Home Flea Treatments for Carpets

If you have a pet, you have probably had flea problems. Fleas are fairly harmless, but they do cause your pet to itch. Sometimes the fleas will even bite humans. After you treat your pet, you will need to remove the fleas in your carpet.

  1. Salt

    • One of the easiest ways to kill the fleas in your carpets is to use salt. Salt is sharp and pierces the skeleton of the flea. This causes the flea to dehydrate and die. Purchase a few large containers of salt and crate your pets up in a bathroom or other room that is not carpeted. Spread the salt liberally over every carpet in the home. Let it sit overnight. The next morning, vacuum the rooms to remove the salt as well as the dead fleas. You can let your pets back onto flea-free carpets.

    Flea Powders

    • Most pet stores and even some grocery stores sell flea powders that are made for use on carpets. These powders are effective if a second treatment is performed four weeks after the first treatment. This is because new eggs will hatch at four weeks and you will need to kill them also. The flea powder works the same way as the salt. It dehydrates the fleas, causing them to die. Spread the powder all over your carpets after crating your pets in a room that is not carpeted. Wait 24 hours, then vacuum all of your carpets. Be sure to double bag your vacuum bag and throw it in an outside trash bin can as soon as you finish.

    Flea Bombs

    • Flea bombs are effective in killing fleas that are living in your carpet as long as they contain IGR, which is a growth inhibitor. This chemical stops fleas at the beginning of the life cycle from reaching adulthood and giving birth to more fleas. Flea bombs do require more preparation. You should remove all of your dishes and pet supplies and move the furniture from your carpeted rooms so there is nothing covering the carpet. You will need one to two bombs per carpeted room depending on the size of the room. The bomb will have instructions on how to set it off, and once you do, you should immediately leave the room. You and your pets should stay out of the home for the amount of time on the instructions, about 12 hours in some cases. When you return to the home, open all windows and doors for a few hours to air out the house. While you wait for the air to clear, you can vacuum up all of the dead fleas and discard of them in an outside trash bin.