Table of Contents
Start with the basics
Get the hoover out
Wash everything that can be washed
Use a flea spray
Check the nooks and crannies
Keep the routine going
Prevention is your best friend
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How to clean your home after a flea infestation
- By Sarah
-
- May 28, 2025
- 3 MIN READ
Ahhhh f*ck you’ve got fleas! Right, let’s get to work getting rid of these little blighters so you can sleep at night. Keep reading to find out how to clean your home properly after a flea infestation without losing your mind or your favourite rug…
Start with the basics
Treat the source
First things first, your pet. If you haven’t already treated them, that’s step number one. Whether it’s a vet-approved spot-on treatment, like Itch Flea treatment for cats and dogs, or a good old flea bath, make sure your furry mate is sorted.
If you have more than one pet, it’s super important to treat them all at the same time!
Get the hoover out
Your vacuum cleaner is your best friend right now. Fleas love to hide in carpets, between floorboards, in skirting boards, sofas — anywhere dark and snug. So hoover absolutely everything:
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Carpets and rugs
Fleas will hide in your carpets (and don’t forget under the furniture).
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Upholstery and curtains
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Pet bedding
This is the most common place for fleas to nestle.
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Human bedding
It's a horrid thought, but fleas will make home in your bedding. They can even get into your mattress, so clean that too!
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Cracks in wooden floors
Often dormant fleas lie in your floorboard cracks or completely out of sight.
Do this every day for at least a week. Yes, every day. Flea eggs hatch in cycles, and your hoover helps break it. Find out more about the flea life cycle here.
If you’ve got a bagged hoover, chuck the bag straight in the outside bin after each clean. If it's bagless, empty it outside too. You don’t want any survivors making a comeback tour.
Wash everything that can be washed
Hot water is your next secret weapon. Fleas, eggs, and larvae can’t survive a proper 60°C wash, so strip beds, gather up throws, cushion covers, pet blankets — if it fits in the machine, wash it.
Drying things on high heat helps too. If you’ve got a tumble dryer, use it. Otherwise, hang things out on a sunny day. Fleas don’t like sunlight much.
And yes, this includes your pet’s toys and any random soft furnishings they’ve cuddled up with. No mercy.
Use a flea spray
Once everything’s hoovered and washed, you want to use a flea spray to finish the job. These contain insecticides that target fleas at all life stages, like the Itch Flea Home Spray which kills all adult fleas for up to 2 months after just one blast.
Couple of tips here:
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Always read the label, especially if you've got pets or kids.
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Open windows after use.
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Don’t spray directly on pets (obviously).
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Treat every room — fleas are surprisingly adventurous.
Check the nooks and crannies
Don’t forget the weird spots — the ones we usually ignore during a normal clean. Grab a torch and go on a bit of a flea-hunting mission. Fleas love the in-between zones:
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Behind the fridge.
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Inside radiators.
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In cracks around door frames.
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Inside wardrobes (especially if your cat likes to sleep in there).
Keep the routine going
Even after the worst is over, keep up the routine for a couple of weeks. Hoovering, washing, checking your pet. Fleas are persistent, and it takes time to be sure they’re fully gone.
If you spot more bites or see your pet scratching again, you might need a second round. Don’t worry — it happens to the best of us. We know how hard it is to eradicate fleas completely after a full blown infestation, so we created a one-stop kit to kill every last flea. Get rid of fleas with the Itch Eradication Kit, our proven method to remove all fleas and stop them from coming back.
Prevention is your best friend
Now that you’ve earned your stripes, it’s all about prevention. A few good habits go a long way:
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Regular monthly flea treatment for your pet (mark it on the calendar!).
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Hoovering weekly, not just when you spill crisps.
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Washing pet bedding often.
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Keeping the garden tidy (fleas can live in long grass and shady spots).
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Don't let flea-ridden pets near you or your pet.
With a bit of elbow grease, a hot wash, and some determined hoovering, you can get your home back. It might not be glamorous, and you might find yourself deep-cleaning parts of the house you didn’t even know existed — but hey, your home will never have felt cleaner.
And once you’re done? Put your feet up, make a proper brew, and enjoy the feeling of a flea-free home. You’ve earned it.
Protect your home from fleas.
95% of fleas live in your home environment, not on your pet.
To break the fast and furious flea life cycle, treat your home with Itch Flea Home Spray. In one blast, it will help turf out the little blighters — and any dust mites too — as well as put a halt to the development of flea eggs and larvae for up to 12 months.
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