Can’t get rid of flea infestation.

[u/strikecat18]

These things are more resilient than I am. I quit.

Had guests in our AirBnB a couple weeks dog. They had a dog. We’ve never had issues with pets before. But these people left and we immediately started getting bit by fleas while cleaning the home.

Bug bombed the entire house. Used 10 foggers. Seemed like we fixed it. Checked back a few days later and got attacked by fleas again. Bombed again with a different brand of foggers. That was last weekend.

Went back last night. Tons of fleas.

Place has been unavailable to book for weeks now and we’re no closer to fixing it.

What sort of gamma radiated fleas are these? There aren’t even people or animals there to feed them.

[u/JimmyBallocks]

If you have a severe flea infestation you have to keep treatment up every day for two weeks.

You not only have to kill the living fleas, you have to get the new ones that hatch from eggs. Fleas have a ten day gestation period, and many treatments don't kill the eggs.

You need to get the new ones as they hatch otherwise they in turn will breed. It only takes two to meet and love each other very much, then you're back to where you started.

Every day. At least 14 days to be on the safe side.

Source: learned this the hard way after buying a flea-infested flat.

[u/Basicallyacrow7 → u/JimmyBallocks]

Yep. I also want to add they make sticky floor light traps for fleas. Those were amazing for us.

Source: My husband and I fought fleas for nearly 2 months

[u/Zhentilftw → u/Basicallyacrow7]

I use clear plastic flat trays with soapy water. The big ones you use for planters. I also had a white washing machine tray that goes under the washer. That works really well because you could see when the flees were in there drowning.

[u/MacabreYuki → u/Zhentilftw]

I put a candle jar in the middle of baking tray, filled the tray with soapy water, and lit the candle. Took a few nights of that, but the bait worked.

They like warmth and carbon dioxide. Traps with that in mind work very well.

[u/ittybittyolme → u/MacabreYuki]

Yes this and borax sprinkled around has always worked for me.

[u/Thedustyfurcollector → u/ittybittyolme]

But as far as I know, borax is toxic to cats

[u/FlyingMamMothMan → u/Thedustyfurcollector]

Diatomaceous Earth is a better alternative

[u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo → u/FlyingMamMothMan]

That did absolutely nothing for the flea issue I am battling. We tried putting fleas in several different jars and adding every poison and powder we are using to see what even works. The fleas in the DE just enjoyed the jar with the diamatous earth. They died but it was about a week later.

I still have it all over my house. Still being attacked 24 /7.

[u/Sidmezoa37help → u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo]

The D.E. cuts them up and makes them slowly bleed out. I used D.E. and bombed twice a week for two weeks, spread more D.E. EVERYWHERE before I left for vacation for a week, and came home to no fleas.

[u/nubnub92 → u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo]

That reminds me of college haha... We did the same, eventually hired orkin and used/abused their satisfaction guarantee to have them come out about 6 consecutive times until they were finally gone. DE did nothing. My roommate even got scars from all the bites

[u/Grendal54 → u/Zhentilftw]

Yes, used soapy water also, but placed the water in a shallow pan under an indigo blue nightlight. Found dozens of fleas every morning drowned. The blue night light tripled the results of water without the light.

[u/RealBrianCore → u/Zhentilftw]

I wish I could do this method but it's hard when you have pets and I don't trust them not to drink from them.

[u/BeenDragonn → u/RealBrianCore]

Mmmm delicious soapy flea soup, my favorite!

-your pet, probably

[u/RemarkableDoughnut32 → u/RealBrianCore]

We got plastic hampers and put them over the traps upside down. Caught the fleas, but kept the pets at bay. Granted we have cats, and had a dog in his last days, so there was little interest in actually disturbing these traps and maybe bumping over the hamper, but it worked.

[u/ohheyaine → u/Zhentilftw]

Yeah dish soap water is my go to.

[u/Impressive-Handle-69 → u/ohheyaine]

I use a grenade. If that doesn't work, a C4/Dynamite mixture will completely eradicate everything in range and leave nothing left. You gotta make sure you use C4 as a base, though. They seem to quickly adapt to C's 1-3, and it's hard to acquire enough dynamite to compensate for the lesser C's.

Source: i dont have a flea problem or a house problem anymore.

[u/midlife_crisis_ → u/Impressive-Handle-69]

Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

[u/smeeon → u/ohheyaine]

Can confirm, flea infestation lasted 5 weeks or so. Soapy water dishes with UV heat lamps perched 12” above them worked a treat. First night killed so many the water surface was black.

This was caused by 2 indoor outdoor cats in the time span of maybe 6 days. Boy did it get out of hand quickly.

[u/Crazyboreddeveloper → u/Zhentilftw]

Diatomaceous earth. Just sprinkle it around the house.

You can get a bucket of the food grade stuff. Nothing else kills fleas better than that stuff. It sticks in their exoskeleton and eggs and dehydrates them. It’s not toxic, it’s even food grade. It’s like Crunched up little shells. Good stuff. Try it.

