How to Deal With Fleas in the Office
Many business owners assume they will never have to deal with fleas in their office environments. After all, most businesses do not allow pet dogs or cats in the office. Unfortunately, employees who own pets can bring fleas to work on their clothes, leading to an infestation. Here are a few top tips that can help you deal with the problem and prevent it from reoccurring.
1. Vacuum Everything in the Office
Vacuuming is an effective way to remove fleas from carpets and upholstered furniture such as padded office chairs. After you vacuum, you need to seal the vacuum bag to prevent fleas from escaping. Dispose of the bag as soon as possible outside of the office so that the fleas cannot return to your building.
2. Apply Insecticide
It is not enough to simply remove fleas from the building. Their eggs remain in carpets, chairs, and other items of furniture, which can lead to a second wave of infestation. To kill the next wave of fleas, apply insecticide to all furniture, carpets, and floors. Take extra care at the point where the floor meets the wall, as fleas like to hide in nooks and crannies.
You may need to apply insecticide more than once to successfully treat the flea infestation. Be sure to notify employees when you apply the treatment so they can avoid touching treated surfaces, as some insecticides can be irritating to skin.
3. Treat Employees Too
If one of your employees has a flea infestation problem in their home, fleas will likely hitch a ride back to your office on that person's clothes. Identify all employees who have pets and include them in your flea eradication program. Supply pet owners with flea treatments for their pets and homes to help them tackle the problem. Instruct all employees to wash their work clothes on a hot wash setting to kill fleas and eggs.
4. Call in Professional Help
Eradicating fleas is often a long and difficult process, which can be tricky to manage while also dealing with the day to day operations of your business. To be sure that you get rid of all the fleas and banish them from returning, call a commercial pest control company for help. Services such as Blakes Pest Management could assess the flea problem in your commercial building and come up with solutions that can solve the problem once and for all.