Fleas and Dust Mites – Common Household Pests - By: Kathryn Dawson

A flea infestation can take over your household very quickly. The tell tale signs that you have fleas in the house include your family pets scratching an itch that never seems to go away, and small red bumps on your skin. The bites will mainly be focused around your ankles as they live in the carpet, however if you have children who play on the floor then they can be found anywhere on the body.

Generally fleas are brought into the house by domestic animals, they live on them and deposit their eggs, which then drop off onto the carpets, bedclothes and soft furnishings. Before you know it the house is infested.

So, how can you get rid of them? It isn’t that easy and you have to be prepared to put in a few hours’ work to solve this problem. As well as cleaning the house, you need to wash and treat any house pets to prevent them from spreading again.

First you need to treat your pet. Get some flea powder and liberally sprinkle it all over the animal, leaving it for a period of time as per instructions. This process eliminates not only fleas but also the flea eggs and larvae. Then get a flea comb and comb through the fur.

Next you need to tackle the house. Remove any cushion covers, rugs, bedding pet bedding and other fabrics and put them on the hottest wash suitable before washing down couch surfaces and mattresses. Use an antibacterial cleaner to clean all surfaces of your home, make sure you get the counters, cabinets, tables, and floors. Fleas like humid areas so you may also need to clean the basement and garage floors too. Vacuum everywhere and then empty or change the bag, ensure you vacuum even in the darkest corners as they are favorite places for fleas.

Once the whole house is clean, sprinkle household flea powder all over the carpets, furnishings and beds. Powder is best for inside the home, and effective particularly if you have pets. Easy to use, you just sprinkle it on the surfaces, leave it for half an hour and then vacuum.

Other common household pests to look out for are dust mites. They live everywhere and are so tiny that millions of them live alongside us, in our bedding, furniture and carpets. Primarily they live on dead skin cells regularly shed from humans and pets, although they are harmless to most people as they don’t carry diseases they can cause allergic reactions similar to hay fever, red, watery eyes, nasal congestion, runny nose and even asthma.

An effective method of protecting your mattress against dust mites is to invest in a fitted dust mite cover that will enclose the mattress. Remove and wash all bedding every week and put on a hot wash before vacuuming the mattress, pillows and base. Replacing your pillows with synthetic fillings and using nylon or cotton cellulose fillings will reduce the numbers of dust mites, and keep the temperature of the room below 70 degrees as mites love humid conditions. Invest in a HEPA vacuum as they pick up dust mites and their eggs a lot more efficiently and trap them inside.

Protector P Dust Mite Killer is an insecticidal surface spray particularly for delicate surfaces and can be used in any number of locations as it has no strong smell and is safe to use. You can also protect against fabric moths and dust mites by purchasing blanket and garment bags. Scented with a natural aroma, they incorporate mite-proofing insecticide with lavender perfume and are effective for months.

Before you spray, or use any pest control solutions anywhere in your house make sure to read all the warnings and directions. Most are not safe until dry so do not spray around pets, or children.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson writes articles for Pest Control Products UK, a London and Manchester provider of DIY pest control products and supplies for all indoor and outdoor pests. Find expert advice on how to eradicate household pests, view products ranging from rat poison and bird spikes to dust mite spray and household flea spray.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Kathryn--Dawson/78883

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