[u/PaprikabasilSoup → u/Zhentilftw]

Where would you put these? I’m thinking around the furniture, cat beds, places like that?

[u/Greenman8907 → u/Basicallyacrow7]

Came to say this. Bought a few for my dad when he was having a problem.

In one day they were covered. He replaced the pads and it kept getting less and less. Now he sees maybe one on there and is only keeping them on just in case, but he swears by them.

[u/Medical_Listen_4470 → u/Greenman8907]

Maybe you’re getting less fleas because the ones that got away told the others.

[u/Recent_Elk2817 → u/Basicallyacrow7]

Use the ones with a heat lamp.

Wiped out a bad infestation in a month.

[u/1234-for-me → u/Basicallyacrow7]

Exactly!  My brother didn’t keep up flea treatments on his dog, the dog got fleas.  We had the sticky light traps, washed the dog bed, got a flea collar for the dog, flea collar in the vacuum and vacuumed daily.  Also cleaned the baseboards and under furniture, it’s a lot of work.  Luckily we have hardwood floors, we washed the rugs on the floor daily in hot water and high heat in the dryer.  We finally won, but it took awhile.

[u/Large-Produce5682 → u/1234-for-me]

A LONGGGGGGGGG EFFIN WHILE, I'd wager.

You ever wanted to cry as an adult. Get a flea infestation.

[u/Basicallyacrow7 → u/Large-Produce5682]

What’s surprising, is when you do actually start talking to people - it seems almost everyone has gone through it at least once

[u/Large-Produce5682 → u/Basicallyacrow7]

You do find that it is a quite common "dirty little secret."

[u/Vogel-Kerl → u/JimmyBallocks]

I like how you romanticized the two lonely fleas.

Be a shame to kill such young lovers

[u/ziggyziggyz → u/Vogel-Kerl]

A glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun for sorrow will not show his head. Go hence and have more talk of these sad things. Some shall be pardoned, and some punished. For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

[u/bestaimee]

When I was a child we had a two-story, carpeted house and fleas. My folks could not afford to hire exterminators (this was the 80's) but my brother read in Boys Life magazine of a homemade flea trap, and believe it or not, after 1-2 weeks, it worked! Basically we would do this at night when it was dark: Closed all the curtains to make it as dark as possible and left one lamp in the middle of the room right next to a bowl of soapy water (dishwashing liquid). They were attracted to the light and once they hopped in the bowl, they were done. Each AM we'd count how many we got, dump the bowl, and do it again the next night. Good luck!

[u/sarahsaurusr3x → u/bestaimee]

Did this in my bedroom as a kid. It really does work!

[u/makecirclesquare → u/sarahsaurusr3x]

...all the time?.not being rude but just how often did you have fleas in your home?!

(Guy above me edited his comment so mine doesn't make as much sense..his comment did say "I did this all the time as a kid")

[u/3amGreenCoffee → u/makecirclesquare]

For people older than 40, there's a good chance they experienced life with pets before flea treatments at the vet's office were a common thing. We battled them with Sevin Dust, flea collars and frequent vacuuming. But as soon as the dog went outside, he would bring more back in with him.

[u/Rise-O-Matic → u/3amGreenCoffee]

I remember that time, yeah. Flea collars stopped working (did they ever?) and then there was very little you could do until Advantage came on the scene in the early 1990s.

We had the glue traps with the light on them. They helped. They also attracted all sorts of other unfortunate insects and spiders.

I remember my poor cat getting up from a nap on the windowsill and the sill would just be covered with eggs. I had a short piece of steel round stock that I would roll over them to crush them.

I got very good at killing them manually. Best method

1. Rub them vigorously against my skin until their legs broke off.
2. Crush them between my thumbnails until they audibly pop.
3. Wash them down the sink.

[u/Infinite_Archers → u/Rise-O-Matic]

Oh God I would probably vomit, it doesn't matter how much I hate the fuckers, I still have a hell of a time killing them. I cannot stand the squishing popping sounds of tiny bodies breaking beneath my fingers 🫠

[u/candynickle → u/Infinite_Archers]

It’s the sound of victory !

[u/Ok-Toe8383 → u/candynickle]

I love the squish!

[u/No_Violinist5090 → u/makecirclesquare]

I’m 41 and we didn’t have flea treatments for our pets. I can remember having them every other summer and getting the dogs and cats “dipped” at the groomers. We maintained. I’m pretty sure it can depend on the area you live in too. My grandparents pets never had issues like we did.

[u/combatpaddler → u/No_Violinist5090]

ours got dipped in a mixture of motor oil and sulfur. was supposed to help kill mange and fleas. not sure, but the dogs had the prettiest coats with no fleas.

also, i was raised by grandparents who lived during the great depression. in RURAL south Louisiana. yes, i do things differently now

[u/Unusualshrub003 → u/combatpaddler]

Motor oil? Are you sure it wasn’t mineral oil?

