Quickly Eliminate Fleas In The Basement In 7 Steps

If you’ve been struggling to eliminate fleas in your basement, then this guide is all you need.

You’ll learn how to get rid of fleas in the basement permanently by removing them from the source. 

Plus, you’ll also find out why it’s not a wise choice to use flea bombs or foggers in any part of your home.

And a lot more.

Keep reading.

What Causes Flea Infestation In Your Basement? 

Your basement is damp, dark, warm, full of clutter that provides them hiding places. These conditions are perfect for fleas to hide.

Fleas reach your basement in any one of the three ways.

1. Your pet transfers fleas to your basement.
2. Animals like raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and even rats can bring fleas to your basement.
3. Like cardboard boxes and furniture, things you move into your basements can have fleas hiding on them.

In your basement, fleas will hide in the cracks on the furniture, in discarded soft furnishings, including carpets and couches, and the crevices on both wooden and concrete floors.

However, fleas will not lay eggs in these places till they find a host. The primary purpose of fleas hiding is to wait for a host to hook themselves on.

If your pet gets into the basement that has fleas, it can bring in fleas to your home and, the worst, to your bed.

Dogs can transfer fleas onto your bed and couch. What happens when a flea-infested dog spends time or sleeps on your bed. 

When fleas get consistent blood meals from their hosts, they’ll lay eggs on their host’s fur and skin. Fleas will even discard their feces, known as flea dirt, on your pet’s fur and skin.

And when your dog sleeps on your bed, some of these flea eggs will drop off on your bed, causing a flea infestation in your bed.

So, it makes complete sense to get rid of fleas in the basement. From the basement, fleas can spread in other areas of your home, especially when you’ve got pets.

But given the likelihood of fleas multiplying in your basement is less because of the lack of availability to blood meals, eliminating them becomes easy.

The following section covers the steps to eliminate fleas in the basement.

7 Steps To Get Rid Of Fleas In The Basement

Here are the seven steps to get rid of fleas in the basement –

1. Clean the clutter
2. Discard unwanted furnishings lying in your basement
3. Scatter diatomaceous earth
4. Vacuum clean, thoroughly
5. Clean the basement floor and furniture with hot soapy water
6. Use the right flea killing insecticide spray
7. Seal the cracks and gaps 

Let’s get into each of these steps in detail.

#1 – Clean The Clutter In The Basement

Clutter in basements is typical. And clutter provides hiding places to not just fleas but to many other types of basement bugs, including spiders. 

So, before you even begin the process of getting rid of fleas, clear the clutter in your basement. 

Clearing the clutter will expose many gaps and cracks that fleas and bugs use to hide. 

Also, you’ll now have a good view of the entire basement and accessibility to all the corners for flea control.

Put any fabric, taxidermies, and soft materials in a plastic bag. You’ll find out what to do with them in a minute. 

#2 – Discard Unwanted Furnishings Lying In Your Basement

There are many things in the basement that you don’t use. And if you haven’t been using it for a year, it means that you probably won’t use them ever again. 

So, get rid of your junk, especially those soft furnishings like chairs with cushions, torn carpets, rugs, and sofas. 

These are the places where fleas hide. The coziness of carpets and cushions make them an idle hiding place for fleas. 

But there’s a catch.

Ensure that you dispose of them far from your property. Else, the fleas will come back and take shelter in your yard and home.

#3 – Scatter Diatomaceous Earth In Your Basement

Now that you’ve cleared up your basement of all the clutter and junk, it’s time to get on the offensive. 

Begin with scattering diatomaceous earth in your basement. And while scattering, do not skip any gaps and cracks that you see on hard surfaces like floors, walls, and furniture. 

Ensure that cover the basement floor, the corners, the furniture, and even the area under the sink. 

Err on the excess use of diatomaceous earth rather than using it less. And after scattering, let the diatomaceous earth sit for half an hour. 

Diatomaceous earth is a desiccant. It gets inside the fleas’ bodies, dehydrates them of the moisture that keeps them alive, and causes the exoskeleton of the fleas to break. This process kills adult fleas.

Diatomaceous earth also kills the flea larvae, which are tiny and hard to see. 

It’d be best to use food-grade diatomaceous earth. It’s pet safe and safe for humans and children too.

An alternative to diatomaceous earth is flea powder. It’s also effective in killing fleas. Still, the insecticides in it pose health risks to your pets and children if they accidentally ingest them.

Another alternative is borax, which also kills fleas. Scattering borax mixed with salt will have the same effect on the fleas as the diatomaceous earth.

#4 – Vacuum Clean Your Basement To Remove The Fleas

After 30 minutes, it’s time to use the vacuum cleaner. 

Vacuum clean the basement floor, the basement furniture, and other storage sections in your basement. 

Be a bit meticulous and slow while vacuum cleaning. Ensure that you don’t skip any inch of the basement and spend a bit of time cleaning the cracks.

Vacuum cleaning will remove the diatomaceous earth with dead fleas and larvae. 

After vacuum cleaning, there shouldn’t be any particles of diatomaceous earth left on the basement floor and elsewhere.

