How to Get Rid of Fleas in Your House, Your Yard and on Your Pets

Getting rid of fleas inside the house

Inside, fleas live mostly where your pets spend the most time: their beds, the couch, the rug by the door and the carpet in the bedroom. Hard floors are easier, but larvae still hide in the gaps between boards and along baseboards.

• Vacuum first, and often. Vacuuming picks up eggs, larvae and some cocoons, and the vibration makes adults hatch so treatments can reach them. Pay attention to under furniture and along walls.
• Steam cleaning helps on carpets and upholstery that can handle it, as long as you keep vacuuming afterward.
• Don't rely on foggers. Bug bombs drift into the open and settle on top of the carpet, but fleas and larvae are deep in fibers and under furniture. They also leave residue on surfaces in your home.
• Get people and pets out during any indoor treatment and follow the re-entry time you're given, especially with kids, birds or fish in the home.
• Keep the treated areas undisturbed for a short time, then go back to daily vacuuming.

Worried about kids and pets? Our page on pet-safe pest control in NJ explains how we plan treatments in homes with animals.

Fleas but no pets? Look for wildlife

If you don't have a dog or cat and you're still getting flea bites, the fleas are probably coming from an animal you haven't seen. In North Jersey that's usually one of these:

• Raccoons, opossums or skunks living under a deck, porch or shed.
• Squirrels or raccoons in the attic, especially when bites happen in upstairs rooms.
• Stray or outdoor cats sleeping under the porch or in a crawl space.
• Mice or rats in the walls, basement or garage.
• A previous owner's or tenant's pets; fleas in cocoons can wait in an empty home and hatch when new people move in.

When an animal is the source, treating the house alone won't last. The animal has to be removed and the opening sealed. See our wildlife removal page, raccoon proofing and animal entry point sealing.

How Silver Bullet handles flea problems

When you call, we'll ask about your pets, which rooms are worst and whether you've seen any animals around the house. Then a licensed technician:

• Inspects the house and yard to find where fleas are breeding and whether wildlife or rodents are the source.
• Treats inside where fleas and larvae live, planned around the people and pets in your home.
• Treats the yard in the shady spots where pets and animals rest.
• Tells you exactly what to do before and after: vacuuming, laundry and keeping pets on their vet's flea product.

If the fleas are coming from a raccoon under the deck or squirrels in the attic, we can remove the animals and seal the openings too, since we're licensed by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife for wildlife work. For sudden, heavy outbreaks, see our emergency flea treatment page.

We're based in Garfield and serve Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties, with same-day visits often available. You'll get a free quote before any work begins.