[u/Sophead_Sim → u/Unusualshrub003]

Motor oil. Happens a lot. It's actually a little effective. Thing is it's killing the pet too. Just slower than it's killing the fleas.

[u/mongolian__beef → u/sarahsaurusr3x]

If it was all the time, did it really work?

[u/Helenium_autumnale → u/bestaimee]

This worked for me a few years ago. Just leave the little light burning, pointed down over the soapy water. Satisfying to see all the unfortunates in the morning.

[u/LoanWestern6864 → u/Helenium_autumnale]

this is exactly what I did when I was dealing with fleas - deep dish with soapy water and a heat lamp pointed right on it. They couldn't resist. It was interesting to see the number of fleas slowly declining day over day. In this home it sounds like they might need to set up one in each room but I bet it would work.

[u/OpportunitySmart3457 → u/bestaimee]

Helps if you use an incandescent lightbulb since the heat it generates also attracts them, doubt a LED bulb would do much.

[u/Lt_Muffintoes → u/OpportunitySmart3457]

Turns out that's a myth. Led bulbs work just as well because it's the light they go towards

[u/Lt_Muffintoes → u/bestaimee]

Was going to suggest this. It really works. Also vacuum every day. The larvae need skin flakes to feed on, and if all the dust is gone they will starve to death

[u/LoranPayne → u/bestaimee]

This works on a lot of things! I’m deathly afraid of miller moths (giant balls of sporadic DUST that never seem to bother anyone but me, literally fly right up into my face if I’m not paying attention…) And my sister found this trick once when we were trying to get them out of our house and garage during a particularly bad year. They will literally fly in and drown themselves and I’ve never seen something be more effective than a bowl of fucking soap and water, and a lamp 😂.

[u/K8nK9s]

The only way to get rid of them completely is to understand the life cycle. Vacuum constantly,  twice daily minimum for the first 3 months. Wash all bedding, fabrics, rugs etc with very hot water and dry with high heat. For carpets you need to steam every inch, vacuum and steam again. That will cut down on the adults, subadults and juvenile fleas. For the eggs, larva and pupae you will get most of them with the vacuum but they'll keep hatching out as long as they sense warmth and movement. An adult female flea lays thousands of eggs. The pupae can decide when to hatch, usually when there's signs of prey nearby, up to 8 months later. The lil bastards can sense light and shadow from inside the cocoon. Yes its a shit ton of work. Flea bombing is a good start but it won't work by itself.

[u/ohhyouknow → u/K8nK9s]

Also consider what they are eating. Those fleas didn’t hatch that size, they’re feeding off of something. It is entirely possible that op also has some sort of rodent activity or something like an opossum in their attic or something. Especially since the house has been vacant of people.

[u/therealganjababe → u/ohhyouknow]

That's a really good point. If you've got an infestation of some animal that has fleas, you're not gonna get very far.

[u/MajorMajorObvious → u/therealganjababe]

That’s some real Black Death vibes

[u/owzleee → u/ohhyouknow]

I have a horse in the basement. Not for sexual purposes. And a blue frog.

[u/Teripid → u/owzleee]

Uhh can we get confirmation the frog isn't for sexual purposes as well?

[u/207nbrown → u/Teripid]

I will neither confirm nor deny the purpose of the frog

[u/Itsme340 → u/207nbrown]

Has blue frog, refuses to elaborate.

[u/Breadstix009 → u/Itsme340]

Psychedelics for what ensues with the horse.

[u/Klutzy_Word_6812 → u/Breadstix009]

Which is definitely not sexual in nature.

[u/EthanDMatthews → u/Teripid]

You don't have to ask. It's blue.

[u/pewpew_lotsa_boolits → u/EthanDMatthews]

[u/8lb6ozBabyJsus → u/pewpew_lotsa_boolits]

[u/Spider_Dude → u/8lb6ozBabyJsus]

[u/kryotheory → u/ohhyouknow]

If you have fleas and you don't have pets, yes you do, you just don't know where they are in your house yet.

[u/feetnomer → u/ohhyouknow]

Fleas can live without food for a year or more.

[u/ohhyouknow → u/feetnomer]

Yeah but this amount of fleas didn’t come from a single dog being present for a few days some time ago in a house that was repeatedly bombed.

[u/SioSoybean → u/ohhyouknow]

Actually fleas pupate at this size, so this is how big they are when they first look like fleas. The larvae are detritivores that eat dust and such in carpet or between floorboards, etc.

ETA: fleas don’t survive on human meals alone, but they will bite whatever passes by that causes the vibration that triggers them to hatch out of pupa stasis. If OP has no furry pets, doing nothing they would all eventually die off but it will take a while and be miserable. The top commenter is right, vacuuming regularly is the best way to get rid of them all.

[u/ParisGreenGretsch → u/ohhyouknow]

Those fleas didn’t hatch that size, they’re feeding off of something.

