How an empty home fills with fleas
Eggs laid in carpet fibre by a previous pet develop into pupae that can sit dormant inside a tough cocoon for weeks if a property stands empty. Movement and body heat trigger hatching, so a flat or terrace left vacant between tenancies can start producing bites within days of new occupants moving in.
Is it really fleas?
Clusters of bites low on the ankle or lower leg are typical of fleas, which jump instead of crawling; flea dirt in the carpet goes reddish on damp paper, much as it does near New Addington, where a mid-20th-century estate on the borough's southern edge. When the bites line up higher on the body, bed bugs are the more likely explanation, whether that's near Purley, where leafy 1930s suburbia in the south of the borough, or elsewhere in the borough.
If you've just moved into a Croydon rental
Track when the bites started and which rooms are worst, and take photos of any flea dirt you come across, whether that's near Thornton Heath, where dense Victorian terraces close to the town centre, or elsewhere in the borough. Put your landlord or agent on notice in writing straight away, whether you're in a Thornton Heath terrace or a town-centre flat.
If you manage a rental property
Between tenants is the simplest time to deal with fleas, there's nothing in the way and no one around to get bitten - the same pattern holds near Thornton Heath, where dense Victorian terraces close to the town centre. Whether it's a pet kept by the previous tenant or flea dirt found at check-out, either is worth dealing with before new tenants arrive, as anyone near Addiscombe will recognise, where victorian and Edwardian terraces east of the town centre.
Clearing the carpets
- Pull furniture away from walls so every edge of the room can be reached
- Vacuum thoroughly and empty it straight into an outside bin
- Wash any pet bedding on the hottest cycle it allows
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms after treatment rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Croydon
A flea job in Croydon costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Addiscombe, where victorian and Edwardian terraces east of the town centre, telling us how many rooms are carpeted and whether pets are part of the household when you book flea treatment helps, with the full detail on the Croydon flea treatment page.
