Installing an indoor air purifier provides a clean solution to the flea problem caused by keeping dogs inside the house. In addition, your home’s air quality can be enhanced by using this device, which can collect particles such as dust mite infestation, pollen, pet dander, and dust—all of which are known to have the potential to affect one’s health adversely.
When breathed, the particles regularly shed by domestic pets, particularly cats and dogs can cause health issues for people. This is especially true for individuals allergic to the particular animals involved in the shedding process.
Addressing a Common Misconception
It is a common misconception that the hair of the animal causes allergic reactions; in reality, it is the dander, which is made up of dead skin cells constantly being shed from the animal’s skin. There are a lot of microbiological things in your home, and some of them can harm you, mainly if you are a person who is prone to respiratory issues. Dust mite infestations are just some of the issues that you need to address at home. If you have a dust mite allergy, you’re going to suffer with bad air quality at home. Flea dirt is a real problem. Adult fleas are also hardy, so they would survive most conditions at home, even if it’s dry or super humid. Dust mite allergies can also cause respiratory and skin issues, and it’s no fun to deal with dust mite allergies daily. Kids suffer the most from dust mite allergies. While a vacuum cleaner takes care of dirt and dust, it does nothing for smaller particles and contaminants. Airborne pollutants require specialized machinery to address. Can air purifiers do it? Yes they can.
Some of them, like pollen, are only present during certain times of the year, and others, like molds, can be avoided by maintaining a clean home. However, others provide a distinct challenge for individuals who own pets; household pets, particularly cats and dogs, continuously shed particles that can be problematic for people if inhaled. This is particularly true for persons allergic to the animals in question.
Fleas are not only annoying because they cause itching in your pet, but they also spread diseases, such as tapeworms, and can cause rodent typhus and plague in humans. Flea allergies are common and can manifest in various ways, including difficulty breathing, asthma attacks, and skin rashes.
If you believe your pet has fleas, you should take quick action to rid either your home or your pet of these annoying disease-carrying parasites as soon as possible. It is a common misconception that the hair of the animal causes allergic reactions; in reality, it is the dander, which is made up of dead skin cells constantly being shed from the animal’s skin.
Animals, in addition to producing dander, tend to venture outside quite frequently. As a result, they can track additional allergens, such as dust or pollen, in the home, further increasing the likelihood of an allergic reaction. Though you are exposed to these particles for an extended time, even if they do not affect you until you inhale them, they can still influence your health.
Fleas are notoriously difficult to spot with the human eye, but they always leave a trail of evidence behind them in the form of feces. Flea feces, commonly known as flea filth, have the appearance of tiny grains of pepper.
Before discovering that a Puppy or Kitty has fleas, you may see flea filth on your pet’s bed, blanket, or preferred napping location. This is the first indication that your pet has fleas: animals will scratch themselves regularly if they are infested with fleas.
Flea adults require a blood meal to produce the larvae that will hatch from their eggs. Adults feed on animals and can jump, flee, and hide in the hair of pets; their bites cause animals to itch and scratch themselves.
On animals, mature fleas are typically found on the back, around the base of the tail, and can be seen occasionally. Fleas from cats can not transmit disease to humans; nevertheless, you may receive flea bites if there is a significant infestation in your home. It is common for adult fleas to conceal themselves inside the strands of carpeting.
However, they don’t appreciate the blood of humans too much and would instead feed on your pets. If you like to roam around your property barefoot, you may experience small bites on your feet or ankles caused by fleas as they try to get a quick meal (read “Do Air Purifiers Kill Plants” for more info).
It takes the flea about a month to go through its life cycle—so if you don’t get rid of fleas at every stage of their lifecycle, some of the ones that make it through will reproduce and start a new infestation.
Following treating fleas on your pets, it is time to focus on eliminating fleas from your home:
- You may need to administer this treatment as often as necessary at one-week intervals for as long as six weeks until there is no evidence of fleas remaining.
- Because fleas can only live in environments with a humidity level of at least 50 percent, one organic way to get clear of fleas is to utilize air purifiers, which draw out the moisture from the surrounding air.
- If you can keep humidity levels in the room below 50 percent on average for at least two days or longer, you will be able to eliminate most of the adults, pupa, and larvae.
- Additionally, it will inhibit the eggs from hatching, although the eggs will still be present in and around the house.
- To get rid of the eggs, you will need to clean the area using the methods described above, such as vacuuming, mopping, or cleaning.
