It can be challenging to deal with an outbreak of fleas and other pest infestations in your home. The good news is you can get a professional carpet cleaning that can easily sanitize and disinfect your carpet and manage the pest outbreak to keep your home safe and clean.
Steam carpet cleaning is very effective in killing fleas embedded deep in your carpet and other hard-to-reach places in your furniture. Steam cleaners use hot water that has been heated to very high temperatures which is then sprayed as steam onto your carpet. Fleas can’t survive in high temperatures, which makes this the best way of eliminating them, as well as the dust mites, bedbugs, other bacteria, and germs living deep in your carpet.
How effective is a steam cleaner in eliminating a flea infestation?
The high-temperature steam from a steam cleaner will end the life of a flea, but it will not end the infestation. Tiny little fleas aren’t only found in your carpet. You will also find them on your pet, its bedding, and upholstery. While carpet shampooers may be successful in killing fleas and their eggs in your carpet, it doesn’t address the other areas the fleas can be found.
Which still begs the question, “Will carpet shampooers kill fleas?”
Unfortunately, there is no simple and quick way of fixing a flea infestation. It will take a bit more work to eliminate fleas from your home. Fleas thrive is a warm, moist environment. They’re more prevalent during the spring when it’s warm and the air is humid.
Carpet cleaning
Carpet cleaning will help to eliminate and remove adult fleas from your carpet, but it won’t eliminate the young larvae and tiny eggs. In most cases, you need a chemical treatment and pest extermination to ensure that fleas and other pests don’t get a chance to repopulate in your carpet.
Once you’ve treated your carpet with a chemical solution, you can follow up with carpet cleaning to remove any traces of pests or chemical residue left on your carpet.
Click here for more about fleas and their life cycle.
Tips On How To Eliminate Fleas
First, kill fleas on your pets
This is the first and very important step in removing fleas from your carpet. Seek the help of your local vet to get the best treatment to kill fleas and their eggs on your pet. You can use a topical medication, medicated shampoo, a body powder, or a flea collar.
Wash and vacuum
Next, wash and vacuum anything and everything: curtains, cushion covers, pet bedding, the carpets, rugs, and furniture. A combination of water and heat will kill the fleas and their eggs. Throw away the vacuum cleaner bag because the fleas and eggs are still alive in the bag.
Repeat the process
Some tiny flea eggs will not be eliminated during the first round of treatment. They may hatch after a day or two, or remain dormant for almost a year given the right conditions. A female flea lays about 25 eggs a day. The eggs are sticky and fall anywhere within a few hours of being laid. They then hatch into larvae in 2-3 days. That is why it’s important to repeat the treatment to avoid re-infestation.
You will need to re-treat your pet after a week to eliminate fleas that hatched and those you didn’t get in the first treatment. Also, do a wash and vacuum again. Once again, remember to throw away the dust bag after vacuuming.
Use a pesticide for a serious flea infestation
If you have a serious flea infestation on your hands, it would be wise to consider using a pesticide. Seek the advice of your local pest control company or buy an over-the-counter pesticide. You can get a powder that you can apply on your furniture and carpet before you wash and vacuum, or a bug bomb that releases a chemical that fills your entire home to kill fleas. When using these two options, make sure there are no people or pets in the house for a few hours. Follow the instructions from the manufacturer.
Steam clean your carpet
If you’re a pet owner and you share your home with an animal, you know pets can have a very unpleasant odor that can at times be nearly unbearable. You can use a variety of cleaning solutions and natural homemade remedies to eliminate the smell. Steaming your carpet will not only eliminate fleas and all microorganisms hiding deep in your carpet fibers, but it will also get rid of that “doggy” smell.
Steam Cleaning Quick Tip: When steam cleaning your carpet to get it sanitized, it’s a good idea to start from the furthest corner of the room from the entrance and move towards the door.
What about mold and mildew?
Mold and mildew are very common problems in most households. The bathroom is the most likely area to find mold because the heated water from your shower goes through vaporization. Combined with the increased temperatures in the room, there is high humidity, which leads to the growth of mold.
Your personal hygiene products and shower gels also contribute to mold because of the organic residue they leave in the air. Mold leaves ugly stains on your walls, ceiling, and wooden furniture which in the short or long-term can cause some health problems. Steam carpet cleaning, combined with a specialized cleaning product, is one of the most effective ways of eliminating the bacteria and fungus that form the actual mold.
In areas that are greatly affected, apply the cleaning solution first and leave it for a few minutes to do its magic. Then start the steaming process.
Conclusion
So, will carpet shampooers kill fleas?
The answer is yes. Carpet shampooers kill fleas.
However, there are certain steps that must be done first to ensure that you eliminate fleas from your carpet, your pet, their bedding, and other affected items. This will help to avoid a re-infestation once you’ve cleaned and sanitized your carpet.