Vacuum the areas where your pet likes to rest and launder all bedding.
No matter how much you love your cat or dog, seeing fleas on your pet can make anyone cringe. Fleas can live for up to 100 days, and although they prefer consuming animal blood, humans will satiate their appetite if no other host is available. Killing fleas effectively requires a muti-level approach that addresses all areas of the flea's environment.
Vacuum
Vacuum your entire house thoroughly. Vacuuming will remove many of the surface eggs and mature fleas. Run the vacuum over all carpeting and hardwood surfaces. Use an attachment to reach any cracks or crevices in the flooring where fleas might hide.
Launder All Clothes and Bedding
Wash all cloth and bedding. Place all blankets, stuffed animals and animal bedding into the washing machine with the recommended amount of detergent. Use the hottest water possible to ensure maximum efficacy. Dry all laundry in the dryer using high heat for at least 20 minutes for extra measure. The combination of hot water and hot air should kill most of the fleas and their eggs in your laundered items.
Give your Pet a Flea Dip
Give your dog or cat a flea bath. Purchase a flea dip at any pet supply store. Put on rubber gloves and run a bath up to -- but not higher than -- your pet's neck. Only a bath, not a shower or hosing-down, will sufficiently drown the fleas. Submerge the animal in the bath and gently massage its fur under the water so the flea medication completely penetrates his hair. Apply a dry wash cloth over your pet's eyes and saturate his neck and head with the medicated water. Allow your pet to soak in the flea dip for the amount of time recommended by the instructions. Do not shampoo him afterward or you will dilute the flea-killing medication. Remove him from the bath and dry his fur with a clean towel. Wait 24 hours and apply flea and tick spot treatment promptly to avoid future infestations.
Use Flea Bombs
Set off flea bombs in the infested rooms. Flea bombs require you to vacate the house for a period of approximately 48 hours within 30 seconds of releasing the fumes. Prepare in advance by packing up your belongings and relocating other pets such as rabbits and fish before detonating the flea bomb. Place the bombs on the floor in the middle of the room and release the trigger fumes just before leaving your home.
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