How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Fleas Professionally in Cambridge?

People are often surprised that a flea treatment is not over when the technician leaves. There are really three timescales involved, and knowing which one you are in stops a normal part of the process looking like a failure.

The Visit

The treatment itself is applied in one visit. How long we are there depends on how many rooms are being treated and how clear the floors are, but it is a matter of hours rather than days. We tell you before we arrive what needs doing to get ready, and a property that has been prepared properly is quicker and better treated.

The price does not depend on how long we take. Flea control is £220 for the first room, plus £60 for each additional room, with no call-out fee. The flea treatment cost guide explains the room count and the preparation.

Staying Out of the Rooms

People and pets need to stay out of the treated rooms until the treatment has dried. We give you the specific time before the visit, along with what is being used, where, and what to do with any animals. Follow those instructions, and if you have a question about a pet's health, ask your vet. Our article on pets and family around a treatment goes into more detail.

After that, use the rooms normally. Walking through them is part of the treatment, not a risk to it.

The Weeks Afterwards

This is the part that takes longest. On the day we treat, some of the fleas in the house are sealed inside cocoons that the treatment cannot fully get into. They come out over the following days and weeks, usually prompted by movement and warmth nearby, and land on a treated carpet.

For most homes that follow the instructions, activity tails off over roughly a couple of weeks. That is also why the carpets must not be vacuumed or washed for the period we give you: the treatment has to still be there when the last fleas come out.

The treatment takes an afternoon. The fleas take a fortnight to finish arriving.

What Makes It Take Longer

When a flea problem drags on, it is nearly always one of a small number of things:

• The pet was not treated, or its product had lapsed. The animal keeps carrying new fleas and eggs around the house.
• A room was missed. If the cat sleeps upstairs but only the lounge was treated, the fleas carry on upstairs.
• The carpets were vacuumed or shampooed too soon, lifting the treatment out before it had finished working.
• The rooms were shut up. Without footfall the pupae stay put and emerge later, sometimes after the treatment has stopped being effective.
• Something outside the treated area is feeding them, such as wildlife nesting in the loft.

Every treatment is guaranteed: if the problem comes back within 14 days of treatment, we return and re-treat free of charge. If activity is not settling, ring us on 01223 902388 rather than buying a spray, which can interfere with what is already down.

Doing It Yourself Takes Longer

Treating the pet, washing its bedding and vacuuming every day can bring a light problem under control, but it is slow, and it rarely reaches the larvae and pupae deep in carpet and floorboard gaps. Our article on whether fleas go away on their own explains why waiting it out rarely works, and the flea control service page covers the professional treatment.

If the problem is in a rented home, see our guide for landlords and tenants on arranging it.