Flea Fogger

A flea fogger, also called a flea bomb, is basically an aerosol container that contains insecticide. 

When activated the can sprays the insecticide into the room (kind of like a cloud of poison) where it falls and coats all exposed items.

Flea bombs can be somewhat effective, especially if you're facing a serious infestation, but do to the fact the chemicals cover everything inside the room, they're not ideal in every situation.

Typically, a rental home that is vacant and being cleaned for a new tenant can be an ideal location for a fogger because the house is already empty.

While growing up my parents would "bomb" the house when we had plans to be out of town for a couple of days.

Although it worked okay, the cleanup afterwards was always labor intensive because we had to wipe down all of the cabinets and countertops, vacuum the furniture and carpet, and make sure we didn't miss any spots that contained the insecticide. 

Flea Fogger - Should You Use One?

If you're serious about getting rid of fleas inside your house, there are a lot of products and techniques on the market that work better than a fogger. 

In fact, many users report poor experiences when using them.

Since the chemical only settles on the surface of the carpet when it falls, it never gets down deep into the carpet where the flea eggs and larvae are hiding. 

Without disrupting the fleas lifecycle at all stages, you'll never win the battle against fleas.

Also, the chemicals typically don't reach small areas like closets, so you're not treating your whole house, which allows the fleas to continually multiply.

Do Foggers Work For Fleas?

Although they sound great in theory, using a flea fogger to get rid of unwanted fleas in your home is not the best choice.

Simply put, there are too many negative side effects from using a fogger inside your home.

Not only do you have to wipe down everything inside your house, such as your countertops and your kitchen table, the fogger does not penetrate deep down inside your carpet which is where most of the fleas will be living.

How Long Does It Take For Fleas To Die After Using A Flea Fogger?

It's recommended you let the insecticide sit on your carpet and flooring for up to 14 days before you begin to vacuum and clean up.

This is why foggers are a good choice for vacant rental homes when no one is currently living inside.

Since it will take several days for the insecticide to kill the fleas, allowing some extra time will increase the foggers effectiveness.

Can You Stay In The House When Using A Flea Bomb?

It's always recommended you leave the house, along with your pets and children, when using the insecticide.

When using any type of insecticide or chemical, make sure to read the warning labels on the product before use.

It is possible to seal off one room of your home, like a bedroom or office, and only treat one room, but the fleas typically won't be confined to just one room in your house.

If you have pets, pet food, or children's toys, it's always best to remove them from the house before using the fogger.

Flea Fogger - Overall

If you're experiencing a problem with fleas inside your house, you'll need to do more than just setting off a fogger and returning a couple hours later to a flea free home.

Considering the amount of time it takes to prepare your house, the cleanup afterwards and the fact the active ingredients don't penetrate your carpet very well, I don't recommend using a flea fogger to control fleas inside your home.

Instead, try frequent vacuuming which is somewhat time consuming, but works really well at killing adult fleas along with eggs and larva. 

Also natural products such as diatomaceous earth are non poisonous and are very effective at killing fleas and a variety of other pests.

Getting rid of unwanted fleas will also require treating your pet and its bedding if you have one. 

Chances are you have fleas because of an animal, and you'll want to treat your pet at the same time to get rid of your problem for good.