I overbombed for fleas - 3 bombs and 1 pest company spraying - in 2 weeks. But there are now 2 problems. 1. I still have a few fleas, but I can't bomb anymore. 2. The air is now toxic in my home and we are not living there for now. Does anyone know of any natural remedy? I have opened the windows for the last week and had the carpets steam cleaned, but we can still smell the pesticides and if we're in the house for more than an hour we start with runny noses and headaches and stomach aches. It's getting better, but VERY slowly. We can't stay away forever, and my son is coming home next week. Oh, I can't wash the walls, they are painted with flat paint.
To answer alot of your questions, no I don't have any pets. I got the fleas from staying one night at a Ramada Ltd in Memphis when I went to take my daughter to the airport. I have had cats my whole life and never had fleas before, so I didn't know I could or did bring them back with me. Then my carpet is tan with black & brown spots, so again, I didn't notice them growing their own community (yuck!). Then all the bites (I'm allergic to them), I put down to chiggers (I thought they were really bad this year). But a month later, they had enough to call my home their country. I bombed too much and have a few suggestions for everyone.
DO NOT put mothball crystals on the carpet. They are equally toxic and VERY hard to get rid of.
I have to steamclean the wall, ceilings, furnishings, clothes, EVERYTHING.
WHAT WORKS:
Vaccum then sprinkle NON-Iodized Salt and vaccum 24 hrs. EVERYDAY. for 2 weeks.
Close up the house with no a/c, the fleas don't like over 90 degrees.
Steam clean the carpets after the first round of fleas go away - kills alot of eggs.
The water with a drop of dishsoap next to a night light works along with everything else.
Thank you to everybody. I still have a problem with the smell and toxicity, but that will take time and extended airing out and steam cleaning.
Ha,me too.someone told me to sprinkle regular salt all over the carpet and vacume about 10 15 min later.i did this and it worked for me no kidding.another fact someone also told me i tried it and it worked,dawn diswasing liquid
in a bowl of water ,several around the house something attracts the fleas they jump in and drown.my bowls were full of fleas.good luck
Try renting a couple of large commercial fans to place in front of the doors. They use them when there has been a fire to blow the smoke out. Also, what I do for fleas is borrow a pet from a family member put frontline on him and let him run through the house. The fleas jump on the pet, bite him, get frontline and die. No problem easy to fix. Good luck.
D.
I don't have a natural remedy for over spraying, but I have one for killing fleas. Get a few boxes of carpet powder (plain baking soda might work) and sprinkle it on your carpets VERY HEAVILY and anywhere else fleas might hide. Leave it on overnight (the longer, the better) and vaccuum. You will have suffocated your fleas. Good luck.
Years ago we had fleas. We spent a ton of money using bombs, sprays, sticky traps, light traps - you name it. Finally we broke down and got some Frontline from the vet. We had never bought it before because it was so expensive. Funny thing is, it was much cheaper than the total of all of the other things that we were buying in, and it worked!
If you don't have pets, see if you can borrow one - maybe from the local animal shelter (make sure it doesn't come with fleas!). Put Advantage or Frontline on it and let it roam for a few days. It will attract the fleas, which will bite it and die.
Depending on where you live, most animals in shelters are put to sleep, so if you end up doing this, look for a home for the pet in the meantime. You might save a canine or feline life while getting rid of fleas!
Have the animals been rid of fleas? Sounds like they are carrying them back in. Also, I have sprinkled Morton table salt all over the carpet at night, and in the morning vacuumed it up, and it worked! Cheap solution and no toxic air! I have had the same problem as you, so I have been there!
For the smell, burn some candles and maybe boil some cooking spices on the stove.
Heooise says something about vinegar .... I'd try fans, etc. Call the pest company and see what they say.....
On the bright side, at least there's not a flea alive within 20 feet of your front door!
The interesting thing about bombing is that you've killed the adults, but you're left with the eggs. You'll have to treat again no matter what.
I read your last paragraph and now understand why you overkilled! I'm a Christian so, God bless your son and family! Hooray! that he's a cancer survivor!!!
