Flea control advice please!

[aspecht]

Ahhhh, I'm totally flipping out right now. When I got to school with my son, I looked down and noticed a FLEA on my hand! I'm so paranoid. I can't afford fleas! My guinea pigs haven't been itching, but I am going to check them today good to make sure. However, I'm not sure if the fleas are in my house or I picked it up outside, but I want to know if there is anything I can do to control them in my house. I want to be proactive. I sprayed pesticides through half the house already, but am completely out. And broke. I heard a bowl of vinegar helps, has anyone had luck with this? I REALLY need to do something, I can't have an infestation. As for my guinea pigs, what would I do if they have fleas?

 

[GeekPrincess]

Okay. First - breathe. Second - vacuum EVERYTHING and then toss the bag. If it's bag less empty canister and take the trash bag right out. And I mean everything - strip all the beds, vacuum the mattresses. Vacuum the sofa, chairs, throw rugs, anything that can't get tossed in the wash.
Third- wash everything in hot water and dry it on high.

 

[aspecht]

I don't have a washer or dryer right now. No money to go to the laundry mat. I vacuum twice a day as it is. I'm a clean freak. I have hard wood floors throughout most of the house too. I really think that it was in the piece of carpet outside my front door, as the stray cats tend to sleep there! Will soaking the clothes in hot water in the bathtub help? [MENTION=28379]GeekPrincess[/MENTION]

 

[bpatters]

You don't need to do all that washing. Fleas don't tend to congregate in clothes or bedding, and you don't even know if you've got them in your house, anyway. You could have picked it up anywhere from your house to the school yard.

Do you have cats and/or dogs? Do they go outside? Are they on any kind of systemic flea treatment? Check them and see if they have fleas.

The next thing I'd do is try to figure out if you've got them inside your house. If you have carpets, put a white sheet down on the floor and leave it for a while -- you'll be able to see them jumping on it. You can also drape chairs and sofas with sheets so you can see any fleas more easily.

If you do have fleas, there are non-pesticidal treatments for them. But there's no need to panic until you know whether you've got a problem or not.

 

[aspecht]

I do not have cats or dogs. My guinea pigs are the only animals I have. They do not go outside. I do have stray cats that sleep on the carpt outside my door sometimes. I will be tossing that.

 

[GeekPrincess]

The "wash ALL THE THINGS" is my mom's reaction to fleas. It may be an overreaction.

If you can't get to the laundry mat, then just vacuum and toss the mat the cats sleep on. If you do have fleas in the house then I would try to get the laundry mat ASAP.

Pick a room, ideal the one closest to where the cats slept and walk thru it in white socks.
Theres an all natural flea spray we use, I can't remember the name right now, I can ask my mom or see if my girlfriend has any stashed in the apartment. It's like natural chemistry or natures chemist flea spray. It's better than pesticides, especially around little ones. I also think mint is a natural repellant. But don't quote me on that.

 

[aspecht]

I'm pretty well broke until the first of the month. So if I have fleas and can't find something around the house that will get rid of them then I will be doing some Raid at the first of the month.

 

[bpatters]

If you don't have animals coming in and out of your house, it's very unlikely that you've got fleas inside. I'd relocate the cats to another sleeping place.

 

[aspecht]

I don't want them around at all to be honest. They're stray cats. They don't get fed or anything, but I don't have the heart to be mean to them so they just stay. It's frustrating but IDK what to do about them lol.

 

[bpatters]

Call animal control? Put some moth balls where they've been sleeping? (That's only if there are no small children who might get them.)

 

[Dessypoobear]

If you do have fleas you have to remove the pets a flea bomb your house, then treat any animals you do have. I work in a grooming salon and the only way you can get rid of them is to flea bomb the house. Also flea's wont stay on a human they like animal fur and if you do have fleas you would most likely have bites on your body and they would be itchy. If your truly concerned you might have fleas its probably better to treat and be safe then worry if you do or dont have them

 

[bpatters]

You don't necessarily have to flea bomb your house. I wouldn't start out that way. If you've got carpet, working borax into the carpet and leaving it for 2-3 days before vacuuming will often take care of it. If you don't have carpet, you may have to flea bomb it. Just remove all living things for several hours, and wipe down every surface when you come back in. Cover all upholstered furniture with something washable before spraying.

 

[aspecht]

I hate to have to flea bomb. Most of the time they don't work anyways. I have had fleas in the past, when I had dogs. I do not have animals in and out of my house, just me and my kids. I will remove the mat the cats lay on. I called animal control the other morning because one of the stray cats had been mauled by the pitbulls at our neighbors (they share my back fence) but animal control won't do crap here. If necessary, I will try the borax. We only have carpet upstairs. The person who lived here before me had a dog, but the house was empty for a month at least, we are thinking more like two or three.