- Fleas are persistent parasites; no matter how well you scrub, you may miss some of them.
- After you have made an initial attempt to get rid of fleas in the house, it is recommended that you carry out your cleaning routine at least once, if not twice more.
- Putting flea traps around your house will assist you in keeping track of the flea population.
- You will know you have successfully eradicated all fleas if the containers remain empty for at least a month.
Can A Dehumidifier Get Rid of Fleas?
Let’s face it; fleas are tenacious: they stick around your animals and appear challenging to get rid of. However, there are a few distinct approaches to eliminating fleas, one of which involves the utilization of a dehumidifier.
Fleas may make your dogs’ and cats’ lives a living hell, so finding a solution that permanently eliminates them from your home can be challenging. The good news is that there are straightforward treatments available for your cherished animals that do not involve the administration of drugs—and one of the most conventional solutions is to get a dehumidifier.
To stay alive, fleas require a particular humidity level in the surrounding air.
Because of this, after the majority of the humidity is removed, they begin to wither and eventually pass away. The most favorable aspect is that you can confirm they have passed away without using the hazardous substances described earlier.
As a result, you won’t need to be concerned about your children or your pets getting into something that will be harmful to them. In addition, using this technique to kill fleas virtually ensures that they will not return as long as you take the mandatory moves to vacuum up the dead fleas and any viable flea eggs that may be present in your carpet or furniture.
In other words, the condition can be permanently remedied by installing a dehumidifier in the affected room and performing an extensive cleaning of the home. Fleas thrive in humid environments, which is why dehumidifiers are effective against them.
Fleas cannot live in environments with a relative humidity of less than 50 percent; without the presence of humidity, fleas will dry out, shrink, and eventually perish. The best position is that it is easy to accomplish because all you have to do is put the dehumidifier inside a room and then walk away from it.
You may need more than one dehumidifier based on your home’s size to get the job done. Most authorities advise that you maintain a humidity level of 50 percent or less for at least two full days.
The next step is to perform routine vacuuming to remove all the eggs. The majority of fleas that you encounter in your home are not adults, so it is essential to eliminate flea eggs as quickly as possible. To ensure that you successfully remove all fleas, you may need to carry out the treatment more than once—since it is not always possible to eradicate all fleas in a single treatment session.
If you continue to vacuum and run the dehumidifier, you will finally rid yourself of the flea problem. The best approach to suffocating fleas is to collect all of your pet’s bedding and place it inside a black plastic bag—this is the most efficient method.
After that, you should leave it in the blistering heat for three or four days. Then, check that the bag is neat and sealed, preventing air from entering the bag’s contents.
You can also place the bedding in a freezer and let it stay there for several days. Even though this won’t do much to eliminate the fleas already in your carpet or furniture, it will help.
Repeatedly vacuuming daily will help eliminate fleas or flea larvae hiding in areas other than the bedding. However, it is essential to remember that smothering fleas can take significantly longer than the times stated above.
Fleas can be eradicated with the help of a dehumidifier, which works by removing moisture from the air. Therefore, it is significant to have a solid knowledge of any potential drawbacks that may be connected to implementing this strategy.
If you have a large home and problems are occurring in different areas of the home, you may require to own more than one dehumidifier to get the job done. This is especially true if you have a basement or other area of the home that is particularly damp.
It’s possible that doing this will wind up costing you a significant amount of money. But instead, if you already have dehumidifiers installed in various rooms of your home, you don’t have anything to lose by continuing to do so.
The ease of use of a dehumidifier as a flea-killing tool is the primary benefit of employing this method. As soon as you turn the dehumidifier on and let it run, you are free to go about your routine.
Fleas are eliminated without harsh chemicals, which is another advantage of this method. However, because these chemicals pose a risk to children and animals, they must never be utilized.
Just remember to use a dehumidifier with a capacity of 10 liters for every 4′ x 4′ room in your house. Because of this, you may need more than a dehumidifier to get the job done.
Fleas can be eliminated from your home straightforwardly and expediently using a dehumidifier. The only significant drawback associated with eliminating fleas with a dehumidifier is the likelihood that more than one unit will be required to accomplish the task.
Because dehumidifiers can reach high price points, this may cause you to incur some additional costs. But, again, you shouldn’t be bothered about this because you’ll realize it was well worth the effort once you see how effectively it solves the problem. When you see that your dog or cat is no longer scratching as much as it used to, you will know that the treatment was successful.