Also, dispose of the vacuum bag outside of your property. If you dispose of it near your then, fleas may jump off from the bag and infest your home.

#5 – Clean The Basement Floor And Furniture With Soapy Water 

Mix 2-3 tablespoons of dish soap in a bucket of water and mop the basement floor and furniture with the mixture.

It’ll not only clean your basement but also kill any hidden fleas because dish soap kills fleas. 

Dish soap, or any detergent, damages the fleas’ exoskeleton, which kills the fleas. 

#6 – Spray The Right Flea Killer Spay

When dealing with tiny pests like fleas, which spread fast, you shouldn’t leave anything to chance. 

So, despite doing all the above steps, you must use the correct insecticide spray in your basement to get rid of fleas.

The best option for you is a microencapsulated flea spray which is specifically helpful to get rid of fleas on hard surfaces like concrete. 

Concrete absorbs other flea sprays, and hence the insecticide can’t make all the contact it needs to make to kill the fleas.

In contrast, concrete and hard furniture surfaces can’t absorb the microencapsulated spray, thus making the spray reach the fleas and eliminate them. 

#7 – Seal The Gaps And Cracks In The Basement

There are gaps and cracks in the basement floors, walls, and furniture where fleas and bugs hide.

Doing all your due diligence and leaving the cracks as-is will open those places for bugs to occupy.

The crevices on the walls and floors are also hiding places for basement bugs with lots of legs like centipedes and millipedes.

So, caulk the gaps and cracks with a silicone-based sealant. Silicone-based sealants are waterproof, robust, and last for at least a decade. 

And most importantly, bugs can’t chew through these sealants. 

Repair any damage to the walls. 

Damp places attract bugs. So, control the dampness in your basement by fixing any water leakages in the plumbing area of your basement.

To keep a tab on any fleas that might be present after these steps, place flea traps at the corners of your basement.

Flea traps and sticky, and if fleas jump on them, they’ll get stuck on the traps.

And finally, put the plastic bags containing the fabric and taxidermies in a freezer. The cold temperature will kill any fleas hiding in these materials. 

Should You Use Flea Bombs To Get Rid Of Fleas

We don’t recommend using flea bombs or bug bombs to eliminate fleas or any other types of bugs. 

Despite recommendations from many experts, flea bombs aren’t safe, and they aid in spreading these pests rather than controlling them. 

Fleas that aren’t within the range of flea bombs will escape and hide in deeper places of your home. That’s why many homeowners can’t get rid of fleas after bombing.

As per the University of Kentucky and the University of California, bug bombs or foggers are ineffective and, in fact, worsen bug problems in the home.

How Long Can Fleas Live In The Basement Without A Host

Without the blood meals and ample humidity, fleas can live in the basement for 15-40 days. 

Fleas can only complete their life cycle if they get regular blood meals from their hosts.

That’s why it’s easier to get rid of fleas in places like the basement than in areas where their hosts, humans, and pets spend the most time.

Essential Oils As Flea Repellent

Essential oils don’t kill fleas and bugs. Essential oils have insecticidal properties, but they work as flea repellents rather than as a cure to the flea problem.

Spraying essential oils like peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus works well in repelling fleas. It stops them from causing a flea infestation. 

So, spraying oils like peppermint oil after getting rid of the fleas is a wise way to keep fleas and bugs from showing up again.

Do Flea Lay Eggs On the Concrete Floors?

Fleas won’t lay eggs on the concrete floors even though they can survive there for a few days. 

Fleas need regular blood meals to breed. The flea larvae that hatch out of the eggs also need blood meals to grow and complete their life cycle. 

In places like the basement, where the possibility of having blood meals is low for the fleas, fleas won’t lay eggs on the concrete floors.

Female fleas lay eggs and defecate on their hosts, which can be your pet dog or cat. 

That’s why it’s essential to keep a check on your pet for a possible flea infestation. Plus, pets introduce fleas in the house. 

Flea bites on pets cause severe itching, discomfort, hair loss, and skin infection.

Flea collars on pets, bathing pets regularly with flea shampoo, and checking your pet’s fur for fleas with a flea comb are three basic ways to keep a tab on flea infestation in your pets.

Also, checking the pet bedding for signs of fleas will tell you if your pet has fleas.

Conclusion

The seven steps to getting rid of fleas in the basement are –

1. Clean the clutter
2. Discard unwanted furnishings lying in your basement
3. Scatter diatomaceous earth
4. Vacuum clean, thoroughly
5. Clean the basement floor and furniture with hot soapy water
6. Use the right flea killing insecticide spray
7. Seal the cracks and gaps 

In this guide, you’ve also learned what causes a flea infestation in your basement. 

Fleas in any area of your home can cause a severe flea infestation unless you spot their signs and take early action. 

In most cases, the source of fleas in your yard with tall grasses and dense bushes where these bugs hide. 

When you walk through these bushes, the fleas will latch onto your clothing, and you’ll bring them home.

The same thing happens when pets pass through vegetation with fleas. The hiding fleas jump onto their hosts and start feeding on their blood and multiply.