Pets and past tenancies on the estates
Across Wandsworth's ex-council estates, flats with a run of previous tenants who kept pets are the most common source we see, with fleas already present in the carpet before a new resident even moves furniture in.
How an empty flat still has fleas waiting
Flea eggs in the carpet progress to pupae, which can lie dormant in a durable cocoon for months if a property stands empty, whether that's near Tooting, where terraced streets and estates close to the Broadway and Tooting Bec Common, or elsewhere in the borough. Movement and body heat are what trigger the next generation to hatch, sometimes within days of the property being lived in again, much as it does near Wandsworth, where victorian terraces around the town centre.
Is it really fleas?
A flea bite tends to appear low down around the ankle, and unlike other insects a flea jumps instead of crawling; its droppings turn reddish when dabbed on damp paper, whether that's near Balham, where dense Victorian terraces around the high road and the common, or elsewhere in the borough. A bite pattern higher up, in a row along an arm, points elsewhere - see the Wandsworth bed bug guide for that instead.
If you let a property out
The easiest time to deal with fleas is between tenancies, nothing to move and no one home to be bitten - the same pattern holds near Wandsworth, where victorian terraces around the town centre. A previous pet, or flea dirt found during check-out, is reason enough to act before new tenants arrive, much as it does near Putney, where riverside mansion blocks and Victorian terraces climbing up from the Thames.
Clearing the carpets
- Pull furniture away from the walls so every edge of the room is reachable
- Vacuum thoroughly and empty the vacuum straight into an outside bin
- Wash any pet bedding on a hot cycle
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms after treatment rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Wandsworth
A flea job in Wandsworth costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Battersea, where converted warehouses and newer riverside towers sit among Victorian terraces, 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 Wandsworth flea treatment page.
