Expert Guide on How to Get Rid of Fleas Yourself

A flea infestation feels urgent because it is — the biting ramps up fast, and it’s easy to waste time on quick fixes that don’t last. The reason is the flea lifecycle: adults are only the visible tip of the problem, while eggs, larvae and pupae (cocoons) sit deep in soft furnishings.

So, if you’re searching for how to get rid of fleas, your goal isn’t just to kill what you can see — it’s to break the cycle. That means treating pets correctly, removing eggs and larvae with heat and vacuuming, using targeted products only where fleas hide, and tracking results so you know it’s working (expect 2–4 weeks).

This article walks you through the exact DIY routine step-by-step, with safety notes for homes with children, cats/dogs and fish tanks, plus a simple monitoring checklist to keep you on track.

Quick Answer: How to Get Rid of Fleas

If you’re searching for how to get rid of fleas, the fastest results come from tackling pets and your home at the same time. 

• Treat every pet today with a vet-recommended flea product (untreated pets keep the cycle going).
• Hot-wash pet bedding/throws/cushion covers at 60°C+ (or hot tumble dry).
• Vacuum daily for 1-2 weeks (carpets, skirting edges, sofas, under beds) and empty the vacuum into an outside bin straight away.
• Use flea traps for monitoring, pinpointing hotspots and capturing some fleas.
• Target harbourages: treat edges/cracks/under furniture label-led with diatomaceous earth or a flea spray; don’t rely on “air spraying".
  

Understanding Flea Behaviour

What Are Fleas?

Fleas are insects that feed on the blood of other animals. There are different species of fleas, including cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), dog fleas (Ctenocephalides canis), and even human fleas (Pulex irritans). Don't get too caught up in the species, because all fleas will bite humans if they're hungry.

Identifying fleas

Adult fleas are around 2.5mm long. They're hard to spot, and the first sign of them is often the bites they cause. If your pet is scratching, they may be getting bitten. And you may start noticing bites yourself.

Fleas don't have wings and are almost flat laterally. They are brown-black in colour, but more reddish once fed. Fleas are famous for their ability to jump, so look out for small jumping bugs.

Fleas usually stay close to their host. Eggs and larvae are often found where pets spend time, such as in their bedding.

Why Fleas Infest Homes and Pets

The reason fleas get inside our homes is quite simple: we and our pets provide food for them. There are several ways fleas can get into your home:

• Pets. During the summer, fleas can live outdoors in the UK. It's easy for an outdoor cat or dog to pick up fleas from the environment.
• Other animals. If you have feral cats near your home, fleas may get inside that way. Wildlife like foxes also often carry fleas and can spread them to humans.
• Bringing them inside yourself. Because they jump, a flea can get a lift on your shoe or your trousers and come in from outside.
• Dormant eggs. Part of what makes fleas so hard to get rid of is that the eggs go dormant if there's no food source. You can move into a place with a flea problem without knowing it.

Can You Get Fleas in a House With No Pets?

Yes. Fleas can be brought in by visiting animals, previous occupants, shared hallways (flats), or wildlife near the property. The fix is the same: hot-wash soft furnishings, vacuum daily, and treat harbourages label-led, then monitor trap catches for 2–3 weeks.

Lifecycle and Breeding Habits of Fleas

Why it takes time: most of the infestation is in your home (eggs/larvae/pupae in carpets and soft furnishings), not on the pet. Eggs and pupae aren’t reliably affected by many treatments, so consistency and follow-up are what finish the job.

Part of what makes fleas so tough to handle is that they have a complex breeding cycle and an extremely high reproductive rate.

Fleas undergo metamorphosis similar to other insects, such as butterflies. Adult fleas lay eggs on host animals such as cats and dogs. These fall onto other surfaces, such as bedding and carpets and hatch into larvae. Once they mature into adults, they seek a new host and lay eggs, starting the cycle over again.

Fleas start out as eggs, which are white and around half a millimetre long. A female flea will lay 4-8 eggs after each blood meal and can lay around 500 eggs in her lifetime. Eggs are usually laid between the hairs of the host animal or in their bedding material. The eggs are not stuck in place, so they easily fall off as the animal moves around or scratches.