M.
D. B,
My name is H. and I think I might know of a solution for your problems. I started a home based business with this company called EcoQuest International and we focus on things like sick building syndrome. I got involved with the company because I wanted to find something I could do from home (I have two small children). I took advantage of their free trial offer of the air purifier called Fresh Air by EcoQuest. After that, I was determined not to live in an unhealthy environment ever again. I know how important clean air and a healthy home is to everyone. I also know how important it is to cancer patients. My mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and was on a breathing machine. My prayers are with you and your family. Go to www.ecoquest.com and check out some of the products we offer. If you are interested, call either my partner Sheryl at 888-682-9255 (toll free) or you can call me at ###-###-#### (answering service). God Bless.
A friend just told me that she pours salt (about 3 boxes for a 15x15 room) all over the carpet and furniture and leaves it for 24 hours, then vacuums it up to get rid of fleas. She swears by it. Good luck!
If you can't wash your walls, then you might consider painting them with a washable kilz product. Kilz2 is tintable and washable.
As for the fleas- my brother is an exterminator and when I called him over fleas, he said that none of the sprays he was allowed by law to use kills fleas (joked that it won't be the cockroach that outlives a nuclear holocaust- it will be fleas!). His advice to me was to put a few drops of LEMON dishsoap into pie pans with about 1/2 inch of water in them. Place this on the floor in heavily infested areas, with a gooseneck lamp shining down over it. Leave the lamp on and let it sit this way overnight (or longer). You may need to repeat this for several nights to rid your home of all fleas. Since you are not actually staying there now, you might consider just setting them up and leaving it for a few days. The fleas jump up to the light, fall into the water, and can't get out because the lemon in the dishsoap stuns them long enough to cause them to drown.
You can also spray your lawn with a mixture of lemon dishsoap, vinegar and water. Use 1TBSP of dishsoap and vinegar to 3 gallons of water. Repeat every 3 days until all fleas are dead.
I have also been told that REAL eucalyptus branches placed under furniature and around the house repels fleas. BUT the stuff u can get in stores is NOT real eucalyptus. Ask your local Zoo about possibly getting some, if they have pandas or koalas, they will have some.
if you take salt and shake in your carpet the fleas will come out ant them vacuum the away. try it i did several years ago and it worked. we had squirrels in the yard and we had fleas real bad so we had to treat the yard all the time. as for the smell, leave the windows open during the day. the carpet is prob what is smelling it holds smells. im not sure about that. good luck.
When we had fleas bad we tried everything from bombs to paying a bug company. Then I read on the internet were you use either Tide powder detergent or Borox power detergent you pour it on the floor and leave it there over night and the next morning you vacuum it up and the fleas are gone with it... When we used the bombs or the bug company we would light candles and run the ac and the smell would go away. I hope something helps you.
You need to get yourself an airpurifier. It will take the smell and toxins out of the air and also any other things that could be dangerous for your son. We love ours and run it all of the time, which completely gets rid of our comparatively minor concerns of wet dog, wet diapers and dirty kids. We also put it in one of our cars when we first got it and it smelled like cigarettes.
do some research and get the best one you can afford. We actually have two, one model from sharper image and another that is a 10" black box. The sharper image model is older and there was some discussion about ozone with those, but I think they have fixed that. It clears out about 1 room. The black box is much better, works harder, can clear out several rooms and is more expensive. It is a few yeaqrs old, so the make ad model info might not be relevant. I am not home now but I will be there monday if you want me to get the brand for you, email me at ____@____.com heart goes out to you for your journey with your son. Please let me know if I can help you, we are all here for you.
A.
How did you get fleas in the first place? If it is from your dog I have a wonderful long term solution. There is a product called Sentinel. It is a once a month pill for heartworms and fleas you get from your vet. It keeps the fleas from reproducing. Using this will keep you from having to use the topical stuff that is bad for you and the dog. It seems more expensive but in the long run it will save you a ton of money (as you already know solving a flea problem is not cheap)
I can't help you with the clean up though I have not been through anything like that.