What Is the Best Way to Kill Fleas Inside Your House?
Fleas are distinguished by their reddish-brown color, slender bodies, and large hind legs. They are around one-sixteenth of an inch long, but without a microscope, it is pretty doubtful that you will be able to make out any details about them.
Fleas can be transmitted to pets when exposed to the natural environment, when they are in the company of other animals, or when people bring them inside on their shoes or clothing. An infestation of fleas can put your patience to the test and demand that you be persistent.
You are in luck because you can eliminate the issue by utilizing various cleaning strategies, sprays, and topical remedies that are safe for pets and other possibilities.
Sprinkle Salt
Much like baking soda, salt acts similarly. It is feasible to get rid of fleas in a relatively short amount of time if you put some salt on your carpet, let it sit for two days, and then vacuum it up. How does it work? Fleas will be eliminated swiftly and organically thanks to the dehydrating properties of the salt, which eliminates the need for applying any chemicals.
Make Use Of Rosemary
Because rosemary’s robust and intense fragrance is offensive to fleas, using this method on a dog infested with fleas also works wonders. To be more effective, all that needs to be done is to bring some rosemary and water to a boil in a pan, then let it cool down and refrigerate it overnight. After that, pour the liquid into a spray bottle, but before you do so, separate the sprigs so that none of them end up in the bottle. Then, when you wash your dog in the future, spray some of the natural solutions over its fur, and it will repel fleas the next time you wash it.
Remove All Of The Children And Animals From Your House
If feasible, you should eliminate other animals kept as pets in your house, including birds and fish and cats and dogs. Protect the fish tanks, bird cages, food bowls, and water dishes by covering them. Turn off any systems that maintain the pet’s environment, such as aerators in fish tanks and heat rocks in reptile tanks. It is best to get this done when everyone else in the family is away from home at the same time.
Use Baking Soda
Scrubbing your carpet with baking soda, giving it a good scrubbing, and then vacuuming it up is a foolproof method for removing any fleas that may have taken up residence in the fibers of your carpet. Similarly, frequently vacuuming your carpet is another thing you can do to help keep the bugs away. Also, pay careful attention to the parts of the house where the pets sleep. Fleas are known to spread diseases to humans, so you must thoroughly clean the entire area.
Clean All Of The Bedding In A Mixture Of Warm Soapy Water
If you only have a light infestation, washing your bed linens in hot, soapy water should be sufficient. The fleas, including their eggs and larvae, will perish from using the soap. It would help if you also thought about vacuuming your mattress. Don’t forget to do the same thing with your pet’s bed.
Use A Pet-Safe Flea Spray
If your pet has fleas, you should think about treating them with an all-natural spray designed to kill fleas. Spray the solution on the affected region and continue to do so once every three days for the next two-ish weeks or until the problem is resolved. Due to this action, your home will also have a lower risk of fleas.
Use A Strong Vacuum
Even while steam cleaning can be very successful, you should use a powerful vacuum cleaner frequently if you want to keep fleas from swarming your home. Floors, upholstered furniture, mattresses, and the nooks and crannies that are difficult to access are some places that require special attention. When you are finished vacuuming, do not forget to empty the bag or the filter of the vacuum immediately.
Don’t Lose Sight Of The Other Components
As soon as you have vacuumed the carpets and area rugs, clean the hardwood floors, linoleum, and tiles. After that, vacuum your bed, as well as your furniture, upholstered items, cabinets, cushions, and pillows. If you are using a disposable vacuum bag, it is recommended that you place it in a garbage bag, seal it up tightly, and then toss it away after you have finished using it. Rather than using that bag, switch to a new one. It is necessary to continue this meticulous vacuuming every other day until all of the fleas have been removed.
Get Ready In Case There Is A Severe Flea Infestation
When dealing with severe flea infestations, the best action is to destroy and dispose of all pet bedding. In cases of moderate or light infestations, it is essential to launder the bedding in hot and soapy water to kill fleas and destroy their eggs and larvae. You will have to wash the bedding your pet uses in this manner once a week for a couple-triple of weeks or until you are confident that the infestation is no longer there, whichever comes first. Even so, washing your pet’s bedding regularly is still a good practice to stop new infestations from taking hold and spreading. You can also choose to dry clean the bedding, but if you do so, you must take precautions to prevent fleas from spreading to the dry cleaner’s business and, as a result, to their other clients.
