How do I get fleas out of my home?

Question

My cats apparently have fleas. I have never seen one, but the vet saw flea residue in their fur. I used Advantage on all of them, and I continue to have bites on my skin. My boyfriend has not had one, but I have had about twenty. I still have yet to see a flea and my cats aren't itching. What is the best way to rid my apartment of fleas. It was suggested that I bomb my apartment. Should I inform my upstairs neighbor that I will be doing this. I am not sure how toxic the fumes are. And how long should I leave the house with my cats?

Answer 1

How I got rid of fleas and bugs from my home

You will need to purchase a simple bug/fly zapper; the type you use on a patio to kill flying insects.  You can buy a small one that will cover a large area of your house at most home improvement stores for as little as 15.00-20.00 dollars.  For faster results you can use one bug zapper for each room.  However the fleas do gravitate to the bug zapper’s light once night sets in and all the lights in your house are out. So one should work for a small home, just make sure to place it in the room where the most fleas are seen or felt.   Place the zapper on the floor in a corner behind a piece of furniture so kids and pets won’t play with or bother it. Set it on a plate or pie tin for easy cleaning up of the zapped bugs, you will be killing all bugs in your home as well, and then plug it in.  Remember, it is a piece of electrical equipment.  You have to use caution in where you put it. At night the fleas automatically want to go to a light, when they hop in to the bug zapper light they get fried! You can actually hear little, zits, zits when the fleas are getting zapped! All GONE! Keep the carpet vacuumed daily until your flea problem is under control, this will help tremendously in getting the fleas eggs out of your home and carpet faster!!  I am not responsible for misuse of the above item.  Use full caution in placing your bug zapper to the safest place.  It will work for months, even years; it will continue to kill bugs in your home as long as the light is on.  The bulb can be replaced once it burns out.  The light bulb can be purchased at most home improvement stores.

Answer 2

The flea treatment takes about 2 months to work. Make sure your cats aren't going outside because they can still bring them in. Bombing works well and you don't need to notify your neighbor because it just sprays in the air. You have to turn OFF your air conditioner before you do it and usually you have to be out for 4 hours before you can return with your cats. Make sure your floor isn't damp because pets can't walk on the carpet if its damp. I would recommend putting your kitty in the kennel or at the vet's office during the day and set the bomb off before you go to work so that way by the time you get home, everything should be fine.

Answer 3

If the cats are clean, it's possible that the fleas are breeding in your carpets, for instance.  Bombs work, but they're a pain in the neck.  Tell you what you can do is wash all your clothes and furnishings that are washable, scrub all the hard and washable surfaces where the cats hang out, and spray with an appropriate flea or tick spray--though you will want to check to be sure it doesn't damage the surfaces.

Answer 4

Umm maybe its not fleas? I had a rash that looked like flea bites. It's way messed up.  Maybe wash all your bed sheets and clothes. ( Not all your clothes, but clothes that you used to handle your cats a lot with)

Sorry, hope it goes away....

Edit: Idk about bombing...its annoying.First just wash a few of your clothes and your bedsheets. Remember, it may just be a few mosquitoes or other bug. Or it may be something entirely non-bug related.

Answer 5

Use carpet powder before you bomb, it works really well.  

You can get it at Walmart.  It comes in a ton of different scents, and you just sprinkle it on your carpet, leave it for half an hour, and vaccuum it back up.  It kills fleas and their eggs and all other sorts of pests, including ants.  

I use it all the time for my dog and cat indoors, and they don't even need flea meds; they never get fleas :)  

Answer 6

The problem is you can bring fleas in on your clothes and shoes. I have been using Advantage for the past 3 years and thankfully it is working. If you are planning on bombing your apartment, I would warn the neighbors closest to you. I would stay out of the house at least 6-8 hours(12 would be best) just to be safe and air the house out well when you return, open windows and use fans to get the smell out. Cat's are very sensitive to certain chemicals, so make sure the flea bomb is safe.