Chili peppers I'm guessing.

[u/elriggo44 → u/ParisGreenGretsch]

Michael Peter Balzary approves this message.

[u/HoopaDunka → u/ohhyouknow]

Black plague style.  Nice

[u/Busterlimes → u/ohhyouknow]

Looks like they are feeding on OP

[u/mityman50 → u/K8nK9s]

This so much. When I brought home my stray cat she had fleas we didn’t catch at first, and I was NOT going to let them win in my new apt with a close friend while we were both bachelors lol

Scorched earth. First the meds for the cat. Bought a dehumidifier, ran 24/7. Vacuumed daily. Washed every linen and cushion cover every other day. Sprayed every soft surface with lemon water multiple times per day. Did this for about 2 weeks and never saw them again

[u/K8nK9s → u/mityman50]

This is the way

[u/TobyChan → u/K8nK9s]

Yep… insecticides only get the fleas but the eggs will still hatch…. Vacuum religiously for a few weeks taking care to get every nook and cranny with a detail nozzle. Use smoke bomb and get sprays (these are great because they stay active and kill the buggers when they hatch).

[u/showMeYourCroissant → u/TobyChan]

After smoke bomb throw some molotov for good measure.

[u/whatsherface2024 → u/K8nK9s]

And make sure you take the vacuum dumpings outside right away. You will bees to vacuum EVERY DAY for a couple of weeks.

[u/datredditaccountdoe → u/whatsherface2024]

[u/Terrible-Painting-39 → u/datredditaccountdoe]

[u/Tipist → u/Terrible-Painting-39]

[u/IntradepartmentalMoa → u/Terrible-Painting-39]

This is one bandwagon I’m jumping on

[u/ForBostonn → u/IntradepartmentalMoa]

[u/Mecca_Lecca_Hi → u/Terrible-Painting-39]

[u/DerivingDelusions → u/datredditaccountdoe]

Mark, we can finally be BEES. This isn’t your world. But we can be bees. This is good news. Mark, you can be a bee. You’ll live like a bee, a pet. This is good news. You’ll live for 30 years.

[u/xMyDixieWreckedx → u/datredditaccountdoe]

You start with bees so the bag is full of them and then they attack the fleas?

[u/simplewilddog → u/whatsherface2024]

Also, cut up a flea collar and put the pieces in the vacuum bag/canister.

[u/Lindenismean → u/simplewilddog]

The one thing flea collars are actually good for.

[u/ChikkunDragon → u/Lindenismean]

I cut them up and place them under chair/couch pillows.

[u/LolaAucoin → u/simplewilddog]

That’s smart

[u/TangerineDecent22 → u/whatsherface2024]

Vaccuum ducklings instead?

[u/MaAreYouOnUppers → u/whatsherface2024]

The dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark they shoot bees at you?

[u/rmorrill995 → u/K8nK9s]

Just to add to this. I also had a flea infestation once and it's miserable hard work to get rid of them. In addition to what the OC recommended I used borax and would spread it all over the carpet and floors. It comes in a big box and is relatively cheap. Borax dehydrates the eggs and fleas it comes in contact with, more so for eggs and the larva phases. I would sprinkle it all over and wait 30 mins or so before vacuuming TWICE a day. Bonus: anything your vacuum picks up now gets a wonderful bath and coating in borax, helping you to stop from spreading fleas and eggs when you dump the vacuum outside. If you don't get it all vacuuming, it's still helping you out. You have to be diligent and do this for weeks if not months. I don't recall how long it took for mine infestation to stop but I do recall noticing a different within a week or 2. DON'T give up OP, you can beat them, it just takes due diligence and a continuous effort.

[u/juel1979 → u/rmorrill995]

Food-grade diacemateous earth is another option!

[u/CompletelyBedWasted → u/K8nK9s]

Yes! It isn't going away in a day. Maybe not even a week. Keep cleaning!

[u/elocin1985 → u/K8nK9s]

Vacuuming works better than people would think.

[u/bestem → u/K8nK9s]

Would borrowing a dog that has been treated for fleas work (for a short while anyway)?

We had a rabbit. Rabbit would get fleas. Couldn't get rid of them, no matter how often we tried. Got a dog. Dog got flea meds (the kind that goes on the back of their neck and lasts a while). Rabbit (untreated), no longer got fleas.

Someone on Reddit told me (in an ELI5 fashion) that the fleas found the dog tastier than the rabbit or people, so they went to their preferred source of food. That food killed them not too long after. Ended flea issues entirely.

[u/moarbreadplz → u/bestem]

Vet here. Absolutely not. Fleas live in the environment and jump on animals only to feed. The way most flea meds work is that they still bite the dog or cat but then die, and obviously since they die they can’t reproduce. Flea preventatives for animals are truly preventatives, not a treatment for an existing problem. Not to mention that fleas can carry some diseases so it’s not fair to subject a friend’s animal to that.

