Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This will be a somewhat long review, but hopefully it will be of help to those with a flea problem. I have lived in an area of Maryland for 17 years and never saw one flea on any of my dogs or cats....not one! This year, however, has been nothing short of a nightmare. My Dane brought in fleas and of course they got on the indoor cats. Initially, there was no indication of fleas on the dog until I went to change the blanket on her dog bed....what a shock! And of course, they multiply. My husband and I vacuumed really well and discarded the contents in a sealed bag and "bombed" the house at 3 different times.....I am sure that it helped, but didn't do the trick. We purchased the Virbac Knockout and used it under the couch (turn your couch over so you can spray under the couch, not just the floor), and under the beds and all furniture just to make sure that those areas were treated. Before I continue, let me say that what we did may seem overkill, but in the end it worked. Did one thing work better than another?.......I'm not sure, but I know the combination of all things left us flea free. So, with each step we still had fleas even though it was getting better. We purchased Nature's Wisdom Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth (you want the food grade in case your pet licks their feet---you can even dust your pet with it) and put it on the carpets, furniture, floors, everywhere. It is messy, but leave it for a few days. We vacuumed that up (it's best if your vacuum has a beater brush). We then purchased the Victor M230 Ultimate Flea Trap (we purchased 9 of them) and put them in various areas and rooms where the fleas were the worst. Don't get the other brand as the sticky disks that go in them aren't very sticky and we actually saw fleas go in the other brand and hop right out!! Also, during all of this we were treating the yard, but the dog kept picking up fleas in the yard. By the way, she was treated with a topical flea preventative that didn't work, but we purchased the Bayer Advantage II brand and that one worked (make sure that you put it on the 4 areas they recommend, not just between the shoulder blades). Back to the house and then the final on the yard. Okay, so everything was getting better in the house, but not as well as I wanted or thought it should be after everything we had done. I went online to look for further solutions. We mopped the vinyl and ceramic floors with Clorox water and it worked instantly. I didn't wring all of the water out of the sponge mop because I wanted it to sit on the surface of the floor and especially around the baseboards. The other solution (and again you want a vacuum with a beater brush) was salt on the carpets and rugs. I put it on heavy. From what I read, it breaks down the exoskeleton of the flea and they dehydrate and DIE! I believe in the end, that that was of great benefit. If you have a beater brush, it isn't hard to vacuum out of the carpet and rugs. I left it for about a week because as they try and move around in it, it removes that exoskeleton. Finally, the solution for the yard......25 Million Live Beneficial Nematodes Hb-Soil Pest Exterminator (everything I mentioned was bought from Amazon except the salt and use fine salt, like regular table salt). Just type in Amazon's search box what I typed above. I never knew of this product or I would have used it for other ground bugs. You need to wet the ground before applied and you can't apply in the sun and when they arrive, if you can't do them that day, you must put them in the refrigerator so they don't die. Okay, so my husband and I are out at one in the morning applying the nematodes because we are determined to rid that yard of fleas. Three days later, not one flea in the yard or any ants or any type of bug. Just make sure that you follow the directions exactly.....don't take a short cut. We mixed them in containers and then poured those containers into a pump sprayer and added more water. Make sure that you get around any shrubbery very well, because fleas don't like the sun and that is where they like it best. We will be treating our yard every spring and fall with the nematodes to prevent the fleas in the first place. Make sure all pets are treated with a preventative. Once you think you have the fleas under control, continue to use the Victor Flea Traps with new sticky disks in them, so you can monitor any area for a while. A trapped flea can't reproduce!!!...it only dies! Good luck to anyone with the nightmare that we had and hope to never have again!