Fleetheflea asked 7 years ago
Howdy Adam, Seeing as how heat kills fleas I was wondering if I could get rid of them by ironing my carpets and mattresses (steam or not)?
Adam Retzer Staff answered 7 years ago
Maybe. The problem is that fleas develop at the base of carpets where the heat/steam won’t be able to penetrate well. However, steam should kill any fleas if it can reach them. A steam cleaner would probably be easier and more effective than ironing. Even so, many developing fleas will probably escape the steam and not be killed.
You shouldn’t need to worry about the mattress. Fleas don’t infest mattresses. Adult fleas stay on their host. Eggs are laid on the host, but they aren’t sticky and fall off within a few hours. The larvae develop where the eggs fall. So, for eggs to be on a bed, they would have to fall from an infested pet. Potential developing fleas should only be on the surface on the bedding. Laundering the bedding will kill the fleas there.