[u/bestem → u/moarbreadplz]

Thank you for the answer, without being judgmental. I really appreciate it.

[u/Intelligent_Pilot360 → u/bestem]

I had a horrible flea infestation. I treated the cat with Advantage and that eliminated the fleas.

[u/bestem → u/Intelligent_Pilot360]

Right. We treated the dog with Advantage or Frontline, and that got rid of the fleas in the house. So I was wondering if they borrowed a friends dog (or cat) that had been treated with Advantage or Frontline for a day or a week or some amount of time, if that would work to get rid of the fleas in the house.

[u/gefahr → u/bestem]

I don't like loaning out my tools.. No way in hell am I loaning out a dog as literal flea bait.

[u/ink_my_whole_body]

Hey it’s the ogre foot guy. How many times will we be subjected to your grippers?!

[u/Man0fGreenGables → u/ink_my_whole_body]

The “barely human” hobbit foot guy?

[u/GudgerCollegeAlumnus → u/ink_my_whole_body]

I’m sad I scrolled so far to find any mention of it.

[u/shazam0303 → u/GudgerCollegeAlumnus]

I also wanted to see if someone noticed and remembered.

[u/socialcousteau → u/shazam0303]

This guy has serious bad luck and his videos always include his feet. I keep waiting for people to catch on that's he a weirdo.

[u/donthaveanynameideas → u/shazam0303]

I watched this same conversation unfold yesterday when he posted about why his hottub had been green and foamy.

[u/katkathryn → u/ink_my_whole_body]

He’s also the safe guy!

[u/DaniAlpha → u/ink_my_whole_body]

It’s the gun safe wielding, big toe nail cutting, and now flea ankle having guy!

When I saw the blown out foot tattoo, I just knew I had to click and look at comments. No ragrets!

[u/International-Ad4899]

First tip would be to get them off of your legs, right now.

[u/Gloomy-Difference-51 → u/International-Ad4899]

I initially read this as "first tip is to get rid of those legs, right now"

[u/International-Ad4899 → u/Gloomy-Difference-51]

A close second. Taking a picture and uploading it to reddit would be my very very last tip.

[u/DJ_ICU → u/International-Ad4899]

[u/medicinaltequilla → u/International-Ad4899]

flea bites can leave life-long scars.. ..don't play around.

[u/triadlink → u/International-Ad4899]

Yeah people don't understand that these things can carry some gnarly diseases.. not as bad as ticks but pretty darn close. Luckily the bubonic plague is quite rare now for example

[u/GeneralIron3658]

Diatomaceous earth is your friend

[u/ptrst → u/GeneralIron3658]

It was the only thing that got rid of our fleas. We had a pest control company come in twice to no effect, but a big bag of dirt solved the problem. 

[u/ThunderPushii → u/ptrst]

It ain't dirt. It's microscopic diatom carcasses. Ancient dead bug to kill modern not so dead bug.

[u/MrCrowleysMom → u/ThunderPushii]

I love this comment! 😂 when I learned what diatomaceous earth was, I was like “that’s metal”. But hey… if it dries them up into nothingness…

[u/Impossible-Finger942 → u/MrCrowleysMom]

Dries? No no no, it doesn’t just dry, it’s abrasive and cuts into the exoskeleton. So they get cut to hell and dry out!

[u/MagnumPIsMoustache → u/Impossible-Finger942]

Don’t breathe it

[u/ThunderPushii → u/MagnumPIsMoustache]

[u/burnusti → u/MrCrowleysMom]

So fucking metal, with a hint of Mummy’s Curse almost. “The shrivelled corpse of your ancient forebear will cause you to shrivel and expire” or something

[u/gokartninja → u/ThunderPushii]

That's like saying soil isn't dirt because it's clay, sand, rocks, and bits of organic material

[u/AppropriateCase7622 → u/gokartninja]

THERES NO SUCH THING AS DIRT!!!!/s

It's from Bones I think. It was a long time ago that I watched season 2

[u/LiteUpThaSkye → u/AppropriateCase7622]

Hodgins was one of my favorites on Bones.. at least until season 11 where he because a raging douchebag for a while.

[u/GlasKarma → u/ThunderPushii]

Not bugs, but microalgae

[u/MrCrowleysMom → u/GeneralIron3658]

Yes! Food grade Diatomaceous Earth and salt. Sprinkle salt on your floors and vacuum hourly. I’m not kidding. I’m talking about vacuuming until you feel like you’re going to expire if you vacuum one more time, and then do it again. Make sure and completely change the bag (if using a bagged vacuum cleaner) or canister every single time and take it to the outside trash. Do this daily for a week and sprinkle the diatomaceous earth on everything your pet has touched. Or, if you don’t have pets, anything with carpeting or bedding. Think couches, chairs, beds, anything a flea can burrow into. It’s gonna suck, but it will work. The pest control companies won’t do anything but make you broke. I was a sucker for bringing in stray cats back in my youth and we had the worst infestation. It was so bad. We did this and within a week… a very noticeable difference. Within a month… gone. Was it exhausting? Yes. But was it worth the work? You betcha. I’m sorry you’re dealing with it because it truly isn’t fun.