Flea bombs are very toxic to humans. I have had multiple chemical sensitivities for many years and have consulted with allergists on environmental issues for this problem. If your son is a cancer surviver, I would definitely not stress his immune system with pesticides! If he relapsed, you would blame yourself, and it is not worth it. He might not be a surviver next time. I would consult the Environmental Health Center in Dallas Texas. They are experts on these subjects. Carolyn Gorman is a good one with whom to speak. Her number is 1-###-###-####. It takes years for these types of chemicals to "gas out." I would personally move out to another home. Chemicals like this can be very toxic. Yes there are natural ways. We moved into a home with fleas when my son was one. There had been dogs in the home that had left with the owner leaving the fleas to bite the humans! We used pennyroyal and eucalyptus herb and put it all over the carpets etc. It worked! The fleas left in time with no problem and no toxicity. You can also use pyrethrins. Lavender and rosemary are also flea stoppers! You can blend the herbs with baking soda and scatter it around then vacuum it later. boric acid is effective als. I have read that carpets whould be steam sleaned every week for three weeks to get the adults and larvae and use a HEPA vacuum daily, then at least once a week for a month. Discard or freeze vacuum bags after each use. I also have a list of products that you can buy that are natural from a book I have at home. I will scan the list into e-mail if you would like to provide your address. Hope this is helpful
B. S. RN CCM
Yeah, you may need to get the house washed down. See if a wash down with water and vinegar will help. I think flat paint can withstand it. Also, get your yard treated. A vet told me to get yeast and mix it in the cat's food to help repell fleas from the cat but animals will bring them in when they go out. Once the animals are infested they need flea meds.
I cannot help with the chemical problem, but we used this for our flea cure...it takes a while, but you can SEE the progress...plug in night lights (upside down if possible so the light is closest to the floor) in at least one lower outlet in each room, we found some sticky mouse trap pads and stuck them below/behind the lights, you may have to thumb tack them onto your wall. The fleas WILL jump toward the light and land on the sticky, they cannot get off the pad. You can see the progress... we changed the pads as they got full. Our fleas had imbedded themselves in our hardwood floors and laid eggs-I had been told the eggs could lay dormant for MANY YEARS and then hatch unexpectedly. This is kind of time consuming, and not TOOO expensive, we can find the lights for about $1 each at the dollar tree or dollar general, and the sticky traps are also about $1 each, but you have to buy them in 3 or 4 in a box... I am sorry about the chemical stuff, I don't know about it...Good luck!!!
I know someone else said this but we have always used borax. We sprinkled it in the carpet overnight vac in the morning and repeat every three to four days for two weeks if the fleas are really bad. If there not bad we would just do it once and it would take care of it. Best of wishes
You have to be careful about allergies but many plants in the mint family are natural flea repellants. We have common mint planted around our yard near our house and that has really helped with fleas and ticks along with frequent dustings of Sevin Dust around the entry ways. Other mint plants such as pennyroyal, oregano, lemon balm, again many in the mint family. You can also take the dried herbs sprinkle your carpets and then vacuum. This works pretty well if the infestation doesn't get ahead of you and you stay with it. Again, those with allergies to these plants have to be cautious. We have a large, furry dog and live in the South so we stay on top of this problem year round. No one in our family or extended family has allergies to these plants so all of us use them in plantings in the landscaping around our homes.
We always had problems with fleas and there are what they call flea traps you can buy. It is a tray with sticky paper and a light that attracts them. They work better in dark areas. You can usually find them at farm supply stores but the internet may also have a link where they can be found. I'm not sure of the cost but don't think they were very expensive. Good luck and wish your son the best in his recovery.
First off, NEVER use products like this. Any amount of bombing is over bombing. This is where things like cancer come from. Always take the natural approach. Even in bad cases like fleas, a solution is not a solution that gives people headaches and stomach aches after just an hour of exposure. You need to get your entire family on a body cleanse. There are herbal versions, but I'd go with something a little more intensive. There are clinics that do this sort of thing. Look into it.
It's not just the air and the carpets. It's also the furniture, the book shelves...every surface in there.
