what kills fleas in carpet naturally
Kristina Davis

When searching for what kills fleas in carpet naturally, there is a lot you have to consider. This article helps with a proper guide on what to do.

This article will also provide you with some concoctions or natural remedy to kill fleas in carpets. With that being said, do ensure you read on till the end.

The natural way of getting rid of fleas from your carpet can be with the use of baking soda, salt, and some diatomaceous earth.

What Kills Fleas In Carpet Naturally?

kills fleas in carpet

Before getting into how to kill fleas naturally, there are some things to put into consideration.

One of which is figuring out where these little creatures are hiding and locating them.

The following should help you with your flea infestation, so let’s get started.  

How Do Fleas Get In Your Carpets? 

Fleas on your carpets can be quite annoying.

Their bites are quite painful and the thought of some tiny crawling insect on your skin can be irritating when you consider where it has been.

Fleas, as I would always put it, are freeloaders.

dog on carpet

They latch on to the coats of cats and rodents or any typical wildlife till they eventually end up in your yard. 

If you have pets that play outside, these freeloaders, again latch on to the coats of these pets till they make their way into your homes. 

Something quite annoying about fleas is that they rarely are visible in plain sight. And this is because they are known as hiders.

They hide in corners of upholstery, bedding, and of course, carpets. There they lay eggs that hatch and become more fleas that lay eggs and the cycle continues.

Scary yeah? I know!

Tip: As animals are the most common mode of infestation, it does help to limit the play time these animals get outside.

But How Long Can Fleas Live In Your Carpets?

how long fleas live

You see, this might not be the right question to ask, and here’s why.

Fleas do not live very long, as the average lifespan of a flea ranges between 2 to 3 months.

This is when there’s a host present to keep it fed. However, in situations where there isn’t a host close by, their lifespan is much shorter. 

Maybe you are thinking “since they don’t live that long, I might just endure till they die off”. That might come as a shocker to you as they might never “die off”.

Adult fleas are scary, but in all honesty, they aren’t the fleas you should be scared of.

The real monsters are the hatchlings, the eggs which are hidden all over the carpet. 

In a day, a single flea can lay up to 50 eggs. This means, if the adult dies off, you still have multiple baby fleas being reproduced.

So if left untreated, it doesn’t matter how long a flea can live in your carpet, you almost certainly won’t get rid of them. 

Tip: If you do live with pets like dogs and cats, do ensure you regularly clean them and check out for fleas in them. 

How To Locate Fleas On Your Carpet

locating fleas

With all that has been said about fleas being in hiding, the million-dollar question is, how do you locate these creepy creatures on your carpet surfaces?

Well, although fleas are quite tiny, they can still be seen with the naked eye, you just have to look close enough. 

I recommend using a magnifying glass lens, and a flashlight. Hold the carpet up close, and with your finger, gently but thoroughly run them through the carpet.

If you are lucky, you would spot these fleas.

Another easy method would be to use a pair of white socks. If you suspect a very large flea infestation, the white socks method is sure to work.

Simply wear the socks around the house and mostly on the carpet. Don’t forget to place your feet on the bedding and upholstery.

Tip: If after wearing them, you notice some fleas are latched on to them, then you definitely have a flea infestation. Act fast!

How To Get Rid Of Fleas In Carpet Naturally   

how to get rid of fleas

There are so many methods of getting rid of fleas from your carpets. But most of these methods employ the use of chemicals and toxins. 

Although these chemicals and toxins could be potentially harmful to people living in the house, such as kids. It could also be harmful to the pets living in the house. 

Luckily, there is a natural home remedy that you can try which has a very impressive success rate and would cost you little to prepare.

Want to find out more? Read till the end.

Before Treating Your Carpets Do This

It would be a shame if you end up testing and ridding your carpets of fleas only for them to get infested again.

This may be due to fleas hiding in other areas of the house. 

treating carpets

Before applying any natural remedy on your carpet, gather stuff to be washed.

It helps to gather all beddings, clothing, and practically any washable item in the house for thorough washing.

By doing this, you reduce the chances of fleas coming back onto the treated carpet by a lot. Once done washing, keep them in areas away from carpets.

Another thing you would do is make use of your vacuum cleaner. Vacuum every corner of the house where these fleas could be hiding. This includes the carpet.

Note: This might not instantly kill the fleas, but in areas with a large flea infestation, it certainly would help reduce the population.

Natural Treatment Process 

natural treatment

With all these being done, now it’s time to get into action. For proper flea treatment, you would need 2 important ingredients.

These are baking soda and a powder called diatomaceous earth. 

This diatomaceous earth powder is quite easy to find. Simply walk into any cleaning store and ask for it. It is made of fossilized algae remains and it is completely natural. 

And the best part. It is cost-effective or, better still, cheap. So you wouldn’t need to break the bank to stop a flea infestation.   

Tip: Always get 100% food-grade diatomaceous earth powder as this would be safe in cases of accidental ingestion and skin contact.

Using The Mixture

The following easy steps below should be followed to maximally use the ingredients against fleas on the carpet. 

using the mixture

Step #1: Mix Both Ingredients

The first step would be to mix both the baking soda and the diatomaceous earth powder in an even ratio. It should be kept dry so avoid wetting it. 

Step #2: Apply Mixture And Leave To For 24 Hours

Next, you can apply the mix to areas of carpets and corners you suspect the fleas to be hiding.

Once done, leave it for a period of 24 hours for the fleas’ eggs and larvae to die. 

Step #3: Vacuum The Carpet

With all that has been done, the fleas larvae and eggs should be near, if not eliminated. The next step would be to vacuum the house and carpet. 

Doing this should be pretty easy. Even though the mix should be safe for ingestion, we, however, recommend you wear a nose mask.

vacuuming the carpet

This can help reduce any possible irritation the mix can cause to your mouth, nose, and eyes. 

Step #4: Discard And Repeat

When emptying the contents of your vacuum cleaner, be sure to do it correctly, empty it away from the house.

Once done, we recommend you repeat the procedure just to be extra safe

Tip: You can add salt to the mix to make it more potent. However, it should be in little quantities.

Conclusion 

There you have it. Hopefully, with this guide, you should be able to handle any possible flea infestations in your home all by yourself.

You also don’t need to ask questions like “what kills fleas in carpet naturally”  as we have already provided a detailed explanation and guide into this.

With that being said, we have come to the end of the article. We recommend you to check out the latest articles as you will definitely learn something great!