Do you want to know how to protect your furniture from fleas? I’ll explain not only how they enter your home and how to protect your furniture from them, but also what draws them in and how to get rid of them. These insects are frightening enough on their own, but they are also dangerous to our dogs and furniture. Let us take a look.
Table of Contents
What are fleas?
Because dog and cat fleas are prevalent, you are sure to have heard about them if you have a pet cat or dog, as it might so happen that your pet picks fleas while playing in the park.
Fleas are extremely small insects that cause a lot of havoc in your home. They are so small that even if you line up 7-8 fleas in a row, they will measure less than an inch, which is one of the main reasons why they go undetected most of the time.
These little insects are reddish-brown in color and lack wings, but they can jump quite high, allowing them to effortlessly mow down our beloved pets.
Fleas devour blood, and female fleas eat around 15 times their body weight every day. Fleas exude partially digested blood, often known as “flea filth,” which flea larvae use as food. Veterinarians and pet owners can also use this flea dirt to detect an infestation.
Can fleas live in furniture?
Fleas not only live in furniture, but they also enjoy it. Fleas have an unrequited love affair with our dogs, and the thing with fleas is that once inside our houses, fleas seek solace in our furniture, which includes your bed, couch, etc.
Pets frequently bring fleas into the house, and they can rapidly establish a safe haven inside. Fleas, flea eggs, and flea larvae love to live in carpets, bedding, pet beds, and upholstered furniture. If you discover fleas in your home, you must act quickly to exterminate them (as well as your pet and even your yard).
Do you have fleas in your furniture?
If your pet has fleas, your furniture, like sofas and carpets, is likely to have fleas as well, especially if your dog or cat uses these items.
I’ll explain how it works: Fleas attach themselves to your pet’s body and feed on its blood, after which they lay eggs on his or her fur, which may fall off and settle in numerous locations, including the furniture.
A few apparent clues can reveal where these fleas are hiding in your furnishings. Flea excreta is the most visible indicator; they appear as small black specks on your furniture and will turn a dark reddish-brown if you sprinkle them with a little water.
Fleabites and the discovery of live fleas are the only other obvious signs of flea infestation in your furnishings.
Where do fleas hide?
These insects prefer to hide in cracks and crevices. Their populations are more numerous in areas where they may feed and breed undisturbed (such as pet beds and living rooms) than in high-traffic areas (like lower-traffic areas or on carpeting).
They also live in upholstery, furniture, and other typical household items, particularly in places where they can stay warm.
Can fleas ruin your furniture?
Fleas are not just bad news for your furry friend because fleabites are very painful and make our pets sick, but they are also bad news for your expensive furniture.
Fleas don’t simply live on your pet; they can make their way into your furniture and carpeting. Once they’ve done so, you’ll need to act quickly to get rid of them.
If you don’t, you and your dogs will continue to be bitten by fleas, which causes itching and small red spots on your skin. In addition to that, they will also ruin your furniture, which cannot be good for anyone.
How to protect your furniture from fleas?
If you have fleas on your furniture, then you need to act fast and definitely do something about them. These are a few steps to follow if you want to control the flea problem and make it work. This step-by-step procedure will help you protect your furniture from these annoying little creatures.
- Starting by vacuuming your furniture is a good idea. Remove and vacuum any cushions from your furniture. Then, via the cracks, vacuum all the way around the furniture with the vacuum hose.
- There are certain food ingredients that are helpful in getting rid of fleas, and salt is one such ingredient that should be strewn over the room where your furniture is. Let it sit for a night to kill any fleas on the floor. The salt dehydrates the flea by destroying its bones. If you don’t do this, the fleas will just re-infest the furniture. The next morning, vacuum up all of the salt.
- Fill an empty spray container with warm water to about 85% capacity. Add six drops of lavender and six drops of cedar oil to the mixture after that. Spray this mixture all over your furniture. The odor repels fleas, and they will avoid it. The spray is entirely natural and will not harm your furniture. It’s also appropriate for use in the presence of children and pets. You can also use it on your pet as a homemade flea spray.
- Fleas should be treated on your pet. If you don’t, the pet will jump on the furniture and pick up more fleas, multiplying and causing a new infestation. Flea treatments can be obtained through your veterinarian.
What to spray on furniture to kill fleas?
You can either use a very strong chemical-based flea control powder or flea spray such as the one that contains sodium borate, or you can treat your furniture with a flea powder or flea spray containing a combination of linalool and citrus pest control flea spray as a natural alternative.
Make sure the flea spray covers all the bases properly.
Which other pests can destroy your furniture?
If you think fleas are the only insects you should be concerned about, you are wrong. There are more that you should know about.
Wood Borers
Because of the harm they cause in both urban and rural locations, wood-boring insects are considered pests. Wood-boring insects can do a lot of damage to residential properties, including your furniture in an urban setting. Wood-boring insects are responsible for crop damage in agricultural and rural environments.
It’s worth noting that some wood-boring insects are an important element of the ecology, as they help recycle dead trees.
On the other hand, Wood-boring insects have become an epidemic in some forests, killing a considerable number of trees. And once they reach your home, there is a good chance that your furniture will not survive.
Beetles are the most diverse category of creatures, with over 400,000 species divided into 500 groups. They are incredibly diverse, with species suited to practically any environment and feeding on almost any food source, including a wide range of agricultural, horticultural, and forestry plants and products.
Many species also act as predators on other insect pests. And once they reach your house, they make sure to infest and destroy all the furniture they can possibly find.
Beetles
Beetles have the same head, thorax, and abdomen as other insects, but they have a hard exoskeleton, hard forewings, and an abdomen with multiple hard plates. They also have the standard insect lifecycle, which includes an egg, a larva with various stages of development (instars), a pupa, and an adult.
Woodworm
Woodworm is a generic word for a variety of wood-boring beetle species that refers to the larvae of the beetles that feed on wood after hatching from their eggs and create tunnels in the process. After pupating and maturing into adults, they emerge through the wood, leaving distinctive holes in the surface.
This trait also leads to the idea that the holes may be treated with insecticide to kill the beetle, which is false because the hole indicates that the beetle has fled!
The beetles cause damage to structural timber and wooden fittings, furniture, and other goods in buildings.
How to get rid of fleas on the couch?
If your furry little friend who has fleas has been rolling around on your couch, then it is safe to guess that you already have fleas on your couch, and it is time to act super fast to get rid of them before they start growing and spreading around your house.
Not to scare you, but there might already be more fleas in your house than humans, so act quickly.
Here is what you can do –
- Quickly get rid of the cushions from the sofa and put them in your washing machine. If the lids are removable and washable, remove them and wash them in warm water.
- Thoroughly vacuum the pillows.
- With an extended brush, thoroughly vacuum the sofa.
- Get rid of the vacuum bag and place it in a plastic bag right away.
- Post this, use a good flea control spray and spray it over your couch to the best of your ability.
Summary
Undoubtedly, fleas can be beyond annoying, especially because they create an issue for us and our furniture and because they are harmful to our beloved pets. And thus, acting quickly is necessary. By adhering to the tips stated here, you can protect your furniture from fleas.
