleaned the carpets and anywhere where they may have been, but today I had one of the little beggars crawling up the back of my hand.

It makes me wonder if I'm getting them from outside is there a really excessive infestation at the moment?

Sugardonut

Have you bought any secondhand rugs/sofas etc, maybe got them in your house that way?

Armchair23

If you've had dogs in the house they've probably left fleas and eggs behind to hatch out. Sadly good hoovering and cleaning don't cut the mustard with these little +uggers you probably need to get a spray from a vets to treat the rugs and sofas.
Definitely carry on with all your good works with the cleaning but you might need that extra help.

cepheus

Trying to avoid insecticide, but unfortunately I was coming to that conclusion. Had two of the nippers on me today. Could be in the bed, blanket or shag pile carpet in the same room. Perhaps I need to exterminate the filthy owners of the dog who don't clean their house? Dogs certainly aren't coming back until it house is treated.

Damn itching all over even though nothings there!

Armchair23

And once you start with the scratching you just can't stop can you !

I'm not a lover of insecticides either, but if you don't have animals in your house on a regular basis it should be a one off spray.

cepheus

Not sure if it works, but a few sites suggest that mixing table salt and baking soda then sprinkling it on soft furnishings, carpets etc will dry out and kill the eggs, larvae and adult fleas so they can be easy vacuumed up with the granules afterwards.

green1970

Don't do it, even if you miss just one with your powdered salt/soda combination, the cycle will start all over again. Splash out on a tin of Acclaim and blitz the house from top to bottom and solve it at the first attempt, it'll work out cheaper and less effort in the long run. If you're seeing them that frequently, then the whole house is infested and you have hundreds of the blighters that have been breeding for a month or two at least.

Charliezoo

I looked after a friend's cat a few years back and it left its fleas behind in my house!

I used these and I must say they worked a treat for me -

http://www.bobmartin.co.uk/Cats/Product_Info.html?product_id=1043

System

*scratch*

spike7451

I got fleas after working in a customers house as an cable engineer,the house was particulary honking (dog was eating out of a food crusted sweetie tin,that much I remember!)
I ended up stripping off in the hallway of my apartment block & burning my uniform,still didn't stop me taking them into my flat.
I had to get my van fumigated & my home cleaned...I also work around dogs & cats at the local animal shelter,not had a problem as yet..

andrew-hilton

When I was student me and my friends we rented old house to save money, but the bad side was that we all got flees. ☺ Took us 4 weeks to get rid of it