Fleas typically get into your house from animals such as dogs or cats, but they can actually make their way into your home even if you don’t have pets. This usually happens through windows or cracks in the floor, or you can even pick them up while on a walk on your clothes or shoes.
If fleas have made their way into your carpet then there’s no doubt that you’ve wondered how long they can survive and what measures you can take to keep them away.
Fleas will live from 2 to 4 months in carpet, but can be much longer if they have a host to feed on.
Luckily, you can do a lot of things to keep fleas away and out of your carpet for good. In this article, we’ll explore how fleas can survive for so long in your carpet, as well as the methods you can use to keep them away. We’ll also address some of the most frequently asked questions that we get around fleas in the house.
How to Tell if You Have Fleas in Your Carpet
The easiest way to tell if you have fleas is by closely looking at your carpet.
Adult fleas are a reddish-brown colour or black and can be up to 4mm in length, which means they are visible to the naked eye. If you take a close look at your carpet you will probably be able to notice if you have fleas, but this can be hard depending on the colour of your carpet.
Fleas tend to jump around which makes them easier to notice as well.
If you can’t see any fleas but are still wary then you can try leaving a bowl of water on your carpet. If you add washing up liquid to the bowl and leave a light source facing the bowl, such as a lamp or room light, this will attract fleas and trap them.
This also works nicely as a natural flea repellent if you want to fight the fleas on a budget.
What is The Fastest Way to Get Rid of Fleas in your Carpet
The first stage of action is to thoroughly vacuum your carpet – this will remove a good proportion of the fleas right of the bat. The most crucial thing to remember is to empty your vacuum straight away outside, preferable straight into a bin bag.
Once you’ve thoroughly vacuumed then it’s time to use a flea spray. Our personal favourite is Indorex Flea Spray that is effective on adult fleas as well as eggs and larvae.
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If you are still struggling with fleas in your carpet after using the above methods, then you could have a serious flea infestation. The only solution would be to contact a pest control company and get them to do a professional clean.
This is the only sure way to know that your carpet, and home, will be free from fleas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here at SofaToday, we get a lot of questions regarding fleas in the living room and more specifically carpets, so we’ve rounded up some of the most common questions to clear things up.
Do Fleas Die on Their Own?
Adult fleas require a host to feed and stay alive. So, if there are fleas in your carpet and they don’t have a host then they will only survive for 2 to 4 months on average.
The problem is if you have animals that are allowed into the room with adult fleas in the carpet, as this provides an easy host for them to sustain for much longer periods of time. However, should they be separated – even for a couple of days – this can give enough time for the adult flea to die out.
Larvae and eggs that are already within the carpet can survive for much longer as they are not dependent on a host at this stage of their lifespan.
Are There Any Home Flea Repellents?
The dish soap method that we mentioned earlier is probably one of the best ways to repel fleas using simple things you can have around the house, but there are other things you can use as well:
- Baking soda – If you sprinkle baking soda over your carpet, or any other furniture for that matter, and brush it in, it will help to disrupt the fleas. Once you’ve finished vacuum up thoroughly and you’ll have a better chance of catching them all.
- Salt – Salt works in a similar way. Sprinkle some over affected areas and leave overnight, when you vacuum up you’ll notice a difference.
Where Else are Fleas Found?
Unfortunately, fleas are not only commonly found in carpets but can be found in a lot of other places around the house.
As fleas are attracted to moist and shady places, other key areas where they can be found include floor cracks and bedding. They also thrive in long grass and shrubbery, so if your garden is unkept then it may become a breeding ground for fleas. This is also why fleas are almost always picked up when walking through woods or other grassy terrains.
