How to Get Rid of Flea Eggs & Eliminate a Flea Infestation

• Flea eggs are .5–1 millimetre (0.020–0.039 in) long, white, shiny, and oval shaped. They look like sand or sugar, and are often accompanied by black flecks of “flea dirt.”
• To remove flea eggs from your pet, wash them with a flea shampoo, comb them from head to tail with a flea comb, then treat their fur with an growth regulator (IGR) gel.
• To kill flea eggs in your home, wash all your fabrics and bedding in hot water, vacuum your floors and soft furniture, and spread diatomaceous earth on everything in your house.

What do flea eggs look like?

Flea eggs are small white specks that resemble grains of salt. Flea eggs are white, slightly oblong, and are about ⁄2 millimetre (0.020 in) long. They can be mistaken for dandruff or grains of salt, so check potential eggs with a magnifying glass. Hold them to a dark background to make it easier to see. While you may know what they look like, they are very hard to find. If you know your house has an infestation, it’s better to just clean and spread insect growth regulators in areas where eggs might be to get rid of the fleas. Fleas like to lay eggs in out-of-the-way areas, like under furniture, in cracks in the floor, dusty corners, under rugs, between floorboards and tiles, and at the edge of baseboards.

White and black specks are signs of fleas on dogs and cats. Flea eggs and flea “dirt” collect in your pet’s hair when you have an infestation. “Flea dirt” is a name for the flea feces and dried blood that flea larvae feed on. Comb your pet’s fur on their face, neck, armpits, and near their tail. If you see black and white specs, they probably have fleas. Tip: Keep pets that have fleas in one room of your home until you can control the problem so the infestation doesn’t spread. Provide them with food and water, and let them outside when they need to relieve themselves. If you’re not sure something is flea dirt, dab it with a wet paper towel. If it comes back stained red, it’s flea dirt.

Removing Flea Eggs from Pets

Wash your pet with flea shampoo to get rid of adult fleas and eggs. Find a flea shampoo that’s formulated for your pet’s breed and then put your pet in the bathtub. Rinse their fur with warm water to remove loose eggs and fleas, then rub the flea shampoo over their entire body. Let the shampoo sit for a minute before rinsing it out. Chris Parker, pest control expert, says that before treating anything else, “have the animals in [your] house treated…[A]s long as they can be a good source for the fleas, you’re gonna have a [hard] time getting rid of them.” You can buy flea shampoo from your veterinarian or pet stores. Be careful not to get the shampoo into your pet’s mouth or eyes since it can cause irritation.

Comb your pet with a flea comb to remove eggs from their fur. Comb your pet from head to tail along the grain of their fur with a flea comb, keeping the comb as close to their skin as possible. Focus on areas where the skin folds, like your pet’s face, ears, neck, and base of the tail. Rinse the comb in hot, soapy water to get rid of any fleas you’ve collected.Tip: If you comb your pet inside, be sure to vacuum the area as soon as you’re finished.

Treat your pet with flea gel to prevent getting reinfested. Find a topical flea medication that’s right for your breed, then follow the instructions on the package. Look for medications with an insect growth regulator (IRG) to target eggs. Insecticides and adulticides only target mature fleas. You can use a flea collar, but some can irritate your pet, and they don’t work as well as topical IGR medications. Speak to your veterinarian about what medication is right for your pet. You can also feed your pet oral medications—just check with your veterinarian first.

Killing Flea Eggs in Your Home

Wash and dry all the fabrics in your house. Parker says you can get rid of flea eggs by “washing everything you can wash in hot water…[including] all your bedding…especially stuff that the dogs or cats are on[,]...like…dog beds, cat beds, [and] dog toys.” As soon as the wash is done, dry the load on the highest heat setting your fabric can take. Things to wash include blankets, bedding, clothing, curtains, pillowcases, cushion covers, rugs, pet toys, and pet bedding. For best results, clean everything multiple times, as flea larvae hatch in waves. Keep your clean clothes and bedding in a separate area of your home that’s away from the fleas and your pet so they don’t get infested again.

Vacuum your floor and furniture to remove any flea eggs. Run the vacuum over everything you can’t wash—area rugs, carpets, soft furniture—as well as all of your floors. Parker recommends “vacuuming all of your rugs every single day…[especially if there’s] a spot on the rug where the dog likes to hang out.” Go over the same area multiple times and use the hose with a crevice tool attachment to get into corners and tight areas of your carpet and furniture. Anywhere that dust collects is likely to have flea eggs. Vacuum under your rugs and large pieces of furniture. Pay attention to corners, cracks, and the edges of your baseboards. Dispose of the vacuum’s contents or bag in an outdoor garbage can. Fleas can’t escape your vacuum, but they could re-infest your house if they’re thrown away inside.

Steam clean thick fabrics or carpets to overheat them. Fill a steamer with water and turn it on to start heating it. It needs to reach 95 °F (35 °C) to kill fleas and eggs. Slowly steam clean the room, starting in the furthest corner and pulling the steamer in straight, overlapping lines. After the carpet dries completely, vacuum it thoroughly to get rid of any dead fleas and eggs.Tip: If you don’t have a carpet steamer, you may be able to rent one from big box or hardware stores. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, it can be very difficult to get fleas under control by yourself. If you’re not able to vacuum and steam it every day (or if the problem doesn’t get better), consider calling an exterminator.

Spread diatomaceous earth or spray insect growth regulators. Insecticides can harm your pets and only target adult fleas, so use insect growth regulator (IGR) to target eggs and larvae, and spread food grade diatomaceous earth to attack adults. Put diatomaceous earth all over your house—on carpets, furniture, baseboards, bed skirts, etc. If you use a spray, spray your furniture and floors in long, overlapping strips. Essential oils can also deter fleas, but Parker recommends buying “a product like Essentria…[which is] specifically formulated as an insecticide… [but d]o not put it on your animal. Essential oils can be toxic to animals.” Use chemical insecticides if you have wall to wall carpeting. Before using it, contact your veterinarian to see if it’s safe for your pet. Diatomaceous earth can cause respiratory issues if inhaled, so use it with caution if you have asthma.

Keep your grass short and throw away lawn scraps. To protect your pet (and therefore your home!) from picking up fleas outside, keep your grass very short and clean up any leaves or debris on your lawn. Pest services offer “landscape applications” to kill fleas—think crop dusting—but these services disrupt the ecosystem of your yard. Parker notes that “white dogs…attract ticks and fleas more than other colors,” so pay extra attention to light-colored animals.

Call a pest control company if nothing else works. Fleas can be very difficult to remove from your house, so if the problem hasn’t lessened in a week or two, call in a professional. If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, you may want to call one in from the beginning. Flea foggers may seem like a good last resort, but since they cover every surface in pesticides they can be dangerous, especially if you have fish tanks. If you do use a fogger, cover your fish tanks, clean all of your clothing and bedding afterward, and clean all of your kitchen and bathroom surfaces.