Get the GoFantastic app
How to Get Rid of Fleas in the House
To get rid of fleas in your house, treat every pet with a vet-recommended product, hoover daily, wash pet bedding at 60°C, and use an authorised household flea spray with an insect growth regulator. Keep going for several weeks, because new fleas keep hatching from cocoons in carpets and furniture.
Here’s the full step-by-step plan to de-flea your house, what home remedies really do, and when to call a professional.
Not sure which flea you’re dealing with? Read about the types of fleas in the UK and where they live.
How to Get Rid of Fleas in the House
Fleas in your home live mostly as eggs, larvae and cocoons hidden in carpets, bedding and furniture, so treating your pet alone won’t clear them. Do these steps together:
1. Get every pet treated
Ask your vet for a flea product that suits each pet, and treat all your pets at the same time. Products made for one species aren’t always safe for another: some dog flea treatments contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats.
2. Hoover every day
Hoover carpets, rugs, sofas, mattresses, skirting boards and the gaps between floorboards. Hoovering picks up eggs, larvae, cocoons and adult fleas, and the vibration makes new fleas leave their cocoons, so they can be killed. Empty the hoover or bin the bag in an outside bin straight away.
3. Wash bedding on a hot wash
Wash pet bedding at 60°C or higher, plus throws, cushion covers and your own bedding if your pet sleeps on it. Dry everything on a heat setting suitable for the fabric, and keep clean items sealed in bags until the house is treated.
4. Use an authorised household flea spray
Choose a household flea spray with an insect growth regulator (IGR), which stops eggs and larvae developing into adults. Spray floors and soft furnishings, follow the label, and keep people and pets out of the room for as long as it says.
5. Keep going for several weeks
Most sprays don’t kill eggs or cocoons. Eggs hatch in 2 to 5 days, larvae take 1 to 3 weeks to develop, and cocoons can wait up to 6 months before a new flea comes out. Keep hoovering and keep your pets’ flea treatment up to date until you stop seeing fleas.
6. Call a professional if they keep coming back
If you’re still finding fleas after a few weeks, or they’re in several rooms, a professional treatment covers the whole home in one go (see below).
How to get rid of fleas in the house fast
There’s no instant fix, because eggs and cocoons survive most sprays. The fastest route is to do steps 1 to 4 on the same day, or book a professional treatment, which treats the whole home with a residual spray in one visit. Expect to see some fleas for a few days afterwards while the last ones hatch and are killed.
Fleas keep coming back?
Our technicians treat your whole home with a residual spray that keeps killing fleas as they hatch.
See our flea treatment in London.
Professional flea treatment for your house
If fleas keep coming back, or they’re spread through several rooms, a professional treatment (often called flea fumigation) is the most reliable way to clear the whole home. A technician sprays the affected areas with a residual insecticide that keeps killing fleas as they hatch and emerge.
Before the visit, hoover all floors, carpets, rugs and sofas, empty the hoover away from the house, wash pet bedding on a hot wash, clear the floors and move furniture away from the walls. Everyone, pets included, needs to leave during the treatment, and treated areas shouldn’t be cleaned or hoovered for at least 10 days afterwards. Have your pets treated by your vet at the same time.
Our flea treatment in London comes with a 3-month guaranteed plan that includes a return visit after 2 weeks.
Do home remedies for fleas work?
Many home remedies are shared online, but few are backed by UK pest or vet advice, and some can harm pets. Here’s how the common ones compare:
| Remedy | What people say | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| Salt or baking soda on carpets | Dries out flea eggs | Not recommended in UK guidance. Daily hoovering is what removes eggs, larvae and cocoons. |
| Vinegar or lemon sprays | Kill or repel fleas | Not recommended in UK guidance. Use an authorised household flea spray instead. |
| Essential oils | Natural repellent for pet bedding or a diffuser | Most essential oils are toxic to cats and can cause serious harm. Keep them away from pets. |
| Dog flea treatment on a cat | Saves buying two products | Some dog products contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats. Ask your vet. |
| Flea bombs (foggers) | Treat a whole room at once | The mist doesn’t reach eggs deep in carpets and floor gaps. See do flea bombs work? |
| Hoovering and hot washing | Too simple to work | They work. Hoovering removes all life stages, and a 60°C wash deals with pet bedding. |
For carpets specifically, see how to get rid of fleas in carpet.
How to stop fleas coming back
- Keep your pets on a regular flea treatment recommended by your vet. In a centrally heated home, that may mean all year round.
- Wash pet bedding regularly on a hot wash and hoover often, including under furniture and along skirting boards.
- Check second-hand furniture for signs of fleas before bringing it indoors.
- Seal gaps around doors, pipes and walls that let mice and rats in, as rodents can carry fleas.
For the garden, see how to get rid of fleas in your garden naturally. Not sure fleas are the problem? Check the signs of fleas in your home.
What eats fleas?
Spiders and some other insects will eat fleas, but none of them can clear an infestation inside your home. Most fleas in a home are eggs, larvae and cocoons hidden in carpets and furniture, where predators don’t reach.
Still finding fleas after a few weeks? Our flea treatment in London clears the whole home, with a return visit after 2 weeks on our 3-month guaranteed plan.
Consider that we give an information on possible ways to get rid of fleas. However, we cannot quarantee that all of the above approaches will work for you.
