The short answer
Adult fleas want to be on an animal, not in furniture. Their eggs and larvae, though, can collect anywhere a pet lies, and that includes duvets, sofa cushions and armchairs. So a bed or sofa can be part of a flea problem, but it is rarely the centre of it. The carpet around and underneath usually holds far more.
Beds shared with a cat or dog
A pet that sleeps on the bed sheds flea eggs into the covers every night. Larvae can develop in the folds of a throw or in the dust along the edge of a divan base. People sleeping in that bed tend to get bites on the legs and around the waist rather than just the ankles.
- Strip the bed and wash sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers and throws on a hot cycle
- Vacuum the mattress surface, the seams and the top of a divan base
- Vacuum the carpet under the bed right to the wall
- Keep the pet off the bed until the problem has settled
Sofas and armchairs
Crumbs, hair and flea dirt collect down the sides and backs of seat cushions — food for larvae in a dark, sheltered gap. Fabric sofas with deep crevices hold more than leather ones, which are easier to wipe. Take the cushions off, vacuum every seam and corner, and wash any removable covers that can be washed hot.
Fleas or bed bugs?
The two are often confused because both bite people at home. Bed bugs are flat, oval and about the size of an apple seed. They do not jump. They hide in mattress seams, bed frames and headboards, leave dark spots on the fabric, and tend to bite exposed skin — arms, neck, shoulders — while you sleep.
Fleas are much smaller, narrow and jump away when disturbed. They do not hide in bed frames or leave rows of dark spotting on the mattress. The full comparison is in bed bugs or fleas, and sofa-dwelling bed bugs are covered in can bed bugs live in sofas and furniture.
Do you need to throw anything out?
Usually not. Beds and sofas are not written off by fleas in the way they sometimes are by a long-standing bed bug infestation. Washing, vacuuming and dealing with the carpet and the pets are what matter. A cheap, heavily used pet cushion or blanket is the kind of thing worth replacing. Mattresses and sofas themselves can stay: once they have been vacuumed thoroughly and the pets are protected, they are not a lasting source of fleas.
Keeping them clear afterwards
Put a washable throw over the part of the sofa the dog or cat likes, and wash it hot every week or so while the problem settles. Vacuum under the cushions whenever you do the floors, and keep the area under the bed clear so the vacuum can reach the carpet. In shared houses, such as many in Kilburn, a sofa in the shared lounge needs the same attention as the one in your own room.
What lives underneath
The patch of carpet under a sofa or bed is dark, undisturbed and within easy reach of a pet. Cocoons there can hatch weeks later. More on these hidden spots in where fleas hide around the home.
Pets on the furniture
Treating the animal is what stops new eggs arriving on the cushions. Speak to your vet about a suitable product for each pet. For family homes with pets on every sofa, such as many in Sudbury, this matters as much as anything done to the furniture.
Booking
When you book flea treatment, tell us whether the pets use beds and sofas and which rooms those are in. Flea treatment in Brent costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room — a living room and one bedroom would be £240. Before the visit, see how to prepare for flea treatment.
