How to Flea Bomb With Indoor Cats – 7 Tips and Tricks
By Jessica Kim
Updated on
Flea infestations can quickly get out of hand and feel overwhelming, even with the most responsible cat owners. There are several things you can do to fight against fleas in your home, but when a situation worsens, you might have to use a flea bomb.
A flea bomb can be unsafe for both humans and indoor cats because they contain dangerous pesticides that can be harmful when inhaled. So, it’s often used as a last resort. If you’ve been fighting an uphill battle against a stubborn flea infestation, here are some helpful tips and tricks that you can use to make sure that your first attempt is a success.
The 7 Steps to Flea Bomb With an Indoor Cat:
1. Get Veterinary Advice First
Since flea bombs can be dangerous, consult with your veterinarian to see if there aren’t any other alternatives you can try before resorting to a flea bomb. Make sure to try other safer methods such as using carpet cleaning treatments that specifically kill fleas.
If the recommended next step is to use a flea bomb, make sure to ask your veterinarian for recommended brands. It takes a lot of work to clean up after a flea bomb, so you’ll want to do your best to get it right on your first try.
2. Completely Remove Pets and People (Temporarily) From Your Home
After you purchase a flea bomb and set a date to use it, make arrangements to remove all pets and people out of the home. Flea bombs can take several hours to completely settle, so you can anticipate that it can take anywhere from one whole day to several days to clean up your home after setting one off.
You can schedule to drop off your cats at a daycare or boarding service. If you have some friends who are willing to help, you can leave your cats with them while you thoroughly clean up the flea bomb.
3. Rearrange Furniture
Fleas can hide in tight corners and hard-to-reach places. So, rearrange your furniture and open cabinets and drawers so that the flea bomb has an easier time reaching these spaces. Try to keep spaces as exposed as possible.
Make sure to remove any food in your food pantry and store them in a safe place outside of your house. You can also take out any kitchen appliances, dishes, and silverware before using the flea bomb.
4. Ventilate Your Home
After you’ve used a flea bomb, following the directions included with your particular purchase, make sure to wait the recommended amount of hours before re-entering your house. You can also post signs on windows to let others know that they shouldn’t enter inside the house.
Once the appropriate amount of time passes, wear a safety mask and goggles before re-entering your home. Open a lot of windows so that you can create a good airflow in your home. A nice cross breeze will help to get rid of lingering particles.
5. Vacuum Treated Areas Several Times
One of the first things you want to do after a flea bomb settles is to vacuum your whole house. You’ll probably find a lot of dead fleas on the floor as well as flea bomb particles.
Realistically, you’ll have to vacuum your floors multiple times for several days. The particles are very tiny and can be difficult to pick up. You can also try using a carpet cleaner to help with clean up.
6. Wash All Bedding, Curtains, and Toys
You’ll also want to wash any exposed bedding, curtains, toys, and other items. A lot of fleas may be trapped in fabrics and can also survive in water. So, use a laundry detergent or booster specifically made to kill fleas and wash your laundry with hot water.
7. Use a Professional Service
Looking at the tips and tricks we’ve listed above, you’ll see that flea bombing is a tough process that requires a lot of clean-up after the flea bomb’s been used. Fleas can also hide from the flea bomb and survive treatment.
So, if you’re unsure if you can properly clean up your home after using a flea bomb, you might be better off contacting a professional pest control service. A specialist can help you figure out the best way to get rid of fleas.
How Long Does It Take for Flea Bombs To Work?
Flea bombs may not necessarily kill on contact and can take some time to have an effect on fleas. Therefore, it’s extremely important that you don’t enter or disrupt your home right after using a flea bomb. Make sure to adhere to the wait times located on the instructions of the flea bomb packaging.
Why Houses Can Still Have Fleas After Flea Bombing
As we’ve stated before, flea bombs don’t necessarily kill off all fleas. Fleas like to hide in crevices, so the flea bomb might miss them. When it sets off, it can startle some fleas and cause them to hide deeper into the home.
If you’ve resorted to using a flea bomb, make sure you do the proper prep work to increase your chances of success. Follow through on all cleanup steps and be diligent with vacuuming so that you can pick up as many remaining flea eggs as possible.
See Also:
- How Much Does Cat Teeth Cleaning Cost?
- Where Do Cats Pee From? Cat Urinary Anatomy Explained
- How Much Space Does a Cat Need (Indoor Space Per Cat)? What You Need to Know!
Conclusion
Overall, flea bombing is a long process and should be used when you’ve exhausted all your options. It may not also guarantee that your house will be free of fleas, especially if it’s used incorrectly.
So, make sure to properly prepare your home and follow the flea bomb instructions correctly. Proper clean-up is also key for making your home a safe environment again. Since a lot of effort goes into using a flea bomb, there’s also no shame in calling a professional service.
Featured Image Credit: ThamKC, Shutterstock
