How Fleas Get Into a Bed
Almost always on the cat or dog. A pet that sleeps on the duvet, curls up at the foot of the bed or naps on it during the day brings its fleas with it, and those fleas lay eggs while the animal lies there. The eggs are dry and loose, and they roll off the fur into the folds of the bedding and down the sides of the mattress.
Without a pet it is far less likely. A flea may jump on to a bed from the carpet, or be carried up on clothing, but adults do not stay on people and a bed without an animal on it gives them nothing to live on. Bites in bed in a home with no pets point either to pupae left in the carpet by a previous animal, or to something that is not a flea.
What Happens to Eggs in the Bedding
The eggs hatch into larvae within days. Larvae avoid light and work their way down into the thickest, darkest parts of the bed: the seams of the mattress, the gap between mattress and base, a valance, the fabric of a divan. They feed on the debris the pet leaves, including flea dirt, which is the black specks you may find on the sheet where the animal sleeps.
After that they spin cocoons and wait. That is why a bed can go on producing fleas for a while even once the pet has been treated by the vet and moved off it.
The bedding is the easy part. Unlike carpet, almost everything on a bed can go in the washing machine. A hot wash kills eggs, larvae and adults, and it is one of the few things you can do yourself that makes a real difference straight away.
Washing the Bedding
- Strip everything the pet has lain on: sheets, pillowcases, duvet cover, throws and blankets, and any cushions with removable covers.
- Wash hot, at the highest temperature the care labels allow, and dry on a hot setting if you can.
- Bag it before you carry it through the house, so eggs are not shaken on to the landing and stairs on the way to the machine.
- Repeat it weekly for the few weeks after treatment while pupae in the room are still hatching.
The Mattress, the Base and the Frame
A mattress cannot go in the machine, but it rarely needs replacing for fleas. Vacuum it thoroughly, paying attention to the seams, piping and edges, then vacuum the base and the carpet underneath the bed, which is where much of what falls off ends up. Empty the vacuum outside afterwards.
When we treat a home, the bedroom a pet uses is part of it, with the carpet, the area under the bed and soft furnishings covered. Bedding itself is washed rather than treated. The fixed £220 is confirmed before anything is booked. Everyone and every animal stays out of treated rooms until they have dried; tell us at booking about babies, pregnancy, breathing conditions, and any fish, birds, reptiles or caged pets. Getting the room ready is covered in how to prepare your home for flea treatment.
When It Is Not Fleas
The other insect that bites people in bed is the bed bug, which lives in the bed itself rather than on a pet, and our page on bed bugs vs fleas sets out how to tell the two apart. If there is no animal sleeping on the bed and the bites keep coming at night, it is worth reading before you do anything else.
If the bites themselves are troubling you, a pharmacist or your GP can advise. For children's bedrooms in particular, the children in the house page covers the points specific to them.