Flea Exterminator in Elmwood Park, NJ

Why fleas hang on in Elmwood Park homes

Elmwood Park's Cape Cods, ranches, two-families and garden apartments give fleas plenty of places to hide: wall-to-wall carpet, area rugs over hardwood, upholstered furniture and pet beds. In buildings with houses that back up to the river and the parks along it, a new tenant sometimes moves in and finds fleas left behind by the last tenant's pet, because flea cocoons can wait weeks for someone to walk by.

Outside, yards near the Passaic River and anywhere with decks, porches and sheds draw raccoons, opossums, squirrels and stray cats, and they carry fleas right up to the house. When a Elmwood Park family keeps getting fleas even with a treated dog or cat, we look at the yard and the crawl spaces, not just the carpet.

Fleas and no pets? Check for wildlife

Fleas without a pet in the home almost always have a source: an animal living under the porch, in the crawl space or in the attic, or a previous pet in the home. If an animal is living there, treating the carpet only works until the next batch of fleas falls off it.

• Look for digging under decks, sheds and porch steps.
• Listen for noises in the attic or walls, especially at night.
• Notice where you're getting bitten: near a basement door or a back room by the deck is a clue.

We remove wildlife with exclusion, not trapping and relocating, and close the opening so it can't move back in. See wildlife removal and raccoon proofing.

Prep checklist before we arrive

• Pick up toys, shoes, clothes and anything on the floor, including under beds.
• Vacuum all carpets, rugs, furniture and pet beds, then empty the vacuum outside.
• Wash pet bedding and throw blankets in hot water.
• Have your pets treated by your vet, and plan for pets to stay off treated areas until they're dry.
• Cover fish tanks and turn off the air pump during treatment.

After treatment, keep vacuuming every day for two weeks. Seeing a few fleas during that time is normal.