Will steaming kill fleas?

The last thing that anybody wants is a flea infestation in their home or business. Not only do they reproduce quickly, fleas also irritate the skin, carry harmful bacteria and are incredibly difficult to get rid of once they’ve begun to multiply. An untreated flea infestation will get out of control fast, especially if you try to deal with the issue yourself instead of involving a professional pest control company.

One of the ways that pest control companies eliminate flea infestations is by steaming them. However, if you’re sceptical about this process and can’t stop wondering ‘will steaming kill fleas?’, read on to find out everything you need to know about how effective steaming is at eradicating flea
colonies.

Will steaming kill fleas?

Fleas are remarkably (and irritatingly!) resistant and reproductive pests, but even they cannot survive in extremely hot conditions. Pest control, with their steam cleaners, can raise the temperature of a room as high as 60°C or even 70°C. Fleas die in temperatures exceeding 35°C, so this is an effective way to wipe out entire flea colonies at once. Pest control take temperatures that much higher to ensure that no fleas survive and then reproduce, causing another outbreak. So, if high temperatures are what kills fleas, why do pest control use steam cleaners? Well, surface level cleaning is not enough when it comes to a flea infestation. Steam cleaners are designed to go beneath surface level when they clean, effectively extracting dirt and debris from deep within fabrics, floors and furniture. You need this level of deep cleaning to purge fleas from every corner and crevice of a room, and steam will penetrate all soft materials to ensure that every flea has been
killed.

As well as killing live fleas, steam cleaning is also useful for getting rid of dead flies and flea dust. This is a full-scale eradication that must be done by a professional exterminator. The steam will heat the entire room and kill fleas at all stages of their life cycle, preventing any new eggs from hatching. Though there are other methods of eradication, steaming is one of the most widely used and most
effective.

How long does it take for steam to kill fleas?

The amount of time it takes for steam to kill fleas does differ depending on the size of the room and the infestation. For example, a smaller room will heat up faster, allowing the steam to get straight to work, whereas a larger room will require more steam. It typically takes at least 48 hours to fully exterminate a flea infestation, so you’ll need to be prepared to hand over your home or workplace to pest control for that time.

How does a flea infestation start?

All it takes is a few fleas to start an infestation, and it’s easier than you think for them to make their way inside your home or workplace. They can be carried inside on your clothing or on a pet’s fur. After that, it’s easy for the fleas to reproduce and spread across every soft fabric that they come into contact with, such as sofas, carpets, curtains, bedsheets and pillows. Before you know it, you may have entire rooms taken over by fleas, and the more they multiply, the harder it will be to get rid of them.

What are the signs to look out for?

Fleas are tiny, but once an infestation starts to build up, you’ll be able to see lots of small black dots all over your furniture and carpets. Because fleas are so minuscule, you might mistake them for specks of dirt, but if you try to clean them off, the rest of the fleas will simply continue to multiply in their place. In fact, on average, fleas can live for up to three months and lay eggs within two days of
a meal. You might also first notice that you’ve got fleas if small red bumps appear on your body after you’ve been in the infested room. Flea bites itch and blister, and they most commonly appear below the knees, although you may notice them on any skin that has made contact with an infested piece of furniture. If you have a pet with fleas, you may notice them scratching a lot and red scabs appearing on their body. Fleas are painful, and irritating and will not stop once they have something to feed on, so it’s a good idea to purge them from your home as soon as you can.

When is it time to call pest control?

You need to call pest control as soon as you notice an outbreak. Even if you use an at-home steam cleaner and think you’ve purged the fleas that you could see, it’s unlikely that your own steam cleaner is capable of high enough temperatures to fully destroy the colony. Female fleas lay, on average, 25 eggs a day, though this can be as high as 50, so it won’t be long before the surviving fleas have reproduced and you’ll need to bring out your steam cleaner again. Repeating this process over and over is tiresome and will not get rid of the fleas altogether, only deter them long enough for them to reproduce.

Calling pest control as soon as you notice the fleas or have experienced recurring flea bites on your skin is the best way to deal with the problem straight away. Don’t wait to see if it gets worse because it absolutely will, and a large-scale flea infestation can quickly make your home unliveable and your business a health violation. Get in contact with pest control and arrange for them to come over and provide their services.

CCS Environmental- professional pest control

CCS Environmental has been providing professional pest control services to homes and businesses since 2008, accumulating plenty of experience on the best ways to effectively eliminate flea outbreaks. Whether you’re looking for domestic or commercial assistance with killing fleas, we’ve got you covered, so get in touch as soon as you suspect an infestation.