One of the banes of the pet owner is the presence of fleas. As soon as mankind tamed animals for companions, fleas became a problem for man and beast. With today's modern houses filled with nice carpeting and soft surfaces, pet owners have made a haven for fleas. Fleas not only prosper on pets and in their bedding, but do very well living in your carpeting. To get rid of the creatures requires a multi-front attack.
Start the war by treating your animal. Take care not to use dog flea products on cats. Because of their grooming habits, this can be fatal to the cat. No flea treatment for animals lives up to its billing. A three month treatment will get you a few weeks of adequate protection.
Once you have terminated the flea population on your pet, move to its bedding. Do not delay this step or the the first step was wasted. Treat them with a good quality of spray and/or powder. If possible, wash them in hot water and good detergent first. This will get rid of the next most populated area after your pet's body.
Now, move to the rest of the house. If possible, use a good flea bomb and treat whole rooms at a time. You will need to vacate the house with your pet for a couple of hours, but it will be worth it. If you have fish, turn off the air flow system and cover the tank to protect it. Turn off the furnace or air conditioner to keep fresh air from circulating and minimizing the effect of the spray from the bombs.
Use a flea killing carpet cleaner as soon as you return home. Sprinkle it generously over all of the carpet. Use as much of the product as necessary for good coverage. Wait the prescribed amount of time and vacuum it up.
If you have a good lawn and garden store nearby, get treatment for the yard. You will need to treat all of a fenced enclosure. If you do not have a fence, treat an area with a about a 50 foot radius all of the way around your home.
Just be aware that no matter how hard you work at this, it will not be a permanent fix if you live in a area with a lot of wild life or loose pets. You may find yourself having to repeat the entire process every 30 to 60 days during warm weather.