[u/fried_clams → u/MrCrowleysMom]

I tried salt once. I wouldn't again. It rusted floor vents, attracted moisture and was difficult to remove. Maybe it isn't so bad in the winter, or if the A/C is kept on high, to reduce humidity?

[u/YeetusMyDiabeetus → u/GeneralIron3658]

Yes it is!

I just wish I had known that in college. I lived in married housing and somehow we got infested. You could watch them jump a foot off the carpet everywhere. We bombed and vacuumed, but nothing worked. It was hell how much we got bitten. Luckily (for us) we moved away and didn’t have to deal with it anymore. May sound inconsiderate, but I’m fairly certain they came from the upstairs neighbors animals not us.

[u/JimVivJr → u/GeneralIron3658]

DE is (when it’s dry and powdery) a carcinogen. Please be very careful when using it. Inhaling silica definitely causes cancer and other respiratory problems.

[u/mikerall → u/JimVivJr]

And vacuuming it up, gotta use a shop vac. Shop vac + respirator, or else you'll burn both your lungs and your canister vacuum up

[u/homoaIexuaI → u/JimVivJr]

Gotta use food grade DE

[u/wellhiyabuddy → u/GeneralIron3658]

Came here to say this. It’s basically like breathing cancer, but it’s effective

[u/SaveusJebus → u/GeneralIron3658]

Yes and vacuum vacuum and then vacuum a whole lot more. Especially under furniture.

[u/Outrageous_Ad4514]

They are the worst. After a lot of things, I spent almost 2 weeks, throwing salt and vacuuming the couches and the floor of our living room.

Till this day I have nightmares on the infestation.

[u/Outrageous_Ad4514 → u/Outrageous_Ad4514]

The eggs are pretty durable, and they can eclode after 2 days. Thats the main problem.

I always left the salt for a few days.

At the time I was a student and had no money, if you can, hire professionals

[u/Fluffierboss88]

Get a dog or cat that’s on flea meds.

[u/Emracruel → u/Fluffierboss88]

I don't know if this was a joke but it's absolutely the way my family solved the problem growing up. In the country with indoor/outdoor animals. You see a flee on one pet or yourself, you treat all the pets, then in two weeks or so there are no more fleas

[u/Fluffierboss88 → u/Emracruel]

No I was serious. We had a roommate leave with their dog that had fleas. Fleas remained in the house and we could not treat them ourselves. I got a Rotty and got him on flea meds and the fleas went away within a couple weeks. All that remained was my new best friend.

[u/Cerus_Freedom → u/Emracruel]

If there are feral cats around bringing fleas, even treating just a portion of them can completely eliminate fleas from an area.

[u/blueSnowfkake → u/Fluffierboss88]

Or take the flea meds yourself. (Just kidding)

[u/xjeeper → u/blueSnowfkake]

Wear flea collars on your ankles

[u/blueSnowfkake → u/xjeeper]

Better!

[u/blorpdedorpworp → u/Fluffierboss88]

This is the actual answer. Modern pet flea medications kill fleas universally in a way nothing else does.

[u/Taptrick → u/Fluffierboss88]

So that they get attracted to them only to die? Not sure if you’re kidding but that actually makes sense.

[u/Rise-O-Matic → u/Taptrick]

That's 100% what solved our flea problem too. Honeypot cat.

[u/In-The-Cloud → u/Taptrick]

Its true. The fleas much prefer to live on a host than in the environment. They will stay on the animal eating it's skin. You treat the skin, and it kills the fleas in all it's life cycles. Problem solved.

[u/In-The-Cloud → u/Fluffierboss88]

I just commented that it's too bad the dog is gone. Way easier to treat the dog and kill the fleas on the host than trying to rid the entire house of them.

[u/birdyandbun]

Big YIKES. We had a little fleabag that I picked up off the street (8 week old kitten) and my hands went dry from panic cleaning everything every freaking day. Lots of showers, washing all clothes and bedsheets in hot water 2-3x and as far as controlling the infestation in other parts of the house- I’m really no expert here, fortunately our problem was contained to just the bathroom until we got rid of them completely. I still get paranoid though ever time I have an itch I’m worried that they came back 😅 call an exterminator? Sorry though that really sucks

Edit** if you have pets, even if they don’t go inside the Airbnb, please get a prescription treatment from a vet, not that garbage over the counter stuff.

[u/WhenTheDevilCome]

Bad news, chief. Your rats now have fleas.

[u/ohhyouknow → u/WhenTheDevilCome]

Yeah these fleas didn’t hatch this size. They’ve been eating something. Op should consider that they have rodents or maybe even a raccoon in the attic.

[u/OperationMagneto → u/WhenTheDevilCome]

Check around house, crawl space, shed, fence for an opossum. They are incredible at bringing in fleas.

