Soak bedding in hot water (60 degrees) for 10 minutes before putting it through the machine once a week. Before an adult flea hatches, it is a pupa – a cocooned life-stage, which will not die in cold water. Hot washing ensures you're killing all flea life-stages.
Run infested clothing through the washing machine using the hottest water safe for the fabric, combined with a good-quality laundry detergent. Then dry everything on high heat for at least 30 minutes. This combo helps kill fleas in every life stage.
High Temperatures: Use the highest temperature setting available on your commercial washer. Fleas and ticks are sensitive to heat, and washing at temperatures over 140°F for at least 10 minutes can kill both adult pests and their eggs.
Cat fleas can be found in clothing and areas like sofa cushions and pillows. One part of clearing up an infestation in your home is running these items through a washing machine at a high temperature. Fleas cannot live inside the washing machine and water over approximately 35 degrees Celsius will kill them.
Make sure to wash all of your pet's bedding and any other washable soft furnishings on a cycle at a temperature higher than 40°C as this will kill fleas at all life stages.
Use flea sprays to kill fleas at all life stages, like the Itch Flea House Spray for Homes which kills all fleas in your environment for up to 2 months, after just one blast. Treat your garden. If your pet spends time outdoors, fleas could be lurking there too.
Yes, l laundry detergent is quite sufficient to kill fleas. That plus hot water should kill off any insect eggs.
You can completely eliminate a flea infestation at a specific point in time, but fleas can always find their way back if your pet is unprotected. With consistent treatment, proper cleaning, and preventative care, you can keep your home flea-free and stop minor issues from turning into full-blown infestations.
While fleas prefer the warm, furry bodies of cats and dogs, they can thrive in other places when they're not feeding—including your kitchen. Fleas lay their eggs in small crevices, which include gaps between appliances or inside cupboards.
Flea eggs can be killed instantly with heat, such as washing them in hot water (above 60°C), or by using specific insecticidal sprays designed for flea eggs. Flea foggers or flea bombs may also help target eggs, though they're not always 100% effective.
Cracks and crevices: Fleas can hide in the cracks of floorboards or between the cushions of your furniture. Bedding: Yes, unfortunately, they can live in your bedding too!
Key Article Highlights. Washing at temperatures below 120°F is typically ineffective, allowing bed bugs to survive. Temperatures of 140°F or higher fully kill all bed bug life stages, including eggs. Washing machines may not heat evenly, enabling some bed bugs or eggs to survive standard cycles.
Wash EVERYTHING in hot water.
Well, maybe not everything, but most things. Your pet's bed, blanket, toys, as well as your bedding, sheets, and even cushion covers on the sofa. All of these things and more can hide fleas, but water over 95 degrees (Fahrenheit) can cook them out.
Vacuum every day to remove eggs, larvae and adults; this is the best method for initial control of a flea infestation.
Items like clothing, bedding, and upholstered furniture can easily harbour flea eggs, larvae, and pupae. If you pack these items without thoroughly cleaning them, fleas could hitch a ride into your storage unit.
Fleas can and do exist in homes that don't have carpets, as they like crevices, such as baseboards, gaps between floorboards, as well as carpet flooring, ventilators, under furniture, and anywhere else, fur and lint accumulate.
Fleas and eggs are unlikely to survive a once round in the washing machine and it is another good way to make sure none have escaped treatment. (It's still important to treat first to kill as many as possible this way as movement and transfer is likely to make any unwelcome visitors spread around your home).
If you're wondering if fleas will go away on their own, the answer is a firm no. These tiny insects are persistent and resourceful, capable of surviving in your home for months without a host. From the flea life cycle to their ability to thrive in hidden areas, fleas require a strategic approach to eliminate them.
Flea season starts in May and runs all the way into the winter when temperatures begins to drop below freezing. The worst time of the year is during late summer to late fall, from September through November.
Citrus sprays
Several low-toxicity treatments are available for indoor use. Citrus sprays containing limonene or linalool can be applied to rugs, carpeting and pet bedding. These products kill fleas on contact, but evaporate quickly and leave little residual protection against emerging fleas.
There's no simple way to figure out when fleas are totally gone. If you invest in professional pest control then it's up to you to monitor the situation. Keep an eye out for classic symptoms such as pets scratching themselves, flea sightings, mysterious bites and flea eggs.
Here are nine scents that people love and fleas hate:
Washing - Wash all bedding and pet beds your pets are able to get on 3 - 4 times weekly for 3 - 6 weeks. Use the normal detergent, but use hot water in the washing machine. This will help kill eggs and larvae.
Use white vinegar to clean floors, pet bedding, and fabrics where fleas like to hide. It doesn't kill the fleas directly, but it makes the area less inviting.
To truly get rid of fleas, you need to be on it with your vacuuming, washing pet bedding, and reapplying flea treatments as recommended. Most flea control plans take around three to six weeks before you can confidently say your home is flea-free.