Do I have to????

Going crazy here between the cats having fleas (Revolution the 9th of Aug...and will do 2 more monthly treatments) and running an hour and 1/2 away to take care of my mother who just got out of the hosp (TOO BIG a story to write here) but I`m just OUT of time and energy and NEED TO KNOW just how important it is to actually wash every rug, upholstered item and surface in the house to be sure we are rid of the fleas. (And not sure when i can get at it with all this running for my Mom....just gotta do what i have to there first.)
Is there any way that the treatments will work alone with just normal house cleaning and vaccuming (a couple times a week)??????
PLEASE SAY "YES"!!!! (Sorry....really do want the truth though.....I`m just feeling at my wits end at the moment).....OK ...stop...take a deep breath...OK...now another.....I`m sure you have all "Been there" from time to time when you just did`nt have two seconds left in a day.
I appreciate any info you can give me.
Linda

If I were in that situation, I would wash later when I had time. In the meantime, I would sprinkle Borax all over and scrunch it in with a broom and vacume the next day.

It worked for me, (the Borax thing) during the hot steamy summer when flea season was at it's peak here. I used an empty jar and punched holes in the lid with a nail and went around my entire home KNOWING those fleas were going to be suffocated.

Fleas cannot become IMMUNE to Borax.

Oh Thanks!
What is Borax, where do i find it....and most of all, do i have to worry about it around the cats????
Do I sprinkle it and leave it, or sweep it up after I`ve sprinkled it??? Will it hurt hardwood flooring or carpets/fabrics???
Linda

We have been through a few bad flee seasons, so far so good here.
But, I have NEVER shampooed my carpet or furniture to get rid of them.
I do wash the bedding if the animals sleep on it & I was their blankets that cover there beds if not washable & then I have used carpet fresh & leave it on a couple hrs. then vacuum them well

I really prefer not to use pesticides in the house. I see Borax used a lot on this forum, but my vet said if they ingest much it can kill cats. I have had food luck with the pet safe carpet freshners (not the flee killing kind), I put them in the carpet, wait about 30 minutes & then vacuum up. It has the same affect on on the flees, they can not reproduce.

I have learned in flee season, if I just vacuum a few extra times than normally, it keeps them away.

Originally Posted by DanaD

We have been through a few bad flee seasons, so far so good here.
But, I have NEVER shampooed my carpet or furniture to get rid of them.
I do wash the bedding if the animals sleep on it & I was their blankets that cover there beds if not washable & then I have used carpet fresh & leave it on a couple hrs. then vacuum them well

I really prefer not to use pesticides in the house. I see Borax used a lot on this forum, but my vet said if they ingest much it can kill cats. I have had food luck with the pet safe carpet freshners (not the flee killing kind), I put them in the carpet, wait about 30 minutes & then vacuum up. It has the same affect on on the flees, they can not reproduce.

I have learned in flee season, if I just vacuum a few extra times than normally, it keeps them away.

Click to expand...

Hi again....so are you saying to use the Borax...OR the carpet freshners that are safe for animals?
Either one I could use....sprinkle it on in one room and leave for 1/2 hour then vaccum that room...leaving the door shut during that time, keeping the cats out til it was swept up....then do another room etc till I have done the whole house. Would that help?
At the time we are not really infested as far as i can tell. Fleas do not bite me anyhow, but they love my hubby....so far he has`nt been bitten...so they can`t be too bad. It`s just that I see the cats scratching, which made me suspicious in the first place....so i wetted down the white bathroom sink and then held a cat over it and fluffed through the cats fur which allowed a few specks to fall into the wet sink. When the specks appeared to bleed i knew it was flea dirt. That` how I found out they had them in the first place.
I did the first treatment of Revolution on Aug 9th and will repeat it Sept9th and Oct 9th (It took 3 months last year to get rid of the little critters, so am assuming it will take that long this time too) But last time I went right at it and cleaned EVERYTHING I could think of right away at the beginning of the first treatment....and have simply Not had the time to do it yet this time. Will it matter if I wait until after the second treatment when my Mom is doing better and I can be home long enough to clean....or should I continue the Revolution treatment for a 4th month instead of just 3??? (Kinda expensive with 3 cats....but it would be easier right now to come up with the extra $ than to try to come up with the time to do that kind of deep cleaning.
Linda

If there isn't an infestation, and if you've only had a few fleas on the cats, I think you may be able to get by without cleaning much. Because when the cat is treated with a spot treatment, the cat himself actually becomes an anti-flea treatment... fleas will be killed in places where he lies frequently.

My cat had a small amount of fleas, and sometimes picks up a flea toward the end of a treatment month, and I haven't had to clean the house. It seems that the fleas were only on him.

The safest thing you can do is find some Diatomaceous Earth (usually sold at garden centres) BUT IT MUST BE HUMAN OR FOOD GRADE. Sprinkle this on the carpeting and furniture. Brush it in well (sweep it into the carpeting) to ensure it gets down into the fibres. DE will not hurt your cats, in fact if they ingest any of it, it will help them get rid of any parasites in their system.

Just be careful when you are sprinkling it that you don't breathe in the dust - it will irritate your lungs. Just put a cloth over your mouth and nose while dusting with it. Of course, put the kitties in another room as well until the dust has settled.

I myself would not use Borax but that's just me. Borax should be found in the laundry area of your supermarket if you really decide to go that route.