In optimal conditions, flea eggs can hatch in two days. Flea eggs hatch quickest at 30°C and relative humidity over 70%. Most of our homes are not that hot or humid, so eggs may take longer to hatch.

Once a flea hatches, it emerges as a larva. The larvae look like little white worms, and are significantly bigger than the adult fleas - sometimes up to 5 mm in length. The larvae don't bite, but eat flea dirt - the dried blood the adult fleas defecate.

The larvae go through three stages of growth. This can take 1 to 2 weeks or several months, depending on the availability of food, temperature, and humidity. The larvae need a relative humidity between 45% to 95% to grow.

To become adults, they spin a cocoon known as a pupa. Inside, they change into adults. This can take as little as four days or as long as 170 days. Fleas can stay dormant in empty houses and emerge once they feel the vibrations and warmth of nearby hosts.

Inside these cocoons, the fleas are immune to pesticides.

Once they emerge as adults, they seek a host. However, if they can't find one, they can survive months without feeding. Once they do find a host, they will usually stay on it for their whole lives if it's a cat or a dog. Adult fleas can live up to one year.

Having a flea infestation is extremely distressing. If you're dealing with these pests, remember that although fleas will bite humans, they don't live on us the way they do on cats and dogs. Even the hairiest of us aren't furry enough to provide fleas with the protection they need.

Because female fleas can lay 500 eggs, flea populations grow extremely fast. Plus, their ability to go for long periods without feeding means getting rid of fleas often takes multiple treatments.

Health and Safety Risks

Being bitten by fleas isn't a pleasant experience. Even worse, fleas and their bites are a risk to human and animal health.

Famously, fleas carried by rats were responsible for the plague in medieval Europe. Plague still exists, but thankfully not in the UK. Fleas transmit a disease known as murine typhus, although again, this is very rare in the UK. They also spread tapeworms between dogs and cats.

Much more likely is a skin irritation from scratching itchy bites, both for you and for your pets. Broken skin from scratching bites becomes an infection risk, and some people have severe allergic reactions to the flea's saliva.

For pets, fleas cause allergic dermatitis, and if enough fleas feed on an animal, they can even cause anaemia. That's why it's important to ask your vet how to get rid of fleas on cats and dogs.

If you have fleas, you need to get rid of them fast.

Identifying Signs of a Flea Infestation

Fleas are tiny and difficult to spot. However, once infestation starts, these signs can reveal a flea problem:

• Pets scratching themselves, licking, or biting more than usual;
• Getting small red bites yourself, especially around ankles or on arms and hands after contact with pets;
• Spotting flea dirt, which usually looks like black specks similar to pepper, but will turn red when wet;
• Seeing adult fleas.

Where to find fleas

• Pet bedding and areas where your pets like to spend time.
• Carpets, especially near skirting boards.
• Soft furniture like sofas and beds.
• Cracks and crevices in furniture, skirting boards, scratching posts, and pet beds.

If you think you have fleas, make a trap by filling a dish with water and a few drops of dish soap. Shine a lamp onto the water. Fleas are attracted to light and will jump toward the lamp, then fall into the water. Leave the dish overnight, and if you have fleas in your home, you'll see some inside the dish. Alternatively, if you do not have time to do this, use an electric flea trap, which can start catching fleas almost immediately.

Preventing Flea Infestations

It's tricky to keep fleas out of your home. However, there are steps you can take:

• Have your vet check pets regularly, and follow vet-recommended flea treatments for how to get rid of fleas on dogs.
• Groom your pets and check for flea signs.
• Brush your pets after they have been outside.

Inside, keep fleas out by:

• Vacuuming carpets, furniture, and pet areas. The vibrations encourage fleas to emerge.
• Wash pet bedding regularly in hot water.
• Steam clean soft furniture to kill fleas and eggs.
• Remove anything that attracts wild animals like foxes and birds to your home.

DIY Flea Solutions

Natural Solutions

If you want to learn how to stop fleas quickly, follow these steps in order — they work best when you tackle pets and the home at the same time.

