Fleas are tiny, wingless insects with jumping legs. They have a reddish-brown coloring. Flea stings can cause a bright red spot, which can sometimes result in a nasty reaction.

Carpet fleas are quite expected in households with pets. Pets playing outside may pick up fleas and bring them inside. When pets move around the house, the eggs drop into floor holes and carpeting.

How Do Fleas Grow?

When a female flea begins to fertilize on a host, such as your dog or cat, you can expect 20 to 30 eggs to be laid each day. However, as the eggs dry, they drop off your pet and gather on the carpet.

Flea eggs hatch eventually, resulting in flea larvae, which resemble very small insects. As they mature, they will start building a nest within your carpet, where they will remain until your dog or cat walks by, at which point the flea will climb onto the animal or even you and start feeding on blood.

How Can Fleas Be Harmful?

Fleas are the leading cause of skin disease in pets. Flea bites can cause allergic reactions in humans and pets, and some flea species can transmit diseases such as plague, murine typhus, or flea-borne parasites.

To sidestep carpet infestations and keep your family and pets secure, it’s necessary to take preventative steps or act as soon as you notice fleas.

Flea Infestation Signs in Your Carpet

If you suspect your carpet is infested with fleas, look for the subsequent signs.

Find Fleas, Flea Dirt, and Fleas Eggs

Fleas are small, fast-moving insects that can be hard to detect in carpets and other areas where pets spend time.

The “white sock test” is an effective way to detect fleas in your carpet. Put on a pair of giant white socks and shuffle your feet across the carpeted areas of your home. Fleas are most likely black specks jumping around your carpet or onto your socks!

Flea Bites on Humans

Fleas frequently bite humans, which can be another sign of a flea infestation in your home. When walking through flea-infested carpets, these bites appear as small itchy red bumps close to the ankles, feet, and lower legs. Flea bites can damage the skin, and in some cases, flea saliva can even cause an allergic reaction in humans.

Flea Signs in Your Pets

Fleas will frequently live and eventually feed on your pet, laying eggs in their fur, and dumping dirt behind. Check your pet’s fur for fleas and evaluate the body for any signs of itchiness with a fine-tooth flea brush.

The most obvious sign that your pet has fleas is extreme scratching or massaging against furniture, carpeted areas, or the floor.

Excessive scratching can cause your pet’s hair to fall out in patches. If your pet is scratching a lot or has patches of bald skin with raised red bumps, you should check them for flea bites.

How Long Can Fleas Survive on Carpet?

Whether you have a pet or not, you may be worried about fleas on your land, and with good reason. Fleas can spread viruses and frustrate your furry friend, so you must act quickly if they invade your premises.

So, how long can fleas live in carpet, anyway? In reality, that is a difficult question to answer because the flea’s life span can vary depending on environmental factors. Fleas end up dying within a week if they are not given a suitable host, a hot environment, and low humidity, which is all they require to survive. Fleas will only survive if the conditions are favorable.

In most cases, fleas can live in your carpet for up to three months on average. However, if no measures are in place to get rid of them and they have you or your pet to feed on, they can live in this environment indefinitely.

How to Get Rid of Fleas in the Carpet?

Once you’ve discovered fleas in your carpet, you must act quickly! The first step in removing fleas from your home, preventing severe infestations, and avoiding the hassle of replacing the entire carpet is to thoroughly clean and treat it.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming regularly will remove all scraps of dust and dirt particles that can serve as a breeding floor for fleas. Work in small portions, encompassing every inch of your carpet and paying special attention to the areas where your pets invest the most time. If you have a vacuum with disposable plastic bags, seal the bag tightly and place it in a waste bin outside your residence.

Also, clean each and every mattress that your pet sleeps on. To ensure that the flea infestation is gone, use a hot wash and dry cycle on a daily basis. This procedure should be repeated every one to two days.

Steam Cleaning

Steam cleaning can be a very efficient approach for more severe infections. On contact, the combination of high heat and detergent kills adult and larval fleas.

Insecticides Treatments

Insecticides are an excellent way to eliminate adult fleas, larvae, and eggs. It can be applied as an aerosol spray, a liquid treatment, or a powder that spreads throughout your carpet. Before applying any insecticide product to your carpets, make sure you follow all of the instructions on the package.

Natural Remedies

You can prevent fleas by boiling the juice of a lemon in a pint of boiling water and pouring it on the carpet, or by adding essential oils such as rosemary – the oils and citrus work as a barrier.

Fine-grained salt and caustic soda can be spread on carpets and in areas where your pet consumes the most time. Allowing it to sit overnight before cleaning it up ensures that it soaks into the carpet fibers. Remember to keep kids and pets away from the areas that need to be treated.

Fill up a bowl with water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid to make flea traps. Consider placing the bowl on the floor near a wall and a night light that can be turned on at night. Fleas will climb toward the light and fall into the water, but the soap will prevent them from bouncing out again. Pets and children should be kept away from rooms containing flea traps.

Conclusion

Fleas can survive for more than 100 days if they have the right host and living conditions. Fleas prefer to hide in enclosed spaces while developing, making them difficult to remove from bedsheets, carpets, clothing, and household equipment. But with the right precautions, you can get rid of them!