Fleas! Urgently need advice...

[doubleeggandchips]

So, just discovered ex-tenant has left a major dog flea infestation behind. DH and I have the w/end to bag up left behind belongings and try and clean up a bit before professional clean as it's bogging in there - we want to improve it to 'empty and very grubby' stage! Anyone know what we can do to avoid being bitten (Jungle Formula-type spray? Flea collars on our ankles??) Is it worth wearing boiler suits to avoid carrying fleas home in our clothes? Fumigation company said to clean property first, but I don't think I can ask a cleaner to go in if they will get bitten, what do you think? We only have a week to sort it out as the next person wants to move in asap. if you've had experience with fumigation and all things Flea, I would be really grateful for advice on the best way to go about this thanks!

...meant to say there won't be pets moving in again, so no dog for fleas to live on.

How bogging is 'bogging' ie just how much stuff has been left behind and what sort of state are the floors in at the moment? (If there's too much there, I'm not sure that sprays would work quickly or thoroughly enough to be effective. The blighters hide.)

Is that the only pest in the place as far as you can judge?

Loads of flea spray everywhere, vet or pets at home will have the good stuff.
Do whole place, leave overnight then open all windows in morning before u go in & clean.

Thanks will clear, spray and clean next day. Top weekend!

Can you strip outside the house before you go back inside? (Without fear of arrest or causing apoplexy to the neighbours, I mean. )

LOL @ cozietoesie - in fact we only saw 1 flea, having been told by the agent there were loads , no bites, and I stripped everything off as soon as I got home! Didn't go quite as far as doing that in the front garden, but only because things were much better than expected. But urgh, the amount of dog hair - actual HANDFULS of it! At some point, someone had either broken/binned or just nicked the vacuum so the place hadn't been vacuumed for months by the look of the stairs. Either that or the dog has recently suffered total fur loss...

Oh dear god, but that sounds grim. We moved into a house a few years back which was totally infested. The only way to avoid being badly bitten is to tuck your trousers into your socks. If you wear nice white sports socks you will see them jump on your legs so you will be able to see how bad it is. More than 10 in a day is considered to be an "infestation".

Avoid bringing small children in as fleas can jump to about the neck height of a toddler.

The bad news is that you need to spray twice with really good stuff several weeks apart to kill off the new stuff that hatches. You can't kill them when they are in their cocoon stage. I cleaned and sprayed for months to no effect and then called in Rentokil for the nuclear option. £110 for two visits two weeks apart and never saw another flea.

Carpet cleaning made a huge difference upstairs but the little sods were coming up from all corners of the very old wooden floors.

Really - I'd go with the nuclear option as soon as the professional cleaners have left. As a prospective tenant, that's the only thing that would persuade me to move in as they will need to leave all their stuff in boxes until the second spray or potentially have to have it hoovered and cleaned within an inch of their lives.

PS - we only realised after a week or so as they started to hatch. As the previous owners cats were gone, we were the next best thing.

Just because you've only seen one solitary flea doesn't mean that there aren't hundreds.

Can you get the costs back out of the deposit or is there no chance?

Well, I got the professional pest control folk in after my last post, who said not to hoover for 7 days, but to make sure there was vibration in the house every day to get the little buggers hatching and emerging to come in contact with the chemical. I'm really hoping that I can take them at their word on this, as new person moves in in a couple of days - I've been in walking round and round (and feeling ridiculous). I wouldn't normally have rushed so quick into the next tenancy, but can't be helped this time.