How do I get rid of a flea infestation asap?

Step 1: Treat your pet

This is a non-negiotable. If you’ve seen fleas in your home, they’re certainly on your pet, even if you haven’t spotted them. Fleas can hide in pet fur and it takes a good flea comb to brush them out. 

To treat your pet, you’ll want an effective, vet-approved flea treatment. Spot-ons and tablets tend to work far better than supermarket powders and sprays. Don’t DIY with random products because some treatments aren’t suitable for all species or ages of pets. Vet approved treatments like Itch Flea Treatment for Cats and Itch Flea Treatment for Dogs are a tailored dose specifically for your pet and delivered straight to your house, for free, exactly when you need it. 

Important note: Treating your pet once is rarely enough during an active infestation. Most products kill adult fleas but don’t magically remove every egg in your home. You’ll need to keep up the schedule, typically monthly treatments.

Step 2: Hoover everywhere

Fleas lay eggs in carpets, rugs, sofa crevices, pet bedding, blankets, stairs, and any other fabric they can get their grubby little legs near. Click here to find out where fleas can hide in your home.

Vacuuming helps in two ways:

Target your carpets, hard floors, sofas, curtains and don’t forget the car. Any nook and cranny a flea might fancy.

Then make sure to empty the hoover outside, straight away. Otherwise you’ll bring all them fleas back into your home, when you next hoover.

Step 4: Use a flea home spray

Look for a flea spray that contains an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR). This breaks the flea life cycle and is the key to clearing an infestation quicker instead of spending weeks in flea purgatory. A good household flea spray will do two things - Kill adult fleas AND stop eggs and larvae developing.

Step 5: Let’s do it all over again

No flea infestation is going to disappear in a few days. To properly get rid of fleas and stop them from coming back, you need to repeat all these steps a few more times. 

Why? Because flea pupae can sit dormant in your carpets for weeks, waiting for movement or warmth to hatch. You can’t kill them with spray or wishing really hard. You can try to wake them up by excessively hoovering. The vibrations will hatch the pupae and if you follow up with a household flea spray, like Itch Flea House Spray, you can kill them afterwards. Even a flea spray won’t kill every flea, some are likely to make it to your pet which is why monthly flea treatment is crucial. If your pet is treated consistently, any fleas that hop on them will be killed. 

Step 6: Keep up with protection

Once you’ve battled through the worst of it, you now need to keep your pet and home protected. Even in winter. Even if they don’t go outside. Anyone can get fleas, nothing rules you out. Find out here how you can get fleas. 

A flea infestation feels gross and stressful, but it’s honestly one of the most fixable household problems. Take a thorough approach instead of half-measures. With consistent cleaning, proper treatment and a bit of patience, you’ll be flea-free far quicker than you expect.