Itchy bite clusters (often on ankles), pepper-like “flea dirt” that smears reddish, tiny white eggs/larvae in seams, jumping fleas, and pets scratching near the bed = you likely have fleas. Strip and hot-wash bedding, vacuum/steam the mattress and nearby areas, treat pets and the room with an adulticide + IGR, then repeat in ~2 weeks (continue up to 6) or call a pro.
Waking up itchy or seeing tiny jumpers on your furniture or in your pet's fur could mean there are fleas in your home. And if you snuggle with your dog or cat at night, there's a decent chance these insects have made it to your sleeping quarters.
Worried about fleas in the bed? This guide will go over the signs to look out for, what to do if you have an infestation, and how to make sure fleas don't return after getting rid of them.
Signs of Flea Infestation in Your Bed
It may or may not be obvious that there's an infestation of fleas in your bed. Unsure of the signs? Here's how to spot fleas where you sleep.
1. Flea Bites on Your Body
The first sign of fleas in your bed might not be in your bed at all, but on your body in the form of bites. These usually show up as small clusters of itchy, irritated, reddish dots (almost like pin pricks) around the ankles, feet, or shins. But if the insects are in your bed, you may see flea bites on any area of skin that's exposed when you sleep.1
2. Flea Dirt (Flea Feces)
Another thing you might notice is "flea dirt," which is actually flea feces. Since these tiny insects feed on the blood of other animals (like mosquitoes do), the fecal matter is digested blood.2
Since the fleas themselves are so small, this excrement appears as teensy black specks (think ground pepper). But to the untrained eye, the fine flecks may just look like dirt. Flea dirt might turn a reddish-brown color if it gets wet.3
3. Flea Eggs in Bedding
With fleas in the bed, you might also see eggs scattered in your bed sheets or on your mattress. These are super-small, each about a half-millimeter in length, and white in color. Flea eggs are often described as looking like dandruff or grains of salt.2
So, if you have fleas at different points of their life cycle (which is common and likely), you may notice a mix of what looks like salt and pepper.2
4. Flea Larvae
We're sorry to tell you that you might see flea larvae in your bed as well. These are the eggs of the fleas after they hatch. They're actually quite a bit larger than the adult insects (up to 5 millimeters in length) because they spin silken cocoons—translucent or white-ish worm-like tubes.3
The larvae could be on your bedding or more hidden, such as within the seams of your mattress.
5. Adult Fleas
The most obvious sign of fleas in your bed is adult fleas. Though they're very small compared to other insects and household pests (roughly 3 millimeters long and 1 millimeter wide), the dark brownish-black, shiny bodies make fleas relatively easy to spot.
Fleas are known for jumping around on their hosts. They can leap vertically up to six inches, allowing them to transfer from an animal to the bed or from your pet to you.4
6. Pet Scratching
Dogs and cats scratch themselves a lot, often several times a day. But if your pet's scratching seems like more than a lot, like near-constant scratching, they might have fleas.
This itching, combined with one or more of the signs above, likely means there are fleas in your home. And if the scratching occurs most often while your pet is near or on your bed, it could mean your bedding or mattress has an infestation.5
How to Eliminate Fleas from Your Bed
If you've got fleas in your bed, you'll need to take action to get rid of them. Fleas are parasites, meaning they live on other organisms (in this case, furry pets) and get their nutrients from the organism (via the animal's blood). Not only that, but they can carry pathogens and pass on diseases or bacteria to your pets.6 If you sleep with your dog often, you’ll want to be especially thorough, since fleas can easily transfer from their bedding to yours.
So, what's the solution? The best way to eliminate fleas from your bed is with a multi-pronged approach—in other words, killing them at every life stage and treating your entire household (including your home and your pets) to keep them from coming back.
1. Wash All Bedding in Hot Water
First, strip your bed and wash all your bedding in hot water (at least 100 °F), then tumble-dry on high heat. The high temperature should kill any existing eggs, larvae, and adult fleas, and the water should wash them away. What's left may collect in your dryer's lint filter, so be sure to clean that out afterward.
2. Vacuum Thoroughly
Since there could also be larvae within your mattress seams or in nearby crevices, make sure to vacuum the entire space thoroughly. This includes all over the surface, edges, and corners of your mattress, underneath your mattress, your bed frame, your nightstands, the surrounding rug or carpet, and your bedroom floor.
When you're done, empty the vacuum's dust canister or dirt-collection bag outside so you don't accidentally re-expose your home.
3. Steam-Clean the Mattress
You might also want to steam-clean your mattress. The heat from the steam can penetrate deep into the layers to clean flea dirt, kill adult fleas, and destroy hidden eggs and larvae.7 Knowing how to clean a mattress properly can help you keep it fresh and prevent future issues.