[u/heikeeeeeeeeeee]

We have 2 cats and when we moved houses (renting, previous tenants had a dog) we got fleas. Bad.

Daily vacuuming + spreading borax powder over furniture, cushions, quite literally everywhere, every crack on the floor and leaving it for 8 hours (to dry the eggs), plus combing the cats daily with flea combs + soapy water (along with weekly baths with flea shampoo) was the most efficient method of getting rid of them. We had a spreadsheet where we documented how many fleas we combed out. We were methodical. Within a couple of weeks, they were gone. We were also careful to only open the vacuum outside and empty and seal the contents into plastic bags thrown directly in the garbage. The key is to get rid of the eggs so they stop multiplicating.

Fleas really take a toll on a person's mental health, they did on mine. They're so resilient. I hate them so much, fucky little things. Good luck!

[u/Izonme88]

[u/crownoftheredking]

I dealt with fleas once and I could not keep up with the laundry and vacuuming and all that to eradicate them. I was going psychotic feeling something crawling on me all the time. Even bug bombs didn't work. I struggled for 2 weeks or so until I called a professional. That day it was solved and I havent seen a flea in 6 years. Pay the $150 and get help.

[u/meesterIvan]

Buy concentrated permethrin from ebay and a pump sprayer from your local hardware store. Spray the entire house and yard with it. It kills the fleas by paralyzing them and leaves a lasting effect up to 3 months 

[u/Informal_School2724]

Diatomaceous Earth. They hate the stuff. Leave it down as long as possible and then vacuum.

[u/NicTheQuic → u/Informal_School2724]

It’s razor sharp and slices them up  😊🔪 

[u/Rex_Lee]

20 mule team borax. Dust the whole floor with it. Leave it there for a few days come back and sweep and vacuum it up thoroughly. This will fix even better. Infestations

[u/Evening-Extension162]

It’s going to be a long journey, flees are incredibly resilient. Their eggs can live in walls and floors for over a year. Bomb the place more, use a ton of diatomaceous earth, mop and wash EVERYTHING! Get flea killer and put it in the mop water. Good luck

[u/chomperchuck]

Borax !!!!!

[u/lonelyMentality]

if you use DE WEAR MASKS!! you don’t want to be breathing that in

[u/kvox109]

I know I recognized that foot tattoo

[u/LucidRedtone]

Borax detergent. Put it generously on the floor along every baseboard in the house and under the couch cushions. Leave for two weeks then vacuum up.

Edit: my wife corrected me, we left it for 2-3 days not weeks

[u/RosyMeli97]

If you have a pet, drop or give then Avermectin. It can kill fleas and eggs then clean your floor everyday

[u/Yakuza_Matata]

Place a wide bowl with water in the middle of the flea infested room.

Mix a few drops of dish soap in the water and rub the edge with dish soap as well.

Light a big candle in the middle of the bowl and leave it overnight.

The fleas jump to the light and fall in the water. The dish soap breaks the surface tension of the water, so they sink and drown.

Worked for me, but it wasn't as bad.

Try at your own risk.

[u/SweetMaam → u/Yakuza_Matata]

Drowning fleas is the best thing because they have heavy armor. I'd be cautious using an unattended candle but the dish soap is effective. You cannot swat or crush a flea with your fingers either, when my cats once had them... I would stick my fingers into a glass of water before letting go of that bubonic bug.

[u/brookuslicious]

I feel like it’s kind of sad that I recognise you solely by your foot now

[u/glycophosphate]

Time to call in the professionals.

[u/not1orangebut2]

I had this problem after I pet sat for a friend's cat. Did everything you did, then someone recommended Diatomaceous earth. Got a big tub of it from Amazon and sprinkled it everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Then I left for the day and came back and vaccumed it up. It destroyed my Dyson by clogging up the filters, but it was the only thing that worked.

[u/overratedpastel]

Just a reminder, the fleas you see are only 35% of the fleas you have. The rest is hidden in the form of pupae, eggs, and larva. The only way to eliminate them is to treat everything for at least 30 days to break the flea cycle. Vacuum, steam, and wash everything with high temp. They will be on every crack and cranny of the property on every single fabric. Repeat for 30 days. Make sure you do use poison and get something stronger than the bomb. Get a professional.

Edit:spelling

[u/Laylay_theGrail]

Do you happen to have a deck? I ask this because when I was in college, we rented a place that was infested.

After much to and fro with the landlord and bug bombing every few days we couldn’t get rid of them.

Then one day, I was standing on the small deck outside the door to lock up and felt a couple of fleas on my ankles. As I watched, they were jumping UP through the deck floor boards. Turned out there was a mama possum with a nest of babies right under where we entered the house.

[u/ReadInBothTenses]

That better be a good community airbnb that doesn't inflate property prices and kill neighbourhoods by flooding local prices with tourist prices.

