If you have pets and they regularly go outside, then chances are you have had to deal with fleas in the past. Unfortunately, these pesky tiny insects have a way of making life a living hell, and the first instinct when looking to get rid of fleas on a couch or any other part of our house is to bomb them using a flea fogger.

However, the foggers may not alwys work, and they contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to you and very toxic to children and pets. So keep reading to learn how to get rid of fleas naturally.

How to flea bomb with indoor cats

Follow these steps to get rid of fleas in the house fast.

Prepping

Prepare your house for the bombing by vacuuming your floors before using a flea bomb. This is because vacuuming will wake up hiding fleas and increase the chances of killing them. If you think fleas have gotten into a closet, cabinets, or cupboards, open their doors to let the fogger reach inside.

Note: Do not put a flea bomb inside a cabinet; the pressurized gas can be dangerous.

Activate the Flea Bomb

Place the flea bomb in the center of the floor. Then leave your house immediately and don’t go back inside until after the time recommended on the can.

Note: Ensure all windows are closed and activate the fogger. Wear a mask to protect yourself from toxic chemicals. If you have asthma, have someone else handle the fogging.

Clean Up After Using a Flea Bomb

When it’s safe to return, open as many windows as possible to air out your house. If you can, use fans to boost ventilation. Remember, the fog contaminates everything around it with insecticides, so you’ll have to clean anything that could have been touched thoroughly.

It might be necessary to keep your pets away from the house for a bit longer while it airs out and you clean areas that are accessible to them. Or, they can wait in a room closed off from the chemicals until the rest of the house is ready.

Thoroughly vacuum the floors to pick up the dead fleas, larvae, and eggs. Once you’ve cleared enough space for your dog or cat to enter safely, you can bring them back into the house. Check on them frequently to ensure they’re not exploring places that haven’t been cleaned yet.

Note: Keep these important warnings in mind;

Stay Outside

Flea bombs come with a recommendation for how long to stay away from the treated areas after you’ve activated them. Usually, this ranges from four to eight hours, so you should plan to use a flea bomb only when you, your family, and your pets stay out of the house for several hours.

Focus on the main infested area

Flea infestations can spread from pets to furniture to carpets and other locations. Determine which areas or rooms have the most severe infestations so you can target the fleas more effectively.

Note: Pet beds and upholstered furniture are common hiding places for fleas. They can usually find more hiding places in rooms with fabrics and carpeting than in bathrooms or kitchens with mostly tile.

Avoid contamination

Flea bomb chemicals are toxic, and you should use caution when putting a flea bomb anywhere near food items, pet food, children’s toys, or toiletries. Instead, put houseplants outside and remove any pet food or children’s toys from your home.

Cover all food items or move them out of the affected zone: store toothbrushes and other toiletries in a location or container where they won’t be contaminated.

Note: Only flea bomb rooms of the house that you can ventilate once it’s time to clean up.

Be cautious

Never use a flea bomb near a flame or potential spark. The chemicals in aerosol cans of flea bombs might be flammable. Before you get started, unplug electronics and turn off lights and appliances to ensure there’s no chance of a fire.

Also, remember to turn off the gas fireplace, heater, or furnace pilot light while the flea fogger is active.

What can I use instead of flea bombing?

How do you get rid of fleas if bombs don’t work? The problem with getting rid of fleas is killing the fleas in all their life stages–including the eggs.

Below is a list of flea bombing alternatives you can use;

Pet Flea treatment

Treat your pets immediately if you notice fleas in your home. You can get flea prevention medicine for your pet from your veterinarian. It is essential to treat your dogs and cats so that they do not continue to bring fleas into your home.

Clean your carpets

Vacuum your carpets regularly as this will help to capture the adult fleas and eggs. Use a disposable bag while vacuuming. This way, you can throw it away as soon as you finish vacuuming; to avoid recontamination.

Use hot water

Wash all bedding, pet beds, toys, and washable pet items in hot water. You may need to wash bedding more often than usual, such as every other day for two weeks or more, so that you can continue to kill fleas that are hatching or larvae that are growing into adult fleas when you wash these items in hot water.

Use natural flea killers

Fleas that come into contact with diatomaceous earth will die of dehydration. Place diatomaceous earth in your garden,  potted plants inside your home, and around the outside of windows.

Use a fly trap

Place a light bulb or lamp over a shallow pan of soapy water at night. The theory is that fleas will be attracted to the light and drowned in the pan of water. However, this method alone will not get rid of all the fleas in your house. You can use it in combination with other methods listed here.

Check this too: How to Keep Stink Bugs Away

Note: Many alternative methods are effective for one stage but not all, so you will have to use a combination of approaches.

Is flea bombing safe if you have pets?

No. No person, pet, or plant should be in a house while a flea fogger is used. These pest control products contain insecticides that are toxic to people (especially children) and animals. Ensure that your pets are not in the house and are not in a position to get back into the house when you are getting your house flea bombed.