If the infestation is bad enough that there's damage or it appears the eggs or larvae are embedded inside your mattress, consider discarding it and getting a new mattress.
4. Apply Flea-Killing Products to Your Bed
After cleaning your mattress and bedding thoroughly, apply mattress-safe flea-killing products. Consider using an adulticide (an insecticide that targets adult fleas), along with an insect growth regulator (IGR) to prevent any existing eggs and larvae from developing into adults.4
5. Treat Your Pet
You also need to treat your pet, whether they sleep in the bed with you or not. There are a variety of products for this, including topical solutions (like foams, dropper-style liquids, and sprays) and oral tablets your pet can chew and swallow. You can also get special flea-repellent dog shampoo and even flea collars that fend off the parasites. Some of these can be bought online or from a pet store, and others require a prescription.4 When in doubt, ask your vet. And don’t forget their bedding. Knowing how to wash a dog bed properly is key to keeping fleas from coming back.
These steps should be done at the same time as treating your mattress to lower the chances of fleas making their way right back to your bed after you've cleaned it.
6. Treat Other Areas
Be sure to treat other areas in your bedroom and home, such as carpets, rugs, pet beds, furniture, baseboards, throw blankets, and pillows. If you have a fabric headboard or frame, learn how to clean an upholstered bed frame in our blog to ensure fleas and allergens are fully removed. A deep-cleaning can help remove what's inside your home and break the cycle.
7. Repeat Treatment
For best results, repeat the treatment (for both your bed and pets) about two weeks later, then again every other week until you reach six weeks. This will ensure you're killing every stage of the entire flea life cycle, which spans four to six weeks.8
Prevention Strategies to Keep Fleas Out of Your Bed
After doing bi-weekly treatments for six weeks, you still want to be diligent to make sure fleas don't return.
Regular Cleaning
It's a good idea to vacuum your space daily when you have pets. This will get rid of not only flea dirt and eggs but also fur and pet dander. Beyond that, wash your bedding weekly and your dog's bed at least every other week. Periodic steam-cleaning of your carpets, mattress, and other furniture can help too.7
Pet Management
To help keep your pets flea-free, comb them regularly, give them regular baths, and use flea shampoo as needed. Bathing your dog after they've been around other pets, like at a dog park or doggie daycare, is a wise choice as well.9
Natural Deterrents
Certain natural deterrents can repel fleas so they're less likely to hang around inside your home. Think cedarwood pellets, rosemary herbal sachets, baking soda, and diatomaceous earth.9
Environmental Controls
There are a few additional things you can do to prevent flea infestations in your house. Consider getting a mattress protector with sealed seams and sealing cracks in your home that may expose it to pests.
Outside, install fencing and other pest-control barriers to keep animals that might carry fleas out of your yard and away from your home. If you buy any secondhand furniture or linens, do your best to inspect them thoroughly before bringing them inside and launder any washable items right away.10
When to Call Professionals
If you have persistent or recurrent flea infestations in your bedroom or throughout your entire home that don't seem to be treatable with the above measures, you might want to call a licensed pest-control professional. They can employ more effective methods and find lingering flea issues. Your veterinarian can also offer guidance.
Casper Mattresses—Sleep Easy After the Fleas Are Gone
Want to start fresh in your bedroom following a flea infestation? We don't blame you. A new Casper mattress is not only clean but also supportive and conducive to high-quality sleep, night after night. To give you peace of mind, your purchase is backed by a 100-night risk-free trial. If you decide you don't totally love the mattress within that window, we'll take it back, no questions asked.
Casper also has breathable bed sheets, pillows for every sleeping style, bed frames, headboards, and even dog mattresses. Explore the collections today.
Sources:
- National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Flea Bites. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541118/
- Insects. The Biology and Ecology of Cat Fleas and Advancements in Their Pest Management: A Review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5746801/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DPDx – Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern. Fleas. https://www.cdc.gov/dpdx/fleas/index.html
- University of Kentucky Department of Entomology. Flea Control and Prevention. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef602
- Trends in Parasitology. Flea control failure? Myths and realities. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1471492214000397
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About Parasites. https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/about/index.html
- United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Controlling Fleas and Ticks Around Your Home. https://www.epa.gov/pets/controlling-fleas-and-ticks-around-your-home
- Parasites & Vectors. Pathogens in fleas collected from cats and dogs: distribution and prevalence in the UK. https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-019-3326-x
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Controlling Fleas. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/insects/controlling-fleas/
- Mississippi State University Extension Service. Control Fleas on Your Pet, in Your House, and in Your Yard. http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/publications/control-fleas-your-pet-your-house-and-your-yard
- Entomology, Ornithology & Herpetology. Understanding the Behaviour of Fleas: Insights into these Tiny Parasites. https://www.longdom.org/open-access/understanding-the-behaviour-of-fleas-insights-into-these-tiny-parasites-103586.html