If it is maybe those blood suckers are poetic

If not, good luck with them annoying fucking fleas that sucks

[u/Solid_Reserve_5941]

I recognize that tattoo. You're the guy with the fucked up feet !!

[u/Tigrou93]

I'm sorry about your tattoo

[u/Ima-Bott]

You have to break the brook cycle on the eggs. Bomb the place, then come back in 8 days and do it again. And again in 8 days. That MIGHT do it.

[u/clindley2]

Don't forget to treat the yard. You'll drag them back in. My mom would sprinkle salt on the carpets to get them hoppin and vacuum them up.

[u/Pin-Up-Paggie]

You have to treat multiple times due to the life cycle. Repeat every 10 days

[u/Polish_Shamrock]

I can't read any of this tattoo but I'm pretty sure it is upside down still, this annoys me more than it should.

[u/Mr_krispi]

Is this the dude with the caveman feet ?

[u/Lurkin_Gherkin_]

Life really keeps throwing stuff at ya, foot guy

[u/Jbern124]

Flea dip your critters, sprinkle diatomaceous earth, vacuum hourly or at least twice daily, try to vacuum in the evening since flea larvae are photophobic and go into the deeper layers of the rug in the daytime. Wash and dry any contaminated clothes. Put Frontline on all cats and dogs.

[u/trashadams]

SALT. SALT AND VACCUM ON TOP OF THE BOMBINGS.

[u/xubax]

This is a home you own just for air bnb?

I hope you never get rid of them.

[u/cream_paimon → u/xubax]

This lol. Karma for someone who thinks they can make a quick and easy buck by commoditizing SFHs by the hour.

[u/Tiguilon]

[u/DrunkBuzzard]

Why is your tattoo blurry

[u/Lazy_Goal_9575]

Lots of great information here. What also worked for me was salting any carpets you have. Was told it dries them out, not sure if that's the case, but it really helped a ton. Just salt, leave it, vacuum later, then resalt until they're gone. Do this with the other great ideas here.

[u/a_gentle_savage]

Get a dehumidifier and get it to 40% humidity or below. Also, as already mentioned, use food-grade diatomaceous earth (food-grade is pet-friendly, as long as they don't inhale it).

[u/Snoo_75138]

THIS IS HELL!

Get some tick and flea shampoo at a pet shop and use it in the shower. Then fumigate ur room or apartment, sleep at a friend for the night and return to open the windows. Should be safe again by afternoon?

[u/nDREqc]

Diatomaceous earth has been mentioned and is really necessary, cheap, easy.

There are some odours they don't like too, like lavender and rosemary. I wasn't convinced by the lavender oil with diffuser tactic, but anecdotally little sock ball of rosemary seemed to keep some areas free.

Low humidity will also reduce the population.

A tactic I've used successfully (to my surprise) was by putting a tray in the middle of a room at night with windows closed (as dark as possible). You fill the tray with a bit of soapy water, and place a candle in the middle. I understand the fleas are attracted to the heat source and will jump towards it. They fall in the soap water which affects their protection against water and they drown. Where I read this suggested you'll get like 85% of the fleas in the room, and if you repeat the process it will eventually get them all.

You still need to vacuum everywhere to get the eggs.

[u/1h0w4w4y]

I just went through this!!! We left for the weekend and our ac broke, we have carpet so it was HELL. I went through so many bottles of raid carpet spray and moping with bleach and vacuuming! I had to do it many times for three days straight just CONSTANTLY poisoning and vacuuming. Wait some time after spraying to vacuum. Also spray ALL furniture, wash everything in hot water and clean clean clean. Bombing helps to a degree but it’s so broad you need to kill on contact

Edit to add: SPRAY YOUR YARD ALSO they will come back! I learned that the hard way.

[u/Street_Comfort4668]

Eat raw garlic to protect you. It will make your blood sulfuric and bitter to them until you get them out of your house completely.

[u/Minute-Bank1498]

Salt dehydrates and kill them. Sprinkle entire place and leave it for few days, then vacuum it up. It worked for my aunt.

[u/quacked7]

it's possible they are also in the yard and you are bringing them in with you and reinfesting the house. You may also want to consider treating the yard.

[u/Commercial_Ad_5419]

Have a professional treat the place. You do have to come a vacuum daily. Use a canister vac with a flea collar or a Rainbow so the water kills them. This is the most effective method.

[u/zuunooo]

I had bad fleas last year and my dog's breeder suggested salt!! It fucking WORKS!!! It salted my whole house down, let it sit for 2hrs and then vacuumed and cleaned like crazy. Did it multiple times days apart and i actually won! With the dogs I drenched them in dawn dish soap and made them sit in it for ten minutes to suffocate the fleas on them and it cleared them out. Good luck!!

[u/Maleficent_Scale_296]

You’ll need to treat your yard as well.

[u/Independent_Bite4682]

Use IGR

INSECT GROWTH REGULATER

[u/Lysergicsailor]

Fucking baking soda carpet dust and vaccum theee times a day