Employ A Steam Cleaning Service
If you have a flea problem, steam cleaning your carpets, furniture, and pet beds is a fantastic option. Unfortunately, fleas are attracted to steam. However, the fleas will be exterminated in a short time due to the combination of high heat and soap.
Does an Air Purifier Help with Bugs?
There aren’t many people aware that air purifiers may also catch annoying bugs flying around your house, but they can.
As a result of the powerful suction strength that air purifiers possess, they can draw in and trap even the tiniest of insects, such as gnats and mosquitoes, preventing them from causing you or your family any discomfort.
As dust ramps up, it will attract a type of insect known as a dust mite, which feeds on dead skin cells and the dirt particles it finds.
These little insects have also been linked to an increased risk of asthma and other respiratory conditions.
The excellent news is that if you equip your HVAC system with an air purifier, you may reduce the dust in your home and the number of dust mites, making the air healthier for everyone there.
When the dust settles and builds up on the furnishings in your home, it provides a breeding ground for dust mites.
Investing in an air purifier of a good grade is one method that cannot fail to cut down on the number of air pollutants in a home.
The dirty air from inside your home is drawn into the air purifier, which is subjected to some steps of filtration, and then the purified air is vented back into the room.
Different air purifiers do this in various ways, which implies that not all air purifiers are made equal.
However, there is one particular thing: if you have a dependable air purifier in your home, you can take relief knowing that the dangerous effects of air pollution will not occur to your family. To remove dust from the air, air purifiers function by capturing dust particles before they have a chance to settle.
Your air purifier may or may not eliminate all of the dust and dust mites from the air, but it can bring the number of these particles down to a significantly lower level.
Whole-house air purifiers are devices connected directly to your home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system—this allows you to eliminate dust from the air throughout your residence.
When activated, the air purifier will move the air around and remove the minute particles of debris dispersed throughout it, such as dust and dander from animals.
A HEPA filter housed within the purifier removes the dust and other particles.
HEPA filters are engineered to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns, providing adequate filtration capabilities for the minute particles responsible for home dust formation.
Pollutants in the air, such as particles and gases, can contaminate the air found inside buildings, such as houses and workplaces: this can lead to the development of indoor air pollution.
These air contaminants are responsible for many health issues, including respiratory ailments and even cancer in the most severe of situations.
Indoor air pollution disproportionately impacts the health of some populations, including children and those with asthma and allergies.
Worse, because the air within closed rooms is intensely concentrated, typical outdoor air pollution may not even compare to the potential dangers of breathing polluted air indoors.
This indicates that more significant amounts of pollutants are present in your home, putting you and your family in greater danger of inhaling them.
How Do You Get Rid of Fleas in the Air?
It may take several weeks or even months to get control of an air fleas infestation, but if you take some preventative measures, you can stop them from occurring in the first place.
Keep Your Residence Clean And Free Of Fleas At All Times
It is unnecessarily a sign that your home is dirty because you have fleas and ticks. You may, however, make specific areas less inviting to pests if you pay special attention to those areas. Therefore, you should vacuum at least once a week and more frequently if you find any fleas. When you vacuum, ensure you don’t simply focus on the area in the middle of the room. Fleas avoid locations with a lot of foot traffic, so treat the baseboards, under the furniture, under the cushions, and any other areas where your pets spend time or sleep. To prevent flea infestations, it is essential to replace the vacuum bag routinely or to use a flea collar within the bag. If you transport your pet in your vehicle, you should vacuum it before each trip.
Treatments For Fleas And Ticks Should Be Applied To Your Pets
Flea and tick spot-on treatments are used on pets owned by many people. Please reduce the number of parasites that your pet brings inside by combing over its coat with a flea comb or brush as soon as it enters the house after being outside. Do you own a furry animal with a long coat? Pests have an easier time concealing themselves there. You might think about getting your pet a summer haircut so that it is simpler to identify any potential health issues.
It Is Mandatory To Treat Your Pet For Fleas
Infestations in your home are considerably less likely to occur today due to excellent flea and tick control treatments that you can use on your pets to eliminate pests. However, if fleas get into your home, you must take measures to eliminate them and prevent further infestations. First things first, give your carpets good vacuuming. As soon as you are finished vacuuming, throw away the bag as soon as possible since eggs and larvae will keep growing in the bag. After that, you should clean the carpet to eliminate extra fleas and larvae. If you decide to kill insects in your home using an insecticide, washing the carpets first will allow the chemical to penetrate the carpet fibers more thoroughly.