One way to possibly fix it is to turn on the heat, and turn it up as high as it will go. Leave all of the windows and doors closed. Leave it running for 24 hours. Then come back and open everything up, run the fans, etc. The heat will have broken down the chemicals. This USUALLY works.
I'd buy some chemical suits from Lowe's or the Home Depot - the hardcore kind - and use them any time I have to step foot in that house. And after the heat treatment, I'd have my husband help me wipe down all surfaces, just in case it didn't break everything down. And I'd treat the rags like nuclear waste - throwing them out after.
Good luck.
L.
PS if you want your son to remain a cancer survivor, get rid of all of your RAID, bleach, everything. Don't allow any such chemicals in your house (...garage...etc.) Also, read The China Study to learn about how animal protein provides the breeding grounds for cancer.
Put the uniodized salt in your carpet I have been using it for years. Just sprinkle it your carpets after you vacuume. Make sure you treat your yard every week for fleas they come in on your shoes. I know it says once a month on the bags of granules but if you do it every week the fleas will be gone.
D.
I live in an apartment complex and show and rent the apts. for my landlord. There is a one time spray, by the professional pest control, that gets rid of fleas. You are not allowed back at home for four hours, and it does work. Someone is just not using the right product. I know of no home remedies for fleas or roaches that works. You need to remember, there are many products that cannot be combined, they do become toxic.
Good Luck
S. Miller
You might try getting a air purifier. I don't know if it would work but its worth a try. As for getting rid of the fleas, use moth ball crystals. I know it sounds crazy but it works. When my girls were babies we ended getting fleas really bad. I couldn't even let them play on the floor and if you walked through my house you got bit. I didn't want to spray chemicals so we asked someone who worked at a pest control company what we could do. They told us to sprinkle moth ball crystals on the floor and let them sit for a while. Then just vacuum them up. We did this and have not had any fleas since. I also sprinkled them around outside and it got rid of the fleas outside too. Hope this helps.
M.
Did you cover the furniture before you bombed? If not, and hte furniture is fabric, you may want to steam clean those as well. Other wise I don't have any idea
These two sites came up when seaching for a remedy for fleas.
Diatomaceous Earth - a natural flea & tick controller.
www.earthworkshealth.com
Here's another natural product: http://www.naturespet.com/flea.html
As far as the chemicals in your house...
A couple things I would do:
Have someone clean your house from top to bottom with something natural like Tea Tree Oil mixed with water.
Vinegar is a wonderful cleaner as well.
Charcoal is a good odor absorber, as is baking soda.
For your childs health and safety, I would go ahead and scrub those walls and repaint if you have to with a non-toxic paint.
Sounds like a lot of trouble but it may be worth it to prevent your son from getting ill.
Hope this helps.
Please let us know what you end up doing.
Hi D. I sell avon and a customer of mine uses Avon Skin SO Soft bath oil mixed with water and says it works in minutes. She does it about 2x a week because she has 4 dogs. It is completely safe and it has many different smells. If you are interested my avon website is www.youravon.com/amandabirchfield Good Luck and if you have any questions just message me.
First of all, TREAT YOUR ANIMALS!!! If you live in the south, which I'm guessing you do, all pets should be on constant monthly flea prevention...from a vet, not from Walmart. The stuff you buy in a store is not waterproof and washes off.
Secondly, they just came out with a study that said flea bombing and spraying is totally unneccessary. Fleas die in the vacuum from the force of the suction. You have to keep vacuuming for a few weeks due to the eggs hatching, but if you just keep vacuuming, all the fleas will die without any chemicals.
I wish I had some idea about how to rid the smell, but I don't. Good luck.
D., So sorry about your house and your son. You will need to hire a house cleaning crew, might cost you but you probably need to get back in your house.
Next time, treat the animals first,(Frontline is good, but anything from the veternarians should be strong enough,) than the yard, than just lightly spray the floors, and vaccume everyday, eggs hatch every 7 to 10 days. "Over and Out" works on the yard, it might take a week or two. so keep vaccuming. It took me 2 months to get rid of the fleas. I hate them. Good luck