1. Treat your pets first (most important).
   Use a vet-recommended flea treatment and follow the label. Treat every pet in the household on the same schedule. If you’re unsure what’s safe for your animal, ask your vet.
2. Hot wash and isolate soft items.
   Wash pet bedding (and any washable throws/covers) at 60°C+. For items that can’t be washed, sealing in a bag and freezing for 48 hours can help.
3. Vacuum daily for 1-2 weeks.
   Vacuum carpets, rugs, sofas, skirting edges and under furniture. Vacuuming removes fleas, eggs and debris, and the vibration can encourage dormant fleas to emerge sooner. Empty the canister / dispose of the bag outside immediately.
4. Use flea traps to monitor and find hotspots.
   Place 1–2 electric flea traps in the worst rooms and check them daily — they’re useful for confirming where activity is highest and whether numbers are dropping. However, they are unlikely to remove the entire infestation alone as they cannot target other life stages such as eggs, larvae and pupae (cocoons).
5. Diatomaceous earth (optional, targeted).
   If you use diatomaceous earth, choose food-grade and apply a very light dusting to dry cracks/edges and under furniture (avoid big piles). Prevent dust from becoming airborne (mask/ventilation) and keep children and pets out until settled. Vacuum thoroughly afterwards.

Monitor: trap catches and scratching should fall week on week. Keep a simple log of dates/rooms cleaned, trap counts, and pet treatment dates.

Chemical Solutions

If natural steps aren’t enough, targeted chemical treatment can help — especially in carpets, skirting edges and other harbourages.

• Before you treat: read the label fully, ventilate well, and keep children/pets out until surfaces are fully dry and the label says it’s safe. Cover/turn off fish tanks during application.
• Start with lower-toxicity options (e.g., low-toxicity / natural flea sprays) for mild infestations — choose products specifically labelled for indoor flea control.
• For persistent infestations, choose a residual spray labelled for fleas. Some products include an insect growth regulator (IGR), which helps break the lifecycle by stopping eggs/larvae from developing.
• Important: only use products exactly as labelled and never use dog-only products around cats unless the product specifically states it’s cat-safe (some ingredients, including permethrin, can be dangerous to cats).

Persistence is key: pupae are hard to kill, so you may still see new fleas emerging after treatment. Repeat as directed on the label and keep vacuuming to pull emerging fleas into contact with treated areas.

Professional Flea Control

Fleas are extremely persistent. Sometimes, you need a professional, especially if you live in a flat and the problem has spread through the building. Professional exterminators have access to powerful chemicals and experience in solving pest situations, so don't be afraid to get help.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fleas

How long does it take to get rid of fleas in a house?

Typically, 2–4 weeks with consistent cleaning and follow-up. You may still see “hatch-outs” as pupae emerge—stick with the routine.

Why do fleas keep coming back after I’ve treated?

Common causes are: one pet wasn’t treated, vacuuming stopped too early, key harbourages weren’t treated, or reintroduction from outdoors/shared hallways (flats).

Do flea bombs/foggers work?

They may hit exposed adults, but often miss deep fibres and hiding spots. If you use them, you still need vacuuming + hot washing + targeted harbourage treatment afterwards.

Can you get fleas with no pets?

Yes—previous occupants, visiting animals, shared building areas, or wildlife nearby can bring them in. The fix is the same: clean, treat harbourages, and monitor.

When should I call a professional?

If you’ve done consistent action for 2–3 weeks and traps/bites aren’t dropping, if the issue is building-wide (flats), or if vulnerable occupants are affected. Professionals may use residuals + IGR strategically across floor surfaces.

Final Thoughts

If you're wondering how to get rid of fleas by yourself, it's possible, but it takes a lot of work. Regular pet treatments combined with thorough cleaning and a targeted use of insecticides can get fleas out of your home, but it will probably take multiple attempts to get on top of the flea's lifecycle.

The easiest way to get rid of fleas yourself is to treat your pets first. Groom your pets, take them for vet inspections if you suspect fleas, and pay attention to where they go outside, especially in the summer months. That way, you can maintain a healthy and flea-free home for you and your pets.