Family homes, gardens and pets
With so much of Sutton's housing built around private gardens, from the semis of Cheam and Wallington to the larger plots near Carshalton, pets spending time outdoors is simply part of daily life. Flea eggs picked up in the garden get carried in on fur and shed across the carpet long before anyone notices a bite.
Is it really fleas?
A flea bite usually sits low near the ankle, and fleas jump instead of crawling; the dark dirt they leave goes reddish on damp paper - the same pattern holds near Wallington, where leafy commuter streets of semi-detached houses close to the station. Bites higher up, in a row along an arm, point somewhere else - see the Sutton bed bug guide instead.
When a change of routine triggers a hatch
Carpet-laid eggs can remain dormant as pupae for a long time until movement and body heat set off the next generation, just as near Sutton, where the town centre mixes Victorian villas with newer housing close to the high street. A family holiday, a pet's stay at a kennel or cattery, or new carpet fitted over an older one can all be the trigger that brings a hidden problem to the surface.
If you're letting a property
With nothing to move and no one there to be bitten, a property empty between tenancies is the simplest time to deal with fleas, true near Belmont too, where quiet residential streets of semis and bungalows near the racecourse. Either a pet the previous tenant kept, or flea dirt spotted at check-out, is worth acting on before anyone new moves in - the same pattern holds near Carshalton, where a mix of Victorian houses near the ponds and interwar semis further out.
Clearing the carpets
- Pull furniture away from the walls so every edge of the room can be reached
- Vacuum thoroughly and empty the vacuum straight into an outside bin
- Wash pet bedding and any affected throws on the hottest cycle they allow
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms normally after treatment, rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Sutton
A flea job in Sutton costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Worcester Park, where interwar semis and later housing straddling the border with Kingston, 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 Sutton flea treatment page.
